The slim line DSC-T3 packs a 2.5 inch LCD screen at the rear which is coated in some anti reflective coating which is not dissimilar to that used in Sony's latest TFT screen range, it is claimed to reduce glare when using the screen in sunlight. Which is just as well as the Sony DSCT3 is driven almost entirely from this menu screen, gone are the days of meaningful buttons when you could see what the camera was set to now you'll be off through the menus like an excited mouse at a cheese and wine evening.

Switching the camera on activates the Carl Zeiss 3x optical zoom lens, the clever part of this lens is its ability to operate within the case, so no requirement for the lens to protrude from the silver exterior of the T3, there is also a smart digital zoom which allows you to zoom into images by cropping their overall size so not degrading the picture, you can also use the digital zoom to check images on the screen without editing the picture.

Storage is provided by memory stick Duo cards, these are half the size of the standard memory sticks and are more commonly found in small devices like Sony Ericsson mobile phones, they can be used in a standard memory stick device with the supplied adaptor. There is also USB 2.0 connectivity using the supplied DSCT3 cradle this both allows a PC to extract images and charge the T3's batteries simultaneously and it looks pretty good too so you won't want to tuck it away.

We managed some 160 shots from the DSC-T3 on a single charge which is pretty good going as there was a fair use of the LCD screen with backlight, the test didn't use the VGA resolution movie capture which we guess would be a little more battery intensive, but then we always find these movie features a bit poor even at the 30 frames per second of the T3.

Image quality with the 5 mega pixel chip is excellent, colours are vibrant and yet not over saturated, the images are crisp and well balanced and the auto focus system seemed very capable even when running at the maximum fast shoot mode of 3 frames per second. there are also 9 preset modes which can be used for different conditions, these are pretty commonplace on most cameras but the low light setting on the DSC-T3 really did work well and like the T1 we tested before is great for dusk and even night time shots, but this time without the red eye we found with the earlier model.

Measuring 90 x 60 x 18 mm its not quite as slim as some of the "party" cameras we've had on test in the last few months and the 146g weight is a bit more than your average mobile, but for a feature rich camera with a 3 times optical zoom we can't really moan too much.

The package comes with a NP-FR1 Rechargeable InfoLithium®  AC-LS5 Battery, Charger, UC-TA Cyber-shot® Station, Camera Holder for Tripod, A/V and USB Cables, Wrist Strap, MSA-32A 32MB Memory Stick® Media, Memory Stick Duo Adapter and  Software CD-ROM.

Overall this is a good package which is both slim and stylish while working well as more than just a party camera, there is good access to deeper manual settings and a nice screen for the user interface, prices at £314 there is a premium to be paid for the Sony badge but for once we don't think this is rip off territory as the Sony DSCT3 is a lot of camera for your cash.

More Digital Cameras-

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