Looking for an inconspicuous spy-camera to make you feel like James Bond? Oregon Scientific Inc. today announced the DS6618 digital camera. The DS6618 measures a scant 85.5 x 54 x 6mm, making it about the same size as a credit card (albeit thicker). It weighs only 1.2 ounces.
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The camera is based on the Ultra-Pocket design pioneered by SMaL Camera Technologies. It uses a low-power imager chip and a 48mAH lithium polymer battery that measures 0.8mm. The battery contains enough juice for about 500 shots, according to Oregon Scientific, and recharges each time you connect the camera to the Macintosh.
This is not the first time SMaL’s Ultra-Pocket camera has been snapped up for retail sale — earlier this year, FujiFilm announced plans to sell the camera in Japan. This may, however, be the first time the camera will be sold in the United States.
With 8MB of internal flash memory, the DS6618 has the ability to store only about 26 fine quality shots at 640 x 480 resolution or 101 basic quality shots at 320 x 240 resolution — not enough for a professional photographer, perhaps, but well-suited for casual photography and small enough to avoid becoming an encumbrance to its carrier. The camera also makes digital photography a bit easier with “Autobrite” technology, which adapts to bright lighting conditions like backlighting or glare. You can turn on or off an audible tone to mark when pictures are taken and even delete photos on the fly. An LCD status screen that shows you the number of shots remaining, too.
A USB cable is included to connect the DS6618 to either a Mac or PC, and it also includes a leather carrying sleeve, hand strap, and CD-ROM with ArcSoft PhotoImpression. The camera carries a suggested retail price of US$99.95.