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| Brand: Sony
Category: Photography
List Price: $1,049.95
Buy Used: $399.99
You Save: $649.96 (62%)
Used (9) from $399.99
Rating:  101 reviews
Sales Rank: 17741
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Floppy Disk Drive: None
Optical Zoom: 7
Display Size: 1.8
Maximum Focal Length: 51
Minimum Focal Length: 7.1
Has Red Eye Reduction: Yes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 5.7
Dimensions (in): 9.5 x 7.6 x 7.1
MPN: DSCF828
Model: DSCF828
UPC: 027242634237
EAN: 0027242634237
ASIN: B0000C8817
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
Almost A DSLR * Almost Perfekt December 8, 2006
D. Mills (Fort Lauderdale, FL United States)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
My company is primarily marketing, graphics and promotion; not a photo studio. But it's a significant, additional in-house service we provide. This met my particular needs for an upgrade from the F707...and, yes, I wrestled with the same issues people have mentioned here. So, this is a pretty detailed, often technical evaluation:
ALL-IN-ONE VS. DSLR:
*SLR mirror noise is intrusive in many of my shooting situations, i.e., arts events, rehearsals,
*I don't need to carry the additional weight of extra lenses at live events,
*Dealing with sensor dust could ruin my client's day.
8MP NOISE:
*Unavoidable with that many sensors on a 2/3" chip. I shoot ISO64-100, 200 if necessary. I can always clean it up with Noise Ninja if required. I'll take the extra detail.
CHROMATIC ABERRATION (CA)/PURPLE FRINGING:
*Unavoidable in digital cameras (that purple border around light sources such as bulbs, sun reflections). Pretty bad in this camera.
*Solution: I post almost everything anyway. Photoshop CS fix with judicious use of the sponge tool is easy. Lots of solutions posted online.
ALTERNATIVE CAMERAS?
*Canon Powershot Pro1 was the only other competitor for me. But, had no live histogram, nonexistent low-light AF, and half the battery life of the F828. Nikon (8700) lens disappointing @ only 35mm equiv. wide, proprietary front filter mount. Olympus performance was dismal.
*Sony R1 (10MP): MUCH bigger sensor/less noise. But, R1's 120mm zoom equivalent couldn't match the F828's 200mm (f2.8 vs. f2.0 wasn't an issue, considering sensitivity of different chips). R1 front filter is 67mm vs. 58mm on the F828, meaning fewer and/or more expensive accessory lens options for the R1 - except heavy, expensive proprietary Sony adapters. Disliked the top-mounted LCD on the R1.
WHY THE F828 WORKS FOR ME:
*Immaculate Zeiss lens,
*Manual zoom,
*Same (now) classic Sony swivel body for easy overhead/ground shots...solid, solid, solid,
*Fast hologram AF,
*Speed or framing (yes!) burst, bracket exp,
*RGBe sensor solves the problem of overblown reds in previous models, excellent depth,
*Expanded, though still easy, menu navigation/thumbwheel/joystick,
*Both CFII media (I use 5GB) & Memory Stick (faster..I use ProDuo 2GB),
*Compatable with standard 58mm thread accessories (filters, adapters, etc.),
*Simplified single button delete on review or PB.
And a note on Sony proprietary flash (i.e., the HVL-F32X):
I use the Promaster DX5500 which may be the only other hotshoe mount that talks to the Sony. The advantage is x-axis rotation - which the Sony doesn't have - particularly useful in bounce flash situations.
In short, the issue of whether this is a good product or not is moot. Like "JohnBoy" Shultz (see below) would probably say, "It's a Sony!"
It's a matter of whether it meets the user's needs. You're probably reading this because you're smart enough to research your puchases and evaluate a product based on your abilities and requirements. Despite a few shortcomings, I've found this an excellent "best of both worlds" choice.
 All-in-One Tool December 5, 2006
J. Eason (Chapel Hill NC)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Just for taking photographs, the Sony 828 is the third best camera I own. But the other cameras do not do nearly as well focusing in low light (where the Sony uses a matrix of lasers) nor do they take short movies like the Sony will for those situations in which you want more than a photo. I can certainly go out and create purple fringing with this camera. And it overall is not as sharp as my others. Nor will it adapt itself by accepting alternative lenses. But it will consistently get excellent shots under non-extreme conditions. And if you need to get a short talkie, this is the only camera in this range that will do it.
 Never Buy Sony Product. November 3, 2006
Spinning (Princeton, NJ USA)
5 out of 12 found this review helpful
DSC Series camera all have a CCD imager defect that will leave screen blank after you use the camera for 2 or 3 years. (Do a google search. You will find out what happened.) Sony knew this problem years ago. But refuse to fix it. They will wait until the camera fail and then charge you $300 to fix it. That's what happens to my DSC-F717. Ever wondering why Dell, HP etc all recall Sony battery for laptop, but Sony did not recall their own laptop battery? Sony will never fix their own problem. We the customer have to pay for their mistake.
Sony DSC-F828 is a great all-around near-professional camera July 2, 2006
L. Kangas (Beaverton, OR USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Others were telling me to get a camera that can take all the lenses etc. I chose this one because it did not have all the lenses to haul around! It has the full range from 28mm to 200mm in one lense. And a good lense at that. I wanted a manual zoom so I did not have to fumble with a little switch that also drains battery life. I also wanted to be able to have control of EV, flash, and other features easily, this has a bank of buttons on the side, once learned, easily faciltate control. In addition it has two separate media chips for continued shooting or separating projects. And the battery life is outstanding. And, of course, the picture quality is great; any bigger than 8MP would overwhelm my computer for processing. There are other great features, but these are biggies for me.
The best camera I've ever owned! April 23, 2006
Hye Chong Yi (Montreal, Quebec)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I just love this camera. I'm a novice and love how this camera takes photos. It makes me feel like a pro. Shopping for a nice digital camera with all the bells and whistles, this is the one to go with. I think this camera gives me room to grow. That's what I wanted. I would highly recommend this camera!
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