Rating: Summary: Better than all the 5 star reviews Review: I am just writing in to add my vote and endorse this camera. I've used a number of different cameras, did a huge amount of research, and even with all of the hype surrounding this one, my expectations have been surpassed already. I am just thrilled with it, despite the not insignificant cash outlay.Headline observations are: absolutely clear and crisp 8x11 prints from point-and-shoot photos; very user friendly; love the video clip capability for emails; robust battery; great variety of options. Main tip: get at least one additional 128 MB memory stick. (other accessories I added: filter to protect lens [price], additional battery [price], and a padded case). I would recommend this camera to anyone from a semi-professional, to an amateur who really enjoys quality photos.
Rating: Summary: "I LOVE this camera!" Review: This is my first digital camera and I did months of research and comparison shopping before making a decision. The main alternatives were the Canon G2 and Nikon Coolpix 5000. I've had the camera several weeks now and frankly am still learning all it's features, but at this point I am extremely satisfied. The pictures even on auto pilot have all been spectacular. The magnesium alloy construction has a solid and substantial feel. Battery life is phenomenal. The 5x zoom is great. I love the body/lens swivel feature as well as the option of either LCD monitor or electronic viewfinder for strong sun situations. The settings alternatives and layout is complicated but well designed and more intuitive than other cameras I considered. Color saturation is a bit strong and photos tend to look like a Benetton print ad, but personally I like it. You do HAVE to get the 128 meg memory stick, but the price for those has just been lowered so shop around online for the best deal. Forgot to mention the WOW factor. Everyone who sees it wanders over and has to ask questions and express some oohs and ahs.
Rating: Summary: Outstanding Camera, The DSC-F707 Rules! Review: I have had this camera close to two months (got it on 12/25/01). And by far this is the best camera I ever owned. The 5.24 Megapixles are amazeing! ... I am a professional phototographer and this out does the $3,000 dollar SLR cameras!!! The zoom, focus, quality, USB, everthing about this camera is top-of-the-line! Trust me I know what im talking about. This camera is worth every penny! You cant go wrong with Sony, there going to stay in business longer then im alive, I see no reason not to buy this camera. I have a Epson 785 photo printer that prints at 2,880 dpi and with the DSC-F707 you can create the most professional looking photos! The quality of the camera is absoutly outstanding and the Memory Stick System is GREAT! Keep it up Sony!
Rating: Summary: Digital Quality Finally Overtakes Film (almost) Review: We have been using Sony digital cameras since the first Mavaca floppy disk camera (640x480 image size.) No question, film was superior, but the price per shot (no processing or prints) couldn't be beat. We started putting all the photos on our website, no need to scan, they were already .jpg images. A few people started visiting the site, and even wrote asking what camera we used. Over the years, we upgraded, more and more people visited our site, and the cameras took larger and larger pictures. The 707 is, at this writing, the top of the Sony line, producing huge 2600 X 1900 (i think) images. The image quality compares favoribly to high speed 35MM film, in large blowups it is still less sharp than 100-speed. The battery is much improved, with longer life, and a new fast charger makes it easy to keep the power ready. Be sure to buy two extra batteries and some memory sticks. At full size and quality, a 128 MEG memory stick holds about 57 images. My only caution about the camera is failures of the memory-sticks in cold weather or if the camera is turned off before the entire picture is saved. We have posted unedited photos from our first trip on our website....
Rating: Summary: an artist, graphics designer, amature photographer: must hav Review: Whether you're just taking pictures of the family or an amature photographer or an artist, this camera performs well. Great resoltion, great color (very slightly oversaturated reds, but the least oversaturated out of most cameras in its class and easily fixed in Photoshop). An amazing value for the thousand that you spend considering it can shoot like some two thousand+ dollar cameras. A must for any artist, graphics designer or amature photographer, even for someone who wants to get introduced into the world of good digital photography. It's not as hard to use as it looks.
Rating: Summary: You Won't Need Another Camera until 2010 Review: I've read some of the excellent reviews of the Sony DSC F-707 and I must say that as a recent buyer of the 707...I agree. This camera is easy to use and it takes awesome pictures. As an amateur photographer, what more could you want in a camera? I extensively researched this purchase and found a great website for you to compare specs. Check the forums out on this site and find out what owners of various cameras say about their purchases. The Nikon Coolpix 5000 came out at the time of my purchase, but the 707 is totally superior in almost every area (according to reviews posted at the above site). Don't worry about the white balance bug in early 707's, the new models have been fixed. If you're comparing the Sony 707 to the Nikon Coolpix or Minolta Dimage you'll get plenty of side by side comparisons at the above site. OK...here's what I love about the Sony DSC F-707. 1) Memory Stick prices have come down and are now comparable to other brands of memory. 2) With 5.0 +/- megapixels YOU have the choice of how detailed you want the resolution. I use lower resolutions for candid family shots and higher settings for my "Art-y" pictures. 3)Many professional photographers are stuck on the Nikon or Canon brand names and don't take the Sony seriously. Believe it...Sony has rocked the world of digital photography with the F-707...it IS that good. 4) Even my wife, who is seriously technically impaired, uses this camera many times a week. 5) Say goodbye to the hassle of loading film...FOREVER. You've heard the pros, now here comes the cons. 1)You should buy an extra battery for long trips or at least remember to take your recharging cords with you. 2) The shape of this camera does take some getting used to, but it's not a problem with use. 3) I agree with the reviewer who stated that the Zoom button feels backward...I'm still working on this. All in all...we love this camera.
Rating: Summary: IT DOESN'T GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS Review: and that about says it all. Except for the pricing on the memory sticks (OUCH!), it's a bargain at a thousand bucks. This has to be the finest digital camera on the market. Incredible resolution, manual focussing, choice of format, hell, it even shoots decent .mpg files! One bit of advice; go for the big memory sticks. You'll want them. Downloading is fast and easy using USB, you can edit and crop shots IN THE CAMERA - and it's easy to operate. Sony has really done it - and HOW!
Rating: Summary: A Big... Review: ...The 5 megapixel label sounds good, but there is a catch. The pictures in the image editor show up at only 72 dots per inch (DPI). They are 72 dots per inch with a 35 inch image. I do not need a 35 inch image. I need a 400 dpi image at 8 x 10 inches. The print quality has been poor despite using a great printer HP CP 1700 by Hewlett PACKARD and top of the line photopaper. I feel cheated. I get better pictures from my Kodak DC 290 camera which I bought 2yrs ago which only has 2.1 megapixels. I have to return this Sony camera because the pictures are not adequate for the work related project for which bought the camera. This has been a big waste of time and money. On the other hand, it is true that the bells and whistles such as the light meters and other features are nice.
Rating: Summary: I made the right choice Review: I spent months reseaching digital cameras. I am an average photographer, but love to capture great pictures of my family. I was looking for both quality and easy in use of a camera. We have been very happy with Sony products in the past and feel that they are worth the cost. After all the research on the internet and speaking with everyone I could find that knew anything about digital cameras, I decided on the Sony DCS-F707. It took some convincing of my husband because the price was certainly not in the budget! But after puchasing it however, I have had a tough time getting it out of my husbands hands. He loves it. It offers both automatic and manuel settings (for the more knowledgible). When comparing photos of a family vaction, our photos at 5 megapixels were far clearer than those of relatives 3.1 megapixel pictures. We know have our beautiful vacation pictures stored on a CD.
Rating: Summary: Consumer Digital Comes Of Age Review: I've been doing digital photography professionally for 8 years now, and I have relatively stringent standards. As a high end consumer camera, the DSC-F707 rates at the top. Given adequate illumination, the 707 will produce very sharp images, capable of being printed up to about 14" on the long axis. Of perhaps more utility, one can digitally crop images from the 707, for example tossing out 75% of the image and still enlarge to, say 4 x 6" and get a very good quality print. The camera has a variety of operating modes (such as shutter priority) to allow the user to optimize the exposure for a specific situation. Exposure compensation is also available and easy to use. The optics are made by Zeiss, one of the leaders in professional optics. The combination of large image size, exposure flexibility and excellent quality of optical elements allows one to bring out finer contrast elements in their photos. You may think that ~1,000 dollars is pricey, but to go beyond what this camera offers, be prepared to spend quite a bit more. Now, to the minor nits that must be picked. Like most consumer digital cameras, this model does not provide wide angle capabilities ( I think 38 or 39mm as a 35mm equivalent is the widest). Sony offers screw-on wide angle and telephoto adapters, but I can't find anyone local that stocks them so I can check them out before purchasing. In most cases, the screw-on wide angle lenses do not couple well with the camera flash, but I have not evaluated this rig with an adapter yet. And, about the flash on the 707 - it is a flip-up device that pops up when the camera decides that it needs a flash. This can be distracting. Also, realize that working with large images can be tedious. You need more memory stick capacity, a computer capable of manipulating large images quickly and you need to be able to archive huge quantities of data. By the way, this camera has some video capability, but I haven't piddled with it enough to know much about it. You must use the Sony battery with this camera, so you probably want to have a spare, which will run you another 60 bucks.
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