Rating: 
Summary: Sony's hot new flagship product is almost there!
Review: I take a lot of digital pictures. I am a freelance photographer shooting a lot of drama, music and dance events during stage performances. I bought and used the earlier Sony Mavica FD-91 with the image stabelized 10x zoom. People loved the closeup and personal images I could capture with it. However, at .8 Megapixels, the FD-91 was limited to smaller prints, and the 3.5" floppy disk had to be changed every 10 shots or so. This new Sony CD1000 has same high quality zoom, plus 2.1 Megapixel capture for larger prints, external flash ability and a 156MB CD-R mini disk to store the pictures on. I get over 160 high quality images shooting the same 3:2 aspect ratio as traditional 35mm cameras. But Sony, if you want five star reviews, read on... You will have to shorten the 1/2 second delay and viewer blackout after pressing the shutter release until the image is captured. I have to anticipate where a subject will be, take the picture and hope. And, if miss my shot, which happens a lot, I have to wait 3 seconds until I can try again. Sony, add some RAM memory, let us take three or four fast pictures in a row, then store them. You are so close.
Rating:
Summary: I wish I'd done this sooner but glad I waited for the CD
Review: I'm a Forensic Technician and I've been using a 35mm Nikon N70 for awhile. The Mavica CD1000 is so handy. I can take my usual shots and know instantly if they've come out. The CD held 172 pictures on one disc and I got 160 pictures on another disc. There were reasons for this since I used the "talk" mode on some pictures to record what I was observing. I like the zoom mode since ,with it I'm not necessarily having to get down into the muck and the mud with the camera. Having and needing certain requirments from my equipment I would like to see a higher magnification on THIS camera, but since my work generally is close up and detailed it does fine. I had to make my own carrying case since I need more attachments than just the camera allows and I needed a hard case due to the rigors of the job. The batteries have a descent life and allows me to usually complete one job prior to changing the batteries, even with other officers viewing the pictures without getting into my scenes. I esp. like the fact I can charge a battery in the camera. For evidentiary purposes the CD "non-rewritable" discs are great in that the cost for one is not that much different than for one roll of regular 35mm film.(36 count 200 asp) The digital aspects are comparable to other digital cameras I guess but for the CD aspects for evidentiary purposes, time allowed on a battery life, and the ease of substitutting this camera for the 35mm and instant camera is so much easier to take your equipment with you. The "digital" displays are clear and like any camera you have to learn its nuances and capabilities. I've just recently obtianed this camera, it is my first digital camera used, and I'm not having any trouble with the camera yet. It is a large digital camera but is comparable in size to the Nikon I'm still using now. The CD's are small enough to fit in your pocket and I can carry two CD's where as I'd have to carry 9 rolls of 35mm film 36 count. The anti-shake feature is very handy in that I'm not able to pick the times and conditions of my being out to take pictures. I wish the assesories where easier obtianed for the camera. I wish the tripod mount had a little more surface area for secure mounting. I also would like to see the flash attachment have a different mount screw/clamp. This one doesn't tighten up good enough and stay tight for camera manipulation in tight spots and odd angle takes. I guess I'm having more Problems with the accessories than with the camera proper but for what I need they go hand in hand.
Rating:
Summary: Almost is good enough for me!
Review: I'm digitally challenged yet I opened the box and was shooting within a careful hour's worth of reading. A few more days pratice gave me the nerve to put Sony's Big Mama into the hands of my high school students. It's frustrating to see them learn in minutes what took me an hour to learn...but.. They did! And they started discovering features I hadn't yet mastered. I short, I love this camera! It's pricey, the delay on captured shots drives me up the wall, but it's the best thing I've seen. (I'm the envy of the ballcourt.. twice last week, professional photogs missed their shots while watching me wrangle this honey around.) Frankly, I waited on the technology until someone came up with adequate storage. Now I've got it. Sony-heads... get rid of the delay in capturing the shot and I'll trade this one in. You've got a great camera here!
Rating: 
Summary: The best digital replacement for a 35mm
Review: I've been an amateur photographer for the past 25 years, starting out with a 1970 professional Mamiya-Secor 35mm. I've been very hesitant about digital cameras until the manufacturers improved their storage, battery life, and lens quality. This camera meets the grade! The CD-R storage is fantastic as I can just pop the disc into my computer CD-ROM and view 160+ pictures at once, download them, touch up, you name it. The 10x optical zoom lens was badly needed in digital cameras and performs excellent in this Sony. The prices are also coming down 10-20% since this camera was introduced in late 2000, so shop around for the better deals now being offered. For those who want better quality night shots, I suggest a good auxillary flash available at any camera shop. I don't understand the negative reviews about the delays to write the picture on the CD-R. Unless you're taking rapid sports shots, the delay is absolutely minimal and I've never experienced a longer delay than 2 seconds in JPG format. Most of the time, the write time is about 1 second which is plenty fast enough. The battery life surprised me as I can shoot pictures for 2 hours or more with no problem. A second battery extends my usage to virtually all day for family or business shots. Overall, this is the perfect digital replacement for a good 35mm camera (like a Canon EOS) with added features you won't find in film cameras. I shopped for years to find the right replacement for my 35mm cameras, and now I've found it. I can't recommend this camera enough!
Rating:
Summary: It's a still shot camera only
Review: I've had mine for over a month and shot 4 disks full. Many of the shots are amazingly good (I'm the one amazed) and the instant feedback so you can show your subject the picture is a real plus. We took the grandkids for a Christmas tree light tour the other night and when we got back, we just connected the CD1000 cable to the TV set and there were the Christmas lights for my daughter and son in law to see, with the grandkids filling in the play by play. Grandpa and grandma got lots of points. The after-market CD-Rs not only are more than 1/4 the price of Sony, but they hold 200MB vs the standard 156MB. A warning does come up, recommending Sony Mavica disks, but all work fine, including downloads into the PC. The economics of CD-R photo storage is incredible. The CD-R stores about the same as 4-5 rolls of 36 exposure 35mm film, even at the highest JPEG resolution setting for the CD1000. That's about $16-$20 just for 35mm film, not counting processing or printing vs the cost of the disk which is about 80 cents. The bad stuff: (1)The CD1000 cannot put up with even slow motion activity shooting. Basically, when you slightly depress the shutter, a green light comes on and the image "freezes", ready for the final press of the shutter to store "that" image, right? Not so. The green light and the frozen image simply "charges" the CCD array and when you press the shutter further to actually take the shot, the CCD receives whatever image is presented through the lens. If all is still, no problem, but if the image is moving, like at a social event, you come out with part of an arm, leg, or the back of a head or two. This takes a while to adapt to and if you're planning to use the CD1000 for a sporting event camera, forget it. (2)Associated with the above problem, is the image in the view finder and LCD screen goes to freeze or blank when the shutter is activated so any action is lost. The view finder is a small LCD and not an optical look through the lens. Sure, on 35mm cams we lose the image during the shot, but only for the shutter speed. With the CD1000, you're off for as long as the CD-R write cycle takes, about 1 to 5 seconds. (3)The flash "hot shoe" is not. It's only a bracket to attach Sony's own CD1000 optional flash that's non-standard via their interrconnect cord. That means all those smart flashes for our 35mm won't work. BTW, the CD1000 built in flash is good for about 5 feet with lots of controls. However, when the flash is up, the CD1000 compensates it's exposure and darkens the shot for longer distance. Better to make 2 shots, one with flash, another without, just for safety. (4)Connecting the CD1000 to USB sounds and is simple. However, in very small type on pg.32, a warning that no other device be plugged into the other USB port. So if you have an HP Scanner already plugged in to USB and want to connect the CD1000 to the other port, forget it. I've heard sometimes it works. My installation issued "the blue screen of death" under Windows 98 SE. A call to Sony Tech Support, reminded me to "read the manual", even the fine print. This goes against the industry standard USB spec, but Sony says the CD1000 must "own" the USB environment and that's the way it is. Other than (1-4), the CD1000 is still a great camera. Flexible to a fault, lots of storage, great shot economics (except the price of the camera), and Sony quality. I'll stay with it, even with it's faults.
Rating:
Summary: CD-R - the only way to store pictures
Review: I've had this camera for 4 months now and could not be more delighted. Recording photos on the 3" disc is what separates this camera from the rest. At the highest reolution you can take 150 pictures on one disc - amazing. You now have a permanent record without any need to take up any computer space. You can put it on "picture show" and look at every photo on your projection TV and they all look great. If you don't like the angle-rotate the photo. You don't like the photo, delete it. The 10x telephoto with steady shot is great. I would not buy any digital camera without a CD storage system and this is the only camera that has it, as far as I know. In the summer of 2001 Sony will be coming out with smaller CD-R cameras without the long telephoto you have on this camera. The only drawback to the 1000 is the 1 second delay between pressing the button and taking the picture. It takes planning at times and sometimes you get odd results. Just delete the photo and do it again if the photo is poor. All in all a great camera. Last Saturday I took 150 photos at a wedding in Hyannis. With film it would have been only 20-40, but for the price why not 150 - all on one permanent disc.
Rating:
Summary: CD-R - the only way to store pictures
Review: I've had this camera for 4 months now and could not be more delighted. Recording photos on the 3" disc is what separates this camera from the rest. At the highest reolution you can take 150 pictures on one disc - amazing. You now have a permanent record without any need to take up any computer space. You can put it on "picture show" and look at every photo on your projection TV and they all look great. If you don't like the angle-rotate the photo. You don't like the photo, delete it. The 10x telephoto with steady shot is great. I would not buy any digital camera without a CD storage system and this is the only camera that has it, as far as I know. In the summer of 2001 Sony will be coming out with smaller CD-R cameras without the long telephoto you have on this camera. The only drawback to the 1000 is the 1 second delay between pressing the button and taking the picture. It takes planning at times and sometimes you get odd results. Just delete the photo and do it again if the photo is poor. All in all a great camera. Last Saturday I took 150 photos at a wedding in Hyannis. With film it would have been only 20-40, but for the price why not 150 - all on one permanent disc.
Rating:
Summary: VIvid picture, Excellent Stabilizer, Great battery + storage
Review: I,myself, use to take photos with 35mm film-based cameras a lot since I was 12. I had a chance to test and try several digital cameras from 1 Megapixel to 3 Megapixel but never own one. I prefer something similar to my SLR cameras not an instant camera. So I decide to buy this sony,well, I have this camera since May 2001. At first, I had to adjust myself to get along with control panel, electronic viewfinder. It took about only 20-30 minutes to learn to whole features and getting test. This camera does a really good job on most shots. Feeling like taking by SLR camera, for examples-feeling when take shots, lighting and vivid output. It has a problem with low-light situations when seeing from viewfinder or LCD panel, but doing twilight plus technique (one of nice features in this camera) I can shoot night time photo with no problems - with flash / without flash. Also lag-time wasn't any problem for me because I used to test some other digital cameras that having this delaying picture. By pressing HALF-SHUTTER and waiting for nice moment will solve problem. Excellent zoom (Optical+Digital) - very impressive image stabilizer. About the battery life, I can use it the whole day(taking photos for 2.5 hours) when I went out. It's very ok to me because other cameras that I've used consume very much battery power (one hour and that's it). Moreover, I don't have to worry about my storage for pics and don't worry about when to upload photos to my PC. They're already there and permanently stored, that's why I don't have to make some more backing up to CD Media again and again (if I use wired-memory media cam). Once again in Thailand, we can get one 3"-CD for a price only 1 US dollar. I am very happy with it then. I made my good decision on this great camera. Conclusion: Great Picture quality, Great battery life and hugh storage. Low-light shooting + Motion may be some problem but need to adjust shutter speed and your own shooting techniques. Excellent zoom. Camera weight doesn't bother me at all, hugh but lighter than others.
Rating: 
Summary: big bad mavica
Review: that pretty much sums it up. it's very big and awkwardly shaped. it has bad picture resolution, and thats it. i reccommed not buying this camera
Rating:
Summary: Mavica does not work with IBM Aptiva
Review: The camera is great, but Sony has not written an IBM Aptiva interface. My friend bought both his Aptiva pc and Maciva 1000 at Bestbuy. They told him there would be a 15% restocking fee, and that they would not provide technical help. It installed in about 10 minutes on a Dell pc, this was done to verify the installation process was correct. He also has written to Sony (at their website), but so far(4 weeks later), there has been no response other then that they are looking into it. Bestbuy's response was disappointing at best(buyer beware), and the same could be said about Sony(expected more). The Aptiva had Windows 98 2nd edition on it, it was bought 18 months ago, with 2 intact usb ports.
|
