Sharp MD-PS1 (1996)

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The Sharp MD-PS1 was the world's first digital camera that supported the MiniDisc as a storage medium. Before Sharp announced the camera on 1997-02-18 it could be seen at Sharp's Electronics Show in 1996. It went on sale 1997-03-10 in Japan. Nickname was MD Digital ViewHunter. The idea behind it was brilliant. A MiniDisc was much cheaper than a compact flash or smart media card and could hold up to 2,000 photos.

As with Sony's DSC-MD1 it too could be used as a standalone MiniDisc recorder/player. When using it as a digital camera, the image is stored in an internal buffer memory that could hold up to 16 pictures and then sequentially written to the MiniDisc. For audio recording an external microphone was available (MC-PS1). Apparently Sharp planned to market two models with different body colors. The widely available MD-PS1 was labeled MD-PS1-S underneath which, according to Sharp, meant Silver Edition. Planned production estimates were 20,000 units per month.