Rating: 
Summary: Zeiss lens & great CCD, but don't expect SLR performance
Review: Amateur digital cameras make me long for the speed and accuracy of my Nikon N-90S professional SLR. But an equivalent digital will set you back $5000 plus lenses, and increases the focal length of your lenses by 50% (and I love wide angle).The DSC-S85, which a friend of mine owns, retains the lens of DSC-70, which I own, increases the pixel resolution, and lays out the controls a bit more naturally. Still, don't expect to hand this to your non-photographically-oriented friend and expect them to be able to control it -- the menus, etc. are just awful and very slow to navigate. The real win for me for this camera is the Zeiss lens, which while not up to their professional lenses, is far better than what you get on other digitals. This lens goes fairly wide (34mm equivalent for 35mm film), and has an excellent macro resolution. It's also super fast at f2.0 at the widest to f2.8 at the longest; phenomenal specs for a lens that costs $800, much less a whole camera. A serious problem is that there's no way to get accurate focus -- the LCD just isn't sharp enough to selectively focus on just the foreground of food photos, for instance, even though at full telephoto on f2.8, you get a nice shallow depth of field. At higher resolutions, the camera can only be described as slow both in time between the shutter press and the snap (it locks focus, so pre-locking by pushing shutter halfway will help), and between photos (especially at high res, it can take seconds to write the image from the camera's buffer to the memory stick). It's also relatively slow to auto-focus. The flash is weak, and so close to the lens that if anyone's looking at the camera, it's instant redeye. On the other hand, the lens and CCD are so sensitive, you can nearly take photos in the dark anyway. I do like the fact that you can fill flash, but wish you could turn down the fill level. For anything but the most casual flash photography, you can hook up an external flash. MPEG films are cute, but short and poor quality (or longer, and even poorer quality). If you want to shoot longer mpegs, you'll have to hook up the video out to a notebook and get the relevant software. I wish they'd just get rid of this feature along with the sound and sound memo recording, and give me a slightly wider lens and more control over focusing (say zooming the display during viewing). And you'll need a new memory stick or two (get the 128Mb ones, you won't regret it if you like to take photos).
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Quality and a Fantastic Value
Review: I have been shopping for a digital camera for about six months now, and I have been unable to make up my mind. I didn't want to spend a ton of money, so I was looking at several lower end 2.1 megapixel cameras. Well, I suppose my wife grew weary of my indecision, so she purchased the Sony DSC-S85 for me for Christmas. I was pleasantly surprised by the gift, and even more surprised by the quality of the camera. I have been a camera buff for several years, and have been wanting to dabble in digital photography. I can't imagine a better camera for under $1,000.00. Granted I have only had it for a week, and I am just beginning to discover the incredible potential of this camera, but the options seem almost limitless. It is amazingly easy to use, and offers a host of choices to make your experience as challenging as you would like. The 3x optical zoom is quite adequate, but it is enhanced by the digital zoom which still provides a high quality image. Here are the pros and cons as I have seen them: Pros:
Easy to use
Packed with features & all functions are easily accessed
4.1 megapixels provide incredibly sharp images at highest resolution
Small & sturdy construction
Long Battery life w/ fairly quick recharge (battery meter is very accurate)
Bright LCD screen
MPEG movie option (memory hog)
Great value at just $800.00 Cons:
16mb Memory Stick is not enough to hold many high res images & additional Memory Sticks are expensive.
Images in LCD screen often appear in focus, but really aren't
Bright reds tend to cause a pink hue throughout image (but that could happen to a 35mm SLR)
Slight delay when taking pictures, but canbe overcome with some practice. All things considered, I am very, very happy with this camera. As with any product it has it's negatives, but they are far outweighed by the positives. In addition to the camera, my wife also purchased the Memory Stick reader, that can remain attached to the PC via a USB port and functions like a zip drive. This is very helpful when it comes to downloading images, because you don't waste the camera battery life. She also purchased a 128mb Memory Stick. Yes, this is a very expensive accessory ($100 +), but it has been worth it. At it's highest resolution image it will hold 60 images, but if you are taking pictures to e-mail at 640 x 480 it will hold nearly 10 times as many. I also like the fact the Memory Stick can be used over and over again. If you are looking to take pictures and turn them into prints, then this a great camera. The color saturation is tremendous, and the image quality is outstanding. If all you wish to do is e-mail photos and post them to the web then you could get by with a much cheaper model. Even after only a week, I have no problem giving this camera my highest recommendation.
Rating:
Summary: Convert to Sony from Nikon
Review: After trying the Nikon Coolpix 995 for about a week, I recently returned it because of software and hardware defects of the camera. I was anxious about buying another digital camera but purchased Sony Cybershot DSC S85. I am very happy with the decision. The images are sharper than Nikon Coolpix 995. It is relatively easy to learn the features and load the software on your computer compared to Nikon. The LCD screen is also lot better than Nikon and easier to work with with menu and set up screens. The only disadvantage is that you must buy somewhat more expensive Sony products but the quality makes up for the added costs.
Rating:
Summary: I Love This Camera!
Review: The features I like best about this camera are its small size and compact shape, ease of using the controls, and the excellent pictures I get with it. I purchased a 128MB memory stick which I generally use so I have never have to stop shooting because of running out of room. I like being able to print 7 x 10 photos of high quality. I use this camera with a laptop, so I download the pictures into my computer using a PC Card Adapter, but the USB connection works well too. Great camera.
Rating:
Summary: Simply mahvelous!
Review: As a fine art photographer form almost 20 years, I was somewhat skeptical about digital cameras as being much more than tech toys. When I finally decided to get a digital camera, I poured over the detailed, technical reviews to gather as much info as I could on competing models. In comparison with other cameras, what sold me on the S85 was the image quality, color fidelity, and ease of use. Now that I've used the camera a lot, I could not be more pleased. For occasional 35mm work, I [previously] used a top "Pro" class camera and lenses, which will probably now be relegated to the closet for the most part. And believe me, I understand metering and focus, but I could not hit exposures and focus dead-on nearly as quickly or often as the S85. Pros: Nice, well balanced feel, unbelievably sharp lens, rich, accurate color without being "clipped" at the top end, excellent metering under diverse lighting conditions, snappy, accurate autofocus, and user friendly menus. Cons: None so far. Suggestion: Buy more memory (64MB has worked for me). Sony gets 6 stars but Amazon allows me to give only 5. Simply an awesome little camera.
Rating:
Summary: Finally - Digital as Good as 35mm Film
Review: I have been looking for an easy to use digital camera that would produce pictures with quality equivalent to those you can get from a 35mm camera like my old Nikon N4004 SLR. The DSC-S85 does it. I have taken pictures and sent them to PhotoAccess to get 8X10 enlargements and the result was amazing. No graininess, perfect clarity, supurb pictures. I get the advantages of digital: instant feedback on whether the picture came out as expected; deleting pics on the fly that don't work; adjusting light and color balance; cropping and editing before printing; AND the advantages of 35mm: high detail, good enlargements, and lots of control options. I am now sold on digital.
Rating:
Summary: Film to digital
Review: I am a serious film photographer (50 years experience) using Canon products for the last 25 years. I thought I would take the plunge with digital for the numerous times I wished I had quick results. I felt this camera had a better mix of features and a Zeiss lens at a lower price than the similar Canon. I am delighted with the camera and its veratility. It is easy to use. It's interface with Windows ME and XP worked flawlessly. Of course it does not offer SLR composition nor the options of interchangable lenses, ... it more than sufices for the moment. When and if the SLR version becomes more resonable I will switch. An excellent camera at a reasonable price.
Rating: 
Summary: good camera burdened with propritary pieces
Review: Nice images. nice lens. nice 4 megapixel sensor. decent layout/design. good price. Sounds like the makings of a great camera... Until you consider that unlike most cameras on the market, all the bits and pieces you need to have to use it are propritary SONY only parts which are not up to industry standards and are quite over priced as well. The memory stick, has the lowest capacity of any memory device on the market. Even the batteries are propritary. If you're on a little trip and want to take a photo but your battery has run out, on most cameras you can drop into a store (any store) and buy off the shelf parts that will last for at least a few pictures. Not so with sony. You must buy their stuff. And their stuff stinks compared to what the rest of the camaras out there can have. If you got a compact flash camera, you can get "digital film" that costs much less per picture and holds up to 12 times as many photos. This camera is basicially sold at a lower then normal price because they know they'll makeup any lost profits in over priced items you will need to use it.
Rating:
Summary: Sony Cameras
Review: This is our second Sony Camera, the first a Mavica FD-95 and now the DSC-S85. What a wonderful piece of equipment. Does everything it is meant to do and more. We love it and it is easy to use, providing some wonderful pictures.
Rating:
Summary: how to stop scratching the LCD screen
Review: I've had this camera since the summer and I love it -- the colors are vibrant and crisp. Plus, the camera is a manageable size. To stop the LCD screen on the back from getting scratched, I put a PDA screen-saver on the LCD (find at fellowes.com) -- you have to trim it a bit, but when it's on, you can't even tell (the display is still crisp), and no more worries about scratching the display. Enjoy!
Eric
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