Originally founded in 1946 as Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo K.K. the company later became Sony Corporation. Their headquaters and company offices are situated at 1-7-1 Konan, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-0075, Japan

1946

• Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo K.K. (Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation), also known as Totsuko, established in Nihonbashi, Tokyo

1947

• Company head office and factory relocated to Shinagawa, Tokyo.

1954

• Sendai plant established in Tagajo, near Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. (in April 1992 it was renamed Sendai Technology Center.)

1955

• Decision made to use SONY logo on Totsuko products.

1958

• Company name changed to Sony Corporation.
  Sony listed on the TSE.

1981

• MAVICA prototype released, which played a key role in coverage of the Los Angeles Olympic Games via contracts with newspaper companies. This model was an early adopter of revolutionary technology featuring a CCD and 2-inch floppy disk while also enabling the user to conveniently switch lenses.

1988

• Launch of the consumer-use still camera, “Mavica” MVC-C1.MVC-C1 This model was marketed as an electronic still camera for the TV age. Incorporated auto-strobe, fast successive shooting, and timer functions, as well as TV screen display (with the attachment of an optional kit), among a host of other features. This device laid the foundation for the exciting innovation existing in today’s digital cameras.

1996

• Sales launch of the digital still camera “Cybershot” DSC-F1. The lens and flash were capable of 180-degree rotation, and this model featured a 1.8-inch liquid crystal viewscreen in the back of the body.

1997

• MVC-FD5 was released. It was this product that single-handedly boosted the popularity of the Mavica. This model enabled images to be saved on 3.5-inch floppy disks (conventional media for PCs at the time). Since images were already in JPEG format, there was no need for special software to make them PC compatible.

1998

• DSC-D700 broke with the tradition of internalized memory to become the first to support Memory Stick external memory. True SLR with large optical viewfinder and equipped with a PC Card slot. Recording on Memory Stick is possible using the provided adapter.

1999

• DSC-F505K A model for uncompromising photographers, featuring a Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar 5x optical zoom lens on a rotating cylinder.

2000

• DSC-P1 was released. This “P series” model was created giving the user a unique user-friendly approach, and was the first Memory Stick compatible model. Among other meanings, the letter “P” was meant to connote “Pocket” and “Play.”

2001

• DSC-F707 was the first model in the Cyber-shot series with an effective pixel count of 5 million. This camera featured NightShot technology enabling users to shoot without flash even at night.

2002

• DSC-U10 The palm-size Cyber-shot. It was so small that it could be carried in a handbag or worn around the neck with the provided strap.

2003

• DSC-T1 was released offering an increased effective pixel count of 5.1 million and featured a slim design with the thinnest portion measuring only 17.3mm. This camera also featured a larger 2.5-inch liquid crystal display for high visibility and readability.
  According to Sony’s research, DSC-F828 was the world’s first of its kind that is it was the World’s first consumer-use CCD digital still camera. This was the top-of-the-line model, boasting an effective pixel count of 8.1 million and featuring Sony’s original four-color filter CCD. Combined, these features enabled exceptionally fine, smooth-textured photograph-like quality.

2004

• The DSC-M1 incorporated the “Hybrid REC” feature supporting convenient capture of still shots from video footage. Pressing the shutter button only once allowed the user to shoot a still image in addition to capturing video five seconds before and three seconds after the shot was taken.

2005

• The DSC-T7 slim-type Cyber-shot incorporated newly developed parts and Sony’s unique high-density mounting technologies for a slender, 9.8-mm profile.
  The DSC-T9 offered both Super SteadyShot image stabilization and advanced light sensitivity, and featured a new 2.5-inch ClearPhoto plus LCD screen.
  And the DSC-R1 had the highest image quality in this series, with a large 10.3-megapixel CMOS sensor and wide-angle 24 mm Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* (T-star) lens.

2006

• Digital SLR camera α100 (DSLR-A100) released. It was the α (Alpha) digital SLR, with an innovative Alpha Mount lens mount system supporting multiple lenses.

2008

• Sony releases digital SLR Camera “α900″ with 24.81 effective megapixel CMOS image sensor “Exmor” It was the first α to incorporate a 35mm full frame image sensor and 24.6-megapixel resolution.
  DSC-T77 – The 10-megapixel T77 camera was the world’s thinnest—measuring 13.9mm at its thinnest point. This Cyber-shot featured a 4x optical zoom and optical SteadyShotTM image stabilization. It also featured improved intelligent scene recognition technology, Smile Shutter? and face detection technologies enabling amateurs to take shots like the pros.

2009

• The DSC-HX1 became the first digital still camera to feature sweep 224-degree panorama technology. It was also the company’s first Cyber-shot camera to use the G lens and Exmor CMOS sensor technology. This technology allows it to achieve speeds of 10 frames per second in continuous burst mode.
  The DSC-WX1 and the DSC-TX1 models were the world’s first digital still cameras with back-illuminated “Exmor R” CMOS sensor technology.

2010

• SDSC-TX7 and the DSC-HX5V were released and they were the world’s first compact digital still cameras with Full HD (1080i AVCHD) video capability.
  NEX-5 was the world’s smallest and lightest interchangeable lens digital camera at that time.
  STL-A55V was an interchangeable lens digital camera “α55” featuring the world’s first commercialization of translucent mirror technology to achieve cutting-edge auto focus speed for shooting still images and video.

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