Sony DSC-F828 8MP Digital Camera with 7x Optical Zoom

I don't own this camera - the rating is based on a photo I just saw on-line that was so astounding I had to check the EXIF data to see what camera was used. I was surprised to see how inexpensive the camera is -- so even though I'm not in the market for this camera, I am so impressed with what it can do -- in the right hands -- I had to post a link here so people could see for themselves. It is posted on Google's Panoramio: http://www.panoramio.com/photos/original/14717166.jpg

I have had an F828 for 4 years now and I still LOVE THE CAMERA !!!! I currently also own a Nikon D2X and a Nikon D300. They are also both great cameras but each camera has it's pros and cons.......

As for the DSCF828, a Nikon 28-200mm Zoom (f2.0 to f2.8) lens ALONE would cost more than a whole F828. And with the F828 I never get the dreaded "sensor dust" that you get with every interchangeble lens DSLR since the F828's lens is not replaceable.

The DSCF8's pictures are every bit as good as the Nikon's (and sometimes the color is better) although they may be a few megapixels smaller (but that never bothered me).

Yes, there is a problem with ISO and noise in the F828, but I have learned to live with that. If I'm going to shoot at any Hi ISO I wont be using the DSCF828 anyway, or I will use the flash.

But my VERY FAVORITE feature of the F828 is the swiveling Lens which has led to many more creative shots than I've gotten with my Nikon's. Nikons "Live View" on the D300 cant touch it.

So, in summary, each of these cameras has a place in my bag. I LOVE them all and would never give up the F828.
I will always have one.

This camera was such a big disappointment, I am so frustrated with it.

I have had this camera for over 3 years, and I just hate it. The lens and the sensor size don't allow you to do much.

I had the Sony DSC-F717 before the 828. I loved the 717 at the time, but I dropped the 717, and though that I would go with the 828 as an upgrade to the 717.

The 828 is not an upgrade at all, sure it has more pixels, but the picture quality is not as good and I have a ton of problems with purple fringing in my photos.

I have shot over 10,000 pictures with the 828 and and over 10,000 with the 717. It is my opinion that the 717 was a better camera, even at only 5.1MP than the 828 is at 8MP.

One thing that drives me nuts on this camera is the fixed lens. It is an average middle range lens. It doesn't do wide angle, and it doesn't really zoom, so its not much good.

Don;t waste your money on the 828, especially today where there are so many other better cameras out there. Go with a Digital SLR.

...and I upgraded to the Sony R1 when that came out. While the R1 have me better image quality, I always miss the F828. I still do. As I look for my next camera, planning to a dslr, I still pine for a perfect version of an F828. Basically that would be a larger info chip to make the image noise not so much an issue. And, yeah, upgraded MP would be nice. What I love about the F828 is its flexibility. Versatility. It's macro function is amazing. That's probably what I missed the most going to the R1 (I kept the F828 with me on certain shoots just to give me the option to move in closer). It is just an easy camera to get comfortable with. Very light weight. Swivel screen is great. Great performance with image quality that quickly deteriorates as soon as you push it.

I bought the Sony f828 second hand 2 months ago for SGD$650, which is about USD$430ish. I fell in love with it the first time I held it when it first came out, but it was way too expensive. Now it is mine!

The f828 has come down in price, yet it remains very competitive in terms of appearance, features and results.

All this previous brouhaha about "purple fringing" and "excessive graininess" was, in technical jargon, a load of bulldust.

Perhaps one of the reasons people had criticisms about it was it's high price. If it had been originally priced 35% cheaper, in line with it's other prosumer contemporaries, maybe it would have fared better reviewise. But then again, Sony has always priced itself higher than other brands.

Back to the present though. I've taken about 150 shots and I find it is an immensely versatile camera.

It takes two types of memory cards (I have a 1GB Compact Flash and 2 GB Sony Mem Stick Duo primed and loaded), it has a gorgeous lens which focuses mega fast and has a very useful zoom range from wide angle 28mm to 200mm. This is far more versatile than the f828 replacement, the R1. In addition, I love having shutter speed control, manual zoom and focus, manual flash and tilting the handgrip so you dont have to hold the LCD screen near your eyes like a dork.

The photos arent bad either. Sony has always had excellent colour and this is no different. I admit that it is not as perfect as a dSLR (I had a Canon 350d prior to this. Pic quality was awesome) but since i rarely print photos, this is not an issue. I usually store pics on computer, burning them onto VCD as backup. If I want to share, I post them online. A lot more "modern" people do that than people realise. Not everyone wants to print hundreds of photos which are the size of an A4 sheet of paper.

Are there any gripes?

A larger LCD screen might be nicer, though I really have no problems with the 1.8 inch one provided. Current digi cameras all have 2.5 inch though.

As one reviewer mentioned, it does get a bit heavy if you carry it around for hours on end.

The instruction manual could use some improvement. There were a couple of times it would say something like "press the blah blah button to use the blah blah feature" without actually specifying where the button was, or how to find the controls for the feature.

But overall I like the f828. At it's current second hand price, there is no digi camera which has it's features, and you have to pay a lot more to get superior features plus picture quality. The Panasonic FZ-50 has double the zoom range, but no wide angle and some people still think it has issues with grain. A dSLR with a useable 28-200mm lens costs triple or quadruple the price. (eg a Nikon dSLR with a Nikon 28-200mm lens)

I hope some people find my opinion of some use :) Cheers!