If you want professional looking pictures then the Sony CyberShot DSC-F828 is the digital camera for you. I don't think there are many that compare without going to an SLR camera. Recently my husband upgraded to the Sony F828 camera purely by chance. He had previously owned the Sony CD1000. Unfortunately it somehow stopped working. After going in for repair for the same thing for the 4th time, (thank God he had a 4 year warranty) they opted to replace that camera with something comparable. The Sony Cybershot F828 was what is comparable to the Sony CD1000. The trade was made. My husband has spent much time testing and trying out different aspects of this camera. He's had many mixed feelings about the camera at first, but has now come to absolutely LOVE this camera.

I will try to include as much information that I can think of when writing this review. I'm not the best when it comes to electronics, but I know photo quality when I see it. I have loved using this camera, even though I have my own Sony MVC CD400.


***Who is the Sony Cybershot DSC F828 best suited for?***
I would definitely say that this camera is best suited for an advanced user. This camera is suited more for someone that is knowledgeable of cameras and the adjustments needed in order to take quality photos. If you are a fairly new photography hobbyist, this is really NOT the camera for you. Sony has a few others that are Great for a beginner and/or intermediate users. Cameras such as the Sony Cybershot P52, Cybershot P72, or the Cybershot P92 are all great cameras. None come close to the picture quality of the Sony F828 of course, but I can honestly say that the P92 is an awesome camera, and produces some awesome quality photos at 5megapixels.
You will find out why I make this recommendation when you read my review, and see all the options, and things that can be done with this awesome Sony F828 Digital Camera.

***The Image Quality of the Sony F828***

Combined with the 8.4 megapixel and the automatic ISO, the quality of the F828 is like no other. This camera will give you PROFESSIONAL quality images. When my husband first got the camera he had hit ISO to 800 and it made the images VERY Grainy. If you are not an advanced user I recommend using automatic ISO. Otherwise you will not be happy with the image quality at all, and you might feel as though your money has been wasted on this awesome camera. The lowest ISO is 64 with the highest being 800. The higher the ISO the more grainy your picture can be, but it all depends on the lighting and the circumstances. Unless you REALLY know what you are doing, your best bet is to leave everything on automatic. With the settings on automatic, you will be pleased at how life-like your photos will be.

***EXPOSURE***
The Sony F828 has a flexible range of exposure options, which includes: Auto, Program AE w/Shift, Shutter priority, Aperture priority, Manual, Scene modes (Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Landscape, and Portrait), Movie, NightShot, and Night Framing modes.
When you use the camera in Auto mode the camera controls everything. You will have to of course set your resolution, zoom, capture and flash levels yourself.
In Program mode you can adjust everything. For the advanced user, the adjustments are limitless.

The movie mode in the Sony F828 works the same as with older Sony cameras only it has higher quality.

***Internal Camera Image Adjustment***
The Sony F828 is by far the best when it comes to the useful range of adjustments. The picture effects menu offers Negative Art, Sepia, and Solarize. You have a Standard or Real Color Option as well. Real Color is more toned down as opposed to Standard color which is more popular because of the bright vibrant colors you see. You have adjustments for Contrast, Saturation, and Sharpening. You can preview all the adjustments on the LCD screen before you choose to download them from your camera.
Personally, I'd rather work with my photos in Adobe, so I don't use these adjustments at all.

***The Timing & Shutter Lag***
With the 1/2000 fully adjustable shutter speed settings and the half locked shutter button you have virtually NO SHUTTER LAG. Shutter Lag is reduced by about 50% in comparison to older cameras.


***The Brains***
The Sony F828's new processor is like lightening compared to older cameras. You can snap a picture every 2.5 seconds while using the flash. This is great because then you are not left waiting for your next opportunity to take a picture, and possibly miss out on something you wish you could have gotten. You can view your picture instantly when switching it to play mode. With older cameras such as the CD1000 or any older ones for that matter, there was a waiting period before your picture actually showed up. The brain of this smart 8 megapixel camera uses a high power processor using 4 colors (Red, Green, Blue & Emerald) this helps improve the color balance giving you superior pictures. You will be able to make gorgeous enlargements and no one will ever be able to tell that the picture wasn't taken by a professional.


***Both a Viewfinder & LCD***
You can choose to take pictures using the viewfinder, the way your average camera once did. The viewfinder can be used instead of the LCD. Simply switch a button, and you can look through the viewfinder, you can also preview your pictures in the viewfinder as well. If you choose to use the LCD, you have an anti reflective 1.8" color LCD and it's very clear and easy to see even in the sunlight. The choice is yours, whatever you find easier for you to use, the option is available.

***The Flash***
The F828 has a built in flash that automatically pops open when needed. It has multi purposes, you can choose Auto, Fill, Red-eye reduction, and slow-synch) This flash is great for closer pictures, but I would recommend buying the SONY (HVL-F32X) hotshoe flash which attaches to the camera giving you better lighting options for night and/or pictures with subjects that are farther away.


***The Sony Lens***
The Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar 7X zoom lens, is 28-200mm, which is equivalent to 35mm.

The lens is easily controlled with auto focus, and gives you great shots no matter what the situation is. Portraits of people, athletics, racing, scenic or just family fun, you will always have the perfect shot. The manual zoom is smooth, and easy to use. You can also see the exact zoom setting, when looking at the LCD screen.


***Auto Focus***
The Sony F828 auto focus system uses areas of the frame and automatically picks the best focus for the subject. (I think this camera just may be smarter than I am) *wink*


***Manual Focus***
The Manual Focus can be adjusted like your usual film camera with a zoom. Simply by turning the focus ring. A switch on the side of the lens allows you to switch back and forth between Auto Focus and Manual Focus. With this camera you also have the Macro Focus option.

***Memory Sticks***
When buying this camera, there were no memory cards included, we had to buy it separately. So if you think you can buy this camera and walk away and start shooting pictures you had better be prepared to buy a memory stick first. We bought the ScanDisk Compact Flash Ultra 2. 256MG for about $100.00. It holds 75 pictures at 8megapixels each. That's pretty good. So far we have not bought any other memory, this has suited us perfectly for the time being.

***Image File Formats***
The Sony F828 uses your standard image file formats, supporting JPEG, TIFF, and RAW formats.


***Connecting to your Computer***
The Sony F828 connects easily to your USB (2.0) port, It's got auto/video so you can see the pictures on your TV and DC-IN so you can plug it into the wall, and still be able to use it. That's a great feature, because God forbid you are not prepared and your battery runs low, if you are indoors, and there is an outlet nearby, you won't miss out on getting those great shots.


***The Battery***
The battery for the F828 is the high capacity Sony NP-FM50 InfoLITHIUM battery. I have found that it lasts quite a while. In the past I have had a problem with batteries losing their charge in colder weather. This has been a problem for my husband when he's outside taking pictures of race cars etc. This particular battery lasts twice as long and seems to really hold it's charge even in colder temperatures. The camera comes with it's own charger. It simply plugs into any outlet on one end, and plugs into the camera on the other end, which then charges your battery while it's still in the camera.


***SPECS***
Resolution: 8.0 Megapixel (3264 x 2448)
Recording Media: Memory Stick Media, Memory Stick PRO Media, Microdrive and CompactFlash Type I/II Media
Zoom: 7X Optical, 2X Digital, 0 - 5X Smart Zoom Feature, Up to 35X Total Zoom
Filter Diameter: 58mm
Focal Length: 7.1 – 51mm
35mm Equivalent: 28 – 200mm
Aperture: f2.0 – 2.8
Focus: 5 Area Multi-Point AF with Manual Select
Minimum/Macro Focus Distance: 19.7" (50 cm)/ 3⁄4" (2cm)
Aperture Range: 13 Step, f2.0 – f8.0
Shutter Speed: Auto (1/8ם/3200 sec), Program Auto (1ם/3200 sec) Shutter Priority (30ם/2000), Manual (30ם/3200)
Manual Exposure: ±2.0 EV, 1/3 EV Step
Flash Modes: Auto/Forced On/Forced Off/Slow Synchro
Red-Eye Reduction
Flash Effective Range: 19 3⁄4" - 14' 9 3⁄4" (0.5m - 4.5m)
White Balance: Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent, Incandescent, Flash, One-Push Manual
Picture Effects: Solarize, Sepia, Negative Art
ISO: Auto, 64, 100, 200, 400, 800
Scene Modes: Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Landscape, Portrait

***What is Included With Camera?***
NP-FM50 battery, AC-L15 AC adapter/battery charger, Neck strap, Lens cap, Lens hood, USB & A/V cables, Software CD-ROMs, User’s manual

Are you wondering what software you get?
Pixela ImageMixer, Software for Sony v1.5, RAW Converter Software, USB Driver

Retail Price of this camera @ Best Buy $999.00


~A GREAT Camera for Your Young Photographer~
on the Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-P52 Digital Camera.
A Great Camera for the beginner or intermediate Photographer!







Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 999.00
This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Solid Enough for a Professional