I love this camera!
Written: Apr 06 '02
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Pros: Amazing lens from Carl Ziess! 5 megapixels to work with! A 5X zoom!
Cons: Lack of White Balance options. Proprietary memory. Not pocket-able.
The Bottom Line: Try it, buy it, you'll love it!
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| ls1steve's Full Review: Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-F707 Digital Camera |
This being my fourth digital camera, I've formed opinions about the Sony product line that had me thinking I'd never buy one. First, I don't like the fact that Sony pushes their ideas of what they want the standard to be (memory/batteries). Second, they are big enough to be able to get away with that and that in itself bothers me.
However, having my mind set AGAINST this camera, I finally broke down and made myself evaluate the F707 due to the limited number of 5 MP cameras currently available. I had my heart set on the Nikon 5000 but found too many limitations and was also not that overwhelmed with sample images I've downloaded from a number of sites. I also wanted more than 3X zoom. The Minolta has too many issues to list with their current Dimage 7 however, they're about to address a lot of them with the announced 7i. Having said that, I was willing to wait for the 7i but decided to bide my time by looking at the Sony.
Now I've got to add, I have owned 4 video cameras from Sony because they have the best performance per price ratio on the market. When I touched the F707, I was immediately comfortable with it. It's like a cousin to the TRV-30 video camera I presently own. I also noted that the M series battery of my camcorder is the same as the F707 saving me from buying a spare. Also, since I already own two memory sticks for the camcorder, I can save a buck or two there as well. As for the EVF not being as accurate as a glass optical viewfinder, I find that it meets 100% of my needs and meets most of the needs of your typical consumer. I've got my trusty Minolta MAXXUM for any "pro-type" work I want to do anyway (which is almost never since I've discovered digital). There are advantages to EVF that should not be overlooked. First, it is nearly 100% accurate for framing the shot itself. It also provides you a visual of how manual settings will affect the shot by changing the real-time depth of field view, color balance and brightness levels. It also let's you see in the dark in a way no optical viewfinder can let you do. I've done test shots of my black cats in the dark and was able to frame the picture and see what the shot would look like in a way I've never experienced with a still shot camera before. That's a bonus that more than offsets the limitations, in my mind.
As for Sony's propensity for forcing consumers to buy "their" add-ons, I'm willing to make an exception to become an owner of the F707. Yes, I had to buy several 128 MB sticks to meet my current needs but, rest assured that Sony knows about this limitation and it's only a matter of a short time before they'll come out with their 256 MB sticks, I'm hearing by the fall of 2002 at the latest. No, it's not a gigabyte like is currently available with CF II and/or IBM Microdrive. But I look at it this way, being in the computer industry for a living, I KNOW things are prone to failures. Think of multiple sticks as contingency for your photos. If you took all of your shots on a single 1 gig anything and it fails before you transferred them to you PC, that is a much larger impact than losing a single, smaller stick or media. For my Kodak DC4800, I always followed this practice by carrying several CF cards.
So, the pluses, as I see it are:
~ Great German engineered and manufactured Carl Zeiss lens
~ 5X zoom (Dimage has a 7X) that is longer than most digicams
~ Nicely saturated colors overall, the reds are a bit strong but can be modified post shot easy enough
~ Very easy to use, overall, with quick access to most functions via external buttons
~ Very fast startup to first shot times
~ 5 megapixels to work with!
~ Very, I mean VERY long battery life. I believe it's the best out there so far
~ Hologram projection for focusing in low contrast, dark situations
~ Follows Sony QA manufacturing processes that are known to be world class in the industry
~ Once you get used to the balance and weight, it's comfortable and natural in the hands
~ AE is so good, you hardly need to venture down "manual-land" to get excellent results. A novice would be more than pleased with the output of this camera!
~ Lower noise than most digicams
Cons, as I see them:
~ Proprietary memory stick format that is currently limited to 128 MB. Note that San Disk and Lexar also make Sony compatible memory sticks and will follow suit with larger formats as soon as Sony finishes their development
~ Overblown reds on the majority of production F707's
~ Limited control of white balance features (although the camera handles white balance well overall and, white balance is usually easily fixable on the PC)
~ Not a real portable camera! If you must have a pocket camera, you'll sacrifice quality and flexibility and would be best served to own two digicams if you want the best of both worlds
~ EVF - I personally like the EVF feature of this camera but agree that it's not perfect either. I also know that it allows me to "see in the dark" where I'd be shooting blindly with my trusty Minolta 35mm.
~ Sony built this camera to try an balance that fine line between the general consumer who wants 5 megapixels and the prosumer who wants to use a 5 MP camera like his/her 35mm camera. It is not both but then, no other digicam on the market is either. If I had the money, I'd by the Nikon D1x. But since I don't, I bought and love the F707.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 925
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Epinions.com ID:
ls1steve
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Reviews written: 1
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