Sony Cyber-shot DSC-G1 Digital Camera Announced

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-G1 is Sony's first foray into wireless-enabled digital cameras and they're going big. The G1 can transfer images to any Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) device wirelessly, has a 3.5 inch LCD, 2GB of internal memory and can take 6 megapixel images. All this camera comes at a cost though, with the G1 retailing for $600, starting in April.

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Let's start with the "basics" of this camera. Six megapixels of resolution, captured with a 3x optical zoom lens. The lens is stabilized with Sony's Super SteadyShot image stabilization system. You can preview and review your images in on a huge 3.5 inch LCD with 921K pixels of resolution. For handling quickly moving subjects or low lighting conditions without a flash, the G1 can shoot at sensitivities up to ISO 1000.

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The camera has a sliding panel that covers the lens. Unlike other Sony cameras in the T series, the panel slides to the side instead of up and down. The camera is still pretty slim, at an even 1 inch thick.

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The 2GB of internal memory is enough to store 7,500 VGA sized images or 600 6 megapixel images. The camera also has a Memory Stick Duo slot in case you need more space.

The combination of a large amount of internal memory and large LCD mean that this camera is meant for sharing your images with your friends. A built-in image management system offers some pretty sophisticated searching and organizing tools. You can organize your photos by event. You can apply keywords and labels to images so that they can found easily later. You can select an image and then find other similar photos with the same face, same composition, or same color.

The wireless enabled G1 can communicate with other G1s and you can also send your images to any DLNA-compatible computer. A "collaborative" shooting mode lets up to four cameras send each other photos in real time.