A pocket digital camera with a retracting 3× zoom, optical viewfinder and Memory Stick recording.
Type
Compact
Sensor
1/1.8-type
Megapixels
3.24
Lens
39–117 mm equivalent
Video
320 × 240
Body weight
208 g
What reviewers say
DPReview and Cameralabs praised the compact body, retracting lens and colourful images, finding image quality competitive with larger cameras. Both preferred the S70's optics and greater control for some subjects. DPReview criticised slow playback, wide-angle colour fringing and battery life; Cameralabs found the tiny menus difficult to read and the supplied memory card restrictive.
Sony's original Japanese sheet specifies 3.34 million total and 3.24 million effective photosites on a 1/1.8-type primary-colour interlaced CCD. The 2048 × 1536 output contains approximately 3.15 million image pixels; this differs from the photosite count. DPReview lists 3.14 MP effective
Image formats
JPEG and uncompressed TIFF; GIF for text and Clip Motion animations; 2048 × 1360 3:2 mode and smaller output sizes
Lens and shooting
Built-in lens
39–117 mm equivalent
Maximum aperture
f/2.8–5.3
Optical zoom
3×
Lens detail
Actual 8–24 mm lens, with six elements in six groups including two aspherical elements; automatic sliding cover and retracting barrel; digital enlargement separate from optical zoom
Autofocus
Normal AF from 0.5 m; macro AF from 0.1 m
Shutter
Maker specifies automatic shutter from 2 seconds to 1/2000 second
Flash
Built-in flash with automatic, red-eye automatic, forced and off modes; recommended range 0.5–2.3 m wide or 0.5–1.2 m telephoto
Exposure controls
Automatic exposure with ±2 EV compensation; panfocus, night, night-plus, landscape and spot-metering programs
Video
Highest video resolution
320 × 240
Video detail
MPEG-1 with sound; 320 × 240 HQ or presentation modes limited to 15-second clips, or 160 × 112 video-mail clips up to one minute. Frame rate is not specified in the original maker sheet
Screen and viewfinder
Viewfinder
Optical
Screen size
1.5″
Screen dots
123,000
Display detail
1.5-inch TFT LCD; maker specifies 123,000 dots rather than the 123,200 listed by DPReview
Connections and design
Body weight
208 g
Release detail
Sony's original Japanese announcement specifies first sale on 20 October 2000. September 2000 in retrospective coverage is the announcement period
Recording media
Original Memory Stick; supplied 8 MB card holds approximately five largest JPEG photographs according to Sony
Ports
Mini-B USB; NTSC/PAL composite AV output with mono audio; DC power input
Battery life detail
NP-FS11 InfoLithium battery; Sony claims up to 90 minutes or 1,700 consecutive photographs, rather than modern CIPA testing. These figures are not comparable with CIPA shot counts
Charging
Supplied AC power adapter provides in-camera charging and mains operation
Dimensions
Approximately 113 × 53.9 × 43.8 mm (width × height × depth)
Weight detail
Approximately 208 g camera only; 250 g including NP-FS11 battery, 8 MB Memory Stick and wrist strap
In the box
Japanese package includes 8 MB Memory Stick, NP-FS11, USB and AV cables, AC adapter and power cord, wrist strap, software and documentation
Pros and cons
Pros
+Retracting lens with automatic cover
+Optical viewfinder and rear LCD
+JPEG and uncompressed TIFF recording
Cons
−Automatic exposure without aperture or shutter priority
