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8 MP redux - Sony's Cyber-shot aims higher
By Sean Carruthers, posted 6/29/2004 10:20:13 AM

In the May issue, HUB looked at some of the new 8 MP digital cameras. We weren't able to get our hands on Sony's new Cyber-shot DSC-F828 in time for the roundup, which is a pity because it is one sweet little camera.

OK, it's not actually "little." At a glance, the F828 appears to be all lens: with a 7X hand-cranked optical zoom, the barrel of the Zeiss lens is already quite long. Because the entire lens is on a swivel mount and not built into the main camera body, it appears that much longer.

The 90-degree swivel mount is one of the camera's nicest features, though, allowing you to hold the camera low while still pointing the LCD viewscreen up towards your eyes. (For stability, Sony has placed the tripod mount on the underside of the lens instead of on the body. This also gives you a better vantage point if you're using a tripod and the camera isn't at a natural eye level -- just tilt the body up or down to compensate.)

Like the other 8 MP cameras we reviewed in May, this Cyber-shot gives you great manual control over your image taking. A silver wheel along the top allows you to switch modes, including auto, full manual, and either aperture- or shutter-priority modes, as well as a 640x480-pixel video mode. A switch on the lens puts the camera into manual focus mode, and there is a manual focus ring right behind the zoom ring. It's worth mentioning again that the zoom ring is hand-cranked, which gives you fast manual control over your zoom... no waiting for a motor!

Also like most of the new 8 MP cameras, the F828 doesn't come with a memory card, so you have to budget a bit extra for one. The great news is that it takes both MemoryStick Pro and CompactFlash media cards. A switch on the back of the camera allows you to quickly swap between the two -- so you can load your camera up with both types of memory cards and switch to the second card once you've filled up the first.

Overall, the camera is beautifully designed and a pleasure to use. It's one of those rare pieces of technology that just feels good in the hand.

Best of all, with a suggested retail price of only $1,400 -- the same suggested price as the other 8 MP cameras we reviewed -- it breaks with Sony's tradition of premium pricing.

By Sean Carruthers