Sony's New Electronic Wizardry

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The new system is expected to appeal to professional photographers. Newspapers and magazines may be prime clients because the delivery speed and quality of electronic pictures is likely to be better than that of chemically developed photos transmitted by wire. Sony already has a method for sending its electronic images over telephone lines. Said F.W. Lyon, vice president for Newspictures of United Press International: "If the quality comes close to conventional cameras, this will have far-reaching implications for our business."

Eventually, though, the Mavica or a similar electronic camera is likely to find an important consumer market. Many home moviemakers are already scrapping their old Super-8 cameras in favor of amateur video cameras and recorders. The TV cameras work as simply as movie cameras but produce pictures with sound that can be seen instantly on a home television set with a videotape recorder. Sony predicts that the Mavica will soon take its place in the evolving home entertainment center alongside video computer games and videodisc players showing Hollywood movies.