Sony’s Bulletproof Cyber-shot W300 February 26, 2008

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Sony is bringing some armour to its latest compact camera with a titanium coating that ‘resists scratches’ because it just happens to be around five times tougher than anodised aluminium.

The new Cyber-shot W300 can shrug off all but the worst abuse and will take a nice snap too when it's not in the war zone. The camera boasts a cracking 13.6MP resolution which is high enough to allow for A3-sized enlargements. According to Sony, the W300 is the most technically advanced Cyber-shot to date. Well, it would say that.

Sensitivity has been boosted to ISO 6400 for taking clear images in low-light conditions, while Sony’s Clear RAW Noise Reduction and Super Steady Shot image stabilisation features reduce the need for a tripod. A HD Output allows for easy hook-up to HDTVs, to watch slide shows of the rugrats accompanied by music and visual effects.

The camera uses a Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens with 3x optical zoom and a BIONZ processor powering the Smile Shutter, improved Face Detection and D-Range Optimiser features. A new addition is the EX High-Speed Burst Mode, allowing for high-speed shooting at up to 5fps (frames per second) for those sporting occasions.

The W300 ships in April but no prices yet. Still, it should be cheaper than the new 14MP Sigma compact which will come with a £550 price tag.-Martin Lynch

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