Sony's 2002 entry compact — 2MP CCD, fixed 33mm lens, AA batteries, Memory Stick storage
The Cyber-shot DSC-P31 was the entry point of Sony's 2002 P-series refresh, announced alongside the DSC-P51 and DSC-P71 as budget-friendly compacts. It offered two megapixels without optical zoom, aimed squarely at first-time digital camera buyers.
Its 2-megapixel CCD sat behind a fixed 33mm-equivalent lens, supported by a new three-area multi-point autofocus system, a 1.6-inch 61,100-pixel LCD plus optical viewfinder, and 320x240 MPEG movie recording. Unusually for a Sony digital camera of the time it ran on two AA batteries, and images stored to full-size Memory Stick cards.
It is a simple daylight snapshooter: no zoom mechanism means fewer failure points, and AA power keeps it usable anywhere without hunting for chargers. Resolution limits prints to small sizes, so interest today is mostly nostalgic or as a low-cost starter CCD compact.
Look for AA-bay corrosion from leaked cells, verify the flash cycles and the Memory Stick slot reads cards, and remember full-size Memory Sticks max out at small capacities; a tested card in the box saves hunting for long-discontinued media.