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

Accurately realistic photos are captured using this digital camera that has a 5.0 effective CCD and 5.2 gross pixel count. The included 16MB Memory Stick« media stores your shots that can be easily downloaded using the USB interface. A Carl ZeissM-^Y Vario Sonnar lens with 5x Optical/10x Digital zoom captures the essence of each shot with clarity and precision accuracy. For consistently great shots even in low or no light conditions try using the built-in NightFinderM-^Y system.

• Amazon Sales Rank: #23490 in Camera & Photo
• Size: SLR Size
• Brand: Sony
• Model: DSC-F707
• Dimensions: 2.70" h x 4.90" w x 6.40" l, 1.30 pounds
• Memory: 32MB
• Display size: 1.8

It takes two hands to hold Sony's new DSC-F717, which you'll need to use all the many features packed into this digital camera. The F717 captures images at up to 5.2-megapixel resolution--2,560 by 1,920 pixels--which allows for prints of 11 by 14 inches or even greater.

Images are crisp, colorful, and deep with detail. With USB 2.0 support, transfers to the PC zipped by and can be set to dispatch automatically. The large, autofocus Carl Zeiss lens zooms optically at 5x, with another 2x in digital mode. Atop the lens, the automatic flash pops open when needed. It also performs preflash metering and corrects the amount of light sent to create shots with the best possible exposure.

This aids the NightFraming mode, which incorporates the camera's NightShot infrared technology, and can help with taking optimal shots in low-light or no-light situations. If you've never used an infrared viewer before, you'll be impressed by the additional photo opportunities it provides, like snapping shots of teenagers stealing your jack-o'-lanterns and catching them orange-handed.

NightShot can also be used with the camera's movie-capturing mode. The audiovisual movies can be played back full screen with the HQX mode; we played our movie at 1,280 x 1,024 and could only find minor pixilation around the edges.

Video size is limited only by the capacity of the Sony Memory Stick inside the camera. The F717 ships with a 32 MB stick, so an upgrade to a larger size is recommended. It comes with a shoulder strap, but we also recommend buying a case to protect your investment. Not a camera for beginners, the F717 does everything you'd expect from a high-end digital camera. --J. Curtis

Pros:

• 5-megapixel resolution with 5x optical zoom
• NightShot infrared mode is quite handy
• Multiple modes, including movies with audio

Cons:

• Not compact

Combining point-and-shoot convenience with a host of manual photographic controls, the Sony DSC-F717 can help expand your creative palette for better photographic results. Armed with high-quality Carl Zeiss optics, ISO sensitivities of 100 to 800, and shutter speeds of up to 1/2,000 in auto mode, the DSC-F717 produces stellar results, even in the most demanding shooting situations. The DSC-F717 is an update to Sony's popular DSC-F707, featuring a number of additions and improvements, including a new manual focus and manual zoom ring, hot shoe for external flash units, USB 2.0 support, and improved startup and shot-to-shot speed.

Step-up Value
Here's a Sony feature that adds value to this digital camera and differentiates it from other models in the Sony lineup.

Hologram Autofocus (AF):Projecting a Class 1 laser patter, Hologram AF reads the contrast between the pattern's edge and the subject for precise focus, even in low- or no-light conditions.

Optics and Resolution
The Sony DSC-F717 features a Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar lens with 5x optical and 2x digital zoom (for a 10x total), an f2.0 maximum aperture, and a focal range of 9.7-48.5mm (equivalent to 38-190mm). It contains a 5-megapixel (effective) Super HAD CCD, or 5.2 million gross pixels.

More Features
The DSC-F717 uses Sony's NightShot technology, the same feature seen on Sony's camcorders, which uses infrared illumination and an infrared filter to take photos in complete darkness. The NightFraming system provides infrared light as a composition assist, and utilizes hologram autofocusing and preflash exposure metering for consistently great shots, even in low- or no-light conditions.

Picture quality is enhanced with clear-color noise reduction, which reduces color noise, and slow-shutter noise reduction, which captures and subtracts CCD noise from long exposures.

Other features include:

• Swivel lens to capture photos in even the most challenging situations
• Eye-level through-the-lens (TTL) 180 KB pixel LCD viewfinder and 1.8-inch, 123 KB pixel LCD display
• Through-the-lens (TTL) preflash metering and red-eye reduction, hot shoe and Acc terminal for HVL-F1000
• Twilight, portrait, and landscape scene autoexposure
• Multipattern measuring exposure system
• 46-step shutter priority (30 sec to 1/1,000 sec)
• 13-step aperture priority (f2.0 to f8.0)
• Full manual exposure
• High-speed scan autofocus
• Manual focus ring with LCD magnifier

Movie Mode
In movie mode, the DSC-F717 produces color digital videos in multiple creative formats, including 320 x 240 (high quality), 320 x 240 (normal), and 160 x 112. You can fill up the Memory Stick with digital video, even with the new high-quality mode (which was limited to 15 seconds on the DSC-F707). Another movielike feature is called ClipMotion, which will take 10 images and put them into an animated GIF.

Storage and Transfer
Images are stored on Memory Sticks, Sony's proprietary memory card format. The included 32 MB stick holds approximately 23 images at the camera's standard 5-megapixel setting (2,560 x 1,920 pixels). Memory Sticks are reusable, but if you tend to take more than 23 images per outing, then you'll want a bigger card. A 128 MB stick is a great size for this camera, storing around 70 images.

Power, Size, and Content
The DSC-F717 uses a proprietary rechargeable InfoLithium battery (model FM50), which should provide 3.5 hours of use per charge (Sony estimate). The camera measures 4.75 by 2.75 by 6 inches and weighs 24 ounces with battery and Memory Stick. This package includes the DSC-F717 digital camera, InfoLithium NP-FM50 rechargeable battery, AC adaptor, AV output and USB cables, shoulder strap, lens cap, 32 MB Memory Stick, printed manual, and CD-ROM featuring Pixela ImageMixer and drivers for Windows and Mac.

What a machine!
My wife finally let me upgrade from my 707, so now we have one 717 and one 707 and go out shooting at least once a week. I love this camera, it is almost everything I hoped for as an upgrade from the 707.

It is much faster than the 707, though still weak with action shots. You can nail predictable events like a bird in flight, but when wild dolphins come up to your sailboat, expect to miss two out of three shots. If you do need to shoot action, hit menu and one of the record modes is "burst 3" three rapid shots one after another, you might get lucky that way.

The "A" and "S" and settings to enhance depth of field and shutter speed do not seem to give good results. Likewise, The new scene selections (twilight, landscape and portrait) seem limited, though I have had some fun with portrait when I am dealing with a messy background. However, for best results, I just leave it on the green camera icon, that seems to perform the best. One BIG problem though, the camera is only two months old and all the markings have worn off the mode dial making it hard to set up in a hurry, shame on Sony for that!

The 717 shoots well in intense light situations, the beach at 1 PM is no problem, except that the light is harsh, if you are going to shoot in snow or at the beach, think about getting the lens hood and ND filter accessories.

We dropped $500.00 or so on the Sony wide angle lens, that was a mistake, it weighs so much it appears to hurt the camera and like all wide angles, eats light. On the bright side, there is less distortion than I have ever seen in a WA.

The 717 doesn't handle subtle transparent sky light, a muted sunset, or rainbow can be lost. I still haven't scored a double rainbow with a digital, I can see both, the cameras can only see one of them.

They have moved some of the control buttons from the 707 positions; moving zoom was a mistake, it really is better to have the zoom control as the farthest out control on the lens so you can find it without taking your eyes off your subject. On the plus side the focus switch is in a deeper indent, this keeps you from switching into manual mode accidentally.

The auto popup flash is really noisy and vigorous and it has caused me to miss a few shots as it slams into place. Red eye reduction as usual doesn't work so well, but that is why God invented photoshop.

Moving to some of the really positive features:
The macro mode for closeups is a marvel. I need to do some tripod scientific tests, but it seems like the 707 out performs the 717 in macro. But we are still nailing great closeups of dew on flowers and the like and the 717's speed lets you freeze a bee on a flower or a hummingbird.

The way it handles light on water is just spectacular. It can also handle shooting the sky through trees and similar shots that confound simple cameras.

Like the 707, the combination of movable lens and ability to work with finder or lcd screen really gives you flexability when shooting things taller than you are. I got a "Senators Only" parking sign on Parliament Hill Ottawa that was about 8' up by holding the camera above my head and aiming through the lcd. I was trying to get a shot of a wierd bug face to face the other day so I laid the lens on the floor, and turned the finder screen to face me. Love it!

The range of the zoom is all you can ask of a single lens, yes you do lose a bit of resolution at full digital zoom, but it can still nail a seaplane landing in Vancouver harbor and has enough pixels left to print a nice 8.5 x 11.

It interfaces with both my Mac 10.2 and Windows XP Pro with no problem in either case. The XP software is actually a bit more efficient than iPhoto.

I will close with some final tips:
My wife got me this little nylon Ex Officio bag to tie to the strap. That is a much more efficient in an active shoot than the memory stick wallet.

If the subject moves, as soon as you start framing, teach yourself to push the shutter button half way down, that cuts a lot of the delay out of a shot.

Don't buy a memory stick less than 128M, I think my wife's 707 came with a 16M, now *that* is funny.

If you have never tried one of these web based photo storage and printers like Amazon.com's photo services or Image station, they are great for situations like shooting a family reunion. Just send the URL to everyone and they can order all the prints they want. Remember the days of looking for the negative with picture 5 on roll 9? I love my 717 and I am never going back to film.

A camera worth writing about.
I have now used the camera for a whole of 3 months and have shot close to 1000 pictures and have bought 3 books on photography and digital photography. I had previously bought a DSC-F707 and lost it. I did not have any hesitation in picking up the successor to the DSC-F707 again!

Not having been an interested photographer in the past, I think that the above fact speaks volumes for how good the camera is and how cost effective it is over film (this is true for most digital cameras) and how interested it can get you to start photographing. I can vouch for this fact because, a friend who picked up another one of these beauties is doing pretty much the same.

This camera has an effective 5 Meg pixels and knows how to use them. The pictures are absolutely razor sharp. This does not mean that you cannot take soft portrait. With a lot of manual settings at your disposal you can get the picture just the way you want it.

Now, the lens. Oh! What a lens. This is a lens which if various reviews and friends whose hobby is photography are to be believed would cost atleast 2 to 3 grand to get film SLR equivalents. Think about it! You get an aperture of 2.0 at a 5x zoom at full wide angle. That is a really fast lens. To go with it does extremely well in low light conditions as well! The auto focus is not the fastest but for most shots you do not even notice it.

Now the controls, full aperture control (from f/2 to f/8) and full shutter control from 1/1000 (1/2000 in programmed AE mode)sec to 30 secs gives you enough freedom to capture the most unusual shots! White balance options are adequate, you get to choose between 5 auto, sunny, cloudy, incandescent, fluoroscent. If none of these are close enough, you have a one-touch white balance. But this requires that you have a white object exposed to the same light that the object you want to photograph is exposed to. Not always feasible for landscapes in tricky light conditions or for people and portraits outside or in mixed lighting. Even though to be fair, the auto does a pretty good job of calculating white balance. Auto Exposure Lock and a choice of 3 metering modes allow you to adjust exposure to any part of the photo and shoot images with consistent exposure plus the option to choose the focusing segment makes it very versatile. This is very important if you want to stitch landscapes together. Also, you have the option of either manually focussing if need be. Pretty good versatility.

Other good stuff: Flash is really very good, night shot framing is very handy, battery performance, the histogram for live and review of shots, etc.,

Strengths:
1) Carl Ziess lens.
2) 5 meg pixels.
3) Low light photography.
4) Price - Performance ratio.
5) Flash
6) Battery life and info
7) Level of manual controls
8) Great tripod mount positioning
9) Histogram that shows exposure graphically while live or on review.
10) Compatibility with Memory stick pro media. (Upto 1G size).

Weaknesses:
1) Price of the memory sticks in comparison to other digital media.
2) In camera battery charging
3) Bundled software

The best of all possible worlds...
Having been an owner of the Sony F505V, the upgrade to the F717 was a natural progression.

As one gets more aquainted with digital photography, one will certainly come to appreciate MORE megapixels! I've been eyeing a 14mp camera, but it's [price] ... so, the Sony is far better suited to my preferred "sensible" price:value ratio.

I started life as a true-blue "film" photographer. I tried a first generation digital camera (it was much less than 1 mp), and although it was fun... it just wasn't ready for prime time. Later, I jumped for the Kodak DC 120 (1mp)... this was a far better camera, but not so good for real photography work. Then, came the Sony F505V (3.3MP)... it was true love! However, as my own appreciation for the digital medium grew, I soon found that it was not quite suitable for the photo purist that I had been. Then, came the F717!!!

The F717 is the most film-like of any digital I've ever used. The features are many... but being Sony, the costs tend to be high. One can take complete control over exposure, time, or let the camera maximize things for you automatically. One fun feature is the ability to play back a slide show to a TV/VCR (with the supplied cable)...this is particularly nifty when shooting family gatherings! :-)

The pivot body style makes it far more versatile than comperable competitor cameras (quite suitable for getting MORE angles on a subject).

Battery life is great, picture quality is outstanding, the additional modes for night and special FX make it even better. Rumor has it that if one purchases/locates an appropriate infrared filter and uses the "night shot" during the day, that one can get a slight x-ray effect in the photos. I have yet to try this, but I'm intrigued by the possibilty.

The shape itself can be a burden if one looks to store it in a traditional camera bag (might as well break down and get one of the Sony bags!)

The ONLY real drawback that I've experienced with the camera is that one will want at LEAST 128mb memory sticks to use with this camera (it comes with a 32mb, which is a joke). The Lexar memory sticks tend to be more cost effective, but if you're out and about and decide to do video (yes, it does decent video too...although it is NOT a video camera)... doing video will fill up your precious memory sticks REALLY fast! Sony has since announced a 1gb memory stick, but the current price is close to the cost of the camera... Sorry, I'll just buy more 128mb Lexar's until the price comes down! :)

Although I'm a big fan of Nikon, Olympus and such in the film world, Sony rules the day in the 5mp digital world.

Would I buy again? In a heart beat!

PS- Don't look for any real "support" from Sony. Do a Google search and find some newsgroups/user groups out there. However, the lack of support is not a Sony exclusive, and it does seem to be the nature of the marketplace (seems everyone has had to make budget cuts..."support" is just another victim).