Sony's Newest Big Shooter

Camera boasts 8 megapixels and a new, four-color image sensor.

Sony's Cyber-shot DSC-F828 is so cool-looking, it's almost more a conversation starter than a powerful 8-megapixel digital camera. Almost. The first camera to use the company's new four-color CCD (it adds emerald to the red, green, and blue found in other chips), the unit also has nearly every button, dial, and control a serious digital photographer could want. But it'll cost you.

I tested a shipping model of the $1000 camera and found its long lens barrel and large, boxy body too big and heavy for one-handed shooting. But two-handed, it has the feel and quick action--including minimal shutter delay--of a single-lens-reflex camera. And a turn of the wide zoom ring on the lens barrel lets you quickly set the Sony's impressive focal range from 28mm to 200mm (35mm equivalent).

The other controls are also well designed, and the documentation is solid. The camera supports multiple media types: Memory Stick (Standard and Pro), CompactFlash, and Microdrive. The only noticeable flaws: You can't undo the auto-off function, ...

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Tracey Capen