Sony A300 Review

Name: Sony Alpha DSLR-A300
Brand: Sony

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Main Features

10MP - APS-C CCD Sensor

ISO 100 - 3200

Sensor-shift Image Stabilization

2.70" Tilting Screen

Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder

3.0fps continuous shooting

632g. 131 x 99 x 75 mm

Replaced by Sony A330

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Sony A300 Overview

Launched in January 2008 , Sony Alpha DSLR-A300 is a 10.0MP Entry-Level DSLR camera with a APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm ) sized CCD sensor, built-in Image Stabilization, Tilting screen and Sony/Minolta Alpha lens mount. Sony later replaced A300 with A330. Follow the link to read our in-depth comparison of these cameras:
Compare Sony Alpha DSLR-A300 vs Sony A330

Sony A300 Review - Click for Table of Contents

Overview
Pros and Cons
Lens Mount and Lenses
Sensor and Photography Features
Physical Specs
LCD and Viewfinder
Connectivity, Storage and Battery
Other Features
Photography Type Scores
Alternatives
Popular Comparisons
Frequently Asked Questions
Detailed Specifications

Sony A300 is a member of Sony's A300 series of cameras. Below you can see the latest models in this series and how their main specs have changed with each new version.

Sony A300 Series History

Model	Release Date	Sensor	Dimensions	Weight
Sony A390 Compare	2010	14.0MP - APS-C	128 x 97 x 86mm	549g
Sony A380 Compare	2009	14.0MP - APS-C	128 x 97 x 71mm	519g
Sony A330 Compare	2009	10.0MP - APS-C	128 x 97 x 71mm	529g
Sony A350 Compare	2008	14.0MP - APS-C	131 x 99 x 75mm	674g
Sony A300	2008	10.0MP - APS-C	131 x 99 x 75mm	632g

Check the link below to compare specs of the latest cameras in this series side-by-side:
Sony A390 vs A380 vs A330 vs A350 vs A300

Alternative Model names found for Sony Alpha DSLR-A300: DSLRA300, A300, A 300, Alpha A300 and A-300.

**This post contains affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Sony A300 PROs and CONs Review

Now let's get in to more details of our Sony A300 review by analysing its specs and features and listing out its pros and cons compared to average competitor cameras in its class.

PROs

Image Stabilization

Articulating Screen

Optical Built-in Viewfinder

Flash Sync Port

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Buy Sony A300 from AMAZON or B&H PHOTO

CONs

No Wireless Connection

No Full HD Video

No Touch Screen

0.49x magnification - Small Viewfinder

No Face Detection Focusing

Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP

Max Sensitivity only ISO 3.200

Only 9 Focus Points

Small LCD Screen ( 2.70")

Low Screen Resolution ( 230kdots )

Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps

No Environmental Sealing

Poor Low Light Performance

No AF Micro Adjustment

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Sony A300 Physical Specs

Sony A300 weighs 632 g (1.39 lb / 22.29 oz) and has external dimensions of 131 x 99 x 75 mm (5.16 x 3.9 x 2.95″). Considering that the average weight of DSLR type cameras is 773g, Sony A300 is a remarkably light camera for its class. With a thickness of 75mm, it has an average thickness for its class.

Weight Comparison

DSLR Cameras

Sony A300

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Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

Sony A300

Min

Average

Max

In order to give you a better idea about the real life size of Sony A300, we have added an image of how it looks next to a credit card and an AA type battery.

Physical size of the Sony A300 Body Compared to a Credit Card and an AA Battery

Below you can find the comparison of the weight and thickness of Sony A300 with its main competitors:

Sony A300 Size Compared to Main Competitors

Model	Weight	vs A300	Thickness	vs A300
Sony A200 Compare	572g	60g lighter	71mm	4mm thinner
Sony A330 Compare	529g	103g lighter	71mm	4mm thinner
Sony A350 Compare	674g	42g heavier	75mm	equal thickness
Sony A100 Compare	638g	6g heavier	71mm	4mm thinner
Sony A6000 Compare	344g	288g lighter	45mm	30mm thinner
Sony A58 Compare	492g	140g lighter	78mm	3mm thicker
Nikon D3200 Compare	505g	127g lighter	77mm	2mm thicker
Sony A390 Compare	549g	83g lighter	86mm	11mm thicker

Weather Sealing

Sony A300 doesn't have any environmental sealings on its body so you got to be extra careful to protect it against water and dust. If you shoot under these conditions very often, consider checking Top DSLR Cameras with Weather Sealing page.

Sony A300 Lens Mount and Lenses

Sony A300 has a Sony/Minolta Alpha lens mount and currently there are 143 native lenses available for this mount. Sony took over all the Minolta AF lens legacy and extended it with lot of new lenses, some popular ones designed by Zeiss engineers. User can also choose from a wide selection of third party lens manufacturers portfolio.

A300 also has a Sensor based Image Stabilization system which means that all of these lenses will be stabilized when used on A300. Sensor based image stabilization is one of the most useful features that you can have in an ILC.

Weather-sealed Lenses for Sony A300

There are 16 lenses with weather sealing for Sony A300 but bear in mind that A300 body doesn't have weather sealings.

Here are some of the most popular Sony A300 Lenses on Camera Decision:

Popular Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount Lenses for Sony A300

Model	Focal Length equiv.	Coverage	Weight	Focusing	Street Price
Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM C	225-900mm	35mm FF	1930gr	AF	Amazon B&H Photo
Sony 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 G SSM II	105-450mm	35mm FF	750gr	AF	Amazon B&H Photo
Sony 28-75mm F2.8 SAM	42-112.5mm	35mm FF	565gr	AF	Amazon B&H Photo
Sony 75-300mm F4.5-5.6	112.5-450mm	35mm FF	460gr	AF	Amazon B&H Photo
Sony DT 55-200mm F4-5.6 SAM	82.5-300mm	APS-C / DX	305gr	AF	Amazon B&H Photo
Sony DT 50mm F1.8 SAM	75mm	APS-C / DX	170gr	AF	Amazon B&H Photo
Tamron SP 150-600mm F5-6.3 Di VC USD	225-900mm	35mm FF	1951gr	AF	Amazon B&H Photo
Sony DT 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 SAM	27-82.5mm	APS-C / DX	210gr	AF	Amazon B&H Photo

Here you can find the lenses that are compatible with A300 classified by suitability to certain photography types:

Check our Sony A300 Lenses page for more detailed lens search.

Sony A300 Sensor and Photography Features

Sony A300 has a 10.0MP APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm ) sized CCD sensor . You can shoot at maximum resolution of 3872 x 2592 pixels. A300 has a native ISO range of 100 - 3200 and it can save files in RAW format which gives you a wider room for post processing.

Sony A300 is not the highest resolution APS-C camera. Fujifilm X-T5 with its 40.2MP sensor is leading in this class. Check the comparison of Sony A300 vs Fujifilm X-T5 or take a look at Highest resolution DSLR cameras list.

Sony A300 DxOMark Sensor Scores

DxOMark is a benchmark that scientifically assesses image quality of camera sensors. Sony A300 sensor has been tested by DxO Mark and got an overall score of 64 for its image quality. You can find the details of their analysis of Sony A300 here.

Let's look at how the size of the Sony A300's APS-C sensor compares with other standard sensor sizes.

Comparison image of Sony A300 Sensor Size with other standard sensors

Sony A300 LCD and Viewfinder

Sony A300 has a Tilting 2.70-inch LCD screen with a resolution of 230k dots. Tilting screens are more photography oriented while Fully articulated screens are highly preferred by videographers. At only 2.70", the screen is on the smaller side and 230kdot resolution is lower than most of the recent models in this class.

Unfortunately Sony Alpha DSLR-A300 doesn't have a Selfie friendly screen. If this feature is important for your shooting style, check here the list of Best DSLR Cameras with Selfie Friendly LCD screen.

A300 has a built-in Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder, making it easier to shoot in direct sunlight and in other situations where it might be difficult to view the LCD monitor. The viewfinder has a coverage of 95% and a magnification ratio of 0.49x. 95% coverage means that what you see in your viewfinder while shooting will slightly be different from the actual image.

Sony A300 Connectivity, Storage and Battery

Sony A300 has a USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) port to connect your camera to other devices.

Sony A300 Features Compared to Main Competitors

Model	Max Video	Battery Life	Wi-fi	Bluetooth	NFC
Sony A200 Compare	None	shots	No	No	No
Sony A330 Compare	None	230shots	No	No	No
Sony A350 Compare	None	shots	No	No	No
Sony A100 Compare	None	shots	No	No	No
Sony A6000 Compare	1920 x 1080	360shots	Yes	No	Yes
Sony A58 Compare	1920 x 1080	690shots	No	No	No
Nikon D3200 Compare	1920 x 1080	540shots	No	No	No
Sony A390 Compare	None	230shots	No	No	No

Sony A300 Other Features

Max Shutter speed

Sony A300 can shoot continuously at max speed of 3 fps and has max shutter speed of 1/4000 sec.

Flash

A300 has a built-in flash, and it also has a flash shoe to mount your external flashes too.

Focusing

Sony A300 features a Phase Detection autofocusing system. The AF system has 9 points to choose from.

What type of Photography is Sony A300 Good for?

In this section, we review and score Sony A300 in 5 different photography areas.

Sony A300 for Portrait Photography

Sony A300 has a score of 60 for Portrait Photography which makes it a GOOD candidate for this type of photography. If you are looking for a camera that is better suited to Portrait Photography, we recommend you to check our Top 10 DSLR Cameras for Portrait Photography list.

Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization

Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling

Read the details of how we scored Sony A300 for Portrait Photography

Sony A300 for Street Photography

Sony A300 has a score of 78 for Street Photography which makes it a GOOD candidate for this type of photography. If you are looking for a camera that is better suited to Street Photography, we recommend you to check our Top 10 DSLR Cameras for Street Photography list.

Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Tilting LCD Screen

Image Stabilization
Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor

Read the details of how we scored Sony A300 for Street Photography

Sony A300 for Sports Photography

Sony A300 has a score of 73 for Sports Photography which makes it a GOOD candidate for this type of photography. If you are looking for a camera that is better suited to Sports Photography, we recommend you to check our Top 10 DSLR Cameras for Sports Photography list.

Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
Good Ergonomics&Handling

Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Image Stabilization

Read the details of how we scored Sony A300 for Sports Photography

Sony A300 for Daily Photography

Sony A300 has a score of 56 for Daily Photography which makes it an AVERAGE candidate for this type of photography. If Daily is important for you, we recommend you to check our Top DSLR Cameras for Daily Photography list.

Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor

Read the details of how we scored Sony A300 for Daily Photography

Sony A300 for Landscape Photography

Sony A300 has a score of 35 for Landscape Photography which makes it a POOR candidate for this type of photography. If Landscape We strongly recommend you to check our Top DSLR Cameras for Landscape Photography list and consider these alternatives over theA300.

Live-view

Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor

Read the details of how we scored Sony A300 for Landscape Photography

Sony A300 Alternatives

In this section, we analyse how Sony A300 compares with other DSLR cameras within a similar price range.

Read a more detailed analysis of Sony A300 alternatives.

Popular Comparisons of Sony A300

Here are the eight most popular comparisons of the Sony A300 amongst Camera Decision readers.

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Sony A300 Alternatives in Mirrorless Cameras

It would also be interesting to compare Sony A300 with Mirrorless Cameras. Below we have listed 4 highest ranked Mirrorless cameras in Sony A300's price range.

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Sony A300 Conclusion and Scores

Currently, Sony A300 has an Overall Score of 51/100 which is based on our evaluation of 69 different technical parameters. Our scores are dynamically updated whenever a new camera is added to our database or when we change our ranking algorithm and the maximum score is always 100. Sony Alpha DSLR-A300 is ranked #133 out of 209 in DSLR cameras (Top 20 DSLR), and ranked #457 out of 1260 in all Cameras (Top 20 Overall).

#457 out of 1260 in Top Ranking Cameras
#133 out of 209 in Top Ranking DSLR Cameras
#60 out of 82 in Top Ranking Entry-Level DSLR Cameras
#187 out of 270 in Top Ranking APS-C Sensor Cameras
#27 out of 32 in Top Ranking Sony Alpha Lens Mount Cameras
#354 out of 379 in Largest Viewfinder Magnification Cameras (0.49x)
#68 out of 143 in Lightest DSLR Cameras with APS-C sensor(632g)
#155 out of 193 in Top Ranking Cameras with Tilting Screen
Geek Score: 0

Main Scores

Imaging

Features

Value for Money

Portability

Overall Score

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Frequently Asked Questions about Sony A300

Does the Sony A300 have Image Stabilization?
Does the Sony A300 have RAW support?
Does the Sony A300 have Weather Sealing?
Does the Sony A300 have built-in GPS?
What is the Max ISO of Sony A300?
What is the Sensor Size of Sony A300?
is the Sony A300 a Full Frame (FF) camera?
Does the Sony A300 have Touch Screen?
Does the Sony A300 have built-in Wireless?
What is the Max Continuous Shooting Speed (fps) of Sony A300?
What is the Weight of Sony A300?
What are the Dimensions of Sony A300?

Sony Alpha DSLR-A300 Detailed Specifications

General
Brand	Sony
Model	Sony Alpha DSLR-A300
Announced	2008-01-30
Body Type	Compact SLR
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	Sony/Minolta Alpha
Number of Lenses	143
Focal Length Multiplier	1.5×
Macro Focus Range	n/a
Screen
Screen Type	Tilting
Screen Size	2.70"
Screen Resolution	230k dots
Live View
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder Resolution	no electronic viewfinder
Viewfinder Coverage	95%
Viewfinder Magnification	0.49x
Photography Features
Min Shutter Speed	30s
Max Mechanical Shutter Speed	1/4000s
Max Continuous Shooting	3.0 fps
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Exposure Compensation	Yes
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash Modes	Auto, Red-Eye, Slow, Red-Eye Slow, Rear curtain, wireless
External Flash
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Exposure Modes
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	64
DxO Color Depth	22.5
DxO Dynamic Range	11.4
DxO Low Light ISO	538
	Report a correction

Sensor
Sensor Type	CCD
Sensor Size	APS-C
Sensor Dimensions	23.6 x 15.8 mm
Sensor Area	372.88mm²
Sensor Resolution	10 megapixels
Max Image Resolution	3872 x 2592
Max Native ISO	3,200
Min Native ISO	100
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points	9
Number of Cross Focus Points	Unknown
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	None
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	None
HDMI
USB	USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Water Proof
Dust Proof
Shock Proof
Crush Proof
Freeze Proof
Weight	632g
Physical Dimensions	131 x 99 x 75mm
Other Features
Self Timer	Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None
Storage Type	Compact Flash
Storage Slots	1