Home > Consumer Reviews > Sony DSCF707 Cyber-shot 5MP Digital Still Camera w/ 5x Optical Zoom

Frankly, this IS an investment...you spending $1000+ for this camera plus some needed accessories. Few people will ever shoot 5 Mega Pixels (MP) shots every time, but serious (and serious amateur) photographers will certainly appreciate being able to produce stunning detail when the need arises. Look at images shot on your friends' 2 or 3 MP cameras...this level of quality is amazing...but you WILL want to exceed this occasionally, and (...) is the price you pay to get the technology NOW. A 5 MP head shot will allow you to EASILY discern individual hairs on life-size prints (as in 11x14)...it's truely amazing.

I looked at the Minolta Dimage 7...the auto focus zooms past the subject and back...it seems irritatiingly "loose", for lack of a better term. The Sony is a bit crisper in it's approach to auto focus, though not perfect.

Low-light shots are a challenge, but the viewfinder does have a tremendous amount of information available, including exposure "F" stops, shutter speed, low light warnings, etc. The true genius is that you can essentially operate the camera in a manual mode, quickly overriding the meter to compensate for the light in any situation...backlight, contrasty light, reflections, etc.

If you ever used a 35mm in manual in the old days (when you really had to KNOW photography), you'll love the control available. And younger photographers will find a whole new world in being able to make this camera do what most digitals will still not do...take the unusual shot.

The camera is well balanced, and rather sturdy. You will get used to the shooting position...give it time. My biggest complaint is that the zoom selection switch operates "backwards" to my taste. Intuitively, I want to zoom "in" pressing the "out" button (!)...

You have an adequate built-in pop-up flash...PLUS a PC connection for external flash AND a flash shoe! Slavery, anyone?

The memory stick is a bit of a hassle, but extremely convenient once you get over the struggle. Buy a small USB reader to use at work or home...I use the "Zio". And buy the 128 MB memory stick...nothing smaller.

There were early problems with "White Balance", as recently as Nov 01. Current cameras should be shipping with the factory fix, but Sony, to it's shame, STILL has no information on it's website detailing same, even though it required early owners to send the camera for a "free" repair. Not exactly good thinking for a $1000 camera.

The images are good, but I do have to compensate a bit in low-light. Based on shooting several thousand "test" shots with another camera, I'm happy with this one. It does the job and can satisfy both consumer and professional. Note that I do not plan to replace this camera for several years. Why? Because printer technology has not caught up to the resolution of the camera (at least for the home user) and no one really needs much more in a camera. Five Mega Pixels will generate a poster-size image with very nice quality...you won't be doing it often, but you'll be glad you did when you do.

I like it, and I shopped hard to ensure the most features with the best price. As with all electronics, find a cheap extended warranty. (...) . Cameras DO break.

Shop carefully for a CASE to put it in...the unique shape requires some thinking. I have 3. One for everything including cords and cables, one for the camera plus memory sticks, and a Sony brand "ever-ready" case. Depends on how long you're out and how fast you want to access the camera..at what level of protection. Think.

You'll want an extra battery. Perhaps a travel charger, otherwise you charge the battery by plugging the CAMERA in the wall (!)...thanks Sony. :-(

Buy a UV filter (58mm) to protect the lens.

This camera is expensive, and generally reliable - it's a Sony. Many features I have not detailed, and it has a superb 10x OPTICAL zoom (and a 2x digital). If you are thinking digital and want to not have to trade-up for a while, I suggest the Sony DSC-F707. If you love photography, do not buy a smaller CCD chip than 5 MP...even if you buy another brand. But I certainly recommend the Sony DSC-F707 camera for people to whom the image is important.

My previous camera was a Sony DSC-505V. An excellent camera. I am agoldsmith and gemcutter and use a digital camera to photgraph my work for use in portfolio and advertising items for sale. It is some of the most difficult photography there is. But with this camera it has become. I am finished with hiring a professional photgrapher.
Most of my work is done in macro mode. The DSC-F707 is incredible in this way. Focus is always perfect. Just as important is true to life color. When photographing gemstones the color must be exact. Big problem with other cameras that I have used. No problem now. White balance and spot metering are much better than expected and the automatic functions are flawless. In the past I would have to take a dozen photos of each item and then pick the best. I get the perfect shot first time almost always with this camera.
The 5 megapixels is a dream come true. I can take a close up photo of a diamond or gemstone, then crop out an inclusion and enlarge it while still keeping a nice, sharp picture. My customers know exactly what they are getting. It is almost like photography through a microscope. I plugged the camera into a 57 inch digital television and enlarged a small diamond inclusion to fill up almost all of the screen and still had a sharp image. That had me convinved.
Of course this camera will be used for vacations and such also. I am a skydiver and travel all around the country looking for fun. Its common to see the small digital camcorders mounted on helmets. They will get kicked and banged around in the air and get hit with wind up to 300 mph. You will rarely see anything but a Sony mounted on a helmet. It is about the only brand that makes a camera that will stand up to the abuse. So Sony is the only choice.
On skydiving trips the fun does not end when the sun goes down. Take lots of photos after dark. The nightframe feature will see lots of use. In low light conditions the LCD screen on digital cameras is usually black and you have no idea what is in the frame. With the nightframe you can set up the shot under night vision then take photo in true color with the flash. Great feature.
The viewfinder is a great feature lacking in the DSC-505V. In bright light the view screens on digital camera become invisible. With the viewfinder it is easy to see what you are photographing.
This camera has every feature and adjustment that I have seen on any 35mm or digital camera. With a good printer the prints surpass anything that a 35mm can do. 35mm just became obsolete. The included 16MB memory stick is useless. Have to get a 128MB. Also bought the optional wide angle lens. Only complaint is that I have not yet been able to find a wide angle converter lens yet.

This digital camera has the best features and resolution (...). I looked at the Olympus models, but the DSC-F707 has a better resolution than the E-10.(...) The lens is great, and it takes great pictures in low light situations.

There is a problem with the white balance on some of these cameras, but I believe it has been fixed. If you find that you are having problems while taking low light pictures, with a flash, you can get a flash upgrade for the camera from Sony. You may have some trouble getting into customer support, but that is my only issue with Sony.

Don't let that stop you from getting this camera. The quality is phenomenal. I am a photographer, and you can't find a better camera for the price. The quality rivals an SLR film camera. I can get a 6.4" by 8.5" picture at 300 DPI picture out of the DSC-F707. For Graphic Designers, that is not quite magazine quality, but it's getting close. This camera can be used for a lot of professional work, and I am looking forward to using it in the field.

I have one more problem with this camera. The 16mb card that comes with it is useless. You'll have to get a 128mb card if you're going to take pictures at the highest resolution. The 16mb card gives you only 6 pictures!!!! The 128mb card gives you 48 pictures. I have two of them, but will need more if I go on a long hike. It depends on what you use it for. (...) The battery seems to be OK. It doesn't go out as fast as other cameras I've had, but it can always get better. If I were you, I'd get this camera, a 128mb memory stick, and an extra battery. Then, you'll be set. (...)

All in all, this is a fantastic camera. Other than a few minor quirks, it will make you very happy until the new model comes out. Buy it!

I bought this camera in May of 2002 and found that I can take better pictures with it than I could with a film camera. It has all the major features of a high quality Nikon SLR that I own and still use for slides. The Zeiss lens is outstanding and has a big aperture, f2.0, impressive for a digital. On a vacation to Maui recently, I took over 400 pictures, and there ain't a bad one in the bunch. Maui continues to be a vibrant memory to me through these pictures.

Because there is so much published about what this camera has and can do, I will offer only a few tips from my 1000 or so picture-taking experience with this camera.

1. Don't try to focus on anything less than 1 meter away. I had a dickens of a time trying to photograph a small frog one night, with flashlight in one had and camera in the other. I could get within inches of the rascal, but the camera would not focus even a couple of feet away. I eventually figured out to go beyond a meter and zoomed in on him and that worked fine. There is a macro lens mode for anything under 1 foot away, which may have worked if I had thought about it!

2. Forget TIFF mode, this takes forever to capture a picture and takes up 15 meg of memory. The JPEG "fine" mode will capture pictures more than adequate to serve 99% of your needs, and you can get hundreds of these on a memory stick. Now, if you have real need for TIFF, then disregard this comment.

3. Get the SONY bag, LCS-FX, made especially for this camera. You will not regret. It is a fine and durable leather and the camera fits in there like a hand in glove, and holds and extra stick or two and spare battery. You will carry the camera with confidence and style in this compact case. Handy for taking out and putting back in - great for tourists.I got it... because the camera comes with a coupon for Sony extras...The best investment I've made recently.

4. Get an extra battery, but don't waste money on a charger. You can charge your batteries in the camera overnight, and these batteries last a good long time. This camera's battery life is a true innovation by Sony, unbelievable!

5. Don't waste your money on external flashes. The built in flash has three power settings possible, and is the most powerful flash I've ever had in a camera, even when I've used externals before.

6. Get a few extra 128 MB memory sticks for your trips to Hawaii or the far east. You will be taking hundreds of pictures, so don't be caught short.

7. Get the Sony USB memory stick reader for your computer. You won't have to keep plugging and unplugging your camera in there. This is like a little disk drive, and I've found it to be incredibly compatible with my computer.

8. Get Adobe Photoshop Elements to make corrections to your pictures. You will spend a lot of money and a lot of time to take your pictures. This little software package will make very good photos into fantastic photos. Adjust contrast and brighten those darker than desired faces. Well worth the hundred bucks to underwrite your investment.

9. Learn how to use the Manual, Aperture and Shutter priority modes. Doing this will allow you to capture sunsets, darker scenes, sporting events, moving objects and anything unusual that automatic mode simply will not do.

10. Get a UV filter for your lens. This is just a lens protector as the filter itself does virtually nothing.
Forget about other lens attachments such as wide angle or telephoto. I've got these for my old camcorder and I can tell you that these are just clumsy extras you have to lug around and seldom use. They also degrade picture quality.

In short, this camera still amazes and delights me. It is an amateur photographers dream.

Frankly, I don't understand the whining so many reviewers do about the Sony memory stick. People need to get over their childish bias towards flash cards and smart media. Who cares what other cameras use if you have a Sony? Sony's memory stick works just fine, and is a highly reliable and compact medium. Sony is to digital photography as Disney is to entertainment. They set the standard, and everybody else just tries to copy, change something simple to be "different", and keep up. My recommendation is for those imitators using flash cards and other gimmicks, to get smart, get on board, and start using the industry standard, Sony memory sticks, like the rest of the world.

I owned a Sony DSC F505 2.1mp camera for past 2 years of which I really liked [which had no viewfinder but the LCD to set up the shot with]. Taken 10,000 + images w/it. Now I have the Sony DSC F707 w/view finder [much nicer to use over LCD]… Battery life was not that good w/F505, but I have not use up a battery on the F707 model even after 4 hours of shooting [turning it on and off between shots] in temps as low as 0*f/-18*c temps. I bought a 2nd battery, [have not needed it yet] but good idea to have in case you forget or do not have the time to charge the one in camera. The only thing I do dislike about it is the fact you have to charge the battery while it is in camera [F505 had separate charger]. A separate charger is an optional accessory w/F707… This is a full function camera compared to the F505. It has a lot of new features on it that I'm still learning about… After having it for 2 weeks now Im glad I bought it, was going to wait and get it next spring. This is an outstanding camera for the money. If you buy it, makes sure to get a few 128mb memory sticks. You will need it if you shot in large format images [on average 2mb+ jpg files]... One of the best things I like about the F505 and F707 is the form-factor, were the lens rotates up/down on the body. Has come in handy many times the past few years w/F505 and they have kept it w/F707 [if you really want a shot close to the ground from ground level or over a fence/people/etc., this camera can do it by using the LCD. As far as pictures, the F707 takes outstanding image in most lighting. I shot a lot of images w/snow in background, does not seem to effect it in normal mode. (...)