Sony DSC-T30

Reviewed September 2006

Introduction

The Sony DSC-T30 continues the evolution of the T-series by upping the resolution to 7.2 megapixels while retaining a 3X Carl Zeiss zoom with folded optics and adding a 3-inch monitor, along with a 58 MB internal memory.

The DSC-T30 can also be powered On using a small power button, on top of the camera, next to the little holes for the microphone and to the left of the round 2-stage shutter release. And, whether powered on by sliding down the lens cover, or with the power button, an elongated LED in the middle of the power button glows green.

The power button is balanced on the other side of the shutter release by a similarly shaped button. This one controls the T30's optical stabilizer, Steadyshot, turning it On or Off, the precise stabilization mode being determined in the Setup menu (See the Interface and Software section of the review for details about the Setup menu.).

The next control on the DSC-T30 is located on the angled ridge that makes the transition from the top to the back. The Mode Switch has three positions:

	Playback/Edit: can be activated with the power button, avoiding the need to open the lens.
	Still Image Capture: offers a selection of 11 shooting modes, which includes 9 scene modes, all of which are selected in the capture menu (See the Characteristics section of the review for more information about the contents of the menu.): Auto Shooting mode is a poin- and-shoot mode that lets the camera make all the decisions. Program mode provides the greatest amount of control over the camera, while leaving the selection of aperture and shutter speed up to the camera. High Sensitivity allows shooting without using the flash, the camera increasing the sensitivity of the CCD as necessary to avoid camera shake. Shutter speeds can be as low as 1/4 second, and sensitivity as high as 1000 ISO. Twilight mode, which serves to capture low light scenes without flash, has a maximum exposure time of 2 seconds. Twilight Portrait allows capturing low light portraits using the flash and a low shutter speed to also capture the background. Soft Snap is designed to capture portraits with soft focus backgrounds. Landscape sets the focus to infinity to ensure correct focus. High Speed Shutter gives priority to a high shutter speed, increasing sensitivity if necessary, to capture movement. Beach compensates the exposure to take into account the brightness of water and sand. Snow functions the same way as Beach, compensating the exposure to ensure the metering takes into account the brightness of snow. Fireworks provides a maximum exposure time of 2 seconds with the focus set to infinity and the white balance set to daylight.
	Movie mode: offers three recording modes: 640 Fine requires the use of a Memory Stick Pro Duo and captures video with sound at 30 frames per second for as long as there is space on the Memory Stick Pro Duo. 640 Standard captures video with sound at 25 frames per second for as long as there is space in the internal memory, or Memory Stick Duo. 160 captures video with sound at a frame size of 160 x 120 pixels and at 25 frames per second for as long as there is memory space. During the recording, the optical zoom remains functional, and the white balance and exposure are adjusted as required as the recording progresses.

The DSC-T30 has no optical viewfinder, and most of the camera's back is taken up by the large 3-inch monitor, leaving only a small strip for the other external controls of the Sony T30.

The monitor has a resolution of 960 x 240 pixels and is composed of 230,400 pixels, giving it a sharp and clear image. In addition, pressing and holding the button for more than 1 second allows increasing, or decreasing, the monitor's brightness.

At the top right of the back, the zoom control doubles as a way to view thumbnails of the captured images (an index view) showing 9 thumbnails per screen, when the camera is in Playback by pressing it on the W side. Pressing the zoom control on the T side allows zooming into an image up to 5X.

The Control button, with its four directional arrows, is bracketed, top and bottom, by two round buttons. The one on the top left serves to call up the menu that corresponds to the current camera mode: Still Image, Movie, or Playback. (See the Characteristics section of the review for more information on menu items.)

Pressing the button once adds a real-time histogram to the display, showing how brightness is distributed throughout the frame. A second press of the button removes all indications with the exception of the AF brackets and the AF type, while yet another press of the button returns the display to its defaults settings.

Moreover, when the shutter release is pressed halfway, the shutter speed and aperture selected by the camera appear on the lower right of the monitor.

In the Playback mode, the default display presents the image with the following superimposed on it: the remaining battery charge shown in minutes, the image size, the folder in which it is stored, the rank of the photo amongst those in the folder, the memory icon, and the time and date on which the image was captured.

Pressing the button once adds additional information about exposure compensation, ISO setting, flash mode, white balance, aperture and shutter speed used for the image and a histogram.

The Control button is next, providing a means to navigate the menus, or review photos. A small button at its centre serves to confirm menu selections, while its four directional arrows each offer a function, etched on the face of the button, when the camera is set to a capture mode:

The up arrow button serves to select the Flash Mode: Auto, Forced On, Slow Synch, and Forced Off. A red-eye reduction mode is available, but must be enabled in the Setup menu first.

	The down arrow button starts the Self-Timer, which offers a 10-second delay once the shutter release has been pressed.
	The left arrow button makes the camera enter the Quick Review mode so that the last captured image can be seen without having to change to the Playback mode.

The other two buttons below the 4-direction control offer the following functions:

In most respects the ergonomic design of the DSC-T30 is quite good. Buttons and controls are easily accessed, the screen is sharp and detailed and, with a boost to its brightness, remains visible outdoors in sunlight, and the camera is quick to respond to controls, including the shutter release.

Still, as we had observed with other cameras that have the lens in the upper corner, care has to be taken to avoid having fingers stray into the field of view, and cause a shadow in the image.