Sony DSC-F828 8MP Digital Camera with 7x Optical Zoom

Before I relate my tale about buying this camera through Amazon (ultimately, I did not, not for lack of effort on my part) let me detail some of what I think is terrific about this camera.I had a DSC-F717 and that camera took remarkable photos. It was intuitive and pretty (silver!) and the buttons were all in the right places. In short order, I felt like a pro taking pictures with it and the results were really good (if you want, email me and I'll link you to some pictures. The only problem with F717 was it was a little cheap in construction so when it began turning on and off randomly (some problem in the hinge I think) it was time to look for a new camera.Since all my accessories are Sony (from the F717) it was natural to look to Sony for solutions. The F828 was the next level and the changes they made appear stunning.Gone is the silver. It is now a serious textured black. No one who looks at this camera wonders if its a toy. They may wonder if its a weapon of some kind but it feels good in the hand. It balances much better than the F717 and the key layout, although I'm still getting used to it, makes a little more sense. No more using software purely to delete pictures. There's a button for that. Same thing for White Balance. WB is the most important feature I've ever found on a digital camera and very few people use it. I use it before EVERY shot. Before on the F717, I had to look for a button among a nest of buttons. Now, its right on top right near the shutter.Next among cool reasons to like this camera is the holographic AF. This (like the F717) camera prjects a visible grid of laser light to detail the subject being photographed. The focus is tight and pretty. I haven't had a chance to play with depth of field but if its like the F717, it will be a strong suit.It is also very fast. I can now take pictures about as quickly as I hit the shutter. On the F717, it took time.The only negatives so far is that the camera is heavy. It balances well in the hand, but I have to find a way to carry it thats a little more comfortable. It will work out. I bought the bag (which I'll review separately and that I did buy on Amazon) and it fits into it well, but there's no pocket to hold the charger. Ah well, gotta charge at home and carry batteries.Last, I'd like to relate my experience in purchasing the camera.Amazon listed the camera as $454. This was listed in its main price, not through a reseller, auction or Amazon shop. I clicked buy, checked the pricing and hit Submit Order. Surprise! It was a third party reseller named USAPhotonation.com. I got a confirmation that said (pasted) "we're writing to confirm your purchase of the following item from USA PhotoNation: 1 of Sony DSC-F828 8MP Digital Camera with 7x Optical Zoom [Camera](available to ship by 28-October-2004)Amazon Payments has charged your credit card (DELETED) for thispurchase, and the funds have been credited to USA Photo Nation."Having checked out resellerratings.com ([...] ) I basically saw that this company seemed to be a bunch of crooks. Out of a rating of 1 to 10 (10 being the best possible) they scored a .64 as rated by 43 people. I wrote Amazon who reassured me. On Amazon there were no ratings. Apparently I was the first time they'd ever been referred business by Amazon.After a flurry of email exchanges between Amazon and myself, a few fired off to USA Photo Nation, which they never bothered to answer and over 2 hours on hold at their customer service number, they informed me that my order was cancelled and I could expect a refund, which I did get.Amazon seemed to wash their hands of it. I got my money back and the next best price on another camera was north of $900 and they weren't going to supply a camera at the price I was confirmed (by them) because, they said, it was the reseller who didn't deliver the product. I, on the other hand, had NO idea I was dealing with a reseller and would never have used that particular reseller after viewing their online ratings.I bought the camera at a Best Buy. I paid over double what Amazon assured me was the price and I'm pleased with my purchase. I'm a little angry at Amazon however. I've done a lot of business with them over the years and I think their relationship with the reseller does not absolve them of their responsibility to provide what they confirm has been purchased.So, for my review, this is a great camera, one that is heavier duty than my F717 and much faster. But if you are thinking about buying it through Amazon, I'd advise caution. Make sure it isn't a reseller or if it is, that they have reasonable rating for delivering on time what they promise.

Manual zoom ring. Incredible close-ups. Movies and infra red imaging. Two different, seamless storage media. Very robust. Amazing picture quality.Yes there is, can and will be a lot of PF in your pictures ONLY if the subject is of something (such as sunlight reflections on water, or something very bright behind something dark) that will show PF. MOST SUBJECTS will NOT give you any trouble at all, which leads some people to write that PF does not exist for this camera. So sure there are a number of shots where I have some PF. I think most digital cameras would have some degree of PF shooting the exact same subject. Not a real problem for me.A small drawback is the manual focus. Being a long-term SLR addict I found the IDEA very hard to live with, but PRACTICALLY there is NO PROBLEM at all. Out of the 7000 or so shots I have taken using autofocus there were maybe 5 or 6 I had to discard.The small buffer for shooting TIFF is frequently mentioned. While this is fair enough and surely true I think it really only counts for the professionals but it's a non-issue for the average user. There is virtually no loss if you shoot in fine mode.If you are trigger happy be sure to load up on memory. I have a 1GB 40x compact flash and another 1GB memory stick pro for taking short movies (or just more pictures). This way I can make it through a 3 day long weekend hiking around Kings Canyon and come home with more than 500 high quality pictures (3MB files) AND some movies.- Use a filter (a neutral density or polarizer) in bright light.- Use fine mode instead of standard to consume less battery power.- Use manual focus (infinity) only if AF doesn't work (like on clouds).

This is the end-all, be-all of cameras and when I saw it on Amazon for $454, I jumped on it and purchased other accessories.I got the accessories, and an email saying my order for the camera had been cancelled. It turned out that the order was forwarded to USAPhotoNation, not Amazon. It wasn't a zShops order, it was Amazon's own internal order.After looking more in depth, USAPhotoNation does this. Sells cheap, cancells, gets you to call, and they try to sell you overpriced accessories. Aparently there was some problem with part 2 and they just cancelled the order.Amazon was not willing to work out a deal or compensation regarding the price they promised and for which they accepted money. I did get a full refund on the camera, but I still have the accessories which I wouldn't have purchased in a split order.As for the camera itself, it has a great optical zoom, takes pictures in low-low light, supports compact flash as well as memory stick pro, has a manual focus ring, and otherwise does all of the things that all of the other sony DSCs do combined into one. It is a bit bulky, but it's well worth it if you're serious about photos.There are some reports of purple streaks, but this is generally lense flair. A $30 filter kit will increase the crispness in odd lighting and will also protect your lense from dirt.The camera is a bit bulky, but this is to be expected with a decent optical system. It's great for those of us with bigger hands as you can get a really good grip on it.So, I highly recommend this camera, but I highly recommend against using Amazon to purchase it. Go to your local camera or electronics shop and pick one up there.