The DSC-T300 arrived in early 2008 as the follow-up to Sony's T200 — same 3.5-inch widescreen touchscreen filling the entire back, same folded-optics approach keeping the front flush, but with a denser 10.1-megapixel sensor, Intelligent Scene Recognition, and a slightly longer 33–165mm zoom range. It was the T-series at its most confident, in a body that barely looked like a camera at all when closed.
NO FILTER: SHOT ON T300
THE LOOKS
In red, the T300 is a statement. The aluminum front plate is a single uninterrupted surface when the lens cover is shut — no barrel, no protrusion, just a clean block of deep metallic color with the Sony logo. Open it and the camera comes to life. The body is 94 × 59 × 21mm, the entire rear is screen, and at 149g it sits comfortably in a shirt pocket. Also available in black and silver.
THE SPECS
10.1-megapixel 1/2.3-inch Super HAD CCD, ISO 80–3200. Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar 5× optical zoom, 33–165mm equivalent, f/3.5–4.4. Super SteadyShot optical IS. BIONZ. 3.5-inch 16:9 touchscreen LCD (230k dots). 9-point AF with touch focus. Intelligent Scene Recognition (5 scenes). Face Detection 8 faces. Smile Shutter. D-Range Optimizer. VGA/30fps video. 31MB internal + Memory Stick Duo/PRO Duo. HD component output. 94 × 59 × 21mm, 149g.
DESIGN HIGHLIGHTS
- Entire rear surface as touchscreen: the 3.5-inch 16:9 LCD fills the back completely — in 2008 this was still an unusual commitment, and it still reads as a clean design decision.
- Folded optics keeping the front completely flush: the 5× zoom is internally stacked so the lens never extends — the front panel stays flat whether the camera is on or off.
- Intelligent Scene Recognition alongside manual touch focus: iSCN auto-selects from five scenes, but tapping the screen overrides it with precise subject focus — both modes coexist.
THE VERDICT
The T300 in red is one of the cleaner expressions of the T-series design idea: a camera that hides everything behind a flat surface and only reveals itself when you're ready to shoot. The red finish makes that reveal feel deliberate. The 33–165mm Zeiss zoom, Super SteadyShot, and Smile Shutter deliver the performance — the sliding cover and the color deliver everything else.