Sony Cybershot TX55 is now officially announced

The previously leaked Sony Cybershot TX55 is now official! Press release parade at DC Resource, Imaging Resource, dpreview, DC Watch, etc. Hands-on with camera body at Pocket Lint.

The camera has a 16mp backlit Exmor-R CMOS sensor, 5x folded-optics lens with Optical Steady Shot, starting at 25mm equivalent, 3.3" OLED display (1.23 kilodots). The whole camera is actually slimmer than a AA battery says the product description.

Because of the slimming down, Sony has ejected the SDHC memory card for the smaller microSD/microSDHC and the equivalent smaller Memory Stick. Slowly but steadily the number of microSD P&S compacts is increasing. It will be interesting to see whether this happen only when camera-size dictates it, or whether manufacturers will be tempted (perhaps by the smartphone link) to offer microSDHC in more models.

The new camera is already available for pre-order at Amazon for $350 in your choice of four body colors.

This increases the number of new cameras in 2011 to 143. Update: Now 145 thanks to the Japanese announcement of the Cybershot WX30 and W550.