Sony does HD with T500

The new digital camera beat continued today as Sony debuted a new addition to its T line of Cyber-shot pocket cams, the 10 megapixel DSC-T500.

What distinguishes this Sony model from other recent offerings by the consumer electronics firm is its support of high-definition video. Surprisingly, this is the first Cyber-shot model to do do.

The T500, which has a 2.3-inch CCD image sensor, will shoot 1280 x 720 HD video using the MPEG4 AVC/H.264 codec popularized by Apple at its iTunes store. According to Sony, the new cybercam, with its four gigabytes of internal memory can hold 10 minutes of 30-frames-per-second high-def moving pictures. Based on that number, the camera should be able to store about 40 minutes of vid on a 16GB Memory Stick card.

“Our research revealed that people like to shoot video with their point-and-shoot cameras, but were very dissatisfied with the video quality and the resulting large files,” Sony Director of Digital Camera Marketing Phil Lubell said in a statement. “Our new T500 fulfills this customer need for a digital camera that delivers high-quality movies in a small form factor.”

The pocketcam also supports direct connection to an HD TV--with an optional cable, of course--so videos and slideshows created in the camera can get the big screen treatment.

Speaking of big screens, the T500 has an expansive, wide aspect 3.5-inch touch-panel LCD with a resolution of 230,000 dots.

While video is clearly the highlight of this new T model, Sony didn't forget about the camera's still imaging capabilities. In fact, it even married the two mediums by incorporating a dual capture mode that will grab three still images at the press of a button while the camera is shooting video.

Other features include

• A Zeiss 5x optical zoom (33-165 equivalent) with an aperture range of F/3.5-10;
• Optical SteadyShot image stabilization;
• Top ISO of 3200, and a low of ISO 80; and
• Face detection for up to eight visages.

The T500 is expected to reach retail next month and sell for about $400.