Sony launches flagship compact, Cyber-shot DSC-W300

Sony made its new top-of-the-line W model public today, with the launch of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W300. The W300 features a fairly conventional 3x zoom, but boasts an impressive 13.6 megapixels of effective resolution.

The W300 features a 2.7-inch LCD as well as the W-series standard optical viewfinder. Double anti-blur technology utilizes both Sony's Super SteadyShot image stabilization and high-ISO shooting to 3200.

Stylistically, the W300 extends the basic look of the new W series into its top model, with a slim, rectangular, slightly round profile. The camera's exterior is wrapped in an ultra-hard titanium coating that promises a high-end appearance and feel and resistance to smudges and scratches.

As a flagship model, the W300 packs in most of the new soft tech we saw in Sony's PMA releases, including an improved D-Range Optimizer, Intelligent Scene Recognition, a "Real" color mode with limited saturation, Face Detection with child/adult priority, Improved Smile Shutter, and Face Search. In-camera retouching options include an Unsharp Mask sharpening algorithm and Happy Face Retouch, which adds smiles to faces in post-process.

The W300 should ship in May, for a suggested retail price of $349.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W300 Specifications: