The T90 arrived in 2009 as Sony pushed touchscreen technology into the ultra-slim camera market. This is a camera reduced to its absolute essentials: a brushed aluminum slab just 15mm thick with a massive touchscreen dominating the back. It made the whole category feel like a glimpse into the smartphone-dominated future that was just around the corner.
NO FILTER: SHOT ON T90
THE LOOKS
The T90's design language is pure early touchscreen optimism. The front is dominated by the Carl Zeiss lens housed in a minimal chrome ring, flanked by the tiny flash and AF assist light. The back is all screen: a 3.0-inch touchscreen stretches edge to edge, framed only by narrow bezels of brushed blue aluminum. Sony offered this ultra-slim design in five metallic colors: silver, black, blue, pink, and bronze.
THE SPECS
12.1-megapixel CCD sensor, Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens with 4× optical zoom (35-140mm equivalent, f/3.5-4.6), Optical SteadyShot image stabilization, 3.0-inch touchscreen LCD (230k dots), 720p video recording at 30fps, Face Detection with up to 8 faces, Smile Shutter, Sweep Panorama mode, Intelligent Scene Recognition, Memory Stick Duo/SD card slot, 15mm thin, 148 grams.
DESIGN HIGHLIGHTS
- The brushed aluminum body in five metallic colors creates a jewel-like object where mirror-smooth touchscreen glass contrasts against brushed metal.
- The 3.0-inch edge-to-edge touchscreen eliminates nearly all physical buttons, creating an iPhone-inspired interface that was revolutionary for 2009.
- At just 15mm thick with Carl Zeiss optics and Optical SteadyShot inside, it's thinner than most smartphones of the era while still packing zoom capability.
THE VERDICT
The T90 represents peak ultra-slim camera design before smartphones made the form factor redundant. The touchscreen interface pointed toward the future even if it was limited by 2009 technology. For collectors, it's a perfect example of Sony's commitment to miniaturization and premium materials in consumer electronics.