JAPAN: Japanese electronics giant Sony unveils its latest digital camera, which automatically takes pictures when people smile

Record ID: 462922

  • Title: JAPAN: Japanese electronics giant Sony unveils its latest digital camera, which automatically takes pictures when people smile
  • Date: 16th September 2007
  • Summary: (L!3) TOKYO, JAPAN (RECENT) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PEOPLE TAKING PICTURES WITH SONY'S SMILE-SHUTTER TECHNOLOGY CAMERA WIDE OF SHOWROOM WHERE SONY SHOWCASING THE LATEST PRODUCTS CAMERAS BEING DISPLAYED DIGITAL CAMERA WHICH RECOGNIZED A SUBJECT'S SMILE SNAPPING A PICTURE AUTOMATICALLY CLOSE UP OF MONITOR OF THE CAMERA IN WHICH PERSON IS SMILING (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) AKIRA TOKUSE, SPOKESMAN OF PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT SECTION AT SONY SAYING: "By using this camera, you can snap a picture of people at the very moment of smiling. The smile-recognition shutter function, selected by a touch panel, allows the shooter to choose which of up to eight people is the key smile. For example, in a parents and baby shot, you could select the baby." VARIOUS OF PEOPLE TAKING PICTURES
  • Embargoed: 1st October 2007 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Japan
  • Country: Japan
  • Topics: Science / Technology,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVA26AA5PUT0DA6LTG5HR8UOM501
  • Story Text: If a smile or a picture are worth a thousand words, what's the value of a smiling photo? It would be about 40,000 yen ( about 350 US dollars), based on Sony's latest "smile shutter" technology cameras.
    "Face detection" functionality in its latest Cyber-shots won't allow an 8-megapixel, high-definition picture to be snapped until a subject smiles.
    Even with more than a handful of people in a picture, Sony says the photographer can designate which face to focus on by touching an LCD panel with a special pen.
    "By using this camera, you can snap a picture of people at the very moment of smiling," said Akira Tokuse spokesman of production development section at Sony.
    "The smile-recognition shutter function, selected by a touch panel, allows the shooter to choose which of up to eight people is the key smile. For example, in a parents and baby shot, you could select the baby," he added.
    The "Say Cheese" technology, while not perfect, improves on human shutter control over speed and smiles, with three different setting levels, ranging from a slight grin to belly laugh.
    Sales start next week in Japan and shipments globally this month, part of a wave of Sony products like Blu-ray recorders with high definition-operability reaching global store shelves before year-end.
    Other features of the Cyber-shot include re-sizing, paint pen inscription and symbols, all of which can transfer to even bigger high-def screens with the touch of a button.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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