Rating: 
Summary: High price and questionable quality make this a bad choice
Review: Don't waste your money on a Mavica. I bought an FD-87 less than a year ago and it's broken -- again. Imagine that you bought a brand new car ... and then three months later, you had to pay $...one-fifth of the car's value... for a repair. Then, seven months later, the car breaks down again, and you're told it will cost ...about one-third of the car's original retail cost... to fix it. Who in their right mind would pay over half the original cost of a new car for repairs in less than a year? (There's a word for a car like that -- it's called LEMON).Well, by analogy, that is precisely my situation. It's not worth getting my FD-87 repaired this second time around, having already shelled ... 20% of the camera's original retail price tag, the first time around. I discovered the hard way that Sony charges an obscene amount of money for labor, even though it's still within the one year warranty. (Sony's one-year warranty covers parts for the whole year, but labor is covered for ONLY 90 days!!!). I admit that I, too, was originally impressed by the FD-87's ease of use and the convenience of floppy disk storage. However, quality issues aside, the size and sheer bulk of the camera is also a major drawback; smaller is really better. And the floppies -- they just don't hold enough photos. Even at the lowest resolution (640 x 480), I'd get maybe two dozen pix on a disk, and in no time, I had accumulated a huge pile of disks. Now that the price of smart or compact flash media has come way down, it makes more sense to get, say, a 64 or 128 MB smart card, which store a lot more photos and are so tiny in comparison. Even if I knew the FD-87 would never break down, I still wouldn't buy it, not in today's competitive digicam market. It's just not a good deal...
Rating: 
Summary: What are you using it for?
Review: I bought the FD87 thinking that I would never run out of media on long trips; I could always go buy more disks, or erase some shots. Unfortunately I didn't consider how inconvienient that would be. Lugging 40 floppy disks around Disney Land along with a bulky camera was not fun. Taking it skiing was a whole other pain in the rear. Another problem is the inherent unreliability of floppy disks. I have lost many shots due to disk errors. I liked the Mpeg mode when I bought it, until I discovered you cannot stop the camera once you begin recording. This is stupid. The camera takes good pictures, if your activity is taking pictures. Do not, however, buy this camera if you plan to take pictures while involved in any other activity. It is very impractical. There are two good points though. The battery lasts forever and the camera formats disks about 20 times faster than a PC.
Rating:
Summary: What are you using it for?
Review: I bought the FD87 thinking that I would never run out of media on long trips; I could always go buy more disks, or erase some shots. Unfortunately I didn't consider how inconvienient that would be. Lugging 40 floppy disks around Disney Land along with a bulky camera was not fun. Taking it skiing was a whole other pain in the rear. Another problem is the inherent unreliability of floppy disks. I have lost many shots due to disk errors. I liked the Mpeg mode when I bought it, until I discovered you cannot stop the camera once you begin recording. This is stupid. The camera takes good pictures, if your activity is taking pictures. Do not, however, buy this camera if you plan to take pictures while involved in any other activity. It is very impractical. There are two good points though. The battery lasts forever and the camera formats disks about 20 times faster than a PC.
Rating: 
Summary: Another great Mavica.
Review: I love the Mavicas for their good, durable design, their ruggedness and their absolute ease of use. Their strongest point is their ease of use & therefore their appropriateness for people who like simplicity and hate the steep learning curve associated with the less intuitive digitals on the mkt. The Mavs use cheap, readily available and reuseable PC floppy discs go from camera to computer with no cables or cradles to make for foolproof downloads and very inexpensive image storage. This itineration of the Mavica offers higher resolution than the 7x series, allowing for a full 1.3 megabyte image that will exceed anyones web-based needs (including the desire to take quality pics for emailing). It is not the camera for those who need enlargements greater than 5" x 7", but it handles these with aplomb. One note here is that the FD87 offers a less powerful zoom than the (cheaper) 7x series, though the 3x optical coupled with the less useful 2x digital is still fairly powerful. All in all, this camera will not disappoint anyone.
Rating:
Summary: Another great Mavica.
Review: I love the Mavicas for their good, durable design, their ruggedness and their absolute ease of use. Their strongest point is their ease of use & therefore their appropriateness for people who like simplicity and hate the steep learning curve associated with the less intuitive digitals on the mkt. The Mavs use cheap, readily available and reuseable PC floppy discs go from camera to computer with no cables or cradles to make for foolproof downloads and very inexpensive image storage. This itineration of the Mavica offers higher resolution than the 7x series, allowing for a full 1.3 megabyte image that will exceed anyones web-based needs (including the desire to take quality pics for emailing). It is not the camera for those who need enlargements greater than 5" x 7", but it handles these with aplomb. One note here is that the FD87 offers a less powerful zoom than the (cheaper) 7x series, though the 3x optical coupled with the less useful 2x digital is still fairly powerful. All in all, this camera will not disappoint anyone.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Institutional Camera
Review: I purchase for a school district and I only buy Mavicas. The quality is very good for most school projects. The floppy drive option is great because if you check a camera out to people, you do not want to use expensive memory sticks that can be lost. Also, when a person turns the camera in, the next person is can take it immediately. There is no time to bother with download. One person keeps the disks, turns the camera in, and the next person can take it without a download hassle. The nice thing about this model is that you have the choice between disks and a memory stick if you want the extra space for high quality and quantity. There are two disadvantages to this camera over previous models. It is very easy in holding the camera to hit one of the three buttons at the bottom of the back and accidentally change a setting which can distort a picture. Students have done this. Example, some kids took a snapshot after the camera had been set up for them but their fingers hit the program button in accidentally and changed the camera to the moon setting for slow shutter speed -- as in a night photo. As a result their shots were blurred. The other disadvantage is that you have to plug the camera into the wall to charge the battery. The older models allowed you to operate the battery charger without plugging it into the camera. One note. Cameras in this price range cannot stop action. Do not use this kind of camera for stop-action sports. They do not emulate the shutter speed of a professional 35mm camera which uses film. They are wonderful for low light and outperforma any film-based camera for low light shots that do not need to stop action.
Rating:
Summary: Great Institutional Camera
Review: I purchase for a school district and I only buy Mavicas. The quality is very good for most school projects. The floppy drive option is great because if you check a camera out to people, you do not want to use expensive memory sticks that can be lost. Also, when a person turns the camera in, the next person is can take it immediately. There is no time to bother with download. One person keeps the disks, turns the camera in, and the next person can take it without a download hassle. The nice thing about this model is that you have the choice between disks and a memory stick if you want the extra space for high quality and quantity. There are two disadvantages to this camera over previous models. It is very easy in holding the camera to hit one of the three buttons at the bottom of the back and accidentally change a setting which can distort a picture. Students have done this. Example, some kids took a snapshot after the camera had been set up for them but their fingers hit the program button in accidentally and changed the camera to the moon setting for slow shutter speed -- as in a night photo. As a result their shots were blurred. The other disadvantage is that you have to plug the camera into the wall to charge the battery. The older models allowed you to operate the battery charger without plugging it into the camera. One note. Cameras in this price range cannot stop action. Do not use this kind of camera for stop-action sports. They do not emulate the shutter speed of a professional 35mm camera which uses film. They are wonderful for low light and outperforma any film-based camera for low light shots that do not need to stop action.
Rating:
Summary: Instant Gratification - Sony Mavica Style
Review: No doubt you are reading this review for one of two reasons. Either you've had an interest in buying a digital camera for quite awhile and can't decide which one....or perhaps you're one of those kind souls here who reads my reviews when you come across them. Either way, I'm VERY glad you've clicked through because I've got a bold statement to share with you today: The best piece of electronic equipment I've ever owned is the Sony Mavica digital camera, Model MVC-FD83. (...) Okay - now you probably want to know why I'm so infatuated with my Sony Mavica. Two words sum up the tale. Instant gratification. The magical ability to take a photo of a subject and see it immediately on a two-inch LCD screen. And then the even nicer option of taking a standard floppy disk out of the camera and immediately having access to it on a computer screen. And finally, the distinct pleasure to sending - via email - that same high quality image to a distant relative within one minute of its creation. Yes - I know that the Sony Mavica is expensive versus the competition out there. If you're into measuring megapixels - those dots that determine the quality of a digital photo - then the Sony costs twice as much as many of its competitors on that front. But the Sony has something that none of the other guys offers. No cables and no special software needed to "decode" the photo. No expensive memory flash cards. No delay from any intermediary that would prevent you from enjoying your camera - and the photos it produces. Hey - what do you intend to do with your camera? If you're a professional photographer who is planning to sell your product, then this is not your camera. If you're on a very tight budget, then this is not your camera. If you want super clear printed shots that match 35mm point and shoot cameras - probably in the 3 plus megapixel range - then this is not your camera. But if you are an average consumer with enough disposable income to indulge yourself occasionally - then this is YOUR camera. If you like to share your photos with your relatives via email - then this is YOUR camera. And if you like minimum hassle when you take and retrieve your amateur photos - then this is YOUR camera. And - by the way - this particular model is being discontinued by Sony to make room for even more fully featured Mavicas being released this quarter. (...) Speaking of features, this Sony has more than enough to satisfy the typical user. It features three image size settings - with a maximum of 1216 x 912. It has two resolutions - standard and fine. I've found that the standard setting delivers crisp photos on screen and does not create such large digital files for sharing. About 8 to 9 shots per floppy at the medium image size setting. The standard setting coupled with the lowest quality resolution (640 x 480) allows you to squeeze almost 20 photos on each floppy. And yes - floppies have come way down in cost. You can pick up a pack of 50 floppies for about $12 on average - or about 25 cents each. Sure is cheaper than a roll of film...and of course there's NO developing costs. So - if you're still with me - here's how to justify this purchase. Let's assume you take a roll of film per month. The film will cost you about $2 or so a roll. The developing will run anywhere from $5 to $10, depending on how many copies of each print you desire. And then there's the cost of gas - ouch - these days for the two trips to the developer. So the out of pocket cost for you is probably over $10 per roll. Throw in the cost of running to Kinkos to get some photos scanned to send to your family and friends...and you're looking at close to $15 combined. $400 divided by $15 equals approximately 26 rolls of film - about two years of shots for the average user. That's your breakeven point - and then every shot after that is gravy. No additional costs. And the battery is rechargeable and gives you a full day of shooting if you are taking candid shots on vacation. Less if you decide to use the Sony mpeg motion picture capability built in that delivers a twenty second movie per floppy. And using the built in zoom (6x) will also drain the battery somewhat more quickly. The quality of the final photo? Superb. To an untrained eye, it is virtually impossible onscreen to denote any degradation of detail versus a 35mm shot. And using one of the online photo services like Ofoto.com produced outstanding prints from this camera. And yes - it even offers a neat self timer so you too can get into the photo. Okay, okay. You get the idea. Oh - one more thing. I took the equivalent of twenty rolls of film the first week I had this camera. More photos than I've ever taken in my life. And they were crystal clear... they printed wonderfully...and the camera itself was so easy to use that anyone I handed it to could use it within ten seconds. In fact, every person who has taken photos with it - friends, strangers, even teenagers - have uttered basically the same thing when handing it back: "Your new camera is really cool." One final time for emphasis. No ifs....and no buts. No hesitation before I type these words. This is the BEST electronics item I've ever owned.
Rating:
Summary: floppy disk = bad quality
Review: the floppy creates bad quality. find a different model, because it can only hold so much, so it has to destroy the picture quality just to store 5 photos on the disk
Rating:
Summary: Great camera- no memory cards needed!
Review: The thing that attracted me most to this camera was the fact that I didn't have to buy one of those $100 memory sticks. I can, if I were planning to take a great deal of photos and don't want to carry extra disks around, but it's greta for people like me who just want to use it for recreational purposes.
I was at first turned off by the size, but this is part of the beauty of being able to save the files directly onto disk which inserts into the camera itself (which means the camera has to be the size of a floppy- which roughly it is). Besides, The size is a good fit to the hands and makes shaky hands less of a problem.
The zoom is great. You can really get close-up shots from a distance without compromising image quality or color. The display screen on the back of the camera is larger than on most, which makes it easier to choose which photos I want to keep/delete without popping the disk into the computer to take a closer look.
This camera has plenty of fun features to keep anyone entertained for a long period of time, and the battery life is great. The charger reharges the battery quickly when it does need to be charged.
The photo quality is great both indoors and out, night and day. There are differet settings for landscapes, people, etc, as well as light, and they do make a pleasing difference. This camera can be used in any situation.
Overall, I am very happy with my purhase. Sony is a terrific brand, after all.
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