Sony Cyber-shot HX300, WX300, TX30 Digital Compact Cameras Announced

The Sony Cyber-shot HX300, WX300, TX30 digital compact cameras announced by Sony. The slim and stylish Sony WX300 is the world’s smallest and lightest camera with a 20x optical zoom, The Sony HX300 has an powerful 50x optical zoom with DSLR-style handling and manual controls. The Sony TX30 is the world’s slimmest digital compact camera that’s waterproof up to 10m and freeze- and shock-proof. Sony WX300, HX300 and TX30 cameras technical specifications are below.

Sony UK Press Release

Capture all the action with three new power-packed Cyber-shot™ cameras from Sony

• WX300: slim and super-stylish, the world’s smallest and lightest1 with powerful 20x optical zoom, enhanced image stabilisation and speedy autofocus
• HX300: ultra-powerful 50x optical zoom with DSLR-style handling and manual controls, enhanced image stabilisation and speedy autofocus
• TX30: the world’s slimmest digital compact camera2, waterproof upto 10m and freeze- and shock-proof3

Give your photography a serious boost with the stylish, feature-packed new Cyber-shot™ WX300, HX300 and TX30 compact digital cameras from Sony.

With newly refined optical image stabilisation and faster autofocus, the WX300 and HX300 are more effective than ever at grabbing those fleeting moments, even when you’re zoomed in close.

Cyber-shot™ WX300
The slim, super-stylish Cyber-shot™ WX300 is the world’s smallest, lightest1 digital still camera that packs a powerful 20x optical zoom range.

A perfect pocket-sized travel partner, the WX300 features a high quality Sony G Lens that effortlessly handles wide-angle landscapes, portraits and dramatic close-ups. If you’re holding the camera at arm’s length, walking along or zoomed in, Optical SteadyShot cuts the effect of shaky hands for crisp, blur-free stills. Stabilisation is now around twice4 as effective at high-zoom settings as the previous generation Cyber-shot™ HX20V with 20x zoom. The camera is also enhanced by Active Mode, which ensures handheld movies look smooth and steady.

You’ll grab even more special moments with super-fast autofocus that’s now approximately 3.6x quicker5 than the Cyber-shot™ HX20V, when fully zoomed in.

Built-in Wi-Fi lets you use your smartphone as a handy wireless remote to control the camera. It’s ideal for self portraits and group shots when you want to be in on the action. You can also send photos and videos right to your smartphone or tablet for easy viewing and sharing, using the Sony PlayMemories™ Mobile app. View still images stored in your camera wirelessly on a networked TV, or back up photos and videos straight from Cyber-shot™ to your PC using PlayMemories™ Home.

Despite its tiny size, the Cyber-shot™ WX300 packs enough stamina to shoot up to 500 photos5 from a single battery charge: plenty for a busy day’s shooting when you’re out and about.

Cyber-shot™ HX300
Standing out with purposeful DSLR-style looks and handling, the power packed Cyber-shot™ HX300 lets you travel light without the hassle of carrying extra lenses. With a huge 50x optical zoom range – among the highest for any compact camera – the Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens covers a wide range of shooting possibilities, from holidays and safari trips to sports and outdoor concerts. The T* coating on lens surfaces cuts reflections and ‘flare’, while Super ED and ED glass elements minimise chromatic aberration for satisfyingly sharp, high-contrast images.

In a Cyber-shot™ first, the HX300 features newly-enhanced Optical SteadyShot for stress-free composition and clearer photos even at high zoom settings. The position of a second group of lens elements shifts rapidly to correct for tiny hand tremors, making it twice as easy7 to frame shots comfortably.

Also improved for 2013, high-speed autofocus at telephoto settings locks onto your subject around twice5 as quickly as its predecessor model, the Cyber-shot™ HX200V. You’ll find it easier than ever to grab those spontaneous moments with crisp, blur-free results.

The lengthiest shooting sessions are made a pleasure by the camera’s balanced DSLR-style body and moulded ergonomic grip that fits comfortably in your hand. There’s also a full range of intuitively-placed controls including manual ring, custom button, jog dial and Memory Recall mode, just like you’d expect from a DSLR camera.

The HX300 also features the versatile new ‘Multi Terminal’ interface that allows intelligent communication between the camera and a growing range of shooting accessories.

Cyber-shot™ TX30
Great for swimming, snorkelling, skiing or just having fun, the Cyber-shot™ TX30 with 5x optical zoom is the world’s slimmest digital compact camera2 that’s waterproof to a depth of 10m. The chic, stylish camera can also handle dust, bumps and freezing temperatures3, helping you catch the action in virtually any situation with beautiful, detail-packed still images and smooth Full HD video.

New to Cyber-shot™, Magnifying Glass Plus mode allows you to zoom right in and magnify6 your subject up to 15x for a fascinating super-size view. In addition, the camera’s powerful LED lights up dim scenes for really clear, detailed close-ups.

Sparkling picture quality made simple
The Exmor R™ CMOS sensor inside all three new Cyber-shot™ models captures richly detailed stills and Full HD video with very low picture noise, even if you’re shooting without flash at dusk or in dimly-lit interiors.

You don’t have to be an expert photographer to get impressive results in the trickiest shooting conditions. Superior Auto on all models helps capture dimly lit action, even recognising when your subject’s moving. Camera settings are adjusted automatically for crisp, blur-free images every time – from sun-drenched beaches to moody interiors and twilight scenes.

Picture Effect makes it easy to spice up photos, movies and panoramas with a range of fun, impressive artistic treatments like Toy Camera, Pop Colour, Soft High Key and Partial Colour. Everything’s instant and automatic, with no need to fiddle around with smartphone apps or image editing downloads.

Portraits of friends and family look better than ever with Beauty Effect (WX300 and TX30), which automatically re-touches photos to remove skin blemishes, widen half-closed eyes and whiten teeth.

All models feature Advanced Flash that boosts the camera’s sensitivity, effectively extending flash range to make further-away subjects appear brighter. It’s ideal for party shots, indoors or at dusk where your camera’s built-in flash can struggle to reach the action.

Also featured on all new Cyber-shot™ models, Triluminos™8 Colour gives a rich, vivid palette of supremely natural colours when viewing photos on your compatible BRAVIA TV with support for Triluminos™ Display.

There’s a full range of style-matching accessories for Cyber-shot™, including high-quality carry cases, sports and marine packs, memory cards, spare batteries and chargers. See the full range at http://www.sony.co.uk/hub/cyber-shot-digital-cameras/accessories

The new Sony Cyber-shot™ HX300 will be available in the UK from March, and the WX300 and TX30 from April 2013.

1 Among digital compact still cameras with optical zoom of 20x or higher. Based on internal Sony survey, as of announcement date.
2 As of announcement date. Among waterproof compact digital cameras with optical zoom. Based on Sony survey.
3 Waterproof equivalent to IEC60529 IPX8. The camera is operable up to a water depth of 10m for 60 minutes.
Dust-proof equivalent to IEC60529 IP6X.
Freeze-proof to -10 degrees C.
Shock resistance conforms to MIL-STD 810F Method 516.5-Shock standards. This product has passed testing when dropped from a height of 1.5m above a 5-cm thick plywood board. Depending on use conditions and circumstances, no guarantee is made regarding damage to, malfunction of, or waterproof performance of this camera.
Battery life may decrease at low temperatures.
4 Shutter speed comparison at telephoto end of zoom range; Based on Sony internal testing.
5 CIPA standard, internal measurement. Approximate figure: actual value depends on shooting conditions.
6 Maximum magnification ratio, 35 mm equivalent; with digital zoom and lens/subject distance of 1 cm. Due to the nature of digital zoom, image quality is degraded.
7 Compared with DSC-HX200V at 30x optical zoom. Comparison of amount of shake in % of LCD panel (Sony measurement).
8 New Sony TRILUMINOS colour technology enriches your viewing experience by introducing a wider palette of rich, ultra-real colours, including hard-to-reproduce reds and emerald greens, into your display.