Sony has announced a new addition to its T series of stylish ultra compact cameras. The DSC-T2 is an 8 megapixel camera with a non-protruding 3x zoom lens and it features 4GB of internal memory, so you can forget about buying those overpriced MS Pro Duo cards.

Back in May, the company launched the DSC-G1, a 6 megapixel camera with 2 GB of internal storage and a class leading 3.5" 921,000 pixel screen. Consumers and reviewers alike weren't too impressed. Although it was innovative, it was expensive and found lacking in many respects, but everyone loved its huge high resolution screen.



Sony chose to adopt a similar approach in designing the T2, but dropped the highly praised hi res screen. The T2's 230,000 pixel touchscreen measures 2.7 inches, as is the norm in this class nowadays. Apart from the two extra megapixels, the new camera also has an image stabilizer, which is a good thing, especially if you consider that the lens has an F3.5-4.2 aperture range.

The idea of integrating 4GB of storage onto such a device sounds great at first, but, in some respects it really makes no sense. The video mode is VGA at 30 fps, and it's safe to assume that Sony is still using its VX MPEG1 compression. In that case the 4GBs would be enough for approximately 35 minutes of video, but the competition has already raised the bar, with 720p or 848x480 wide movie modes. Sony claims you can store as many as a thousand 8 megapixel images onto the embedded memory, but you'll probably bleed three batteries dry in capturing that many images.



Don't get us wrong, such a concept will appeal to many fashion minded consumers looking for ease of use and something that will turn heads. A cute, 8 megapixel camera with stabilization and loads of storage will be more than enough for the average Joe, especially if he's not looking at things from a geekish perspective.

The camera looks great. It's compact, measuring just 86.8 x 56.8 x 20.2 mm (3.4 x 2.2 x 0.8 in), and relatively light, as it weighs in at 129g (4.6 oz). The all metal body is elegant and the silver, chamfered edges assure it will feel comfortable in any pocket. It will be available in five colors: black, white, blue, green and pink. The T2 is set to hit retail stores in December at a suggested price of US$350.