Sony H300 Comparison Review

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H300 is a fixed lens compact camera that was revealed to the public in February 2014 and is equipped with a 1/2.3-inch sensor. It offers a resolution of 19.9 megapixel.

Is the Sony H300 a good camera? The H300 has a Camera Elo of 1108. This rating puts the H300 below average of all superzoom compact cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (small sensor cameras), the H300 also ranks below average. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 2.5-star performance rating. – Well, the Sony H300 is more than 9 years old, and there have been many other good digital cameras released since 2014.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

An illustration of the physical dimensions of the Sony H300 vis-à-vis a credit card is provided in the side-by-side display below. Three consecutive views from the front, the top, and the rear side are shown. All width, height and depth measures are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Sony H300 alongside a set of similar cameras. If you want to review a particular camera pair side-by-side, just move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price
1.		Sony H300	128 mm	89 mm	92 mm	590 g	350	n	Feb 2014	219	ebay.com
2.		Canon SX610	105 mm	61 mm	27 mm	191 g	270	n	Jan 2015	249	ebay.com
3.		Leica Q Typ 116	130 mm	80 mm	93 mm	640 g	300	n	Jun 2015	4,249	ebay.com
4.		Sony RX1R II	113 mm	65 mm	72 mm	507 g	220	n	Oct 2015	3,299	amazon.com
5.		Sony RX100 IV	102 mm	58 mm	41 mm	298 g	280	n	Jun 2015	999	ebay.com
6.		Sony HX90V	102 mm	58 mm	36 mm	245 g	360	n	Apr 2015	429	ebay.com
7.		Sony HX400V	130 mm	93 mm	103 mm	660 g	300	n	Feb 2014	499	ebay.com
8.		Sony RX100 III	102 mm	58 mm	41 mm	290 g	320	n	May 2014	799	ebay.com
9.		Sony H400	130 mm	95 mm	122 mm	628 g	300	n	Feb 2014	319	ebay.com
10.		Sony RX1R	113 mm	65 mm	70 mm	482 g	270	n	Jun 2013	2,799	ebay.com
11.		Sony H200	123 mm	83 mm	87 mm	530 g	240	n	Jan 2013	249	ebay.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Sony H300 was launched in the US market at a price of $219. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Check H300 offers at
ebay.com

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the imaging sensor is a crucial determinant of image quality. A large sensor will tend to have larger individual pixels that provide better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixel-units in a sensor of the same technological generation. Moreover, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more control over depth-of-field in the image and, thus, the ability to better isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors are more costly to manufacture and tent to lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The Sony H300 features a 1/2.3-inch sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 5.6. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Sony H300 among the smaller-sensor digicams that favor affordability and compact design.

For most cameras, data on sensor performance has been reported by DXO Mark. This service assesses and scores the color depth ("DXO Portrait"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports") of camera sensors, and also publishes an overall camera score. The following table provides an overview of the physical sensor characteristics, as well as the sensor quality measurements for a selection of alternatives.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Sony H300	1/2.3	19.9	5152	3864	720/30p	20.1	11.4	630	45
2.		Canon SX610	1/2.3	20.2	5184	3888	1080/30p	20.2	11.6	712	47
3.		Leica Q Typ 116	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.3	12.7	2221	85
4.		Sony RX1R II	Full Frame	42.2	7952	5304	1080/60p	25.8	13.9	3204	97
5.		Sony RX100 IV	1-inch	20.0	5472	3648	4K/30p	22.8	12.6	591	70
6.		Sony HX90V	1/2.3	18.0	4896	3672	1080/60p	20.2	11.6	738	47
7.		Sony HX400V	1/2.3	20.2	5184	3888	1080/60p	20.1	11.4	629	45
8.		Sony RX100 III	1-inch	20.0	5472	3648	1080/60p	22.4	12.3	495	67
9.		Sony H400	1/2.3	19.9	5152	3864	720/30p	20.1	11.4	630	45
10.		Sony RX1R	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	25.0	13.6	2537	91
11.		Sony H200	1/2.3	15.2	5184	2930	720/30p	19.9	11.2	529	44
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

Many modern cameras cannot only take still pictures, but also record videos. The H300 indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the H300 can use is 720/30p.

Feature comparison

Beyond body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. The following tables report on some other key feature differences and similarities of the Sony H300 and comparable cameras.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Max Shutter Speed *	Max Shutter Flaps *	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Sony H300	none	n	3.0 / 460	fixed	n	1/1500s	0.8/s	Y	Y
2.		Canon SX610	none	n	3.0 / 922	fixed	n	1/2000s	2.5/s	Y	Y
3.		Leica Q Typ 116	3680	n	3.0 / 1040	fixed	Y	1/2000s	10.0/s	n	Y
4.		Sony RX1R II	2360	n	3.0 / 1229	tilting	n	1/4000s	5.0/s	n	n
5.		Sony RX100 IV	2359	n	3.0 / 1228	tilting	n	1/2000s	16.0/s	Y	Y
6.		Sony HX90V	638	n	3.0 / 921	tilting	n	1/2000s	10.0/s	Y	Y
7.		Sony HX400V	210	n	3.0 / 921	tilting	n	1/4000s	10.0/s	Y	Y
8.		Sony RX100 III	1440	n	3.0 / 1229	tilting	n	1/2000s	10.0/s	Y	Y
9.		Sony H400	210	n	3.0 / 460	fixed	n	1/2000s	0.7/s	Y	Y
10.		Sony RX1R	optional	n	3.0 / 1229	fixed	n	1/4000s	5.0/s	Y	n
11.		Sony H200	none	n	3.0 / 460	fixed	n	1/1500s	0.8/s	Y	Y
Notes: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

One convenient feature of the H300 is the presence of an on-board flash. While this built-in flash is not very powerful, it can at times be useful as a fill-in light to brighten deep shadow areas.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H300 and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Sony H300	-	mono / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	-
2.		Canon SX610	-	- / -	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
3.		Leica Q Typ 116	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
4.		Sony RX1R II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
5.		Sony RX100 IV	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
6.		Sony HX90V	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
7.		Sony HX400V	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
8.		Sony RX100 III	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
9.		Sony H400	-	mono / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	-
10.		Sony RX1R	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
11.		Sony H200	-	mono / mono	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-

It is notable that the H300 offers wifi support. Wifi can be a very convenient means to transfer image data to an off-camera location.

The H300 has a zoom lens built in (4.5-157.5mm f/3.4-6.5), which, in full frame equivalent terms, provides a focal length range from 25 to 875mm. The camera is, hence, ready to shoot, while remaining more compact in size than an interchangeable lens camera with an optic that offers similar focal length and aperture specifications.

Further information on the features and operation of the H300 can be found in the free online Sony H300 Manual or on the Sony support site.

Expert reviews

While the comparison of the spec-sheets of cameras can offer a general idea of their imaging potential, it says nothing about, for example, the handling, responsiveness, and overall imaging quality of the H300 in practical situations. User reviews, such as those found at amazon, can sometimes inform about these issues, but such feedback is often incomplete, inconsistent, and biased. This is why expert reviews are important. The table below summarizes the assessments of some of the best known camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price
1.		Sony H300	..	+	..	..	4.5/5	4/5	Feb 2014	219	ebay.com
2.		Canon SX610	..	..	..	..	4/5	4/5	Jan 2015	249	ebay.com
3.		Leica Q Typ 116	5/5	..	..	80/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jun 2015	4,249	ebay.com
4.		Sony RX1R II	5/5	..	..	82/100	..	4.5/5	Oct 2015	3,299	amazon.com
5.		Sony RX100 IV	4.5/5	+ +	..	85/100	4/5	4.5/5	Jun 2015	999	ebay.com
6.		Sony HX90V	4/5	+ +	..	..	4/5	4.5/5	Apr 2015	429	ebay.com
7.		Sony HX400V	4/5	+ +	..	..	4/5	4/5	Feb 2014	499	ebay.com
8.		Sony RX100 III	5/5	+ +	..	82/100	4.5/5	5/5	May 2014	799	ebay.com
9.		Sony H400	..	o	..	..	3.5/5	3.5/5	Feb 2014	319	ebay.com
10.		Sony RX1R	5/5	..	..	..	4/5	4.5/5	Jun 2013	2,799	ebay.com
11.		Sony H200	..	..	..	..	3.5/5	3.5/5	Jan 2013	249	ebay.com
Notes: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

The above review scores should be interpreted with care, though. The ratings are only valid when referring to cameras in the same category and of the same age. A score, therefore, has to be seen in close connection to the price and market introduction time of the camera, and rating-comparisons among cameras that span long time periods or concern very differently equipped models make little sense. Also, please note that some of the review sites have changed their methodology and reporting over time.

Check H300 offers at
ebay.com

Camera to camera comparisons

In case you are interested in seeing how this camera compares to another one, just make a corresponding selection in the search boxes below. Alternatively, you can follow any of the listed hyperlinks for comparisons that others found interesting.

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