Sony MVCFD200 FD Mavica 2MP Digital Still Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom

by Sony

• 2-megapixel sensor captures 1,600 x 1,200 images for prints at sizes up to 8 x 10 inches
• Autofocus lens with 3x optical/2x digital (6x total) zoom
• Stores images on floppy discs or Memory Sticks (not included)
• Connects with PCs and Macs via USB port or via floppy drive
• Uses proprietary lithium-ion rechargeable battery(included)

Product Details

Product Manual [5.27mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 3.1 x 5.6 x 4.1 inches ; 3.6 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• 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: B000063S40
• Item model number: MVC-FD200
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,924 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: April 1, 2002

Product Description

Amazon.com

Sony brought easy digital photography to the masses when it introduced the Mavica--a digital camera that stored digital pictures on standard floppy discs. This updated version boasts a 2-megapixel sensor and a Memory Stick slot, plus the charm and simplicity that made the original a hit.

Optics and Resolution
The FD200's 2-megapixel sensor captures enough detail for sharp prints at sizes up to 8 by 10 inches. For the typical family photographer, 2 megapixels is a great balance between price and performance. If you want a camera with even more resolution, forget about using low-capacity floppy discs and step up to a CD-recording model instead--try Sony's MVC-CD300 or MVC-CD400.

The autofocus lens features both a 3x optical zoom and a 2x digital zoom. Remember, however, that digital zoom tends to reduce the sharpness and detail of your image, so it's a good idea to use it sparingly.

To save space, there's no traditional optical viewfinder to look through. Instead, to compose your images or review shots you've already taken, the FD200 uses a big 2.5-inch color display. The advantage to using the LCD to frame your shots is that the screen lets you see exactly the picture you'll capture. The disadvantage is that you can't turn off the screen and just use the optical viewfinder to extend battery life. Fortunately, the included rechargeable battery holds a relatively good charge.

More Features
The FD200 is clearly designed for point-and-shoot simplicity, but there are several options for more adventurous photographers, including manual focus with macro, adjustable ISO and white-balance settings, exposure compensation, and the ability to shoot black-and-white, sepia, solarized, and negative images.

Power
The FD200 uses Sony's excellent InfoLithium battery system, which not only holds a respectable charge, but also displays on screen how many minutes of power remain. Both the battery and the charger are included. Because the battery is unique to specific Sony models and can be nearly impossible to find when on the road, we strongly recommend getting a spare if you're planning to take the camera on extended outings.

Movie Mode
In movie mode, the camera captures silent video clips. The limited duration and resolution of your movies guarantees that this feature won't replace your camcorder, but it's perfect for when you just want to capture a quick movie and e-mail it to a friend or relative.

Storage and Transfer
Images are stored on standard floppy discs, which makes transferring pictures to your computer a snap. Take the picture, wait for the disc to stop whirring, then eject it from your camera and pop it into your computer's floppy drive. For safekeeping, it's best to transfer images to your hard drive and periodically archive your photos using a CD-R drive.

Though they're available everywhere and have become dirt-cheap, floppies aren't without their problems. First, their 1.4 MB capacity is dismal by today's standards. A 2-megapixel photo actually contains 6 MB of information, which means a disc can't hold even a single uncompressed photo. Using standard JPEG compression, only four photos fit on each disc, so plan to bring a big stack of bulky floppies on each outing. To make matters more frustrating, some new computers (iMacs, for example) don't even come with floppy drives anymore.

To get around these problems, the FD200 also includes a slot for Memory Sticks, Sony's proprietary memory-card format. A 128 MB stick is approximately one-fifth the size of a floppy disc, yet it holds around 200 images at the camera's default settings or over 20 uncompressed TIFF images. To transfer images to your computer, simply attach the included USB cable between your PC and your camera. Your computer should automatically recognize your camera and let you move the pictures to your hard drive. If you own a Sony desktop or laptop, your computer may already have a built-in Memory Stick reader.

Most folks will probably buy the Mavica for the simplicity of its floppy drive, but switch to the Memory Stick slot when on extended outings.

Size Considering the internal floppy drive and nonretracting 3x zoom lens, the Mavica is reasonably compact at 5.6 by 4.1 by 3.1 inches, though it weighs in at a hefty 19 ounces.

Contents and Recommended Accessories The package includes the camera, lithium-ion rechargeable battery, NPF-330 AC adapter-battery charger, video and USB cables, shoulder strap, and lens cap.

The camera does not come with any storage media, so you'll need either a floppy disc or a Memory Stick to start shooting. Otherwise, everything you need to get started is included in the box. To make the most of your camera, we recommend: a carrying case, a high-capacity Memory Stick or stack of floppy discs, and, for extended outings, a spare battery. Compatible accessories for this camera are listed near the top of this page. --Shane Burnett

Pros:

• 2-megapixel resolution is perfect for most users
• Floppy disc storage for ultimate simplicity
• Lithium-ion battery holds a good charge

Cons:

• Movie mode lacks sound
• Floppies are big, bulky, and low capacity, though the Memory stick slot solves this problem.

Product Description

2/8/200615-19-33 Sony

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Very happy with the Sony Mavica FD200 June 11, 2002

By "wallsjr"

I have had my FD200 for about 2 weeks and generally I'm very happy with it. I have used an older Mavica floppy only based camera in the past. The floppies are convenient for moving the data to different computers, but the capacity is low and they are slow. With the FD200 (and FD100), Sony has created the best of multiple worlds. Using a Memory Stick allows much faster picture storage and the ability to save a much larger number of photos, and the USB connection allows fast downloading of photos to computers that have USB. Retaining the floppy drive gives the flexibility to download photos to computers that don't have the USB capability. Although I will normally use the USB connection when I'm at home, the floppy capability has already come in handy.
Picture quality is just fine, and the basic operations of the camera are easy to use and for the most part self explanitory. Some of the menu items take a little effort to learn all that can be done with the camera.
The FD200 is one of the larger digital cameras so if you are looking for a camera that you can almost hide in your hand, this is not the camera for you. In my case, the larger size is an advantage.
There are a couple of items that I wish were different. The strobe is rather weak, and really only useful to around 10 feet (maybe less). There is no ability to connect an external flash unit. At close range, it's overpowering and I find that I partially cover the flash with my finger to block some of the light. The older Mavica camera I had used had a 10X optical zoom, and Sony has put only a 3X optical zoom on the FD200 and FD100. I really wish that the FD200 had a better optical zoom.
There are very little in the way of manual controls for exposure. If you really want to be able to engineer your photos, look for something else. In my case, for "formal" photography I will generally use a film camera which has full manual controls if I want to use them. Most of my use of the digital camera will be for taking photos that will either go onto a web page or get E-Mailed. The FD200 does a fine job for those purposes.
One of the reasons that I wanted the floppy capability is that I often go to remote locations where I have an unknown (often old) computer to which I need to download photos. This past week I was at a firecamp (for a brush fire) and the computer I needed to download the photos to had a USB port, but Windows 95 wont recognize it, so I was unable to use the USB. Because of the floppy drive, I was able to download the photos to the computer before I returned home.
Recommended if you need the floppy capability.

40 of 46 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars This was a great camera but the Sony CD cameras are better! July 15, 2002

By Richard R. Carlton

I am a professional radiographer and photographer (25 years now) and I used both the Sony CD400,
CD300, as well as a Nikon Coolpix for this year's field research season x-raying mummies in
Peru. Last year we used 2 of the Sony floppy disk/memory stik cameras. This means the cameras were pushed hard.....blowing sand, huge contrast ranges, high
resolution radiographs needed, fast manual control of radical light conditions, etc.....essentially
most of the tough conditions and imaging requirements you can imagine. Here's what I found:

The Sony Mavica CD300 beat them all. It's not the most expensive or the best resolution but we
all thought it did the best job.

Mavica CD400: best resolution but extremely slow recording time made it impossible to work with
most of the time....the CD300 often got 3-4 shots while the 400 was recording one.

Mavica CD300: not the best resolution, but now that I've done some prints for publication from it's
highest res setting I will not be buying any more 400s....just not a significant enough difference,
plus it's not as heavy or bulky.

Nikon Coolpix: not in the running by comparison with the Sonys....although it is more
lightweight....we are buying mini CDs for 33 cents each in bulk... and getting 140-180 high res
images per CD.....they are so easy to format, initialize, and copy on any CD burner that I can't
believe we even considered using memory stiks, or USB downloads.

The best features are common to both the Sony Mavica CD300 and 400 series though.....manual
control of the images, excellent close up abilities, decent wide angle (which can be enhanced with
add-on lenses if necessary), and both rapid video and automatic functions with night focusing for
flash, etc., etc.

Finally! There is a great digital camera, it's just not this one.....check out the CD 300 series....about the same money but I think you will be a lot happier.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars An ok beginner camera. August 10, 2002

By Kyle Slayzar

Working at Office Max gave me the privalige of fully trying out this camera. I was somewhat pleased.

It's resolution of 2mp is border-line ideal for printing on glossy or matte finishings. There will be some graininess however that will always be the case until you get a camera with a resolution of 4mp or higher. And it is also border-line ideal for internet usage. The file size of the pictures it takes is in the moderate range so if you e-mail them to a person who has dial-up, it won't clog up their ISP too much.

I was not at all pleased with the movie feature. Who would honestly need a 15 seccond movie clip? Unless you deal in obscene webpages, I would not recomend using the movie mode. On top of that, it's resolution is not that great for movies.

It's control functions are basic, straight forward and dummy proof. The floppy mavicas are easily the most easy to use digital cameras. They are convienient and the memory is very easily mobile as compared to compact flash or smart media.

I love the floppy disk option. In fact I own the FD-75 which I would recomend over this camera any day because you don't want to use the movie mode and the resolution is more ideal for interent. And if you want to spend that much on this camera, I would recomend buying the cd mavicas, they cost a little more but you get 3 times the results.