A robot photographer may not be high on everyone’s list of priorities, but that doesn’t make it all that unnecessary. While I’ve never even thought about one before, seeing Sony’s just-announced Party-Shot makes me think it’s something everyone can appreciate.
Intended to play shutterbug during parties and get-togethers, the Party Shot is designed to take photos all on its own. Combined with a Sony point-and-shoot (it’s only available for the Cyber-shot DSC-TX1 and DSC-WX1 for now), it does a job normally relegated to whoever’s grabs the camera next.
It’s capable of panning a full 360 degrees and tilting along a 24-degree axis, allowing it to aim the lens at most any area of a room. It seeks out interesting moments by scanning the environment until the camera’s face detection feature identifies a possible scene. Once it catches sight of people, it will adjust the angle, use the zoom functions and adjust the composition all on its own. Then, the smile detector is activated to wait for white teeth before finally pulling the trigger.
While it’s only available for the two new Cyber-shots we mentioned earlier, expect Sony to include compatibility with future compact releases (provided the accessory doesn’t tank). It powers up via two AA batteries for up to 11 hours, with an optional AC adapter also available. It can be set on top of a flat surface or mounted on a regular camera tripod.
The interesting Sony Party Shot will hit retail stores in September for a $150 price.
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