UK NEWS

SMILE, OR THE CAMERA WON’T SNAP YOU

SAY CHESE: Sir Alex gets cameras snapping

Wednesday October 10,2007

By Graham Hiscott, Consumer Journalist of the Year

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Even the most camera-shy among us won’t be able to fool the latest technology.

The new digital camera has a special “smile” function – which can be set to make sure the shutter does not fire until the subject is grinning.

In a clever feature worthy of James Bond’s gadget maestro Q, the slimline Sony T200 Cyber-shot can tell if a subject is smiling by detecting tiny muscle movements in a person’s face.

The camera – on sale in high streets now at around £225 – also has a “face detection” facility which automatically adjusts exposure, flash and other settings.

Sony UK spokeswoman Tory Holmes said: “The camera recognises a human face by the presence of two eyes, a nose and a mouth. Having locked on the face it then recognises a smile by the movement of the teeth muscles under the nose and the corners of the mouth and by the teeth itself.”

In family photos, the photographer can select a main subject, using a touch screen, and wait until they are smiling. Up to six shots can be taken without needing to manually press the shutter.