The Sony DSC-T30 makes it
possible to slide a camera with a stabilized 3X Carl Zeiss
zoom, a 7.2 megapixel resolution and a 3-inch LCD screen into
a pocket, and not feel dragged down by the weight.
The imaging capability of the T30 is actually quite remarkable.
The SteadyShot stabilization is very effective, and in combination
with good optics, yields images that are so good that anyone
would be hard pressed to attribute them to a such a small
and compact camera.
The fact that the DSC-T30 has
good optics is revealed by the absence of distortion at any
point throughout the focal length of the zoom. Wide angle
shots are crisp and free of barrel distortion; telephoto shots
are likewise free of pincushion distortion. Similarly, chromatic
aberration is not noticeable at any point under average lighting
conditions, and very minimal with stronger contrasts.
The SteadyShot stabilization
system of the DSC-T30 allows capturing hand-held shots with
the telephoto at its maximum, eliminating the disadvantage
brought on by having to hold the camera with outstretched
arms to see the monitor.
As always, although the SteadyShot system has two modes,
one active at all times (Continuous) and the other only activated
when the camera actually takes the picture (Shooting), the
most effective one is the latter, and it has the added benefit
of being less power hungry.
The DSC-T30 only provides 2
compressed image formats, Fine or Standard. Set to the Fine
image quality, the photos the camera yields show no trace
of the compression, although the compression ratio at this
setting ranges from 6:1 to 7:1 most of the time.
The T30 has a CCD sensitivity
range that covers from 80 to 1000 ISO. There is very little
noise at 80 and 100 ISO but some graininess starts to appear
at 200 ISO. 400 ISO contains more noise, but the image remains
useable if it was shot with natural light outdoors, albeit
with less detail than would be visible at a lower ISO because
the noise reduction process tends to soften the image sharpness.
Higher levels, such as 800 and 1000 ISO are noisy, and when
seen at full-scale on a monitor, lack sharpness. Similarly,
the contrast is considerably more muted, and so are colours.
But, while the 800 and 100 ISO
levels are noisy, once again if the image is printed out to
4 x 6 size, the results tend to be acceptable, even at 1000
ISO, although at that level noise can be seen in the prints.
If outdoor shots tend to be
very good with the T30, indoor shots using the flash are a
bit more disappointing. The flash is small and its reach short.
With the ISO set to Auto, the camera readily boosts sensitivity
to 125 ISO to improve the flash's range, causing some noise
to appear. A menu option to increase the output of the flash
is available, but its effect is limited, and more often than
not what it does is increase the upper limit of the ISO range
the camera uses — up to 320 ISO — and thereby
introduces even more noise into the image.
Therefore, if flash photography
with the T30 is best when the subject is relatively close
and benefits from additional light sources, standard outdoor
shots turn out well exposed, well metered, and sharp.
With a high-resolution image, a good stabilization system
that reduces the risk that images will be ruined by camera
shake, and a clean and compact design, the DSC-T30 offers
yet another interesting alternative for compact camera purchasers.
Image Quality
