DSC-F717 advice? - DPChallenge Forums

11/13/2003 05:48:28 AM · #1

During my current camera search, have come across the DSC-F717 and it's very appealing to me.. the biggest drawback appears to be the memory sticks as opposed to pretty much anything else.. do any of you seem to have issues with the memory sticks not holding enough pictures? i certainly use the camera for stuff like DPC, but vacation photography can be a factor.. in which case, i'm wondering if the DSC-F717 is really worth it.. on my last trip to Canada, I shot almost 200 pictures.. maybe a little overboard, but after hearing that a 128mb memory stick holds around 21 images at highest quality, i'm wondering what it's capacity is at other qualities (still want good pictures, but don't need HIGHEST quality for vacation photos.. maybe just every now and then).. it could be a big factor in my decision, so i was wondering what everybody else thought.

sleekr

Minolta DiMAGE A1

11/13/2003 06:02:29 AM · #2

The DSC-F717 can take the Memory Stick Pro, which go up to 1 Gig, so you've got no problems with memory size.

I've also looked around for various cameras, and the F717 is at the top of my list - it just looks great!

Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS

11/13/2003 06:08:34 AM · #3

yep, i know you did :).. your post in the hardware forums is actually what made me look up the DSC-F717 to see what all the fuss was about.. and i ended up liking it.. thanks for the advice (both intentional and unintentional forms) :D

willem

Sony Alpha a6700

11/13/2003 06:16:46 AM · #4

I have an F707 which is the older version and does not take MS-Pro.
Therefore I have two MS of 128 MB which together can hold approx. 110 pics in highest quality, usually enough for one day.
On holiday's I take my Xs-drive do download MS to harddisk in the evening. Also use it as backup of my PC harddisk and as card reader connected to my PC.

shareinnc

Canon EOS-20D

Tamron AF 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di LD Aspherical IF for Canon

11/13/2003 06:56:08 AM · #5

I own the F717 and have three memory sticks...128, 64, and 32 (for various reasons LOL).

I also invested $200 in an xdrive--20 gig. It reads the stick and copies the files to itself. It is rechargable and I've put about 4 gig worth of photos on it since I got the camera in May.

The xdrive was a far more economic solution to memory (and I took it to florida where I took 6 or 700 photos in a week).

I got mine on ebay.

Shari

melking

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III

Canon EF 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 II USM

11/13/2003 07:32:24 AM · #6

I got my SONY F717 2 months ago amd I love it, it was well worth the money. I have a 256mb Memory Stick Pro with mine...
I use 2048 X 1536 res that holds 148 photos

1280 X 960 res hold about 357 photos on FINE setting holds 649 on Standard setting

640 X 480 holds 1428 photos FINE and 3571 Standard but I never use this
myself.

Hope this helps
If you get the F717 you will not be dissapointed

Melissa

Canon PowerShot Pro 90 IS

11/13/2003 07:47:10 AM · #7

sounds good - thanks for the quick responses and suggestions. a dsc-f717 with a 128 or 256 and the x-drive sounds like an interesting possibility.. my search will continue, as it's a big investment for me. but, everything i hear about the f717 has been positive so far (minus some stuff about sony not having a good warranty).. so it'll be somewhere at the top of my list as i figure things out.. thanks to everyone for providing me with some info :D

coolhar

11/13/2003 12:22:59 PM · #8

Sony has a history of changing the type of memory used in it's digicams very frequently. Their new high end model features memory stick AND compact flash. This might be taken as the beginning of the end for memory stick in cameras. Might be wiser to go with something else.

Message edited by author 2003-11-13 12:23:25.

jmsetzler

Sony Alpha a6000

Sony 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 E-mount

11/13/2003 12:26:34 PM · #9

I agree with Shari... I got a 20gb 'x-drive' and then the size of my memory card doesn't really ever become an issue.

zeuszen

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

11/13/2003 02:09:18 PM · #10

I use 128 MB MemSicks exclusively. If I loose one (tiny things they are), no big deal. If I loose a 1 GB MemPro, hey, I'm dead.

Another interesting fact. The smaller the capacity, the greater the actual capacity. Has anyone else found this to be so?

A 128 MB (at highest resolution, FINE) yields between 54 and 65 images, according to my experience.

GoodEnd

Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT

Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

11/13/2003 02:36:03 PM · #11

Originally posted by jmsetzler:

I agree with Shari... I got a 20gb 'x-drive' and then the size of my memory card doesn't really ever become an issue.

Jhon, can you tell me what are your 'x-drive'? If can list some manufacturers too, I thanks in advance.

Sony 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 E-mount

11/13/2003 02:52:14 PM · #12

i think this is the site:
//www.xs-drive.com/
but it appears that they're a company from britain, so purchasing on eBay from someone in the states might be easiest for most people.. although, i think if i get one, i might just get the drive and purchase a 6gb HDD disk separately, since I'm not so sure I really need 20gb.
I'm glad to hear the memory sticks can hold a decent # of pictures - reviews I was reading elsewhere were claiming only 21 picture per 128mb stick at the highest setting

jmsetzler

Sony Alpha a6000

11/13/2003 03:06:46 PM · #13

Originally posted by GoodEnd:

Originally posted by jmsetzler:
I agree with Shari... I got a 20gb 'x-drive' and then the size of my memory card doesn't really ever become an issue.

Jhon, can you tell me what are your 'x-drive'? If can list some manufacturers too, I thanks in advance.

//www.kanguru.com/mediaxchange.html

I bought the 20gb version of this... $250.. works great :)

shareinnc

Canon EOS-20D

Tamron AF 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di LD Aspherical IF for Canon

11/13/2003 03:21:52 PM · #14

Originally posted by jmsetzler:

Originally posted by GoodEnd:
Originally posted by jmsetzler:
I agree with Shari... I got a 20gb 'x-drive' and then the size of my memory card doesn't really ever become an issue.

Jhon, can you tell me what are your 'x-drive'? If can list some manufacturers too, I thanks in advance.

//www.kanguru.com/mediaxchange.html

I bought the 20gb version of this... $250.. works great :)

The other advantage was it didn't matter what KIND of memory either...the xdrive was the only one I found that did handle memory sticks as well as all the other kinds of memory.

Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

11/14/2003 06:27:40 AM · #15

how is the viewfinder on this camera? does it work well? or, like most digitals, must you still resort to the LCD for composing and setting up the picture? i know you can adjust the focus and zoom on the lens itself, but not sure how the viewfinder works.

Catherine

Sony DSC-F717

11/14/2003 08:45:04 AM · #16

I use the F717 for macro work all the time and I find the viewfinder to be excellent. I use it pretty well exclusively - rarely ever using the LCD. All of the settings and parameters show on the viewfinder, including the histogram. The rotating lens is a HUGE bonus for outside-the-studio macro work where you can't always move the subject. It is also a huge bonus for anyone who prefers LCD to viewfinder because you can adjust the LCD to compensate for angle and glare. Sort of like a laptop - the angle of perception affects the color and saturation and you often have to move the top from this to that position in order to see it from a new angle.

Catherine

GoodEnd

Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT

11/14/2003 08:53:56 AM · #17

Thanks Jhon and brianlh!
I donÂ´t had knew these toys before! Who needs more than 128MB with this one?

Originally posted by brianlh:

The viewfinder has exactly the same image and view of LCD. Why it is a second LCD screen. An electronic viewfinder! The only issue is the number of pixels, that downgrade the resolution to a half of LCD. This makes you to take some care of extreme detailed subject while focusing or complex ligthing emvironments while metering.