25.2.2014

If you're looking for a camera that gives you control over every aspect of the creative process, look elsewhere. If you're looking for a camera that lets you take very good pictures and you're happy to let the camera do most of the hard work for you, then this is a good choice.It's a fairly chunky camera for a compact, but that's good, because it means there's a large lens to capture more light, for faster shutter speeds and better pictures in low light. The body is made from tough plastic, which is relatively light, and there's a comfortable grip for your right hand, and two knurled strips round the lens barrel for the forefinger and thumb of your left hand to hold the camera steady.You can actually operate the camera completely without using your left hand, except for the button to activate the flash.And the controls are very easy to get used to. There's an on/off button, the usual combined zoom and shutter release button and a mode-selector dial on top. On the back there's the button for taking movies, a menu button (for things like adjusting white balance, selecting picture quality and turning off the annoying polyphonic beeps the camera makes whenever you adjust anything), a 4-way rocking selector for choosing flash mode, timer, how much information is shown on the screen and (oh, joy) an automatic smile detector, which you can set to automatically take a picture when your subject smiles. It actually works, too. In the middle of the 4-way selector there's another button, which is used for something called tracking focus. When you select a subject, the camera will lock on to it and keep it in focus, leaving you free to compose the shot. The only other two buttons are a play button to let you review the photos and videos you've taken and a delete button to let you remove your less successful attempts.The mode-selector on top has a thankfully limited number of options. They are:- "Intelligent Auto", which automatically analyses what you're photographing and chooses the best mode, including macro mode for shooting close up;- Program mode, which lets you adjust some things, but the camera still chooses the aperture and shutter speed;- Manual, which lets you choose the aperture and shutter settings (there are only two aperture settings, f3.0 and f7.7, but the shutter speeds range from 30 seconds to 1/1500th of a second);- Panoramic mode, where you smoothly rotate the camera from left to right and the camera stitches the pictures into a panoramic shot;- Movie mode, for cinematic movies (I presume; I'm not that interested in taking video); and- Scene mode, which lets you choose from a small number of preset scenarios (landscape, snow scene; firework display and so on) to force the camera to do what you want.That may sound like a lot, but it's very easy to pick up in just a few minutes. This is very much a camera to let you get on with taking pictures - most of the time you can leave it on the Intelligent Auto setting and you'll get pretty good results.The camera uses 4 x AA batteries, which is actually very convenient - just make sure you always have a spare set with you. You need to buy an SD card - an 8GB card, ideally class 6 or higher, should be fine - because there's only space for five photos on the built-in memory. Sony thoughfully provides a lens cap, which you can attach to the strap if you don't want to lose it, but the lens-cap gets in the way of the lens when you turn the camera on: if the camera displays a message saying "turn power off and on again", the chances are you've forgotten to remove the lens-cap. There's no thread on the lens for fitting a filter, so you do need the lens-cap to protect the lens.There's a lovely big clear screen on the back, but no viewfinder. I'm sure I'm not the only person who misses being able to hold the camera up to your eye to compose a shot.The zoom is good, with a wide wide-angle (the equivalent of a 25mm lens if you still think in 35mm film terms) at one end and something far too telephoto to be able to hold steady without a tripod at the other end. I find iy slightly fiddly to get the zoom exactly where I want it - it overshoots slightly.For copying pictures to your computer, there's a combined video out / USB cable, or you could just take the SD card out and pop it into your computer.The still photographs at best quality have a 4:3 ratio, and are 5152 pixels wide by 3864 pixels tall. That should be enough to print out a photograph at A3 size and still have it looking sharp. Pictures are very good indeed; if you look closely you can see JPEG artefacts and some colour bleeding, but this is unlikely to be a problem given the high resolution. An image file size is typically 7MB. The video quality is "only" 1280 x 720, which is the lower HD resolution, but still a lot better than standard definition.There's no manual supplied with this camera. You can download one if you want, but I didn't bother: I didn't need one. No camera is completely intuitive, but for a larger compact camera with a reasonable lens this is about as straightforward as it gets.

19.3.2014

Before I got this camera I had been using this one:Nikon Coolpix L120 Digital Camera - Black (14MP, 21x Optical Zoom) 3-inch LCD. It is within a similar price bracket, so I will compare a few of the features within this review, as well as giving a general overview of the product.Compared to the L120, I can definitely feel that the Sony has some real weight to it. It is well built though and easy to hold. It comes with an attachable strap and lens cap for ease of carrying.Upon taking the camera out I noticed that you adjust the camera's settings via a wheel on top. This is different to my old camera, which has simple on-screen menus, and has taken some getting used to.One thing I will recommend is looking at the booklet that come with the camera and making use of the downloadable user-guide. Once I had gotten this up on my computer then I found it was actually really simple to understand how to change between modes and what each one did.A couple of strong positives for this camera are the zoom and the panoramic mode. Within panorama mode, you simply point and click and then follow the direction of the on-screen arrow to sweep along the landscape. The camera does all the work and stitches the image together, leaving you with a nice horizontally long photo. This would be perfect for anyone who likes social media, as it can take some stunning images that would fit well as 'cover photos' on Facebook, without any need to crop a standard sized photo down. Within most other cameras I have known you have to sew multiple images together yourself, and just get guidelines for where to take the next photo, so this camera is fantastic.The zoom being strong means this is a good camera for wildlife photographers who don't want to disturb their subject, or for people who like to attend music gigs or anything where you may not be right up close to the action.I must say that I do prefer my old camera for ease of use really, as this one can take a while to move between the modes and I do find that it is not as easy to use in bright light. Occasionally it has trouble focussing too, I find, but this can be remedied by ensuring you have a good play around with the camera before you use it too much and get to know which modes work best in which lighting and so on.This camera strikes me as one that will suit anyone who loves taking fun pictures, who is a bit arty, or possibly a young person. This is quite a fun camera, with modes such as 'colour pop', where the camera will focus on red, blue or yellow and make the rest of the image black and white. There are also modes to enhance/ brighten colours and to add a 'soft skin' effect, which is quite similar to an airbrushed look, to your photo.It suits anyone who enjoys taking photos with friends, as it has the option to turn on smile detect, which is great for group photos, and also picks out faces within the image well. On testing it even picked up the faces within a framed photo on my wall. With smile detect activated, the camera automatically takes a photo when it detects a smile. This can be good for 'selfies' too, I have found. Rather than using the inbuilt self-timer, my friends and I often place the camera on something sturdy and then just let the smile detect take automatic photos, which means we get a few to choose from without having to return to the camera and reset the timer. It is also good for taking more candid images too due to this.If you are not someone who likes to faff around with settings then this is a great camera for you. It does a lot of the work for you and produces lovely, and fun/ unique, images. It may take a little getting used to, but if you have a browse of the aforementioned user guide, then you can ensure you make use of the full range of features available, which I find really fun and interesting.

10.5.2014

Cons===● Lens is standard Sony Lens, not Carl Zeiss or Leica. (It's alright but not as good as it could be)● AA batteries are slightly fiddly and annoying to load (you have to put them in specific orientations, and it takes two hands and a bit of force to close the latch)● It feels like it takes a wee but too long to focus sometimes (at the far end of the zoom)● The weight is uneven due to 4x AA batteries on one side● It's not comfortable to hold for long periods [Maybe it's just because I have smaller hands, the camera is a little big/bulky]● The screen is VERY hard to read in bright sunlight - you have to go in the shade!

24.3.2014

The Sony H300 is a well specified entry level bridge camera that is much more that just a big point and push. The specification for the price is very good, and from pictures taken to date, the lens seems to be a reasonable quality.My wife has a Sony CyberShop compact camera, and was able to pick up the H300 and use it straight away as the menu settings are very similar. I would advise anyone wanting to try anything off-piste, ie, some of the programmable features ... to download the manual in full, as the camera is only supplied with a quick start up guide.Out of the box, the H300 is clearly well made, sturdy, not too weighty, and comes supplied with a set of four AA batteries, USB lead,

11.5.2016

This Sony 'DSCH300' is an excellent 'bridge' camera - a perfect option for an enthusiastic amateur who wishes to take great photos.It has a large 20 megapixel sensor, and a wonderful 35x optical zoom (which is equivalent to a telescopic lens of about 840mm). Combined, these features mean you can take some really detailed shots from a distance. This is, then, a good camera for wildlife and other forms of nature photography, as well as sports photography.It can produce some fantastic panoramic photos (with a full 360 degree option). You can also film in HD. And it has a built-in flash. It's a very easy to use camera, and - while you're able to adjust many of the settings - it can, on automatic,

23.2.2015

Bought the Sony H300 camera from Amazon for 99£. Got delivered the next day. Hats off to Amazon for their prompt delivery.You would have to shell out some 40£ more to get yourself a carrying case,micro SD card and rechargable batteries and charger.This is my first camera. Read few review about few other cameras and decided to go for this one. Had very little to no knowledge on camera technicalities. I just saw the 'optical Zoom' and 'Megapixels' and went for this camera.I have been using it for quite some time and I have been able to take awesome pictures.Amateurs can use the manual to understand the camera better and take better photos !Pros :Zoom works well.

10.7.2016

I purchased this camera as a stepup from my point and shoot camera that i was shooting on at the time and i was recommended this camera by a good friend of mine.Reasons to buy this camera:- The Sturdy build of the camera fits great in any size hand, i have very large hands and i grip the camera very well.- The High MP of the sensor (20.1) enables you to take some amazing photos with crisp detail and very good overall pictures.-The Wide Angle Lens. This lens is good for basically everything! It takes good still photos and good videos.Reasons why this camera isnt the best camera in the world:-The camera runs off of AA batteries ,

11.7.2015

I've not had this camera long but I can honestly say it's brilliant. £99 is a bargain for what this camera has to offer; 20mp photos and 720p video, not much to criticise. Beginners will love it as the buttons are simple and friendly.PROS:First class photosFirst class videosBargainLasts a long time (I use Energizer Rechargeable AAs)Case (which you can buy with camera) is handyCONS:Batteries supplied don't last long (the Sony ones)After you've taken the photo and it shows it back to you for a small period of time, it takes twice as long if you use Continuous Shooting.CONS by other reviewers that don't actually matter:No viewfinder (There's a massive LCD screen to look at, why need a viewfinder?)Sony Lens,

10.1.2017

I bought this to replace my 9 year old fuji bridge camera. Sony seem to have done a great job here...High Build Quality.Great zoom.Very easy to use if you are familiar with digital camera menus.Picture quality also very good.The sony pc software is not so brilliant but you can find so many alternatives including some great free software so no problem really!Several things to note...The optical image stability feature is fully automatic and there is no menu option to switch on or off.Macro switches itself on when needed.There is a white balance setting to be used with flash and I think it gives great results!Sometimes shooting conditions require the camera to spend a little bit more time auto-focusing.

2.12.2014

I bought mine from Amazon at £99 and for that can't complain. It loses a star for lack of a manual more than anything. You can find a full one on the Sony website but it seems to be only in HTML format which is useless for downloading, saving, printing etc.However, it takes fairly decent pics on Auto and Program, the SteadyShot is surprisingly effective as on its outings so far very few of my photos have been shoogly, even at full zoom.Batteries - pah - buy some rechargeable NiMH ones and stop moaning - *much* better than proprietary lithium batteries. A fully charged set seems more than enough for a days picture taking.Case - Sony's own one is fine and around £15,At £99 you're never going to get the sharpest optically perfect pics but they are pretty good.

15.4.2014

This is a capable Bridge camera that in auto mode is very easy to use. If you do fancy tinkering about with the manual settings then you'll need to download the full manual from the Sony website, as out of the box you're only given a quick starter guide. You'll also need to buy an SD memory card.Pictures are bright and sharp, and 20 megapixels is more than enough for most people`s needs, even in HD. For a camera in this price range the optical zoom is very capable.Being a Bridge camera and not a high end DSLR, images are saved as JPEGS rather than in the professional RAW format. Instead of being rechargeable, like many Bridge cameras the H300 takes four AA batteries,

4.11.2014

For around £100 for this camera you can't go wrong. It is well made and takes very good photographs. In low light it is amazing. It is easy and comfortable to handle. Another reviewer comments that weight is not evenly distributed but the batteries are in the hand grip, where it make sense. The auto focus is reasonably fast and the zoom is good. The zoom switch is rather loose in in its mounting but I think this may be intentional and is only a minor gripe. It has plenty or programmed modes that can be manually or automatically selected. The panoramic function works really well enabling one to pan round a street scene and capture a 360 degree picture. It does seem to eat batteries sometimes.

17.4.2014

The Sony H300 is the third bridge camera that I've owned, and so far the best.It comes with batteries, USB cable and strap; there's no case, but I already owned one; you'll also need a fast SD card to store photos. For those who don't know much about cameras or simply can't be bothered, it has an automatic mode so you can literally point and shoot (although you don't have to use it). The viewfinder is good, although bothered by glare as is always the case in bright sunlight; the 35x zoom is good, and I've been pleased with the fact that I've been able to use it hand held at full zoom without any blur in photos. Perhaps the best thing is the panoramic mode - switch it on, press the shutter,

4.12.2017

Well, 275 reviews at the time of writing - it's all been said. I can only add this; I bought it for photographing the kind of wildlife that creeps around in the dusk ( ...& dawn, but I am never up then). After a few days learning the camera, I gave it a good test and I can tell you, it sees better in low light than I do. Great condition "as new" from Amazon warehouse, so a bargain at £94.Update Jan 2018. Had this awhile now. Absolutely NO problems with battery life, still on originals. No problem with focus either. Used max zoom on wildcat and got sharp pics. Yes a little slow to focus, but 2 sec at most. Could be a limitation for some. Manual is not very good so time needs to spent familiarizing yourself with the controls.

23.4.2017

Great for a novice like me. Initially got slatted by my partner for not having a viewfinder, but now she uses it more than me, when she wants a point and click alternative to her DSLR. Was a bit wary of this when i found out it used aa batteries. I have had bad past experiences of camera's eating up aa's to the point where it was unusable. When i saw criticisms of battery life i nearly turned my back on it, but a bit of research suggested that upto 350 pics can be taken between charges for a good set of rechargables... I do a lot of zooming in and out, so expecting less than that ... But so far i have been impressed. If you're looking for a serious DSLR ... This isn't it,

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H300 - Reviews

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