Manual Control Options
The Sony Cyber-shot T300 is certainly an automatic camera for users who simply want to point and shoot. For more advanced users, there are a few controls, such as Semi-Manual focus, with the ability to control a bit more. There are virtually no true manual functions.
Focus
Auto Focus
The big thing with Sony’s T300 is its touted autofocus system with improved face detection. On our limited testing at the PMA show, we were very impressed with the updated system. Face detection is often limited when the subject turns his or her head or goes into a poorly-lit scene even in second or third-generation systems. The upgraded Sony face detection, however, was very responsive. The T300 recognizes faces even if the subject turns or bows his or her head, and yes, it operates when people wear glasses. Sony uses its own proprietary technology that detects up to a reported eight faces in a given scene to adjust for focus, white balance and exposure with flash options.
The new features include the Child Priority and Adult Priority modes that supposedly discern between kids and grown-ups. For example, if you are at a birthday party and want the focus to be on the birthday boy, instead of the kid’s mom, you change the Face Detection setting from the four choices: Off, Auto, Child Priority, and Adult Priority, that are available in all PASM modes. The face detection modes should highlight faces with orange boxes for primary faces and white boxes for secondary faces. We weren't able to do any in-depth testing of this on the prototype model, but the Child setting picked up adult faces as child faces.
The T300 also includes an updated Smile Shutter that can detect more smiles, instead of just one. It also has improved dynamic range. The autofocus system is based on 9-point AF sensors. Settings can be changed via the touch screen or through the internal menu system, with Auto, Macro, and Close Focus options.
Manual Focus
The Sony T300 has no true manual focus sometimes associated with point-and-shoots at this price range. Instead, Sony has a mode called “Semi-Manual” focus, which should be more appropriately named semi-automatic. It approximates the distance between the camera and the subject for situations where the photographer wants to shoot the background instead of foreground. The example Sony uses is shooting through a fence to focus on a baseball player. In those cases, users can select an approximate distance of where the subject is. U.S. users, beware, the distances in the pre-production model are in the metric terms: 0.5, 1, 3, and 7 meters.
Exposure
The T300 uses an automatic Program AE mode. Exposure can be changed through an EV scale in 1/3 steps up to a full 2 stops.
Metering
The Sony Cyber-shot camera includes all three light metering systems - multi-pattern for overall metering, center-weighted for subjects in the middle of the frame, and spot metering.
White Balance
The Sony T300 includes the following white balance settings: Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent 1 (White), Fluorescent 2 (Natural White), Fluorescent 3 (Day White), Incandescent, and Flash. The camera also includes four underwater white balance settings - Underwater Auto, Underwater 1, Underwater 2, and Underwater Flash – to be used with an optional waterproof case. The camera has no custom white balance.
ISO
In addition to Auto ISO, sensitivity ranges from bright situations to darker, indoor settings with settings available at ISO 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, and 1600. For even darker situations, the camera is capable of a High Sensitivity mode at ISO 3200. Like other high sensitivity modes on other point-and-shoots, that high sensitivity cuts down on image resolution and may introduce grain into the picture (Sony didn't supply the details of the resolution drop). We can properly test the high ISO setting and noise results when we get our hands on the camera for a full review.
Shutter Speed
Shutter speed can not be controlled manually. The camera selects the speed depending on the Scene mode. In Auto shooting, the camera shoots from 1/4 to 1/1000 of a second, or 1 to 1/1000 of a second in Program Auto.
Aperture
Like shutter speed, the T300 does not permit manual changing of aperture. The camera automatically decides f-stop based on shooting mode. Maximum aperture reaches f/3.5 wide or f/4.4 telephoto in Auto and Program Auto modes.
