Digital Camera News

January 23, 2008

Colorful Sony T300 Can Make You Smile

Jan. 23, 2008 – The Sony T300 has bulked up on features, but not on size: this replacement for last year’s T200 has higher resolution and improved features , but without increasing the waistline. The 10.1-megapixel

Take a look at the T300

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T300 has the same 5x optical zoom lens and 3.5-inch LCD touch screen as the previous model, but adds new features such as face detection, image management, and slide shows. The new T300 will come out in March at the same $399 price as the older model.

The T300 is Sony’s new flagship to its lineup of stylish ultra-thin digital cameras. It sells alongside the 8.1-megapixel, $300 T70 and $350 T2. The Sony Cyber-shot T300 is tailored for "techno socialites" who want personalized items and multiple colors, the manufacturer stated in a press briefing. The Sony T300 comes in red, black, and silver colors.

Sony improved its face detection system in many of its newest models, including the T300. You can now set it to detect children’s or adults’ faces, and prioritize which to focus on; older models often had trouble recognizing children’s faces in particular. The Smile Shutter mode and dynamic range optimizing feature have also been improved, and the T300 can also prioritize adult or child smiles, taking the photo when it detects the selected smiling face.

Because more photographers are buying up larger capacities of memory cards, Sony emphasized its image management features on the Cyber-shot T300. Images can be viewed by date and tagged as favorites. They can also be sorted by child’s face or smiles. If your subject still doesn’t crack a smile, you can add one via an editing effect in the playback mode. There is also a new unsharp mask feature that, Sony claims, can enhance image quality.

Sony surveyed more than 200 owners of the older T100 and found that the number one most wanted feature on its slide show function was increased music files. The T100 and T200 can store four music files, but the T300 can store eight music files – each up to five minutes long. The T300’s slide shows can be accessed with a designated button and played on HDTVs in high definition with an optional cable.

Sony added a few more flourishes to the T300. There is an "easy mode" borrowed from Sony’s Handycam camcorders that simplifies the display, enlarges the font, and eliminates choices. The T300 can detect six scenes with its new "intelligent scene recognition." The camera automatically takes two pictures when in the Backlight, Night Scene, and Twilight Portrait scene modes. Lastly, Sony added a "Real" color mode that minimizes in-camera processing for photographers who wish to adjust the colors themselves in a software editing program.

'We're aiming to make cameras smarter,' said Phil Lubell, director of marketing for Sony Electronics. 'The T300...goes beyond face detection to other functions that help customers capture their best photos automatically.'

Camera Model	T200	T300
Announcement Date	August 2007	January 2008
Introductory Price	$399	$399
Sensor	8 MP Super HAD CCD	10.1 MP Super HAD CCD
Lens	5x optical zoom	5x optical zoom
Monitor	3.5-inch, 230,000 pixel Clear Photo LCD Plus, 16:9	3.5-inch, 230,000 pixel Clear Photo LCD Plus, 16:9
Color Options	Silver Black Red	Silver Black Red
Key Features	- Bionz processor - HD Viewing - Retouch - DRO - Super SteadyShot - Clear RAW NR - New Face Detection with Touch Screen GUI - New Smile Shutter	- Bionz processor - Improved face detection - Improved Smile Shutter - Improved DRO - Image management - Unsharp mask - Improved slide show - Easy Mode - Intelligent Scene Recognition - Real Color Mode
News Link	Sony Launches T200 and T70 with Smile Shutter