TOKYO, Oct 9: Japanese consumer electronics innovator Sanyo Electric Co. Ltd. announced on Tuesday it would launch the world’s first reuseable digital camera with help from two camera making partners.

This is the first time anyone has done it with a digital camera, said Sanyo spokesman Derek Wentz.

Sanyo clubbed together with Asahi Optical Co. Ltd. and Altech Co. Ltd. to invent the recyclable snapper, which also allows users to print their shots.

Once a photographer has taken 24 digital photos the camera can be taken to a photo shop and recycled or repaired and used again.

It means people can get digital quality without shelling out for an expensive, long-lasting digital camera, Wentz explained.

A three-month trial is due to start in the greater Tokyo area from October 19 to enable the trio to track market reaction to the contraption.

Sanyo had no profit estimates yet.

It depends on whether it is introduced on a full-scale basis, the spokesman said.

Priced at $16.5 apiece, the silver-coloured camera is hand-sized — 100 millimetres wide, 65 millimetres high and 30 millimetres deep.

At present the trio have no plans to launch the product abroad.

At this point we want to focus on the domestic market, Wentz said.

Japan’s domestic market for digital cameras in 2000 came to 2.95 million units, and is forecast to grow 59.3 per cent this year to 4.7 million, according to research by the Japan Photography Device Manufacturing Association.—AFP