The DSC-F828 is the first camera
to be equipped with an 8 megapixel CCD. The 8 Megapixel CCD
detects 4 colours adding blue-green to standard red, green.
The extra colour is touted to improve colour reproduction,
yielding an image whose colours are closer to what the human
eye actually sees.
The CCD offers a range of sensitivities that start at 64 ISO and that extend
to 100, 200, 400 and 800 ISO. An Auto ISO mode, which allows the camera
to adjust automatically between 64 and 200 ISO, is also available.
The lens of the F828 is also new:
a Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar 7X manual zoom with a focal length
of 7.1 to 51mm, the equivalent of
a 28 to 200mm, which includes 3 aspheric lens elements as part
of its 12 elements in 9 groups.
Interestingly, the lens barrel
is labelled in 35mm equivalents.
Apertures start at f2 at the widest angle, f2.8 when the lens is at the
maximum telephoto, and down to f8; while shutter speeds cover from 30 seconds
to 1/3200 sec. and noise reduction is automatically applied to photos captured
with a shutter speed of 1/25 sec. or longer.
A Digital Zoom is also available,
and how it functions is selected in the Setup menu. The Smart zoom
is effectively a cropping system that takes advantage of the
full 8 megapixel resolution of the camera, and provides an
increasing "zoom" effect if the selected image size
is less than 8 megapixel. The other, Precision, is the
more common digital zoom that crops the image and then interpolates
it to the selected image size. (For more information on
digital zooms, see our
article.)
By default, the DSC-F828 uses a Multipoint AF, but by pressing the Multi
selector straight in once, the AF can be switched to centre focus, or when
pressed twice, to a manually selectable focus point.
In addition, the autofocus can be selected to be Single (focusing
occurs when the shutter release is pressed halfway), or Monitor (constant
focusing until the shutter release is pressed halfway), or Continuous (continues
focusing even after the shutter release has been pressed halfway)
and is intended for action photos.
As with the DSC-F707 and F717, the F828 is also equipped with Sony's Hologram
AF system. The system allows the camera to focus in complete darkness by
projecting a laser pattern from the emitter embedded on the front part
of the flash housing.
The DSC-F828 can record images in any one of three formats:
RAW — the DSC-F828 is the first Sony digital camera
to provide a RAW format — TIFF, and JPEG with 2 compression
levels, Fine or Standard.
The RAW format image is the unprocessed output from the CCD and requires
the use of a conversion program so the images can be transformed into
a more common format. Currently, the software supplied is only for Windows
computers, but a Macintosh version is due for release in the first quarter
of 2004. (See the Interface and Software section for an overview of
the conversion software.)
The F828 is capable of recording images at any of 6 image sizes:
8 megapixel = 3264 x 2448
3:2 (8 megapixel proportional to printing paper) = 3264
x 2176
5 megapixel = 2592 x 1944
3 megapixel = 2048 x 1536
1 megapixel = 1280 x 960
VGA = 640 x 480
With its 8 megapixel CCD, the Sony DSC-F828 has relatively
large file sizes. In JPEG Fine, file sizes range from 2 to
4 MB, depending on the subject. With the TIFF and RAW formats
all images are recorded at the 8 megapixel exclusively and
have a file size of 22.9 MB (TIFF); and 16.5 MB (RAW) respectively.
And, with both formats, the camera also records a JPEG image
with the TIFF or RAW one.
The F828 provides 7 recording modes, including the Movie mode:
Full Auto: has shutter speeds
ranging from 1/8 to 1/3200 sec; apertures from f2 to f8; Auto ISO
from 64 to 200 ISO; the white balance is automatic; the metering
is multi-pattern; and the AF multi-point.
Program Mode: provides shutter
speeds that cover from 1 second to 1/3200 sec.; apertures from f2
to f8; full control over ISO, white balance, metering mode, and AF
mode. Rotating the Command dial allows selecting alternate combinations
of apertures and shutter speeds (Program Shift).
Shutter Priority: provides control
over the shutter speeds from 30 second to 1/2000 sec., while the
camera controls apertures from f2 to f8. Full control is available
over ISO, white balance, metering mode, and AF mode.
Aperture Priority: allows selecting
apertures from f2 to f8 while the camera chooses a matching shutter
speed 8 sec. to a maximum of 1/2000 sec with apertures from f2 to
f7.1, and up to 1/3200 sec with f8. All other controls (ISO, white
balance, metering mode, and AF mode) remain available.
Manual Mode: provides control
over both aperture (f2 to f8) and shutter speed, 30 sec. to a maximum
of 1/2000 sec with apertures from f2 to f7.1, and up to 1/3200 sec
with f8. All other controls (ISO, white balance, metering mode, and
AF mode) remain available.
Scene consists of 4 scene modes
selectable from the F828's menu:
Twilight
Twilight Portrait
Landscape
Portrait
The controls available to the user depend on the mode in use.
Movie Mode: provides 2 frame sizes, 640
x 480 pixels and 160 x 112 pixels. The 640 size can
be recorded in two modes, Fine or Standard. Movies
are recorded with sound and the manual zoom can be used. The length
of movies is dependent on the capacity of the media in use. The 640
Fine movie can only be used if a Memory Stick Pro or a Microdrive
is used.
A number of other settings are available in the F828's Recording menu.
While the AUTO shooting mode has a very limited menu consisting
of two options (image size and recording mode), the menu
for the P/S/A/M modes, and even the Scene modes are much
more extensive:
ISO sets the camera sensitivity: Auto, 64, 100,
200, 400, 800 ISO. (This setting is not available in
the SCN mode).
Image Size as listed above.
Picture Quality selects either of the compression
levels for JPEG image: Fine or Standard.
Recording Mode selects the image format, RAW,
TIFF, Voice (records an audio file in addition to a JPEG
image), E-Mail (records a 320 x 240 pixel image in addition
to the selected image size), or Normal.
Bracketing: sets the exposure bracket increment, ±0.3
EV, ±0.7EV, ±1EV. (This setting is only
available when the F828 is set to Auto Bracketing.)
Interval sets the Multi-Burst [see the Ergonomics
section] interval: 1/7.5; 1/15; 1/30 sec. (This
setting is only available when the F828 is set to record
a Multi-burst series).
Flash Level selects the strength of the flash
output: High, Normal, Low.
Picture Effects records the image as: Solarize,
Sepia, or Negative Art.
Color selects the colour reproduction mode: Standard
or Real. Standard appears to be as named, and not
as described in the manual (see the Interface and Software
section); Real clearly boosts the saturation.
Saturation allows increasing or lowering the overall
image saturation from the normal setting: Minus, Normal,
Plus.
Contrast offers a similar range: Minus, Normal,
Plus.
Sharpening: Minus, Normal, Plus.
In Playback, the F828 loads images extremely fast, and holding
the joystick-like Multi selector to one side or another, the
captured images fly past. Moreover, the playback screens have
been optimized.
In Playback the button
can display images three ways. First the image can be displayed
by itself. Second, the F828 can show the battery charge remaining,
the image resolution, the folder in which it is located, the
position of the frame within the overall number of photos in
the directory, the file name, and the date and time at which
the photo was captured, around the periphery of the image.
Third, a histogram showing the distribution of brightness in
the frame, and the most critical shooting data can be shown,
including exposure compensation, ISO, metering pattern, flash
mode, white balance, shutter speed, and aperture.
With the F828, the design of the Playback menu has been given a new and
more current look, but most of the functions it presents are the same
as are offered on other Sony cameras:
Folder: selects a folder if more than one are present to
playback its images.
Protect: marks images so they cannot be accidentally erased.
DPOF: (Digital Print Order Format) tags the image as one
to be printed on a DPOF compatible printer, or by a printing service.
Print: prints images directly on a PictBridge compliant
printer.
Slide: Presents a slide show. Images can be selected,
the on-screen time for each photo can be set, the slide
show can be set to repeat.
Resize: makes a copy of any image at any of the
available sizes, but cannot be used with RAW, TIFF or 3:2
photos.
Rotate: rotates the picture left or right in 90° increments.
Divide: is used for movies, and makes it possible
to edit and cut movie clips.
The DSC-F828 is the first Sony camera to be equipped with a CompactFlash
card slot. While some earlier cameras such as the DSC-D700 and DSC-D770 had
PCMCIA card slots that could accommodate CompactFlash Type I cards in
an adapter, the F828 offers a proper Type I and II CF slot, and is designed
to operate with CF cards and Microdrives. The CompactFlash slot is on
the right side of the camera, behind a solid latching door.
Moreover, the DSC-F828 is also compatible with Sony's Memory Stick format,
including Memory Stick Pro which currently has a maximum capacity of 1
GB. The Memory Stick slot is positioned in a more awkward location, underneath
the camera, in the battery compartment.
In yet another departure from the norm for Sony digital
cameras, the F828 is retailed without a memory
card. As a guide, the chart below indicates the number of images
that can be stored on both a 1 GB Microdrive, and a 256 MB
Memory Stick:
RAW
JPEG Fine
JPEG Standard
TIFF
1GB MD
256 MB MS
1GB MD
256 MB MS
1GB MD
256 MB MS
1GB MD
256 MB MS
3264 x 2448 :
50
10
273
59
505
109
38
8
3264 x 2176 :
—
—
273
59
505
109
42
9
2592 x 1944 :
—
—
426
92
801
174
—
—
2048 x 1536 :
—
—
684
148
1,217
264
—
—
1280 x 960 :
—
—
1,643
357
2,988
649
—
—
640 x 480 :
—
—
6,573
1,428
16,434
3,571
—
—
Movie:
256MB
MS
1
GB Microdrive
Movie — 640
Fine
2 min 57 sec
13 min 41 sec
Movie — 640
Standard
10 min 42 sec
49 min 13 sec
Movie — 160
x 112
2hrs 51 min 21
sec
12 hrs 42 min
06 sec
(Image capacity and movie lengths as indicated in the DSC-F828 manual)
An NP-FM50 Info Lithium battery
powers the F828. The battery is recharged in the camera, and
the AC adapter/charger is supplied as part of the kit. Recharging
the battery takes approximately 2.5 hours, and a fully charged
battery allows for more than 2.5 hours of shooting time.
Three ports are provided on the lower left side of the F828's back, protected
by a soft plastic door. The A/V Out (yellow jack) can be set for either
NTSC or PAL. To its right is the USB (2.0) connection. Most newer
computers offer USB 2.0, and the presence of USB 2.0 on the F828 makes
downloading images directly from the camera much faster.
Finally, the lower connection is
to recharge the battery — the charging is indicated on
the little status display next to the Mode Dial — and
power the camera from AC.
Compare Prices for Sony DSCF828 Digital Camera Battery (BLI-180C)
Characteristics
button
can display images three ways. First the image can be displayed
by itself. Second, the F828 can show the battery charge remaining,
the image resolution, the folder in which it is located, the
position of the frame within the overall number of photos in
the directory, the file name, and the date and time at which
the photo was captured, around the periphery of the image.
Third, a histogram showing the distribution of brightness in
the frame, and the most critical shooting data can be shown,
including exposure compensation, ISO, metering pattern, flash
mode, white balance, shutter speed, and aperture.
