Sony DSC-F828

[shilala]

Anyone know anything about the next generation of the DSC-F828?
I've been waiting for a year and a half for the next model. I'm running the DSC-F707 right now. I absolutely love it, but I'm feelin a new camera.

 

[spacejamz]

I think this camera has been out almost a year...now

I am in the same boat you are...love my 707 except for its' size...all the accessories (batteries, external flash, memory stick, etc) will fit on the 828...

seen at low as $700 before (at a reputable retail store)...

 

[BaboonGuy]

Check out the Panasonic FZ-20. It's got an incredible lens on it.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Yeah, it's called the Canon EOS-350D/Rebel XT 😛

Canon Says You Can!

 

[Koing]

Conclusion - Pros

* Eight megapixel sensor delivers a clear resolution increase over five megapixel
* New RGBE four color CCD delivers more pleasing color balance than DSC-F717 it replaces
* Big and very fast seven times optical zoom lens which starts at a wide 28 mm
* Excellent mechanically linked zoom ring
* Fast operation, very fast startup, auto focus and short shutter release lag
* Impressive file write performance (over 2 MB/sec with a good card)
* Availability of image parameter adjustment, although not enough latitude
* Focus-by-wire manual focus ring works quite well
* Major camera controls on exterior of camera
* Backlit status LCD
* Superb movie recording capability, 640x480 @ 30 fps, but still not MPEG-4
* Program AE has "program shift"
* Histogram display in live view, record review and playback
* RAW file format (although oversized and locks camera while writing)
* RAW conversion software has plenty of flexibility but is slow to use
* High resolution EVF (can switch to night framing in low light)
* Range of accessories increasing
* Advanced hot-shoe supports features of HVL-F32X flash unit
* Fast camera to computer transfers thanks to USB 2.0
* Excellent battery life


Conclusion - Cons

* Strong visible chromatic aberrations in backlit or reflections in bright sunny conditions
* Higher noise levels than the current crop of five megapixel digital cameras
* Potential hue shift on overexposed greens
* Visible sharpening 'white halo' around black lines
* Barrel distortion at wide angle (although expected of such a wide angle DC lens)
* Difficult to get good macro performance without barrel distortion
* Annoying shutter release locking issue where you must wait before re-pressing
* Would have been nice to have Adobe RGB color space option
* Average buffer size, not used for RAW or TIFF images which lock the camera during write
* No user settings / memories
* No blinking highlights in histogram playback mode
* Unrequired separate play mode, should have shooting priority full play mode via QV button
* Very small photosite compromising image quality (marketing over quality)?

However after going back through the advantages the camera offers, the extra resolution, the ability to produce very good images with a little experience, the flexibility of the lens (wide angle, reach, fast maximum aperture, mechanical zoom), the improved build quality and feature set the DSC-F828 just scraped through to a Recommended rating. (That said I am still on the edge of an 'Above Average' rating).

All the 8MP cameras some are not as great the best of the 5MP for images for out right image quality due to the small pixel size.

The CA you won't notice much imo on your every day shooting. I have read some pro users also use it inconjunction with their DSLR.

The build quality is second to none and the 'mechanically' linked zoom is fantastic.

It is either this or a D70 which you WILL have to spend a considerable amount to get a lense as good as the 7x on the F828 and it will be quite some bit darker. I can attest to the fact that the D70 kit lense is good but the F value just doesn't do as well compared to even the V1. BUT you could spend money and get a better lense and it would SOLVE that problem. BUT the expense is more. A fixed line is good but you won't have the flexibility of a zoom. A zoom lense with a low F value is PRICEY.

Koing