should i go for the F828?

[Triton]

As i have said many times over.. You cannot compare a DSLR and a prosumer cam like the F828. They are a different class altogether. If u are looking for a all-in-one neat package, a prosumer cam is the way to go. and amongst the crop of 8MP prosumer digicam now i would look no further then the 828. Why??... becos the swivel lens is the only one in the market :thumbsup: , becos of the build quality :thumbsup: , becos the mechanical zoom is pure joy to use :thumbsup: , becos the lens is fast :thumbsup: , becos shutter lag is almost non-existent :thumbsup: , becos of the fast startup time :thumbsup: , becos of the ultra fast focussing :thumbsup: , becos of the new Real Mode color :thumbsup: .
Becos of all of the above i am willing to accept purple-fringing :thumbsd: , higher noise levels :thumbsd: than competitive brands.

So many thumbsups and only 2 thumbsdowns... i am pretty happy with my Purple Machine

 

[snowspeeder]

I particularly liked this part where the following reviewer so eloquently expressed his view on photographic equipment:

"Find out what equipment the great photographers of the past 75 years have used. You'll be shocked. In almost every case it's basic run-of-the-mill gear. Great images aren't produced by great cameras. They spring from the eye and soul of people, not from pieces of metal, plastic and glass. The rest is techno-masturbation."

Review was extracted from here:
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/cameras/sony828-II.shtml

:bsmilie:

 

[djork]

I just looked at the reviews pic and very disappointed with F828 pic quality. Almost all pics exhibit at least abit of Purple fringing. If you compare with 10D in the photo, you know what I mean..

some lenses from canon also exhibit chromatic abberation too. like the 70-300 lens, in high contrast situations, it's more likely to show. the f828 is not for you if you like to take tree branches against a washed out sky. but who the hell does that all the time? i own the 828, it's a pleasure to use. unless you're really picky over the faults..

 

[artyboy]

thanks for all your inputs guys. i've read all the reviews & viewed the sample shots at dpreview, dcresource, stevesdigicams & luminouslandscapes and have decided on the F828. luminouslandscape's review was a particular eye-opener, the criticisms were blunt and harsh yet the reviewer did reality checks & explain the faults, and my gdness he was making comparisons with a D-SLR coupled with f/2.8 lenses!! most of the time, the noise/CA were clearly evident in the sample pics BUT at 100% magnification of a small area of the entire image, i was shocked when i scrolled down to look at the orig image and the "flaws" were actually unnoticeable! some of the F828/D30 comparison shots were particularly eye-opening, in one of the shots the F828 was actually visibly sharper (the bookshelf shot) but of course i know most of the time a D-SLR wins hands down. as Triton rightly pointed out, i am keen on the F828 for the exact same reasons - fast lens, superior AF speed, supreme build quality and an all-in-one photographic tool.. with flaws mind you, but flaws which are negligible in view of the overall excellence. thanks for all yr valuable inputs. as an added personal input, i myself do recall that no photographic equipment is free from flaws, even my previous AF Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8 ED suffered from light falloff at the edges & vignetting probs esp at maximum aperture so thats food for thought. the Caonon Pro 1 after much thought doesnt seem an attractive upgrade opton from my G3 - i would think that an upgrade from a f/2.0 - f/3.0 to a f/2.4 - f/3.5 lens would be more of a downgrade, barring other improved features. thanks guys.

 

[Ramses]

Well ... I don't think that is a fair comparison as the 10D is a very good DSLR and should not be compared to a good prosumer cam like the F828.
I use to go for shoots with my fren (who owns a 10D) and during one of the events we covered a participant fainted and he had to struggle to change from his close-up lens to his 200 mm zoom. As I was using the F828, I didn't have any of this problem.
As for purple fringing, well it exists in almost all cameras. The trick to F828 surpressing this CA is to go manual, watch your aperture setting and avoid backdrops where there is very bright light.

I strongly agreed with wat you say...the fringing exist in most cameras.
Also you cant compare these cemeras among themselves... just get what you think suits you.

 

[dropzone]

how about considering getting a D70 instead of a 828, since the price differs by about 500 only, and considering the fact that 828 price might drop in a few months if sony decides to come out with a better model.

 

[pianodancer]

how about considering getting a D70 instead of a 828, since the price differs by about 500 only, and considering the fact that 828 price might drop in a few months if sony decides to come out with a better model.

Even when F828 is out, the F717 is still sought after. So no matter if there is a new Sony cam, a good cam will always be valued.

Agree D70 is $500 more, but dun forget all the additional lens you need to get to achieve same zoom factor. Not dun forget you lose all the fun factor like video mode, LCD preview, etc.

After 5 months, I still love my F828, and people are still impressed with the cam, and people still think it's a SLR.

 

[Inimatad]

I agree with you...100%
The F828 has a very appealing look.
On the other hand, most DSLR can give you better results but at much higher cost. My friends with the 10Ds and 300Ds has spend almost 6k on lens and accessories alone.

I spend less than $500 on accessories like the F32X and some filters.

 

[Triton]

Maybe this will help anyone considering buying any of the current 8MP prosumers..
Check out the complete article at Luminous Landscape

And The Winner Is?
There is no one stand-out winner, though the Sony and the Minolta are my preference. Each has its advantages and drawbacks. If shooting in low light with a fast lens and excellent assisted autofocus is important, then the Sony wins. It also is, for me at least, the most enjoyable camera when it comes to handling. But, it will lose points among many potential purchasers because of its purple fringing problems and lack of a RAW buffer.

The Minolta has the most interesting feature set and smoothest user interface. It also is the only one of the five that can effectively shoot RAW files because of its large and intelligent buffer. The automatic switching between the EVF and LCD is also a major advantage over all the others, as is the Anti Shake capability. For these reasons it is my personal favourite.

The Canon Pro1 is the middle child. Not my first or even second choice, but I could live with it. It does most things well, but nothing exceptionally.

The Olympus and the Nikon simply don't offer what I see as any compelling advantages over their competitors in the way of features or handling. And since all five cameras are very similar in their image quality there isn't a strong reason to choose one of these over the others which do offer several advantages.

So as you can see, there isn't one camera that dominates this competition. All will produces very high quality A3-sized prints that if competently produced can be comparable to those from much expensive cameras. But some models clearly have advantages over the others in certain areas. Anyone considering the purchase of one of these five cameras should visit their local dealer and handle the camera(s) that you're interested in. You wouldn't purchase a car without a test drive, so don't buy a camera based on brand loyalty, and certainly not an the basis of opinionated reviews such as these.

 

[King Tiger]

Follow your hearts. That's matters.

Spend money, dun use it/uncomforatable with it : Waste money :thumbsd:
Spend money, use it,like it very much : Value for money :thumbsup:

 

[bry'an]

I just looked at the reviews pic and very disappointed with F828 pic quality. Almost all pics exhibit at least abit of Purple fringing. If you compare with 10D in the photo, you know what I mean..

those photos are enlarged to 100% of original 8M pixels. For the normal 4R prints and 14 inch screen size viewing, the noise is nt a problem. it would be grainy for some indoor shots due to low illumination. so i try P mode and set to iso64 for most of the time. noise is no longer a problem anymore. noise ninja is a good companion.

i think it is very unlikely to print A3 size photos. or crop image at 100% enlargement...

I love my "Flawed Jewel" :blah:

 

[artyboy]

i agree. most readers who read the on-line reviews fail to realise that the shots showing noise/purple fringing are magnified 100% of a small area of the original full-size image. what surprised me even more is that noise was negligeble even at ISO 100 (some even 200) altho for digicams i was expecting to shoot at ISO 50/64 at all times. most photographers make 4/5R prints or view their pics on the PC so i dont see the flaws as that incriminating.

 

[chriszzz]

I agree with you...100%
On the other hand, most DSLR can give you better results but at much higher cost. My friends with the 10Ds and 300Ds has spend almost 6k on lens and accessories alone.

I spend less than $500 on accessories like the F32X and some filters.

Heheh....true, but....

Your friends CHOSE to buy the acccessories, because they have plenty of OPTIONS of buying, and they took it. The higher cost is self-inflicted. They could have chosen not to buy any accessories, saved the money, and still have a perfectly good DSLR in their hands. But at least they have a choice.

You on the other hand, DON'T have much options when it comes to accessories because of the nature of your camera. So you CANNOT buy, even if you want to.

This is like buying computers. People buy a laptop, and just maybe another $100 worth of accessories, and are done. Some people buy PCs, and spend $1000's on more RAM, bigger harddisks, modding, and faster video card. But there are also people who buy PCs and not spend another cent on accessories, so they don't actually spend more than the laptop buyers, and still have a PC that is faster than the laptop. But if they WANT to add more accessories later on, they have the option of doing so, unlike the laptop user. However, the laptop, like your 828, is much more convenient and portable than a PC.

 

[artyboy]

very true indeed. i think most non-DSLR users have already accepted the fact that their options are limited before they decided on the F-828 or any prosumer digicam for that matter. i for one have been using SLR (non-digital) for the past 10 years. after a while the idea of lugging a bag full of lenses and a 'hammerhead' flash unit to take pics loses its appeal. of course, the serious photographers doesnt mind that but some do, so its simply a matter of personal preference and compromise. there is also no denying that no prosumer digicam can come close to the image quality of a D-SLR, primarily becos of limitations to its compromised design. but for most people it is good enough for their needs.

 

[bry'an]

very true indeed. i think most non-DSLR users have already accepted the fact that their options are limited before they decided on the F-828 or any prosumer digicam for that matter. i for one have been using SLR (non-digital) for the past 10 years. after a while the idea of lugging a bag full of lenses and a 'hammerhead' flash unit to take pics loses its appeal. of course, the serious photographers doesnt mind that but some do, so its simply a matter of personal preference and compromise. there is also no denying that no prosumer digicam can come close to the image quality of a D-SLR, primarily becos of limitations to its compromised design. but for most people it is good enough for their needs.

yayayay. tat's why i buy laptop. i can travel forth and back with 20G of information and softwares.... and i buy 828.