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

by Sony

Product Details

Product Manual [5.05mb PDF]

• Item Weight: 2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 5 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B0000C8817
• Item model number: DSCF828
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (102 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,480 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: November 14, 2003

Product Description

It is Powered by InfoLithium M battery (included with AC adapter/in-camera charger).It stores images on either Sony Memory Stick media or Microdrive.It Captures images in both raw and TIFF modes; MPEG movie; advanced accessory shoe.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

205 of 215 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars DSC-F828 Good or Bad ?, January 19, 2004

By 

MERTMAG "mertmag" (Visalia, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sony DSC-F828 8MP Digital Camera with 7x Optical Zoom (Electronics)

I have seen the reports of purple fringing and noise. Here is what I've found. At high ISO settings (above 200) there is alot of noise (big suprise). I usally use the program mode and keep the ISO at 64 and my photos look great.

I have not had the problem with purple fringing. I have tried and tried but I can't reproduce the problem.

Is it as good as a $3,000.00 digital SLR? No, even though that's what it is constantly compaired to. The digital SLR that comes close in price is the EOS Digital Rebel. But by the time you buy a couple of lenses you are in the $1,500.00 range, that's 50% more and no you can't take a short video with the EOS. And the DSC-F828 color reproduction is better than the Canon.

Is it better that other cameras in it's class? YES! I had a Fuji S7000 and had to return it, the photo quality and focusing problems were horrible. If you want to see purple fringing and noise look at a Fuji S7000 photo!

The DSC-F828 takes crisp clear photos under all lighting conditions. It's Auto-focus is super fast and accurate. The camera body is solid. The lens has great range and the macro works great. The camera is EASY to use. You can use the infrared setting to take pictures in the dark without flash (yes they have noise) Or you can use the night framing to take a normal flash photo in the dark and they look great.

Why 4 stars and not 5? The only drawback is that there is no black&white setting. I like to see what a photo is going to look like in black & white when I'm shooting. And the tech support is weak. I emailed tech support to see if they are going to do a firmware update and suggested a b&w setting. I like to use an IR72 infrared filter. And they gave me a lame response. "We aren't going to add new chips to the camera." Tech support should know the difference between software and hardware.

If your going to freak out about a little noise or you want to blow-up a photo to a poster size you can use Neat Image to remove any noise, and it's free for non-commercial use.

106 of 112 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is one of the best non-PRO cameras!, January 2, 2004

By 

Max J. Pucher (Zug Switzerland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sony DSC-F828 8MP Digital Camera with 7x Optical Zoom (Electronics)

The Sony F828 is an outstanding product for its price/quality/capability relationship. I have used all kinds of professional and semi-professional digital cameras over the years. Go ahead and compare it to a product 5 times its price and it will obviously come short. It does not replace a professional product, but for an ambitious amateur photographer and computer expert like me, who knows how to deal with the intricacies of a digital image, this is as good as it gets.

The camera is solid, easy to use, identical in operation to all Sonys and works like an normal SLR. The image quality is outstanding, when you know how to use it and where the limits of CCD capturing are. If you have to work a lot in very low light conditions there is no substitute for highly sensitive film material.

I flash everything and while the in-built flash is good, I would recommend to buy the HVL-F32X which is an excellent product and add-on. Learn to use the flash in every situation, even in bright sunlight to add clarity and to brighten the foreground against the background glare. I have used the flash for macro-photography and being able to shot with a hundred different camera and flash settings and then immediately check the outcome on my notebook is just incredible.

I have used the ability to shoot a series of 7 images and it is simply stunning. This is the first time I have seen this work really well in a digital non-pro camera. I series-shoot everything now, then just delete the rubbish. With the CF and Sony slot you can have up to 2GB of images, in highest resolution this is 500 pictures! You do need 50 shots for ONE great photo.

The zoom lens is excellent too and the camera is very pleasant and professional to hold. It has a great balance. The digital viewfinder as well as the LCD work perfectly. Color quality is typical Sony high-end quality and the color-tone is easily adjusted to your preference. One of the best features is the battery stamina (also typical Sony). With the standard battery I get 3 hours of continous use even when I use the flash.

Overall, this is the first camera that truly substitues my previous high-end SLR set.

47 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow! 8 megapixels, great color and lens!, December 27, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Sony DSC-F828 8MP Digital Camera with 7x Optical Zoom (Electronics)

After a long wait, this camera finally shipped before Christmas. The color is great, a high quality lens, the camera is fast, and EIGHT megapixels, well that's just AWESOME! The 7x optical is also plus. I pondered purchasing a Canon 10d until I read about Sony's 8mp f828 due out in November. Despite the delay (and it's already on back order again) it was definitely worth the wait. At $999.00 it is an incredible value. At this time, you can't get close to 8 megapixels at this price. The body has a nice feel and is comfortable to hold.

I planned on purchasing a digital SLR, but I did not want to get locked in to only 6mp just yet, when eight was around the "affordable" corner.

I was using a nikon 5700, but returned it - focus was painfully slow and lens started to make a grinding noise when zoomed out. It also had way too much noise. The lens was qualtiy great along with the zoom, but it didn't make up for the negative aspects of this camera.

The color on this camera is remarkable. As a graphic designer, I work with professional photos and Photoshop a great deal. We all know that Photoshop is a huge plus in the digital darkroom, but it DEFINITELY helps to start with sharp photos with a lot of pixels and great color.

For the non-professional to consider: often digital photos have too much noise and not enough pixel information - something even Photoshop currently can't do miracles with. I often hear consumers comment they don't need five, six or more pixels, because they won't be making such large prints these cameras offer. However, after a photo is cropped of unnecessary background, your image needs still needs a lot of pixels to enlarge that portion. That is a problem with 4mp and below. Five is acceptable, six really good. Eight -awesome! In the next two years we'll all want 11mp or more, but you currently have to shell out $8,000 just for the camera body!

There is also low noise with the f828, a problem with many other digital cameras. I absolutely love it! The color is so true to life. Beautiful! You can photograph fast-moving children and pets with wonderful results and get great indoor shots as well, an area the other cameras in this price range generally fall short. This camera truly sets a new standard, and considering it's very reasonable price tag, definitely worth it!!!