Mavica Camera

By Ryanita

Mavica CamerasMavica was a brand of Sony cameras which used removable disks as the main recording media. In August, 1981, Sony announced the Sony Mavica (Magnetic Video Camera) electronic still camera, the first commercial electronic still camera. It was not a digital camera, as its CCD sensor produced an analog video signal in the NTSC format at a resolution of 570 × 490 pixels

As time progressed, With the evolution of consumer digital camera resolution (megapixels), the advent of the USB interface and the rise of high-capacity storage media, Mavicas started to offer other alternatives for recording images: the floppy-disk (FD) Mavicas began to be Memory Stick compatible (initially through a Memory Stick Floppy Disk adapter, but ultimately through a dedicated Memory Stick slot), and a new CD Mavica series — which used 8 cm CD-R/CD-RW media — was released in 2000. A few years later the Mavica line of cameras was discontinued but that does not mean you will not be able to find a few of them still floating around.

The Mavica line has been discontinued. Sony continues to produce digital cameras in the Cyber-shot and Alpha series, which use Memory Stick and other flash card technologies for storage

As late as 2006 customers were still purchasing the Mavica camera and accessories, even though at this point they are considered ancient.

Mavica- FD-200

One such model is the Mavica FD-200, this is a camera using floppy disk or a memory stick to store your images.

The Mavica FD200 isn’t what you’d call a small camera. It’s bigger than almost any other camera out there, especially considering it only has a 3X zoom lens. Why is it so large? The answer, of course, is that floppy drive that makes the camera appealing to so many. Thought it is bulky, it’s remarkably easy to hold, even with one hand. There’s plenty of room for the other hand, as well.

The camera is made of what I’d call “high grade plastic”. The official dimensions are 5.5 x 4.0 x 3.0 inches (W x H x D), and the camera weighs a healthy 645 grams (with battery and floppy disk inserted). Let’s start our tour of the MVC-FD200 now

Features

  • 2 mega pixels
  • Autofocus lens with 3x optical/2x digital (6x total) zoom
  • Memory stick or floppy disk (not included)
  • Connects with PCs and Macs via USB port or via floppy drive
  • Lithium ion battery- rechargeable
  • 2.5 inch color display

Optics and Resolution

The FD200′s 2-megapixel sensor captures enough detail for sharp prints at sizes up to 8 by 10 inches. For the typical family photographer, 2 megapixels is a great balance between price and performance. If you want a camera with even more resolution, forget about using low-capacity floppy discs and step up to a CD-recording model instead–try Sony’s MVC-CD300 or MVC-CD400.

The autofocus lens features both a 3x optical zoom and a 2x digital zoom. Remember, however, that digital zoom tends to reduce the sharpness and detail of your image, so it’s a good idea to use it sparingly.

To save space, there’s no traditional optical viewfinder to look through. Instead, to compose your images or review shots you’ve already taken, the FD200 uses a big 2.5-inch color display. The advantage to using the LCD to frame your shots is that the screen lets you see exactly the picture you’ll capture. The disadvantage is that you can’t turn off the screen and just use the optical viewfinder to extend battery life. Fortunately, the included rechargeable battery holds a relatively good charge.

Pros

One unique feature of this Mavica camera is the lithium ion battery; it is actually an info battery. What this means is it displays on screen the amount of battery life you have left in minutes, not the standard set of green bars that really tell you nothing about how long you have left to shoot.

Since the floppy discs the Mavica camera was initially created to use are practically non-existent now, it is good that the camera has the ability to store images on a memory stick. To retrieve your photos you simply connect the camera to you computer via the USB cord that comes with it.

There seems to be some disagreement on whether this is an excellent professional camera or a simple beginners camera. It is safe to say with the advancement in technology it probably will not stack up to the current 8-10 mega pixels offered by most digital cameras.

Cons

  • Movie mode lacks sound
  • Floppies are big, bulky, and low capacity, though the Memory stick slot solves this problem.

You would think for the age and status of the Mavica camera that the price would be reasonable. Think again, the only way you will get a good price for this camera is if you buy a used one. A new one retails for over $988.99 on Amazon!

May be you wanna read about My Other Guide at :

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