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Sony DSCF717 5MP Digital Still Camera w/ 5x Optical Zoom

Sony DSCF717 5MP Digital Still Camera w/ 5x Optical Zoom

List Price: $799.95
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The best choice for digital cameras.
Review: I am so happy with my camera. We have been living in Europe for a while and have traveled all over. I was tired of not getting good shots with our other digital camera because it had no zoom. Finally, I decided to take the plunge and buy this camera because it had an optical and digital zoom. Since then, when we travel, my pictures come out better than our 35mm camera.

I have been at festivals and haven't been able to see because of large crowds. I have been able to move the lens barrel down and hold the camera up in the air and still get my shot even when I can't see it myself.

I love the color of the pictures. I love the simplicity of my camera and the complexity if I choose, and I especially love how I can take pictures at night.

I have recommended this camera to every one I know. I have not been disappointed with it and I haven't missed using a 35mm camera. I don't plan on looking for any other camera for a long time.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Very Best
Review: this camera is very good. a best type of it's category

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Short and Simple
Review: Look just to sum it all up for you, short and simple, If you are into just taking alot of pictures for fun, this is a great SONY product. I had it now for a few months, and taken plenty of photos. The options are simple, and very strait forward. I am quite happy with what it is giving me. I got the filters for the lens and it helps a little. But it is realy heavy (heavier than anything I had before), but well worth it. It could be a drag to take on trips ( I don't mind). I haven't tried alot of digital cameras before, but this one has changed my mind, I will never go back to a regular camera ever again.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: nice camera, would recommend
Review: I purchased this camera not too long after it became available on the market, so have it about a year. I made some 3500 images with it, and generally I'm pretty satisfied with it.
There are situations which F717 handles nicely; there are moments where it lacks...

The lens is generally excellent, the design and built quality very good, battery life excellent-plus. The camera is fairly light, and ergonomically well thought out. You can read very detailed F717 reviews around the web, so I will not bother with describing the features. If you want good quality images without much effort on your side, usable for screen display, web or medium size printing up to some 8.5x11", and for very reasonable price, buy it. If you expect more then this, get either one of more sophisticated (and much pricier), high-quality digital SLR's, or stick with film, preferably medium format or bigger.

I bough F717 with high expectation, and while I still like it, it's not a camera which could compete with anything except 35mm film-based SLR's (I don't think any consumer or semi-pro digital camera really can anyway). I use it as documentary tool where it really excels due to instant results, but for more serious work I returned to film shooting. As the main result of f717 purchase, I almost abandoned 35mm film format, but work with MF/LF instead.

Finally, I don't regret buying F717. Would I buy it again? Yes, I would; particularly at current discounted market price. I'm not planning to purchase new F828, since F717 most likely offers very close to what new model has to offer. Few pixels here and there won't make any significant difference.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: So long film SLR
Review: After having an old film SLR for years (won't say how many), I resisted going digital. When I finally decided it was time (new baby) I thought I would have to go with a digital SLR. A friend loaned me the DSCF717, and I was relieved to see that the quality was as good as I was used to with film, even on the 8x10+ enlargements we do of baby portraits. The real plus is that my husband is able to use this when set to auto. (He never mastered the controls of our old Nikon.)
You can add on lens accessories to expand capabilities, and the price is so far below entry digital SLR's that you can really afford to splurge on those goodies. (Especially extra memory, battery and car charger.)
Many reviews mention the awkward size, but I have not found it to be a bother at all. I hardly ever took the zoom off my old camera, so this feels normal to me.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Perfect for the computer games artist
Review: I am a semi professional digital photographer. Although my experience in digital cameras is not terribly great, yet, I needed something which would give me a lot possibilities as my abilities grew.

Working with computer games development I need this camera to take high resolution shots for textures, as well as provide me with movie clips for rotoscoping when animating.

I absolutely love this camera. I keep finding new and useful features, and I imagine that will continue for quite a while. The battery is almost impossible to run down, so it is perfect for gathering reference materials on longer outings. The lens is top notch and gives you picture quality second to none in this price range.

Five stars from me for a product without any things to really bother you.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Beautiful little (or is that BIG?) camera
Review: Well, I must admit that one of the main reasons I bought this camera to begin with was its cools looks, in addition to the sturdy feel and build of it. (We call it "Big Papa.") Beyond that, it has proven itself to be quite a nice camera with plenty of features and excellent quality shots. The hologram lasers that shoot out to ensure proper focus are also a hit when showing it off to people.

My only real complaints are that the size and shape occasionally becomes annoying, and the auto-focus is off more frequently than my two-year-old, three-megapixel camera. That bugs at times, so take multiple shots when you can.

Overall: highly recommended.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A Good Camera Waiting to be Great
Review: Altough I had the opportunity to buy this camera's Big Brother, the DSC828 for just $100 more, I went with this tried and true classic and I haven't been sorry. Virtually all reports place this camera in the top 10% in terms of image quality and it has generally lived up to its billing. Saying that, I have a few points that I think are worth bearing in mind.

1) Sony continues to do an injustice to its customers by continuing to put low-capacity memory sticks in its high-end digital cameras. If you buy this camera, you will need to budget another $75+ for more memory after spending $700+ on a camera. Shame on you Sony.

2) If you are using the Automatic mode, you simply MUST HAVE an external Flash. This, or any digital camera, will give poor results in low-light conditions. The built-in flash is far too harsh for all practical purposes. Consider Sony's own model, the Sunpak 383 or any flash that can be tipped to bounce off the ceiling. The improvement in the quality of your shots by using an external flash will stun you.

3) If you are used to working a Camcorder, you will be underwhelmed by a 5X zoom, altough it is not bad by industry standards. Spending $200 for Sony's add-on tele lens to power it to 10X seems like overkill.

In short, this is a four-star camera out of the box. It takes $200-$400 in extra gizmos to bring it close to the 5-star level.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This camera rocks!!!
Review: The first thing people say when they see my camera is that it's so big. They ask lots of questions - is it an SLR, what is the zoom (optical v/s digital).

Then, when they see the results this awesome camera produces - excellent pictures with awesome color and wonderful resolution - they are just floored.

I have shot at least 10 times more pictures than I usually shoot with a film-camera 'cause once you splurge the $625 for this camera, you're not paying another dime more. Buy this and thank me for the rest of your life. Sony really knows how to keep their customers happy with easy-to-use, well thought-out products. I love my new toy!!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great camera, despite being a bit pricey
Review: Had this camera for several months and I still love it. It takes great pictures and has many useful features (once I figured them all out). Due to the low video resolution, I have not found the video mode to be very useful. Its a camera, not a video camera, so I dont see that as a negative. Printed pictures look wonderful, even when printed at larger sizes.


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