CD-R / CD-RW discs

The CD300 uses 8cm Mini CD-R or CD-RW recordable CD's, the ability to take either CD-R or CD-RW gives the user the option to either use the relatively cheap 8cm CD-R disc's just once or the more expensive CD-RW and be able to reformat them after offloading images from them. The disadvantage is that you must have a CD-RW compatible CD-ROM/CD-R drive to be able to read CD-RW discs (they're also typically slower than CD-R's). I had no problem using a 8cm CD-RW straight out of the camera (finalised) in my CD-R/RW drive.

Most modern CD-ROM/CD-R drives will have a 8cm inset on the tray which will allow you to mount the discs directly, if not you can use the supplied clip-in adapter to enlarge the size of the 8cm discs to the full 12cm original CD size.

Thanks to Rodger Carter for the following list of suppliers of 8cm (3") CD-R Discs:

Lens

The CD300's lens is the same found on the DSC-S70, DSC-S75 and several other 3 megapixel digital cameras. It's a 3x optical zoom (34 - 102 mm equiv.) F2.0 - F2.5 lens, which means it's relatively bright and so should still perform well in low light. Because it's of the retracting type it causes a slight startup delay while it extends to its normal length. If you accidentally leave the lens cap on the camera it will display "Lens cap attached" on the display until you remove it.

Pop-up Flash / AF Illuminator

This is the first time we've seen an automatic pop-up flash on a Sony digital camera, the sprung flash surround pops up out of the top of the camera if you either (a) have the flash set to Auto and the camera decides it needs it (when you half press the shutter release) or (b) you have the flash set to fill-in and you half-press the shutter release. It must be pushed back into place when not in use.

Just to the top-left of the lens surround you can just make out the AF illumination lamp, this comes on automatically in low light situations and bathes the target subject in an orange light which is used to assist the cameras AF system (with or without flash enabled).

Accessory Shoe / ACC connector

As we saw on the S75, the CD300 also has the new accessory shoe which although connection-less is designed to take the optional HVL-F1000 flash unit which is in turn connected to the camera via the ACC connector on the side. The new tripod (VCT-D480RM) which includes a remote control will work with the CD300 via the ACC connector.

Tripod mount / camera base

On the bottom of the CD300 you'll find a nice shiny metal tripod mount, unfortunately Sony decided to put it in the corner of the base almost right up against the front edge of the camera, this means that on any normal tripod mount the camera has a tendency to lean forward once the mount screw is tightened..

Supplied In the Box

Supplied in the box are: * exact contents may vary by region

• Sony MVC-CD300 Digital Camera
• Lens cap & attachment string
• Battery Pack NP-FM50
• AC Adapter / Charger AC-L10
• 1 x 8cm CD-R, 1 x 8cm CD-RW
• Shoulder Strap
• USB Cable
• A/V Cable
• CD-ROM: Sony USB Drivers, MGI PhotoSuite, MGI VideoSuite

Accessories

Availability of accessories may vary by region.

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8cm CD-R Discs: 5MCR-156A (5 pack shown)	8cm CD-RW Discs	Extra Batteries: NP-FM50
Dual external batt charger: AC-SQ950	External Flash: HVL-F1000 (range: 1m - 8m)	Lens adapter: (52mm thread) VAD-S70
Protection / ND filter: VF-52MA (req. VAD-S70)	Wide Angle Lens: VCL-MHG07 (0.7x) (req. VAD-S70)	Special effect lenses: VF-520K
Tripod / Remote control: VCT-D480RM (on/off, zoom, shutter release)	LCD->Viewfinder adapter: DSAC-MVC