Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T30

Front (8.0)
The front of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T30 has a sliding door about 3 inches across and an inch-and-a-half tall. The door rests toward the top-right of the front, but users slide it straight downward to expose the lens and turn the camera on. When the door is closed, there is a thin chrome band along the bottom that looks like it runs across the entire length of the camera. The chrome band has a Cyber-shot logo at the left of the door, and the portion that continues to the left of the door protrudes and doubles as a finger grip and wrist strap eyelet. On the right half of the door is a Sony logo. When the door slides down, a cluster of components can be seen. The Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar 3x optical zoom lens is labeled just so and sits in the top right corner of the front. On its right curved edge are its specs: "3.5-4.3/ 6.33-19.0." To the left of the lens and almost centered on the camera is the built-in flash. Below the oval-shaped flash is an auto focus assist illuminator. Overall, the sliding door and interesting finger grip give the T30 a sophisticated look and functional design.

Back (8.25)
The back of the digital camera has a dark backdrop and a shiny glass-like coating on it. The edges of the coating are beveled and unfortunately, the material scratches much too easily. An enormous 3-inch LCD screen sits on the left; above it is a Sony logo on the left and the mode switch on the right. The mode switch changes from the central recording mode to the playback mode on the left and the movie mode on the right. The Sony logo and the switch are located on an edge that is sloped backward, halfway between the back and the top of the camera. To the right of the LCD screen are several chrome controls. The zoom toggle is in the top right corner. Just below the center is the round multi-selector, with hard-to-see icons engraved into it. The top of the control changes the flash mode, the right side activates the macro mode, the bottom turns on the self-timer, and the left side is the "back" function. There is a central selection button that is not labeled. Arrows mark the four directions just outside the control. Above the multi-selector are two small round buttons: Menu is on the left and the Display button on the right. Below the multi-selector are two more buttons, identical in size and shape: Image Size/Delete is on the left and the Slide Show button is on the right. Overall, the back of the camera is easy on the eyes with its big screen, but its controls are a bit small.

Left Side (8.0)
The left side has a single chrome band down its center. It is purely for decoration.

Right Side (8.0)
The left side has a door that consumes almost the whole side. The door slides downward and springs out to reveal the battery and memory card compartments.

Top (7.75)
The left side of the camera is littered with labels: "7.2 megapixels, Super SteadyShot, DSC-T30, Sony." On the right side is the large and round shutter release button. Also on its right side is a skinny rectangular button that activates the Super SteadyShot system. On the left side is a button that is symmetrical; it has an LED and is the Power button. To the left of the power button is the built-in microphone. Below it, on a sloped edge, is the mode switch.

Bottom (6.5)
On the bottom of the camera is a multi-terminal at the left, the built-in speaker just left of center, a quarter-inch tripod socket just right of center, and various legal information and numbers scattered throughout.