Dark Angel that shines at night
A digital camera that's out to catch the serious photographer
S o n y DSC - F828
Sony calls this latest prosumer Cybershot camera 'Dark Angel'. One look at it and you will know why. Sony's digital cameras have always sold well with consumers, but they have never gained wide acceptance among professional photographers and serious amateurs. Sony's newest digital camera may be a step in the right direction, and will go a long way towards converting sceptics into believers.
Features: Clothed in a black, magnesium alloy body, the Sony DSC-F828 is the first to incorporate Sony's recently announced four-colour filter CCD technology and real imaging processor.
Like its predecessor, the DSC-F717, this latest incarnation uses the 'L' body shape. The all-glass optical zoom swivels up 70 degrees or down 30 degrees, making it possible to take ultra-tight macro shots, or serve as a waist-level or overhead finder.
The camera predictably employs the world-famous Carl Zeiss zoom lens. However, this time it is a Carl Zeiss 'Tee Star' 7X optical zoom that covers a focal length range from 28mm to 200mm and has both a manual zoom and focus ring on the lens barrel. 'Tee Star' features an advanced multi-layer anti-reflective lens coating formula applied to each lens element to eliminate ghosting, cut internal reflections, reduce flare, increase contrast, improve colour accuracy and ensure maximum sharpness.
Before the DSC-F828, this brand of coating was usually seen on medium format Hasselblad and Rollei optics.
The DSC-F828 is also the first prosumer digital camera to employ an eight-megapixel CCD, and the first Cybershot to offer a RAW image mode.
In another first for a Cybershot camera, the DSC-F828 is equipped with a CompactFlash Type II card slot in addition to the Memory Stick Pro card slot. This means that users do not have to buy Memory Stick Pro media, and can now store their images on a wide range of high-capacity and reasonably priced media from IBM/Hitachi Microdrives to CF Type I or II memory cards.
The camera includes a 'night framing' mode that captures crisp images in low or no light by illuminating the subject with the Night Shot system for proper framing, focusing with the Hologram AF illuminator and lighting the scene with the appropriate amount of flash.
For all its firsts, DSC-F828's images show slightly above average noise levels, especially noticeable at higher ISO settings. At ISO 400 and above, the images look slightly muddy. Also, considering its super-fast AF, virtually non-existent shutter lag and 7X Carl Zeiss zoom, it is odd Sony did not include a dedicated sports/action scene mode.
Bottom line: At a suggested retail pricing of $8,390, the DSC-F828 is not for the technologically faint of heart or the casual photographer. It is a serious camera, and could end up being the long-sought Holy Grail for wedding and portrait photographers, part-time professionals, sports shooters and serious amateurs.
The camera shows that Sony has been listening to consumers, and the result is a prosumer digital with genuinely professional capabilities.
Pros: eight megapixels, 7X Carl Zeiss zoom, dual memory card slots, super-fast AF
Cons: No ISO 50 sensitivity setting, higher than average noise levels
