Sony Alpha 300

The Sony Alpha 300 is a DSLR from 2008 built around an APS-C sensor and the Sony Alpha DT lens mount. It is a stills camera in the straightforward sense: you frame through an optical viewfinder, and every shot lands on a CompactFlash card.

That combination suits someone who wants to learn DSLR fundamentals or keep a simple body for stills work. There is no video mode and no wireless transfer, so the workflow is basic: shoot, remove the card, copy the files.

The body weighs 632 g and measures 131 x 99 x 75 mm. The built-in flash adds light without packing accessories, and the tilting screen helps when framing low or high.

The 10.2 megapixel APS-C CCD sensor, processed through the Bionz chip, produces files with enough resolution for everyday prints and web use. The 1/4000 second maximum shutter speed keeps the door open for wide apertures in daylight.

Sensitivity runs from ISO 100 to ISO 3200. That upper limit is modest by modern standards, so dim interiors often call for flash, a wider aperture or a steady support rather than a higher ISO setting.

Autofocus uses nine points. The bigger constraint for action is the burst rate, which tops out at three frames per second, so fast-moving subjects are better caught one frame at a time.

The most useful stills feature here is in-body stabilisation. Because it lives in the camera rather than the lens, every DT lens you attach benefits, which helps you shoot handheld at slower shutter speeds than you might otherwise risk.

The Alpha 300 does not record video at all. It belongs to the stills-only era of DSLRs, before movie modes became standard, so anyone who wants motion clips alongside photographs will need a separate device.

There is also no built-in intervalometer for timelapse work, so sequences would have to be assembled manually from individual frames taken over time.

That leaves nothing to compare on the video side: no resolutions, frame rates or recording limits to weigh up. Whether that matters depends entirely on whether motion clips form part of your work.

Handling is built around a 2.7 inch LCD that tilts, which helps with overhead or waist-level framing, and live view lets you compose on that screen when the viewfinder is awkward. Live view takes full marks in the Features score, and the screen size earns most of its available points.

The camera sits in the bottom 15% of our database for Features. The screen has 230,000 dots, so image playback gives a rough check rather than a detailed one, and with no touchscreen, adjustments happen through buttons and menus.

There is no Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or GPS. Photos leave the camera on a card, not over the air, and any location tagging has to happen separately afterwards.

Lighting is covered: the built-in flash handles quick fill, and an external flash is also accepted for more control. Note there is no weather sealing, so keep it out of rain and dust.

Battery endurance is the strength here. The NP-FM500H is rated at 730 shots per charge, a figure without stated test conditions, and the Storage and Battery score of 32 reflects the rest of the section: a single card slot and no USB charging.

Storage comes from one CompactFlash slot, with no second slot to catch a card failure or overflow, so carrying a spare card and copying files promptly after a shoot are sensible habits.

USB charging is absent, so the battery cannot be topped up over a cable. Anyone planning long sessions away from power should carry a charged spare battery.