Sony Cyber-shot DSC-F828 8.0 MP Digital Camera - Black

I like the design of the Sony F-828 camera and I own two. This is the camera I use most in my photography hobby just because I love the camera design, size and lens. It is not too small of a body nor is it too big unless you want a camera to carry in a shirt pocket or purse. I like to have a camera to hold onto after using film SLRs for decades.
I do own the Sony R1 also and prefer the R1 when I have to shoot in low light indoors because its bigger sensor works better for shooting things such as a live play. I have also used the f828 for shooting indoor plays etc. I keep the ISO at 400 and it shoots adequately. The lens opens to 2.0 which is a plus. I like the fact that outdoors I can shoot at 64 ISO with the f828. The Sony r1 only goes down to ISO 164.
This camera also has video and I can carry two kinds of memory cards in it, a compact flash and Sony memory stick.
The F828 has a crisp lens. The 8mp resolution is perfect for portraiture because above that shows too many imperections in a person's skin.

I've owned many Nikon mount Dslr cameras and various cameras and I prefer using the Sony F828 for casual shooting.
Always remember that the most important tip for shooting pictures is to remain still. I lean against a wall or use a table to brace my arms or use a tripod. I have taken great shots with 3mp, 5mp cameras by taking my time to steady the camera, shooting with low ISO's. So I have taken very good shots with this 8mp camera, even in low light.
This camera has many features that make it a fanatstic camera and video unit. It even has night shot.
Sony is probably the best manufacturer for on camera flash photography. I can say that with confidence after owning Minolta, Nikon, Canon and Pentax cameras. This Sony camera is no exception, it shoots great flash pictures. Even better, I use a Sony shoe mount flash that works great also.
Either camera, the R1 or the F828 has trade-offs. I like the F828 long lens, low ISO settings, video capture and 2.0 lens f-stop. I also like the 200mm length zoom. The Sony R1 is great too and has an advantage with not only the larger sensor but also the tilting/rotating LCD Screen. The R1 shoots wide -- 24mm and the F828 shoots 28mm.
Nevertheless, I enjoy all the gadgets of the F828 and its less bulky camera body. Nice camera design!

This camera was very much like the professional reviews, except I didn't see any evidence of purple fringing that a lot of reviewers found. In bright light and using the flash indoors the colors are excellent. You get those instances where the colors in the picture seems to be more vibrant than looking at the same thing. Much like the pros said, picture taken in low light at high ISO have a lot of noise. This camera is very responsive. There is little shutter lag in low lighting and telephoto. The eye viewfinder is placed right and turning the zoom ring at the end of the barrel appeals to me.

There is a lot of information in the previous reviews to draw upon.

So adding more isn't needed.

But I would add that this camera will be with me for years to come. I'm a professional and use this camera repeatedly in photo shoots and it never let's me down.

The image quality is outstanding. It still competes with the APS-C cameras with 8 and 10+ MPs in many areas. Yes, there is some noise once you leave 200 ISO and it works best in full light and/or with the HLV-32 flash as it's companion. And it does have occassional CA and purple fringing, but every one of my professional digitals does, too, to one extent or another.

Not a biggie and it can easily be edited out of any photos with software if it happens. Nothing more worrisome than comparing it to maybe a slightly soft image that needs sharpening. It's not an issue.

The thing about this camera I love from a professional standpoint is it's use of a 4th color (Emerald)on the chip instead of just the basic three colors most cameras employ. This 4th Emerald color gives you incredible flesh tones for portrait work, beautiful greens and blues and when doing headshots and modeling work, this has a color palette second to none straight out of the camera.

Also, the Carl Zeiss lens has a great range and it is just extremely sharp and flattering. And the fact that you do not have be worried with changing lenses, like with a standard DSLR, and getting dust or dirt on the interior sensor is a huge plus. Also, you don't have to worry about dropping a lenses or mishandling it because you need another one.

This allows continuous shooting without interruption with your subject.

I also find that because the size of the entire camera is small compared to a DSLR, for some subjects, this is preferable. Some subjects get very intimidated by large cameras and lenses pointed at them.

Almost always, I start shoot with this camera and then gradually shift to my DSLRs once the shoot has begun to get the model warmed up as well as me.

And 50% of the time or more, when I do the image review later, the Sony F-828 images I shot in the first of the sitting, are the best and need less work in editing and have good interaction with the subject as opposed to some later images with my larger, more expensive equipment.

I also use the video feature of the camera to shoot snippets of video I use to illustrate to the model what we are doing and to show them how they are looking as I put them thru some poses or whatever. They get immediate feedback as to what they look like and where they can correct something if needed.

It usually builds confidence in the model or helps immediately show them what doesn't look good and I'll let them watch the video while I setup my next camera for shooting. It keeps them interested and focused and often my next part of the session is even more productive because they critique themselves worst than I would by looking at the video.

So even the video feature, that this camera often gets downplayed about, I use to my advantage.

And many of the more advanced cameras coming out are dropping video as part of their features, so the F-828 becomes more unique as time goes by.

I'm considering adding a second body to my lineup as their prices come down because these are getting harder to find in good shape as a backup incase mine goes down.

If you want high image quality and value, consider one of these and enjoy our photography again.

Some controls, like the "red eyes reduction", are misplaced and to long to reach. Should have been placed in the "instant menu" instead of the setup menu.
The F828 is feature rich. It has a great manual zoom lens and very good optics. The nightshot feature is incredible and is worth the price of the camera. The 4 color chip has produced some photographs that are better than the ones from my Canon DSLR. This is a great vacation camera.

The cons.. the LCD is a little small by today's standards but it is still vivid and clear.

This is my third F828.. my first was stolen and then I mistakenly upgraded to another camera. I missed the "all-in-one" faetures and purchased my current F828 on eBay for a great price.

I you ever plan to buy the new 10 gigapixels DSCR1 model, consider first bying the F828. Unfortunately, the DSCR1 is NOT as flexible and complete than the F828 :( No more video capacity, lens from 24mm to a much too short 120mm, and with that model Sony came back to a 3 colour CCD (capture device), while the 4 colour CCD is so wonderfull! What a loss... and who needs 10.3 megapixels anyway??? Do you really plan to make 4'x6' posters of your pictures ?

I LOVE LOVE LOVE that F828 !!!!!!!!

The next step up from my DSC-F707...primarily because I've always loved the swivel body and easily-navigated Sony menus. It didn't hurt that it takes both Memory Stick and CFII (generous 5GB). My use is primarily professional: promotional shots for clients, live events. Therefore, my camera usually has to be solid, quick and flexible.

I did not choose a DSLR because I usually don't have time to be carrying/changing all that extra glass, I don't want to mess with dust getting on the chip, and there are simply times - i.e. concerts - when it's completely inappropriate for me to be making noise of any sort with an SLR's shutter.

The only competitor was a Canon Powershot Pro1. However, it has about half the battery life, no histogram onscreen, and no AF assist lamp for low lighting situations. All are tools on which I rely with the Sony.

Nor did I choose the Sony R1 (10MP), despite it's considerably larger CMOS and quieter images. And this is a judgement call you'll have to make. The R1's top-mounted LCD seemed awkward to me, the 67mm front thread diameter significantly limited my options for wide or teleadapters (i.e., Sony a pair of mon$ters available for the R1), and the R1's lens was only 24-120mm equivalent. The 828 is a generous 28-200mm equivalent.

The 828's front thread diameter of 58mm means it easily accommodates Raynox adapters. One Raynox teleadapter is 2.2x, giving you the equivalent of 440mm from your 828! (And, heck, 58mm filters are a little cheaper than 67mm filters anyway, if you're cheap like me).

The 8MP issue is a judgement call for ALL 8MP cameras. Cramming all those pixels on the same 2/3" chip you see in most digital cameras means additional noise. Shots are useful to only ISO200. I shoot ISO100 or lower. The only trouble area is in low lighting situations, but creative flash work solves most of that for me: bounce flash, Sony's delayed flash, etc. (I also mated this with the Promaster DX5500 flash instead of Sony's HVL-F32X because the Promaster gives you full swivel capability and is probably the only other Sony-compatable flash shoe connection).

Purple fringing, chromatic aberration (CA) is an issue with 8MP, too. You'll notice it around street lights, headlights, bright reflections. There are easy Photoshop fixes online, or create it yourself. As to noise, I'd suggest Noise Ninja for fixes, if you think you need them.

Primarily, therefore, I'd recommend the camera for the serious amateur or pro who's well versed in posting his/her shots. Otherwise, you're better off with a good 6MP camera that isn't trying to stuff so much on a CCD, or the Sony R1 if you're not concerned about zooming more than 128mm.