Last week, I was invited to break fast with Sony Malaysia, in conjunction of their newly launched Cybershot.

The event was held in Eco Bar. It was really a laid back place

A few minutes before breaking fast…

There was a modest spread prepared for us

Some exotic Greek-style tomato rice, my personal favourite that night…

The usual pasta

Some creamy roasted chicken

Along with some fried fish fillets

Stuffed roasted tomatoes topped generously with cheese

Cakes and pastries as desserts

Along with assorted puddings

And cut fruits…

Now, the breaking fast spread was marvellous, but it was not the main attraction of the day, so I won’t be elaborating on the food. The main attraction of the day was the Cyber-shotâ„¢ RX100.

Bloggers were divided into a group of four to have a hands on experience on the new camera.

Looks just like any other digital camera, no?

Yes… it looks like just any other ordinary digital camera, with LCD screen and all that. But don’t underestimate this small thing…the quality is almost as good as DSLR camera.

At the heart of the Cyber-shot™ RX100 is the world’s first1 1.0-type Exmor CMOS sensor with a resolution of 20.2 effective megapixels. Specially developed by Sony, the sensor has an area that’s around four times larger than the 1/2.3-type imager in regular point-and-shoot cameras. Capturing far more light than small-sensor cameras, it’s the key to beautiful, detail packed images and Full HD movie clips with very low noise.

The larger sensor is partnered with an ultra-bright Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens with 3.6x optical zoom range. In contrast with standard point-and-shoot cameras, the wide F1.8 maximum aperture lets in more light to complement the resolving power of the large 1.0-type Exmor CMOS sensor.

In common with high-performance DSLR optics, the lens features seven- bladed circular aperture. This makes it easy to produce pro-style ‘bokeh’ effects, with subjects in sharp focus against a smoothly-blurred background. The lens also features an Advanced Aspherical (AA) glass element that contributes to the camera’s extremely compact dimensions without sacrificing optical performance or resolution.

Complementing the 1.0-type sensor and lens, the optimised BIONZ image processor maximises shooting responses while assuring exceptionally clean, natural images. It also extends sensitivity right up to ISO 256002 (using Multi Frame Noise Reduction), allowing exceptionally clear handheld images in dim light. Speedy burst shooting at up to 10 frames per second (full-resolution) lets you grab split-second photo opportunities, while high-speed autofocus locks onto your target in as little as 0.13 seconds1.

Even if you’re shooting outdoors, it’s easy to see subtle details and tones on the bright, high contrast 7.5cm (3″) Xtra Fine LCD. With an extremely high 1229k dot resolution, the screen debuts new WhiteMagicâ„¢2 technology that uses white pixels in addition to RGB to boost screen brightness.

It’s easy to fine-tune your image with a wide range of manual adjustments, whether you’re shooting stills or Full HD video.

Experienced photo enthusiasts will appreciate the unique Control Ring that surrounds the lens body. Allowing smooth, fingertip adjustment of exposure, zoom, Picture Effect and other functions, it makes versatile DSLR-style creative control over your image easily accessible. Frequently-used functions can be assigned to a handy Fn (function) button for instant access. Memory Recall stores up to three groups of settings for instant recall – a big time-saver when you don’t want to keep adjusting parameters for favourite scenes.

Just like a DSLR camera, there’s a choice of auto and manual focus modes for even greater control over your image. If you’re focusing manually, MF Assist magnifies your image to simplify fine adjustments. There’s also a convenient Peaking function that highlights sharply-focused areas of the image on screen.

There’s a generous choice of artistic options to expand shooting possibilities for enthusiasts and novice photographers alike. It’s easy to fine-tune the look of your image with a choice of six Creative Styles to suit the scene or your personal preference. Picture Effect offers an inspiring choice of ‘in camera’ effects that can be previewed on the LCD screen, including Toy Camera, Partial Colour, Pop Colour, HDR Painting, Miniature, Illustration, Watercolour and other (Note: real-time preview not available with all Picture Effect settings).

Shared with the latest α range of A-mount and E-mount cameras, Auto Portrait Framing makes it simple to capture personality-packed photos of family and friends. Cyber-shot™ does all the hard work, automatically detecting faces and cropping the scene to create tighter, pro-style compositions without sacrificing pixel count.

Pretty cool for a mini camera, huh? I must say that it’s really cool and those who prefers to travel light would appreciate this camera.

It’s rechargeable battery features a slim, energy-efficient design to allow up to 330 still shots or 80 mins AVCHD video shooting per charge. Exclusively designed to match the camera, the LCJ-RXA is a stylish ‘jacket style’ carry case with an attractive leather-look textured finish and supplied shoulder strap. Attaching securely to the camera, the case opens to allow easy shooting while you’re on the move. Awesome for backpackers and globetrotters.

The new Cyber-shotâ„¢ RX100 digital compact camera from Sony will be available in Malaysia from early August 2012 with the price range of RM2,400++

Are you interested in getting one for yourself? I’m certainly interested, but I’m not quite sure if my savings will allow that. 🙁

Cleffairy: Do take note that this camera does not have a touch screen function. You might want to get a hands on experience and play around with it first before purchasing this…