Sony this morning made camera docks more useful by introducing a first-of-its-kind automatic dock. The Party-shot uses the face and smile detection in the TX1 or WX1 to automatically follow subjects and compose shots, even tracking them in a 360-degree circle or at 24 degrees of tilt. Sony sees it as ideal for gatherings where stopping to compose a regular shot would disrupt the candid behavior of guests.

Also known as the IPT-DS1, the dock runs solely on AA batteries for up to 11 hours at a time and uses a common tripod mount to put it at proper height. Pre-orders start later today, and the Party-shot will ship in September for $150.