Sony MVC-FD91 (1998)

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At the time the Sony MVC-FD91 was introduced on 1998-08-25, it had the longest focal range of all digital cameras on the market, hence it's bulky appearance. Other features were a huge moveable 2.5" LCD monitor, an electronic color viewfinder, both shutter and aperture priority mode, recording of MPEG audio and video, digital image stabilization, spot meter, built-in speaker and microphone, many manual settings and it used the all popular NP-330 battery which was extremely versatile and also available from Fujifilm.

 

On the downside the camera only had a 2x speed floppy drive (others already had 4x) and the CCD resolution was only XGA resolution which was still under the 1 megapixel barrier. The camera was bulky to operate and at times difficult to handle because of the many buttons on the side. It could not be carried around your neck or in your pocket so one was always required to use a bulky camera bag.Also the camera lacked a lot of quality features of other Mavicas like megapixel resolution, faster floppy drive, memory stick compatibility etc. However the 14x zoom lens made up for everything.

 

Lots of features on this camera directly diverted from Sony's camcorder technology. Initial monthly production was set at 3,000 units.

 

Although once the flagship of Sony's consumer digital camera line, it only fetches around $20 today as a used, collector's item.