TEXT4PRICE SHOPTALK

Compare light weight and stylist digetal cameras

by editor@text4price.com @ 08 July 2006 - 14:35:12

Slim and Sensitive

This stylish snapper gets even better in the dark

Sony's latest model in the T-series is the T-30. Its slim, stylish and boasts a higher resolution, longer battery life and a bigger screen than its predecessors. But what should catch you're attention is this little beauties much improved low-light shooting.

Sony have added a three-inch screen and with its all metal body its a touch wider and heavier than sibling T9. However it still uses the same tied and tested steady shot optical image stabiliser which really does a fine job of banishing blur from twilight shots.

But better still is an improved maximum sensitivity. At iso 1000 this means less need for flash at night and the grainy noise is kept down making for a much more rounded performer. One problem we did notice is that colours do fade away at these lower levels, so stick to lower sensitivities if you're shooting portraits.

Now you might be thinking that the lager screen adds even more weight to this little cameras performance. Sadly its more difficult to see the benefit since it doesn’t have any more pixels than the T9, so consequently it isn’t even sharper and we also found that at full brightness struggles in direct sunlight.

Camera controls are fast and easy to use, but they are positioned so close to the screen its easy to leave finger prints on it, once again leaving the larger screen at bit of a disadvantage.

Yet where it counts this digital camera really delivers, its truly amazing how much detail Sony extracts from the tiny, corner mounted Carl Zeiss lens. The Seven megapixel picture look simply stunning. They are as sharp, crisp and packed with colour as any happy snapper could wish for.

Despite the larger screen and a powerful flash, battery life has been boosted. The power meter is as good as always on a Sony, showing exactly how many minutes of operation remain.

Sony have learnt that its touches like these that demonstrate to us punters that a digital camera has maturity. T-series snappers have always been skinny, but this adds grace, solidity and impressible low light features to make it a really great compact.

Alternatives

Nikon COOLPIX S6 Digital Camera Nikon Coolpix S6