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Advantages:
Very good photo quality, 8 Megapixel resolution, Amazing low light focusing abilities, Full manual controls
Disadvantages:
Can't save favorite settings to mode dial like other cameras, No memory card included, Can't save favorite settings to mode dial like other cameras
My name is Arniel Go, half blooded Chinese but I am a natural born Filipino... living at the beautif...
My name is Arniel Go, half blooded Chinese but I am a natural born Filipino... living at the beautiful city of Zamboanga, Philippines.
Member since:23.08.2005
Reviews:1
Just when everyone was getting comfortable with 5 Megapixel cameras, Sony has made a huge jump -- releasing the first consumer-level camera with an 8 Megapixel CCD -- the Cyber-shot DSC-F828. This CCD isn't special just for the resolution, though. It's also the first camera to use a new 4-color filter. This new filter adds an "emerald" filter to the RGB filters normally found in a CCD. Sony says this will produce photos with much more accurate color.
Another big feature of the F828 is its F2.0-2.8, 7X Carl Zeiss T* lens -- a nice upgrade from the 5X lens on the DSC-F717. It's also the first Sony camera with a CompactFlash slot -- never thought I'd see the day!
The F828 is the first Sony camera that does not include a
memory card. So you'll need to factor this into the purchase price. The F828 can use Memory Stick and Memory Stick Pro cards, as well as CompactFlash. Yes, you read that correctly -- the F828 has a CompactFlash Type II slot. This is great news for people who are switching from a CF-based camera. The largest Memory Stick Pro card is 1GB, while there's a 4GB CompactFlash card now available (the F828 is FAT32 compatible, thus supporting those huge cards). You can use the Hitachi (formerly IBM) Microdrive without issue, as well.
The DSC-F828 uses the same NP-FM50 battery as the DSC-F717. While it's no longer the "king of batteries" (it's been surpassed by Minolta and Olympus), this 8.5 Wh battery still has plenty of juice. Sony estimates that you can take about 370 photos (around 185 minutes of shooting time) in record mode, or spend a whopping 470 minutes in playback mode. Using the power-hungry Microdrive will reduce the battery life a bit.
The F828 has a real mechanical zoom ring, not an electronic one like on the F707/717. As I mentioned, Sony labels the focal range in 35mm terms on the lens barrel. The zoom ring has a nice feel to it, reminiscent of the lenses on my SLR.
I'd rather compare the F828 with other fixed-lens cameras, like the Canon PowerShot G5, Fuji FinePix S7000, Minolta DiMAGE A1, Nikon Coolpix 5700, Olympus C-5060WZ and C-750UZ, and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ10. When you do that comparison, the F828 comes out on top in almost all areas, including resolution (unless you count the S7000's 12MP mode), focusing, performance, gimmicks (Nightshot and movie mode), and build quality. The F828's lens is stunning, as well. The dual memory card slots support both standard CompactFlash, as well as Sony's pricey Memory Stick Pro cards. Battery life is excellent.
So what areas aren't so hot? While I think noise levels in images are comparable, the F828 does tend to have higher levels of purple fringing (or whatever you want to call it) than the competition. Although the F828 has its fair share of manual controls, cameras like the DiMAGE A1 blow it away (saturation bracketing, anyone?). Most of the cameras I listed have a RAW mode, but the Sony's is a little more annoying than the rest. First of all, you must use Sony's Image Converter to do anything with them -- and there's no Mac version at this time. Secondly, there's a 12-13 second delay per shot while the camera saves the RAW file to the memory card -- the DiMAGE A1 keeps shooting as if nothing happened.
If I'm sounding a little negative on the F828, I'm not trying to be -- there's a whole lot to like about it. It's just not the "hey, let's throw away the EOS-10D" that some were hoping for, especially in terms of image quality. It is, however, a very worthy successor to the DSC-F717 that competes with the best fixed-lens cameras out there.
What I liked:
* Very good photo quality, 8 Megapixel resolution(though note issues below) * Fast 7X optical zoom lens * Amazing low light focusing abilities * Full manual controls * Hot shoe for external flash * LCD/EVF are useful in low lighting conditions * Backlit LCD info display * Built like a tank; easy to hold * Rotating body allows for creative shooting * Excellent battery life * Live histogram in record mode * Manual zoom and focus rings * CompactFlash Type II and Memory Stick Pro slots * Gimmicky Nightshot, useful NightFraming features * Excellent macro mode * JPEG saved with each RAW and TIFF image recorded * VGA, 30 frame/second movie mode
What I didn't care for:
* Images slightly noisy (esp. at higher ISOs, or when compared to D-SLRs) * Too much purple fringing for such an expensive camera * Can't save favorite settings to mode dial like other cameras * Not as many manual controls as other cameras * RAW files slow to save to memory card, slow to convert in software; can only convert RAW files using Sony's software * Mac-unfriendly software: ImageMixer is not OS X native, Image Data Converter does not exist (yet) * No memory card included
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covering consumer electronics. Transparent and amazingly thin, the TrueVue is designed to precisely match the contours of every device, providing unbeatable scratch protection. Lexerd TrueVue utilises the latest LCD screen protection technology that will keep gadgets looking great.- Keep your devicecrystal clearwith the exclusiveUSA made film, only available with Lexerd-Scratch-proof- you can show off your gadget and use it without fear of scratching- Theultra-thin filmis only 0.2 mm thick and will not add bulk to your device. So you can still slip it into everything from charging docks to pockets and handbags-Lexerd' s latest technologyIt allows the TrueVue to create precise, custom designs that hug the curves of your electronics and that resist damage and scratches- TrueVue isguaranteed to preserve original colour tonesPackage contents:One each of the following items: screen protector, instruction manual, lint free cloth, finger cots (to protect optical surfaces during handling).Shipping:- Ship directly from our US headquarters.
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Sep 1st, 2005
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