Sony’s original fixed-lens digital Mavica records VGA JPEG photographs on standard floppy disks, using a 47 mm equivalent lens.
Type
Compact
Sensor
Other
Megapixels
–
Lens
47 mm equivalent
Video
–
Body weight
470 g
What reviewers say
Both reviews valued inexpensive floppy disks and straightforward image transfer. PC Watch liked the handling, battery endurance and daylight colour, while finding recording slow and macro focusing difficult. Cameralabs found the same approach practical for its time, but highlighted the bulky body, slow access, heavy JPEG compression and compromises of interlaced capture.
1/4-inch CCD is an optical-format designation, not a published physical diagonal. Contemporary PC Watch coverage gives 410,000 total CCD pixels; effective still-image sensor pixel count is not specified.
Image formats
JPEG (.JPG) with camera-only .411 index files; Standard and Fine quality settings; 640 × 480 maximum image size
Lens and shooting
Built-in lens
47 mm equivalent
Maximum aperture
f/2
Lens detail
Built-in fixed lens; actual focal length 4.8 mm, equivalent to 47 mm on a 35 mm still camera; f/2 maximum aperture.
Autofocus
No autofocus; normal fixed-focus position and a macro switch for subjects approximately 8–25 cm from the lens.
Stabilisation detail
Field mode reduces camera-shake blur; Frame mode captures more detail but can blur moving subjects. This is the manual’s capture-mode distinction, not a claim of optical or sensor-shift stabilisation.
Flash
Built-in flash, manually selected; Sony specifies a recording distance of 2–4 m. Flash recording uses Field mode even when Frame is selected.
Exposure controls
Automatic exposure and white balance; ±1.5 EV exposure compensation; approximately 10-second self-timer
Screen and viewfinder
Viewfinder
None
Screen size
2.5″
Screen dots
61,380
Display detail
2.5-inch TFT LCD with 61,380 dots, brightness controls and six-image index playback; framing uses the LCD
Connections and design
Battery life (maker's claim)
540 photographs
Body weight
470 g
Release detail
Japan on-sale date 10 July 1997 and announcement date 11 June 1997 reported by contemporary PC Watch launch coverage; the linked Sony press release is no longer available
Recording media
3.5-inch 2HD floppy disk, MS-DOS formatted, 1.44 MB. Approximately 30–40 images per disk in Standard or 15–20 in Fine, depending on subject. The removable medium is not built-in storage.
Battery life detail
Sony NP-F530 InfoLITHIUM rechargeable battery; approximately 540 shots / 95 minutes without flash on a full charge, under Sony’s continuous recording test at 25°C with 10-second intervals. This is not a CIPA rating.
Charging
Included BC-V615 external charger; approximately 165 minutes for a normal charge or 225 minutes for a full charge, starting with an empty battery
Dimensions
Approximately 126.5 × 110.5 × 62.5 mm (width × height × depth)
Weight detail
Approximately 470 g excluding battery and floppy disk, from Sony’s manual
In the box
NP-F530 battery, BC-V615 charger, mains cable and shoulder strap; floppy disk is not supplied
Video
Video detail
Still photographs only; no movie recording described in the manual
Pros and cons
Pros
+JPEG files transfer using a compatible computer floppy drive
