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Sony Cybershot DSC-F717 Digital Camera (Sony-DSCF717)
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Bottom Line
Easy operation, a relatively long telephoto lens, and a wide selection of imaging controls make the DSC-F717 a great choice for the upscale hobbyist.
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-F717
Cybershot DSC-F717 Digital Camera (Sony-DSCF717) Review, by Tracey Capen November 29, 2002
WHAT'S HOT: When we reviewed Sony's
Cyber-shot DSC-F707
last
April, we noted its inventive design,
uncommon low-light shooting capabilities, long battery
life, and dazzling images. The DSC-F717 retains all of that
and adds USB 2.0 connectivity, zone autofocus, a manual
zoom ring, and numerous smaller refinements.
Like its predecessor, the F717 has an unusual shape--it's basically a large "L" with a 5X optical zoom lens making up one leg and the square-shaped body making up the other. It's neither compact nor light, and it takes two hands to operate comfortably, but for the most part its controls are well placed. The F717 is a touch more flexible than most of its competitors: The lens rotates vertically around the body, which helps when you're trying for awkward ground-level shots or shooting over the heads in a crowd. (With the former, the LCD panel is facing up; for the latter, it's pointing down.)
Differing from the menus of many advanced cameras, this Sony's menus are kept simple--there's no wading through layer upon layer of selections. The camera has a moderate number of buttons and dials to control its most important functions, and you can learn them pretty quickly. The most complicated control is Sony's Jog Dial (also featured on its notebooks), which performs multiple tasks such as setting the aperture, shutter speed, and exposure value compensation. But the Jog Dial is moderately fast to use, once you get the hang of it.
The F707 had a large ring on the front end of the lens that you used for manual focusing. This new model adds zoom control to the ring's capabilities. Set a switch to autofocus, and you can select your focal length with the ring; set the switch to manual focus, and you go back to the traditional two-button rocker switch for your zoom. The ring is a faster, more precise zoom control than the rocker switch, but we noticed a slightly annoying lag between our turning the ring and when the image in the LCD started to enlarge or shrink.
WHAT'S NOT: Deleting shots in the F717 is relatively slow. It's one of the few advanced cameras without a quick-delete function. DPOF printing options are also extremely limited. As we noted in our look at the previous Cyber-shot model, the F717 is no lightweight--it weighs nearly a pound and a half--and its massive lens and unconventional shape take up a large amount of space in your carry-on bag.
WHAT ELSE: Like nearly all digital cameras with longer-range optical zoom lenses, the F717 has an electronic viewfinder in addition to the standard LCD panel. A switch on the camera body lets you toggle between them, and you get the same exposure and status information in both. Minolta's DiMage 7i does the Sony model one better here: Minolta added a sensor to its camera that detects when you have your eye up to the viewfinder and automatically turns it on and the LCD panel off. On the other hand, the F717's display looks sharper and faster--images do not jump as you pan the camera.
Another one of the Jog Dial's tasks is setting the autofocus zone, a new feature in the F717. Probably most useful for portrait or macro photography, the zoned autofocus lets you set one of five zones (center, right, left, top, or bottom) within the viewfinder as the point on which the F717 focuses. Other modest improvements include a hot flash shoe (in the F707 you could mount an external flash, but there was no electrical connection in the shoe between the flash and the camera), an 800 ISO setting for low-light shooting, and a slow-sync flash mode.
UPSHOT: Easy operation, a relatively long telephoto lens, and a wide selection of imaging controls make the DSC-F717 a great choice for the upscale hobbyist.
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Review Now! Already own it? Tell us What You Think
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Reviewed by: unclesmrgol
Strengths: standard hotshoe -- you can use non-Sony flashes.excellent magnification range -- 35mm to 200mmbest autofocus I've ever hadno step-up filter ring needed.
Weaknesses: wide angle isn't wide enough for vistas.a bit of noise at high ISO settings.a lot of shutter lag
Overall: I take thousands of pictures of marching bands every year. This camera was purchased as a replacement for two previous cameras, and has not failed to produce pictures which wow the crowds. A marching band can fill a football field, and your average high school or junior college stadium doesn't have seating far enough from the field for this camera to get the entire field without a wide angle adapter. The camera certainly does have enough magnification for you to catch individuals on the field, provided you use a tripod. With that thought in mind, the camera has produced excellent pictures at all magnifications and ISO settings. I normally take parades during the day at ISO 100/200, and this camera produces stuff good enough for 11x14 photos. At ISO 800 (night time field shows), the results aren't as stunning due to a bit of noise, but are certainly more than adequate for a full screen web display. The non-dedicated hot shoe is really cool. Unfortunately, you have to navigate Sony's menu system to turn it on, but once on, you can stick your favorite ancient giant manual flash on the top, set shutter speed to flash's sync speed, calibrate the f-stop to the flash's output, and there you go.
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Reviewed by: Grigolly
Strengths: movable lens, plenty useful functions, comfortable form
Weaknesses: Expensive accessories and memory cards
Overall: It is a great camera. Very easy to get used to, comfortable L form, movable lens, just great. Moreover it has plenty of options! 5mp is enough even if you are going to print A3 size photos. Noise on ISO 100 and on ISO 200 is low; ISO 400 and ISO 800 are very noisy. if you are going to purchase this camera, you'd better buy at least 128mb memory too. And if you are going to use it while camping, of sightseeing tour, I would recommend you to acquire better battery (290 minutes are not enough and it takes 140 minutes to charge it).Anyway I am using this camera for more than 7 months and I still think that it is the best camera
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Reviewed by: dfly
Strengths: MANY----> swivel body is AMAZINGLY useful (I first thought it would be awkward)--> great lens = great images--> LIVE histogram -- LEARN TO USE IT & take much better images--> solidly built
Weaknesses: Nothing major--> Memory Stick memory is a little more expensive & more limiting than other formats--> RAW image capture would be nice, but I'm happy with my images
Overall: This is a terrific camera if you are an amateur interested in becoming a better photographer. DON'T fall into the "more megapixels is always better" trap. At 5 mp, I have taken professional quality images that look great at 8x10" (never tried anything larger). I bought it at somewhere near the original price ($999), but still consider it a good value. At current prices, I think it's a GREAT value. Based on the reviews of the f828, I am not even THINKING about moving "up" to the 8mp model. If you are an experienced amateur making the digital 'leap' from a film SLR, this is a great tool to learn and grow with. Learning to use the histogram will make you a better photographer -- guaranteed. The swivel body will encourage you to experiment with different camera angles than you might have considered before. btw, It is also simple enough that a real amateur can take very good 'point-and-shoot' photos. I also have both the Sony Wide Angle lens (0.7x, I think) and their telephoto lens (1.7x I think). Each is about the 1/2 the size of a one-pound coffee can, and each weighs more than the camera. This are big-momma lenses; but both take great images. The basic lens on the camera is not very 'wide' (38mm equiv.), so the wide angle is especially useful for landscapes. Built-in flash is no better than most built-ins, so you will probably want to add an external flash using the hotshoe. Battery life is VERY good, but you will probably want a spare for trips where you may be shooting all day long. There are many more expensive cameras out there that don't take images any better than the f717.
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Reviewed by: joseph1966
Strengths: Great camera, excellent quality, easy to use. It's a Sony. What else can I say.
Weaknesses: None.
Overall: I took the camera out of the box, charged the battery and started taking pictures. The auto focus does all the work for you. I'm going abroad at the end of May, and I think I've made the right choice in this purchase.
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Reviewed by: gipsy5
Strengths: Great Auto Focus. Amazing Night/Low light Shots/ Battery time would rival any other cam. Great buy for it price.
Weaknesses: Bulky. Be Ready to carry some weight around. On-Camera controls will take some time getting used to.
Overall: Ture there are Big names in the 5.0 mp digi cam world. but Sony has made there mark with this camera. Sony has really done a great job with this one.. !Images are sharp , crisp and loads of manual control gives this camera the ease of Point and click as well as the professional touch. if ur a Photography enthusiast , looking for somewhere to begin with in the advance photography but dont want to blow ur money up then this is the best cam for u. The cam has the Best AutoFocus , even in the dark conditions. i have used Nikon coolpix and found in comparison this SONY is UP n RUNNING in less then a second.. ! Flash recharge is hardly noticable and InfraRed makes it possible to get great shots even in dark conditions ! however dont rely on 32 mb stick.. that wont last that long . get atleast a 256 mb stick. i have to admit i was VERY happy with the battery time of this camera ! this camera is worth every penny. on the downside, be ready for a little bulky camera with a long lens. its not that easy to carry around. so if u want a quick point n shoot , easy to carry around. this is NOT for you. overall i would RECOMMEND it to anyone !
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