Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T500

Sony’s Cyber-shot DSC-T500 is a 2008 touchscreen camera with a more polished feel than a tiny point-and-shoot. The front panel slides down, the 3.5-inch display takes over the back, and its Carl Zeiss 5× zoom adds reach for people, details and travel shots. A CCD sensor gives photos that warm, slightly soft look people want from this era, while optical stabilisation helps keep handheld frames clean. In silver, it is pure brushed-metal minimalism.

THE LOOKS

Sony called this finish Silver: cool brushed aluminium, not bright chrome. The front cover drops down to switch the camera on, leaving its Carl Zeiss lens and flash exposed. Its horizontal body is more substantial than later T-series models at 21.4mm deep, with softly rounded ends that make it feel like a small media player. Nearly all of the back is a 3.5-inch touchscreen, framed by a slim black border. Other available colours: black and red.

THE SPECS

The T500 uses a 10.1-megapixel 1/2.3-inch Super HAD CCD — an older-style sensor that gives that warm, slightly soft look people love now — and a Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar 5× zoom. It runs from 33mm to 165mm: better for portraits and further details than a big group. Its f/3.5–4.4 lens opens brighter at the wide end, then dims as you zoom. Optical SteadyShot is a real built-in stabiliser to keep handheld photos sharp. Tap the 3.5-inch screen to focus, and record 720p HD video. 97.0 × 59.3 × 21.4mm; 155g body only.

DESIGN HIGHLIGHTS

• A big touchscreen for its era: The 3.5-inch display is where you frame, focus and review images, giving the T500 an unusually screen-first feel for 2008.

• Slide-down metal front: Drop the brushed-silver cover to turn it on and reveal the lens; shut it again for a clean, uninterrupted slab of metal.

• Proper 5× reach: The Carl Zeiss zoom reaches 165mm equivalent, bringing a face, detail or distant sign closer than most tiny T-series cameras manage.

THE VERDICT

The T500 is for someone drawn to a larger, more deliberate version of Sony’s sliding T-series design. The big touchscreen makes it great for showing photos around, its 5× Zeiss zoom gives more reach than most style-led compacts, and the CCD handles flash photos with warmth. It is not the pick for wide group shots, and 720p video is now basic, but its silver metal body has a calm, considered presence that has aged very well.