The main reason I decided to buy a digital photo frame is because printing out photos from my Sony DSC-H5 on an Epson PictureMate to share with the family got pretty tiresome. Sure, the prints looked good, but printing them took a long time, they cost about 35 cents apiece and some of the older relatives couldn't see them very well. I figured a digital photo frame would improve the whole process. My requirements were simple: the frame must have very high resolution, be small and lightweight (for packing in a carry-on suitcase), and accept images via a Memory Stick and also via a standard USB interface (which many, I found, do not).
The Sony DPF-D810 meets all of my requirements with flying colors. The 800-by-600-pixel 8-inch-diagonal display is clear, crisp, bright and saturated. Photos display instantly, either singly, until you manually advance them, or in a slideshow with your choice of 10 time intervals from three seconds to 24 hours and with your choice of six transition effects. You can show the full image or crop it to fit the screen. If the aspect ratio of the picture is wider than 4:3, thin black bars appear at the top and bottom of the screen--the image itself is undistorted. You can display image information such as the time and date taken, camera type, shutter speed and aperture, EV compensation and more. The unit will show photos directly from an SD memory card, Memory Stick Duo or USB flash drive, or you can copy them to the internal memory, which holds about 150 high-resolution images. A mini-USB connector lets you transfer photos directly from your computer. You can choose from 14 different full-screen clock and calendar displays, or integrate a clock and/or calendar with six of the 10 different slideshow display options. Thus you can place this frame on a desk or mantel and run it all the time as a useful item of room decor. You can even choose whether or not to display the bright "Sony" logo on the lower part of the frame. All in all, this is a very impressive device that should satisfy the most demanding user. Plus, it is small (roughly 9 inches by 7 inches by 1 inch) and lightweight (less than 1-1/2 pounds, including the AC transformer and the remote control).
Speaking of which, the remote control is a great bonus. When I first set up the DPF-D810, I found it difficult to see the on-screen menus while manipulating tiny buttons with minuscule labels on the back of the unit. Then I used the remote. What a difference! You can access all of the frame's well-designed and logically arranged setup and functional menus with ease. Not all frames in this price category offer remotes. I didn't care about it when I selected this frame, but now I wouldn't be without it.
Even though I wanted a digital photo frame for just one simple purpose, I was pleased to find that this one far exceeded my expectations and offered much more than I needed for a reasonable price. If you're considering taking the next logical evolutionary step in digital photography by displaying your pictures on a photo frame rather than printing them, I highly recommend you consider the Sony DPF-D810.
