Sony Cyber-shot DSC-F717 Digital Camera

Sony DSC-F717 is Great!

By Rain Man (definitely)  Oct 11, 2003 | 73 out of 77 found this Sony Cyber-shot DSC-F717 review helpful

Pros: Sharpness, ease of use, many features (amateur and advanced)

Cons: Slightly large (lens)

I realize that a lot of reviewers here wrote half-baked reviews without qualifying themselves. I have been involved in professionaly photography on and off for over 30 years. I used Nikon equipment almost exclusively for 35mm work, and Hasselblad f...or larger format work. I was planning on buying Nikon equipment (Coolpix 5700) when I purchased my digital camera. I compared them side-by-side for awhile and found the Sony DSC-F717 not only easier to use, but the sharpness/clarity of the pictures were superior as well. So far the only downside on the images is the slight reddish tint to them, which is easily corrected on my computer using Adobe Photoshop or any one of a dozen editing programs in less than a second. The first thing to impress me was the fact that within 10 minutes of getting it home I was taking great pictures without reading any instructions. It was very intuitive and thanx to the AC Adapter/charger included I could use the camera immediately without waiting for the battery to charge up. The are pros and cons to all models. The large size of the lens might be considered a liability to some, but for me it is an ASSET, since I love holding it in my left hand with the lens cradled in my hand while operating the controls with my right hand. All in all a great camera that shows that while Sony may not be experienced in the still camera market, they have a lot of digital photography experience that comes from their top-notch video camcorders that they get much of the technology from to build this camera. Especially fun is the infrared mode where you can frame and/or shoot pix in complete darkness, with or without the flash. Let's see Canon, Nikon, Olympus or anyone else top this! Read more Less