Sony MVC-CD500 (2003)

A five-megapixel Mavica that writes its files to a three-inch CD-R/RW instead of a memory card. That one decision defines everything about owning it.

Overview

The MVC-CD500 makes people do a double take. It's a compact digital still camera, but instead of a memory card slot it burns photos and MPEG video clips onto a three-inch CD-R/RW disc. Sony's own documentation lays out the appeal plainly: inexpensive optical media, with images and clips saved directly to 156MB CD-R/RW media measuring only 8 cm in diameter and readable on most CD-ROM-equipped PCs. For a certain kind of buyer in 2003, that was a good pitch. No proprietary memory card, no card reader, just a disc you could hand to someone or drop into any computer's tray.

The camera is built around a 5.0-megapixel effective CCD, capturing at a maximum 2592 x 1944 pixels across four image sizes in TIFF and Fine or Standard JPEG. The sensor measures 1/1.8 inches, and in front of it sits a Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar lens with 3x optical zoom. Sony's literature pairs that with a 2x Smart Zoom, while at least one spec listing quotes a 12x digital zoom. The two numbers disagree, so treat the digital-zoom figure as unresolved. The optical 3x is the number that matters for image quality anyway.

It's a chunky thing. Sony's own spec sheet puts it at 606 grams with battery, CD-R/RW, and strap aboard, and 5 7/16" x 3 3/4" x 4" (138.5 x 95.7 x 103.1mm). That's a lot of camera to hang off a wrist strap. The Newegg listing's "SLR-style" descriptor hints at how it was positioned, closer to a small system camera than a pocket point-and-shoot. The weight is the price of the disc mechanism, and it's the first thing anyone notices when picking one up.

Key Features

CD-R/RW Recording on 8cm Optical Media

This is the whole reason the CD500 exists. While the rest of the camera world was moving to flash memory, Sony's CD Mavica line wrote to 156MB three-inch optical discs readable on most CD-ROM-equipped PCs. The trade-offs come with the design. Discs were cheap and universally readable, but the drive mechanism added bulk and weight, and a spinning, burning optical drive is a different thing from a silent card slot. Sony's documentation sells the "inexpensive optical media" angle hard, and for archival purposes it's not wrong. A finalized CD-R is about as durable a consumer format as the era offered.

Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar 3x Optical Zoom

Sony put a Zeiss-branded Vario Sonnar on the front, with 3x optical reach and what the documentation calls 2x Smart Zoom, alongside a 12x digital-zoom figure quoted in one source. The optical range is the honest one. Digital zoom past 3x is interpolation, so don't buy this camera expecting long reach.

5.0-Megapixel CCD at 2592 x 1944

The 1/1.8-inch sensor delivers 5.0-megapixel effective resolution, capturing up to 2592 x 1944 pixels in four image sizes. Files can be written as TIFF or as Fine or Standard JPEG, so the shooter picks between maximum data and disc economy. Five megapixels was a mainstream figure for 2003 and holds up fine for the kind of snapshots this camera was built to take.

Manual Exposure and Program Shift

Sony's manual details the exposure modes: Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, and full Manual, plus a Program Shift function that lets the shooter dial through aperture/shutter combinations for control of motion and depth of field while staying in Program AE. That's more control than the camera's friendly exterior suggests, and it separates the CD500 from a pure point-and-shoot.

Hologram AF and 5-Area Multi-Point Autofocus

The autofocus system evaluates five separate areas of the frame and displays the selected point, with the option to choose any of the five manually. The headline trick is Hologram AF. A Class 1 laser projects a pattern and reads the contrast between the pattern's edge and the subject, so focus works in low or no light. Continuous AF keeps focusing right up to the moment of exposure for moving subjects. Sony's documentation also cites Multi-Pattern and Pre-Flash metering, with an advanced shoe for flash attachments.

Live Histogram and 14-Bit DXP Processing

A live histogram shows pixel counts at each luminosity so exposure can be judged before the shot. Behind the scenes, Sony's 14-bit Digital Extended Processor A/D conversion captures up to 16,384 values between highlight and shadow for extended dynamic contrast. When Multi-Pattern metering decides the subject is backlit or in shadow, Auto Daylight Synchro Fill Flash fires automatically, and Dynamic Flash White Balance evaluates the pre-flash to set color temperature for better accuracy.

Battery Life and MPEG Video

Sony's figures for the NP-FM50 pack are 220 shots or 110 minutes of recording with the LCD on under average conditions (JPEG Fine, 30-second intervals, alternating zoom, flash every other shot), and single-image viewing at roughly a three-second interval. The camera also captures MPEG video clips, called MPEGMovie VX in Sony's naming, written to the same disc as the stills.