Customer Reviews

Sony MVCFD85 1.2MP Mavica Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Well I broke down and bought this camera. I was going to buy the model under it that only records 640 x 480 but I am glad I didn't now. The difference in recording at 1.3 megapix versus 640x480 is very noticable. If you just want a basic camera, go for the lesser model but if you are already spending that much, go ahead and chunck down the extra 200 bucks, it is very well worth it. This camera is very easy to use. I love the fact that you can record on floppies. NO need to install software or cabels. I use this camera at work which is why I got the floppy drive on a digital camera. People need pics taken of different things, you take them, just hand them the disk when you are finished, no need to run to a computer to download then transfer to disk. The drive writes really quickly on this camera, so hardly no waiting at all. Also love the fact of it having a rechargeable battery. It uses the same battery as my sony handcam so I actually have two batteries and they use the same charger, so that was an added bonus. The battery charges in about 20 minutes to full capacity and lasts about 60 pictures before needing charging. I did have a minolta digital camera without the floppy and the recharagable batteries and I tell you, it was eating those AA batteries up fast. So I am very satisfied with this product.

The FD-85 is an excellent choice for a balance of great options and capabilities for price. Its 1.3 mega pixel resolution provides for good crisp pictures. It also has a nice 6x zoom (3x optical). I prefer using only optical zoom and 3x is a sufficient zoom for most applications. But, the best thing is the floppy drive. No more cables and slow transfers. It especially comes in handy when visiting relatives and friends. You can download copies to their PC without having to carry around cables or installing software on their computer. This cam does not have the highest of todays mega pixel rating nor zoom, but if you want some of the high end options without the high end prices, this camera is a definate must have.

I had tried out the FD73 and found the picture quality lacking. The FD83 takes pictures that are much better. I love being able to use floppies to record images... it's so wonderful to not have to use some cable or anything else to retrieve your pictures... just pop your disk into your computer and get started!

I also love the video feature... I can take short little videos of my kids and email them to the grandparents who live elsewhere. It's like giving them a chance to see their grandkids every day. This camera is soooooo easy to use. And when you use it, everybody says, "Wow! That's so cool!" And they want to know all about it, how much it cost, etc.

The only flaw I've found: I do find that when I put the camera on the highest quality settings, I can only get about 6 pictures per floppy disk (yesterday's technology) which is somewhat annoying. At some point, I will probably invest in the Smart/Memory Stick (tomorrow technology) and an adaptor which will allow me to take tons of pictures at one setting.

I really love this camera... a great investment!

This is a perfect camera -- finally! In the past 2-3 years, Ihad been spending $... per roll of 24 pics in APS format, having thepictures developed, sent to me in an e-mail, and recorded on a CD.Last year alone, I practically paid for this camera. It uses a diskfor recording the pictures; I delete the pics I don't want. I get aperfectly acceptable picture from ordinary (cheap) printer paper. Mypurpose in buying the camera is to photograph items for presenting onEbay auctions. I had heard from at least two other individuals whoregularly run auctions, that this little camera does beautifulcloseups. However, it was so easy to operate when I openend ittonight that I couldn't resist photographing all the rooms in ourhouse for insurance inventory purposes, too. And to think I don'thave to spend any more money in developing costs. Most of my friendshave e-mail, and we just e-mail the pics back and forth.

Poor filmmanufacturer's will go broke if this idea catches on!

The Mavica line of cameras are easy to use and that is their forte. With the floppy disk access you're loosing somewhat on storage capacity (or the need to carry several floppies with you), but then, just pop it in and done. The viewer is high quality "real-time" LCD display, unlike some that are jittery, or feel like slow-motion movie.

The ability to take MPEG clips is very attractive. I found that short MPEG clips are sometimes more enjoyable to watch then going through your camcorder library while reviewing your your family archives.

They could be cheaper, though.

I would give this camera a 5 star but this technology has so much more to grow with. I love the fact you can take a photo and just stick it in your A drive and wah lah! Instant emailed photos to all your friends and family. The menu tool on the display monitor is very easy to use with very little confusion. It almost felt like second nature pressing all the buttons to take me where I wanted to go. Unfortunately the price leaves little to be desired. I imagine that digital cameras will be the big hit this Christmas season, so, wait for these products to go down in price a little before buying such a major purchase. If you check out my previous reviews I made a review about the Panasonic portable DVD player and the price of that item in October 1999 was $1100.00, I think it's probably under that figure now. The utmost thing to do with products like this is COMPARE PRICES! Check out other online stores as well as Amazon and check out other electronics stores to get the best deal possible. It's worth the time and you can compare all products to see which one is right for you. Cheers!

I bought the Sony Mavica FD85 as a Christmas gift to myself. So far I couldn't be happier. After much reading about digital camera's I knew I wanted this camera. It seemed to me that using a floppy was much easier than having to hook up cables. And it's a breeze to view the pictures I've taken ! The FD85 has an easy to understand menu that pops up on the LCD screen. The mini movie feature is fun to play around with too. Some folks talk about it's bulky size because of using a floppy disk to store the images, but it's no bigger than my Pentax K1000 35mm camera and lighter in weight. And I don't have to drop everything to change to my zoom lens as with my Pentax. One thing I didn't care for is the ArcSoft PhotoStudio software included with the camera. It's cheap and very hard to adjust your pictures. I never did get a decent photo printed out using that software. So, I started using my Adobe PhotoDeluxe and it works great ! The pictures I've printed out have been of good quality and suitiable for framing. The only reason I didn't give this camera a 5 star rating was because I've only had it a week. I will post another review after I've used it for several months. In a nutshell, this was a great gift to myself and well worth the money.

I spent hours and hours on the internet and in stores looking at digital cameras and reading about them before I finally bought the Mavica 85. It's even better than I thought it would be. The floppy drive can use either 3.5" floppies or the Sony Memory Sticks. All work really well. Ikelite even makes an underwater housing for this camera, but it costs more than the camera does. The quality of the pictures, ease of operation, myriad of functions this camera has are just awesome. We love this camera. The pricing seems a bit steep, but, when we compared the Sony to all the other cameras, it did seem in line.

The FD85 is the most wonderful digital camera i have ever used. As an electronic expert I found this perticular Camera better than any other in it's class. I was firs worried about the print quality but I was shocked to find that the printed result was amazing for only 1.3 megapixel. Now the market provides for upwards of 3 megapixel. The truth is that once over one megapixel the differenece is nearly immpossibile to see by the human eye. If you want to purchase a camera that provides results bot digital and printed the FD85 is most definately the camera for you.

This is a fantastic digital camera. I bought it yesterday, charged the battery and was off and running. The convenience and ease of the floppy disk storage is incredible. I can't believe I can take a photo, pop the disk in my computer, click on a photo and...; there it is. I am not the most computer literate person (nor the least) but this camera should be labeled "the digital camera for idiots". I do not know how you could have trouble operating this camera...