Sony Takes the Bridge Camera Bar to New Heights with Crazy 63x Superzoom at CP+

Canon wasn’t the only one to food our inbox last night, and not even the announcements we were most anxious for. Sony also made some exciting announcements, including a refresh to its Cybershot line that includes three new superzooms and two new point-and-shoots.

Oh, and we should probably mention that one of those superzooms is the world’s first bridge camera to feature a 63x optical zoom lens.

Sony DSC-H400 Bridge Camera

The H400’s claim to fame, as mentioned above, is its ridiculous zoom range. The camera’s 1/2.3-inch 20.1-megapixel Super HAD CCD sensor peers out at the world through an optically stabilized 63x optical zoom (24.5–1550mm equivalent) f/3.4-6.5 Sony lens.

As you can see, other than that zoom, the specs fall a bit flat — and the rest of the spec list is no exception. ISO range runs from 80 to 3,200, a 3-inch 460k-dot LCD adorns the back, continuous shooting speed maxes out at a paltry 0.71fps and video capture maxes out at 720p and 30fps.

The H400 will be available in March for $320 (pre-order here).

Sony DSC-HX400V Bridge Camera

If we’re being honest, this is the real headliner of the show spec wise. Because while it only features 50x in optical zoom, everything from the glass to the sensor behind it is much more capable.

The 1/2.3-inch 20.4-megapixel is an Exmor R CMOS sensor, not a CCD, and the lens is a 50x optical zoom (24-1,200mm equivalent) f/2.8-6.3 Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar T* lens. Other specs include a Bionz X processor, an ISO range that tops out at 12,800, a higher-res 3.0-inch 921K-dot tilting LCD, 10fps continuous shooting for a max of only 10 shots, full HD 1080/60p video capability and built-in WiFi and NFC.

The HX400V will also arrive in March, this one sporting a price tag that reads $500 (pre-order here).

Sony DSC-H300 Bridge Camera

Of course, along with every higher-end bridge cam release there always seems to be a little guy tagging along with his AA batteries and entry-level price point. For Sony, that guy this time around is the DSC-H300. Looking at the specs, this is basically an H400 without the crazy zoom… which isn’t a good thing.

Inside is the same 1/2.3-inch 20.1-megapixel Super HAD CCD Sensor, but it’s doing the picture taking through a 35x optical zoom (25-875mm equivalent) f/3-5.9 Sony lens. Other specs are pretty much identical to the H400: ISO range between 80 and 3,200, 0.8fps continuous shooting, 3-inch 460k-dot LCD and video capabilities that max out at 720p.

The H300 will retail for $220 when it hits shelves in March, but you can already pre-order it from B&H Photo here.

Sony DSC-WX350 Point-and-Shoot

Last up are the two point and shoots debuted by Sony at CP+, starting with the WX350: the world’s smallest and lightest 20x optical zoom compact.

This is the HX400V of the compacts, if you will. Inside is 1/2.3-inch 18.2-megapixel Exmor R CMOS sensor, Bionz X processor, 20x optical zoom (25-500mm equivalent) f/3.5-5.6 optically stabilized Sony G lens, ISO that tops out at 12,800, 10fps burst up to 10 shots, 1080/60p video capability and built-in WiFi and NFC.

The WX350 will be available in both black and white starting in March for $320. Both the black and white models are already available for pre-order by following the corresponding links.

Sony DSC-W800 Point-and-Shoot

Last and, in this particular case, definitely least is the W800 point-and-shoot. A camera that falls strictly into the ‘budget’ category with its $80 price tag.

Specs include a 1/2.3-inch 20.1-megapixel Super HAD CCD sensor, 5x optical zoom (26-130mm equivalent) f/3.2-6.4 Sony lens, ISO range of 100 to 3,200, 2.7-inch 230k-dot LCD, 0.52 fps continuous shooting in burst mode and video capability that, like many of the cameras above, maxes out at 720p and 30fps.

Black and silver variants of the W800 will arrive on store shelves in March for $80, although you can already pre-order by following the provided links.

And that’s it for the Cybershots announced by Sony. To find out more about any of these cameras, head over to the company’s press room by clicking here.