Sony Mavica MVC-CD1000 [2000]

OK, this one was a bit of a splurge. I’ve been on the occasional kick to re acquire cameras, both film and digital, which I’ve used in the past. I have *never* used this camera at any time prior to this purchase. It is however a fascinating look into the technology of the late 90s, when mini CDs were far larger in capacity, and far less expensive, than competing removable media.

At the time this camera came out I was running the technology department for a large architecture firm in New York City. We ended up adopting Kodak, and later Canon offerings. Nevertheless the Sony had a certain appeal and I always sort of had my eyes on it.

This particular camera came with a battery which barely holds a charge. Luckily I already had a working Infolithium L battery for my Mavica Floppy camera, so no need to get anything new just to check it out. I was a bit disappointed that the door on the CD bay seems a bit finicky. The camera often thinks the door opened and rescans the media as if I had opened and closed the chamber. Something I would fix if it were worthwhile… it really isnt.

The CD1000, as it’s name implies, takes images on mini CDs, each of which holds a whopping 156mb of data. Huge by the standards of the time it came out, and of course nothing particularly exciting today. I’m not sure if its true for all CD1000’s, but mine will only work with Sony branded media, both CDR, and CDRW. It completely ignores other brands of media, which my other CD Mavica cameras have no problems with.

Specifications

Sony Mavica MVC-CD1000
Digital camera recording on mini-cd (3″) 156mb media, both CD-R and CD-RW (may require Sony branded media)
Huge 14x optical zoom with image stabilization
2.1mp
Battery: Infolithium L

Status

$1300 when new, I bought mine for $40 in the spring of 2017
Spring 2017 – on display, works except CD drive door occasionally erroneously indicates an open door causing a reset