Sony DSC-F828 8MP Digital Camera with 7x Optical Zoom

Rating:
Summary: perfection~
Review: perfection fuction, price, design.
I think, it's better than SLR digital camera of higher price.
I have another digital big, heavy camera which has many fucntional menu. I don't know all performance also carrying is not good.


Rating:
Summary: Amazing Camera! Best Color & Sharpness! Pro Quality
Review: This camera is beautiful! Not just on the outside but the pictures it takes are clear, sharp, beautiful! Excellent Sports Mode! Excellent night shots! Good enough for a pro!

Rating:
Summary: Nikon vs. Minolta vs. Canon vs. Sony, or d-SLR?
Review: Ok, this isn't one of my usual hands-on reviews. I ain't got the kind of money to buy all these cameras and test them. But I wanted to give potential buyers some help...

Should you consider an SLR-type EVF (electronic viewfinder) digital camera or an interchangeable-lens digital SLR for serious photography? I faced this question and agonized over it for months. I wish I had come across this brief and very helpful article by Popular Photography Magazine (I'm not affiliated with them in any way):

[...]

The article compares five current-model EVF cameras: Canon PowerShot Pro 1, Konica-Minolta Dimage A2, Nikon Coolpix 8700, Olympus Camedia C-8080, and Sony Cybershot DSC-F828. It's a very easy read, and at the end the writers give you a helpful checklist for the EVF vs. d-SLR decision.

As for myself, I'm going with a d-SLR since I want 1) high-quality lens, 2) lens choices, 3) little to no shutter lag, and 4) accessory choices. Good luck!

Rating:
Summary: Great Camera!
Review: This is a great camera--takes great pictures. You can let the camera make all the decisions or take as much control of the exposure and focus as you want. It also will record "movies" or sound associated with still pictures. Add an infra-red night mode and now you know why I give it 5 stars!

It's good for someone learning or someone like me, an ex-35mm SLR person balking at the high price of a new digital SLR system.

Rating:
Summary: I LOVE this camera and the pictures that can be made with it
Review: After a recent awful experience with the Sony Mavica 350, I thought hard about whether to go with this camera or something like the Canon Rebel. Because I mostly use my camera outdoors in settings that cannot be driven to, I decided to go with this "all in one". Although it is somewhat bulky, it is lighter for me than carrying the kit I would need for a digital SLR.

The Zeiss lens is astonishing. It certainly contributes to the camera's weight, but for me the improved image quality makes this "weight in gold", not dead weight. The lens combined with the macro setting, for instance, has helped to make some remarkable pictures.

Add to this the bells'n'whistles of the multi-point autofocus (hey, I _make_ pictures; I don't pretend to be an actual photographer, nor do I play one on TV!), the night-shot system, and the slow-shutter noise reduction and I have been a very happy picture maker. It is also nothing short of miraculous, to my thinking, that this camera will take one of the new "Pro" memory sticks that transfers faster AND has huge capacity.

Picture making is entirely something fun for me; I don't work at it. Consequently, if you are a "real" photographer, you would probably do well to heed the technical reviews at this site. What causes me to recommend this camera so highly is that it is easy to use, helps me make terrific images for the Web and printing, and represents for me an excellent value. I don't make that last point lightly because, for me, this was a pretty expensive purchase. But, just as I think every ounce is worth the weight added to my treks in the mountains, so also do I think that this camera is worth every cent.

Rating:
Summary: Good camera, sneaky Amazon and reseller
Review: This is the end-all, be-all of cameras and when I saw it on Amazon for $454, I jumped on it and purchased other accessories.

I got the accessories, and an email saying my order for the camera had been cancelled. It turned out that the order was forwarded to USAPhotoNation, not Amazon. It wasn't a zShops order, it was Amazon's own internal order.

After looking more in depth, USAPhotoNation does this. Sells cheap, cancells, gets you to call, and they try to sell you overpriced accessories. Aparently there was some problem with part 2 and they just cancelled the order.

Amazon was not willing to work out a deal or compensation regarding the price they promised and for which they accepted money. I did get a full refund on the camera, but I still have the accessories which I wouldn't have purchased in a split order.

As for the camera itself, it has a great optical zoom, takes pictures in low-low light, supports compact flash as well as memory stick pro, has a manual focus ring, and otherwise does all of the things that all of the other sony DSCs do combined into one. It is a bit bulky, but it's well worth it if you're serious about photos.

There are some reports of purple streaks, but this is generally lense flair. A $30 filter kit will increase the crispness in odd lighting and will also protect your lense from dirt.

The camera is a bit bulky, but this is to be expected with a decent optical system. It's great for those of us with bigger hands as you can get a really good grip on it.

So, I highly recommend this camera, but I highly recommend against using Amazon to purchase it. Go to your local camera or electronics shop and pick one up there.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing camera, although sales process at Amazon was wonky
Review: Before I relate my tale about buying this camera through Amazon (ultimately, I did not, not for lack of effort on my part) let me detail some of what I think is terrific about this camera.

I had a DSC-F717 and that camera took remarkable photos. It was intuitive and pretty (silver!) and the buttons were all in the right places. In short order, I felt like a pro taking pictures with it and the results were really good (if you want, email me and I'll link you to some pictures. The only problem with F717 was it was a little cheap in construction so when it began turning on and off randomly (some problem in the hinge I think) it was time to look for a new camera.

Since all my accessories are Sony (from the F717) it was natural to look to Sony for solutions. The F828 was the next level and the changes they made appear stunning.

Gone is the silver. It is now a serious textured black. No one who looks at this camera wonders if its a toy. They may wonder if its a weapon of some kind but it feels good in the hand. It balances much better than the F717 and the key layout, although I'm still getting used to it, makes a little more sense. No more using software purely to delete pictures. There's a button for that. Same thing for White Balance. WB is the most important feature I've ever found on a digital camera and very few people use it. I use it before EVERY shot. Before on the F717, I had to look for a button among a nest of buttons. Now, its right on top right near the shutter.

Next among cool reasons to like this camera is the holographic AF. This (like the F717) camera prjects a visible grid of laser light to detail the subject being photographed. The focus is tight and pretty. I haven't had a chance to play with depth of field but if its like the F717, it will be a strong suit.

It is also very fast. I can now take pictures about as quickly as I hit the shutter. On the F717, it took time.

The only negatives so far is that the camera is heavy. It balances well in the hand, but I have to find a way to carry it thats a little more comfortable. It will work out. I bought the bag (which I'll review separately and that I did buy on Amazon) and it fits into it well, but there's no pocket to hold the charger. Ah well, gotta charge at home and carry batteries.

Last, I'd like to relate my experience in purchasing the camera.

Amazon listed the camera as $454. This was listed in its main price, not through a reseller, auction or Amazon shop. I clicked buy, checked the pricing and hit Submit Order. Surprise! It was a third party reseller named USAPhotonation.com. I got a confirmation that said (pasted) "we're writing to confirm your purchase of the following item from USA Photo
Nation: 1 of Sony DSC-F828 8MP Digital Camera with 7x Optical Zoom [Camera](available to ship by 28-October-2004)
Amazon Payments has charged your credit card (DELETED) for this
purchase, and the funds have been credited to USA Photo Nation."

Having checked out resellerratings.com (http://www.resellerratings.com/seller8278.html ) I basically saw that this company seemed to be a bunch of crooks. Out of a rating of 1 to 10 (10 being the best possible) they scored a .64 as rated by 43 people. I wrote Amazon who reassured me. On Amazon there were no ratings. Apparently I was the first time they'd ever been referred business by Amazon.

After a flurry of email exchanges between Amazon and myself, a few fired off to USA Photo Nation, which they never bothered to answer and over 2 hours on hold at their customer service number, they informed me that my order was cancelled and I could expect a refund, which I did get.

Amazon seemed to wash their hands of it. I got my money back and the next best price on another camera was north of $900 and they weren't going to supply a camera at the price I was confirmed (by them) because, they said, it was the reseller who didn't deliver the product. I, on the other hand, had NO idea I was dealing with a reseller and would never have used that particular reseller after viewing their online ratings.

I bought the camera at a Best Buy. I paid over double what Amazon assured me was the price and I'm pleased with my purchase. I'm a little angry at Amazon however. I've done a lot of business with them over the years and I think their relationship with the reseller does not absolve them of their responsibility to provide what they confirm has been purchased.

So, for my review, this is a great camera, one that is heavier duty than my F717 and much faster. But if you are thinking about buying it through Amazon, I'd advise caution. Make sure it isn't a reseller or if it is, that they have reasonable rating for delivering on time what they promise.



Rating:
Summary: The best non DSLR camera.
Review: There much had been said about this camera's advantages and deficiencies already. I would say that it is the best non DSLR camera an the market. It is very well build, has very nice , sharp , versatile and fast lens.
It is very capable camera as long as you understand its limitations, but there's no camera without deficiencies or limitations. The DSLR capable of producing better picture but it is prohibitively expensive to buy such wonderful lens with Sigma, Canon or Nikon. The similar setup will easily brake 2 grands limit.