Sony has always been a leader in the global electronic products industry. Its main market are notebooks, cameras, walkmans and so on. Today, let us focus on its new cyber-shot.

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These Cyber-shot cameras are the first to employ Sony’s new “Exmor R” back illuminated CMOS sensor technology to improve shooting in low-light scenarios, enhancing image clarity and drastically reducing grain.

Conventional image sensor architecture has required wires and other circuit elements to be positioned above the light sensitive photo-diodes, limiting the imager’s light gathering capability. Positioning these elements behind the photo-diodes, Sony’s “Exmor R” image sensors can gather more light, resulting in approximately twice the sensitivity compared to conventional sensors.

To further extend low-light shooting performance, the TX1 and WX1 cameras incorporate the hand-held twilight and anti-motion blur multi-shot modes introduced in Sony’s breakthrough Cyber-shot DSC-HX1. Using “Exmor R” CMOS sensor’s high speed, these modes capture six separate images in less than a second and utilize Sony’s BIONZ processor to combine the shots into a single image of extraordinary detail and low noise.

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Combining the “Exmor R” technology with hand-held twilight and anti-motion blur modes delivers a breakthrough in low-light photography. Users can now capture images of stunning detail and low noise in scenes with no more than candlelight—without flash or the need of a tripod.

In addition to their breakthrough low light performance, these new cameras also include Sony’s Sweep Panorama and 10 frames per second burst shooting features, which were introduced with the Sony DSC-HX1 camera. The TX1 and WX1 cameras offer these features in smaller, more compact bodies that match nearly any unique style.

Capturing wide landscapes is as easy as “press and sweep.” Sweep Panorama mode lets you reach beyond the traditional wide-angle lens and capture breathtaking shots. Using the high-speed “Exmor R” CMOS sensor, the cameras shoot continuously while you sweep across the scene. Using the BIONZ imaging processor, they automatically stitch the pictures together to create one stunning panoramic photo.

These cameras include the most recent Sony technology, including, Intelligent Auto (iAuto) mode which, recognizes scenes, lighting conditions and faces, and adjusts settings resulting in clearer images, faces with more natural skin tone and less blur; Face Detection that detects up to eight faces and optimizes focus, flash, exposure and white balance and intelligent Scene (iSCN) that delivers nine Scene Selection modes to quickly adjust for specific shooting conditions.

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Pet mode is a new Sony feature that minimizes blur when shooting moving pets. This new mode also reduces glowing pet red-eye.

Additionally, the cameras have technologies Sony Cyber-shot customers have come to expect. These include Smile Shutter technology that automatically captures a smile, dynamic range optimization (DRO) that improves exposure and contrast, intelligent Auto Focus that captures fleeting moments and HD video capability that records HD movies in 720p high definition MPEG4 format.

With HD video capability, these cameras record HD movies in 720p high definition MPEG4 format for stunning large-screen home movie playback. You can record up to 29 minutes (or up to 2GB file size) in 720p format.

The TX1 camera will be available in silver, gray, pink and blue this September for about $380. The WX1 camera will be available in black this October for about $350.

Scientists recently said that active optical sensors can dramatically increase the range and usefulness of ambient light sensors, which are now found in a wide range of display applications. But power management strategies are critical in order to reduce total consumption and preserve battery life in portable or cellphone products where optical sensors are used. By applying ambient light sensing in conjunction with LED backlight driving, power consumption can be reduced significantly—while battery life increases. Advances in active solutions are exemplified by an example, an ambient light sensor for a notebook PC.

The process technology is able to place a photodiode and transimpedance amplifier in one die, as shown in Figure 1. This combination allows for lead length reduction and minimum parasitic capacitance on the amplifier inputs and is the optimal condition for minimum noise, high frequency and convenience. The low noise characteristics extend the sensitivity of the sensor down to 1lx while keeping the upper limit of 100klx. The power drawn is still dependent on the amount of light sensed, reaching 0.9mA for 1,000lx.

To conserve power, a power down pin is included making the device suitable for many kinds of applications, including such diverse products as digital cameras and automotive navigation systems.

Typically, these types of active solutions, which integrate a photo transistor or a photodiode with a current amplifier, are the best choice for advanced applications that require higher resolution, low-light capability, power supply rejection or a disabling function.

Ambient light sensors now are included in notebook PCs to sense the ambient (or “encircling”) light, allowing for adjustment of the screen’s backlight to levels that can be considered comfortable for the viewer. The range of “comfortable levels” is dependent on the room’s light and the sensitivity of the human eye. The relationship is shown in Figure 2. Of course, a screen’s brightness needs to increase as the ambient light increases. What is less obvious is the need to decrease the brightness in lower light conditions—for comfortable viewing and also to save battery life. The human eye’s response breaks the received light into one of three regions as shown in Figure 2: low-light (as in the car or home), mediumlight (as in an office setting) and full daylight.

The very best and most optimal ambient light sensors will incorporate the brightness vs. illumination information to maximize resolution and at the same time will save power. In notebook PC design, ambient light sensors are typically placed next to the speakers where the case has an opening for light. These portals are commonly covered by a crosshatch pattern to protect the speakers. Because of this (and the fact that the light sensor is next to the speaker instead of on top of it), light is obstructed. The obstruction reduces the amount of light to be measured, requiring a solution with low-light accuracy