Domenica al mercatino delle pulci... tra mucchi di carabattole, trovo una strana fotocamera... o meglio ciò che sembra una vecchia fotocamera digitale, marcata SONY... per 5 Euro si può prendere! Arrivo a casa, inizio a giocarci un pò... tra i tanti pulsantini, uno più grande attira la mia attenzione... ha un blocco a molla, tira, premi, fai scorrere... ed esce... UN FLOPPY DISK!!!
A questo punto, scatta la ricerca: le scritte recitano "digital still camera MVC - FD71", breve indagine in rete e scopro di aver scoperchiato il vaso di Pandora... ho messo le mani su una delle prime digitali, in realtà non è una vera fotocamera ma una telecamera in grado di registrare un fermo-immagine su una memoria di transito, e poi di salvarlo su un floppy!!! La mia preda non è una delle primissime prodotte, purtroppo, ma ha per me un fascino notevole! Costava nuova 700 Dollari! Caspita! Continuo l'indagine e trovo questo articoletto:
Searching around for Sony stuff on the Internet can lead you in some random directions. I recently came across a picture of Akio Morita, a co-founder of Sony Corporation, holding a Mavica. It inspired me to learn more about this product. Many of you probably have never seen this interesting camera from Sony’s past, but let me tell you about it..
On August 25, 1981, at a packed conference in Tokyo, Sony unveiled a prototype of the company’s first still video camera, the Mavica (Magnetic Video Camera). It recorded images on two-inch floppy disks (later the industry standard Video Floppy) and played them back on a TV set or Video monitor. The Mavica was not a digital camera, but a TV camera capable of writing TV quality stills onto magnetic disks, with a shutter that would allow it to freeze frames within the limits set by twin-field interlace making up the complete frame. The Mavica was a single lens reflex with interchangeable lenses.
The original Mavica was provided with three bayonet-mounted lenses: a 25mm f/2, a 50mm f/1.4, and 16-65mm f/1.4 zoom. CCD size was 570 x 490 pixels on a 10mm x 12mm chip. F/stop was controlled manually according to lighted arrows that appeared in the viewfinder. Light sensitivity was rated at ISO 200. The original Mavica had only one shutter speed, 1/60th second.
Each image was recorded in its own single circle on the floppy disk that Sony called the “Mavipak.” Up to fifty color photos could be stored on one Mavipak. Multiple exposure of 2, 4, 8. or 20 images could be selected. The Mavica was powered by three AA-size batteries. Images were displayed on a television set and were considered to be equal in quality to the maximum capability of a TV set of that time.
Here is the original Mr. Walkman*, Nobutoshi Kihara, displaying a prototype model of Sony’s digital camera Mavica, during an interview with AFP reporter at Sony’s affiliated laboratory crowned with his name Sony Kihara Laboratory in Tokyo 13 June 2006. He retired the same year.
Obviously, the the Mavica line has been discontinued, as flash memory rendered tape formats useless in numerous aspects for point-and-shoot cameras. Do you remember the Mavica?
* – Mr.Walkman is a favored nickname of Nobutoshi Kihara, who sketched out designs for the revolutionary Walkman on a piece of paper.
I dati tecnici della mia Mavica:
Sony Mavica-MVC-FD71 - digital camera
Part Number: MVC-FD71
General
Depth
2.4 in
Sensor Resolution
0.35 Megapixel, 0.35 Megapixel
Optical Sensor Type
CCD
Effective Sensor Resolution
307,200 pixels pixels
Optical Sensor Size
1/4"
System
TTL contrast detection
Image Recording Format
BMP, JPEG
Manufacturer
Sony
Camera Flash
Type
built-in flash
Effective Flash Range
1.6 ft - 8 ft, 1.6 ft - 8 ft
Carrying Case
Type
none
Display
Type
2.5" LCD display
Display Format
84,260 pixels
Display Form Factor
built-in
Exposure & White Balance
Exposure Modes
automatic, program
Shooting Programs
beach & ski, landscape, pan-focus, portrait soft, sports mode, sunset & moon
Special Effects
Black & White, Negative Art, Sepia, Solarization
White Balance
automatic
Exposure Compensation
±1.5 EV range, in 1/2 EV steps
Environmental Parameters
Min Operating Temperature
32 °F
Max Operating Temperature
104 °F
Lens System
Optical Zoom
10 x
Lens Aperture
f/1.8-2.9
Min Focal Length
4.2 mm
Max Focal Length
42 mm
Focal Length Equivalent to 35mm Camera
40 - 400mm m
Focus Adjustment
automatic, manual
Zoom Adjustment
motorized drive
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Type
none
Memory / Storage
Image Storage
JPEG 640 x 480
BMP 640 x 480
JPEG 320 x 240
BMP 320 x 240
Additional Features
Self Timer Delay
10 sec
Features
AE lock, auto power save, date/time stamp, display brightness control
Battery
Battery Type
Sony NP-F330, Sony NP-F330
Details
1 x Li-ion rechargeable battery ( included ), 1 x Li-ion rechargeable battery ( included )
Header
Brand
Sony
Product Line
Sony Mavica
Model
MVC-FD71
Packaged Quantity
1
Video Input
Type
digital camera
Digital Camera Type
compact
Image Recording Format
BMP, JPEG
Special Effects
Black & White, Negative Art, Sepia, Solarization
Self Timer Delay
10 sec
Features
AE lock, auto power save, date/time stamp, display brightness control
Exposure Parameters
Exposure Compensation
±1.5 EV range, in 1/2 EV steps
Exposure Modes
automatic, program
Shooting Programs
beach & ski, landscape, pan-focus, portrait soft, sports mode, sunset & moon
White Balance
White Balance
automatic
Auto Focus
System
TTL contrast detection
Dimensions & Weight
Width
5.4 in
Height
4.1 in
Weight
1.3 lbs
Optical Sensor
Sensor Resolution
0.35 pixels
Optical Sensor Type
CCD
Optical Sensor Size
1/4"
Optical Sensor Size (metric)
6.4 mm ( 1/4" )
Effective Sensor Resolution
307,200 pixels pixels
Camera Display
Type
LCD display
Display Form Factor
built-in
Diagonal Size
2.5 in
Diagonal Size (metric)
6.4 cm
Display Format
84,260 pixels
Features
display brightness control
General
Manufacturer
Sony
