Sony CyberShot DSC-F707 Review

Overall Rating

Spectacular resolution and images High quality construction. Battery life is best in its class - lasts for hours. Infared and Laser targeting for dark subjects. Easy to use exposure controls.

Physically Large and weird looking. Some ergonomic problems. No color saturation control. No dedicated "Delete" button. Uses memory stick.

I researched the Sony DCS F707 digital camera and its competition for several months prior to making the purchase. Its pictures are sharp and colorful and I am very satisfied with the camera. However, it is not perfect and won't suit everyone's taste. The reds are highly saturated and the greens are a bit yellow. Pictures tend to look a bit like postcards (which I prefer). It's permanently attached zoom lens makes the camera unwieldy. Both hands are required to operate the camera. The zoom control's rocker switch placed in an awkward location and feels as though the switch is reversed and there is a tendency to hold the camera so as to prevent the hidden automatic flash attachment from deploying. The camera uses Sony memory stick media. It works well, but Sony has failed on its promise to deliver memory sticks that hold more than 128 MB, which seems inexcusable in the age of Microdrives. Sony only supplies a 16 MB stick with the camera, so be prepared to buy a 128 MB card immediately. I highly recommend a digital wallet to get around the memory problem (and a good camera bag to carry all your large accessories).

Those are the annoyances, but they are just that. Not problems. Here is the good: the camera takes pictures that look better than life and truly rival 35mm quality. It has movie clip capability with sound. It's battery life is unsurpassed. It can be left on for HOURS. The camera has infared capability and can take pictures in total darkness. It also has a nifty laser that allows the camera to autofocus for flash pictures in dark conditions. The camera acepts standard 58mm screw on attachments. The camera body rotates away from the lens. Although it requires two hands to operate, this feature makes the camera very comfortable to hold and allows the user to take low-level shots without kneeling. The menus are easy to operate and apart from the zoom, the buttons are intuitively placed. The LCDs on the camera and in the viewfinder (like a camcorder) are very high quality.

Members' Comments onF707 Owner.'s Review

• nostress. on 2nd Aug 2002

  FOUND YOUR REVIEW VERY HELPFUL. GOOD JOB AND THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO HELP OTHER PEOPLE. I AM A NIKON FA SHOOTER TRYING TO DECIDE ON A DIGITAL CAMERA.