Sony DSC-F707 Review, Phil Askey, August 2001

Review based on a full production Cyber-shot DSC-F707*

The 2 megapixel DSC-F505 was originally revealed back in August 1999, and we were the first site to review it. In April 2000 Sony announced an upgraded camera named the DSC-F505V, it was essentially the same lens and camera engine but with a 3.3 megapixel sensor. Because the lens system wasn't altered the F505V couldn't cover the required 3.14 megapixels, instead it produced a 2.6 megapixel (1856 x 1392) image.

So here we are some 16 months after the F505V, and some two years since the F505, Sony has revealed the 5 megapixel F707. This digital camera has the same lens / swivelled body design of the F505, indeed at first glance their are a lot of similarities, look closer and you'll see that this camera is an impressive evolution in the best sense of the word.

The F707 still features a 'Carl Zeiss' lens, of course this time focal lengths have had to change, the F707 uses a larger 2/3" CCD compared to the original 1/2" CCD (2 megapixel F505). The old lens had a focal length range of 7.1 - 35.5 mm (5x, 38 - 190 mm equiv.), the new lens has a focal length range of 9.7 - 48.5 mm (5x, 38 - 190 mm equiv.). Also of interest is that the new lens is quite a bit faster than the old, the old lens had maximum aperture of F2.8 at wide angle and F3.3 at telephoto, the new lens has a maximum aperture of F2.0 at wide angle and F2.4 at telephoto (that's a stop faster).

Review update (5th September 2001)

This review was originally based on a pre-production DSC-F707. I have now completed updating this review with results from a full production DSC-F707. As well as fully verifying the review text I have also re-shot a lot of samples and updated test results etc. For those who read the review before this update here's a log of changes:

F707 vs. F505V

Here's a quick summary of the primary differences between the DSC-F505V and the DSC-F707.

		Sony DSC-F707	Sony DSC-F505V
CCD pixels		5.24 megapixels	3.3 megapixels
CCD effective output		4.92 megapixels	2.6 megapixels
CCD size**		2/3"	1/1.8"
CCD Colour Filter Array		G - R - G - B	G - R - G - B
Max resolution		2560 x 1920	1856 x 1392
Lens max aperture		F2.0 - F2.4	F2.8 - F3.3
Lens thread		58 mm	52 mm
Auto Focus		Contrast AF, NightFraming, Hologram AF (laser)	Contrast AF (no AF assist lamp)
ISO sensitivity		Auto & ISO 100, 200, 400	Auto (ISO 100 - 300)
Exposure modes		Program AE, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Full Manual, Scene	Program AE, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Scene
Metering		Multi-Segment, Center-Weighted Average, Spot	Center-Weighted Average, Spot
AE-Lock button		Yes (one shot)	None
Exp. compensation		Button	Menu
Shutter speed range		30 - 1/1000 sec	8 - 1/1000 sec
Noise reduction		Clear Color and Slow Shutter	None
Night mode		NightShot (removes IR filter)	None
Continuous shooting		Burst 3 - 2.8 fps, 3 frames	None
Exposure bracketing		Yes, 3 frames	None
Movie mode		MPEG EX only limited by storage	MPEG time limited
External flash		Dummy shoe 'holder', sync port	Sync port
Viewfinder		EVF	None
LCD		1.8" LCD with anti-reflective coat	2.0" Sunlight Hybrid
Power		InfoLithium M (8.5 Wh)	InfoLithium S (4.1 Wh)
Zoom controller		Side of lens barrel (dual speed)	Rear of main body (dual speed)
Misc.		Jog-dial, No Position Sensor	Position Sensor

4.92 megapixels

The DSC-F707 becomes the second digital camera we've reviewed which uses the new 2/3" 5.24 mp Sony ICX282 CCD. The camera outputs a 4.92 megapixel image (2560 x 1920) from this CCD. Coming from the 2.6 megapixel F505V this is certainly a big step up, the diagram below will give you a visual scale display of the difference between 2.6 megapixels and 4.92 megapixels.

Here are a few other ways of thinking about the increase in resolution (compared to the F505V's 2.6 megapixel image):

• The output image is 704 pixels wider and 528 pixels taller
• The output image has 2.33 million more pixels
• Prints at 150 dpi would cover an extra 4.7 inches horizontally and 3.5 inches vertically

If you're new to digital photography you may wish to read the Digital Photography Glossary before diving into this review (it may help you understand some of the terms used).

Conclusion / Recommendation / Ratings are based on the opinion of the reviewer, you should read the ENTIRE review before coming to your own conclusions. Images which can be viewed at a larger size have a small magnifying glass icon in the bottom right corner of the image, clicking on the image will display a larger (normally 960 x 720 or smaller if cropped) image in a new window. To navigate the review simply use the next / previous page buttons, to jump to a particular section either pick the section from the drop down or select it from the navigation bar at the top. DPReview calibrate their monitors using Color Vision OptiCal at the (fairly well accepted) PC normal gamma 2.2, this means that on our monitors we can make out the difference between all of the (computer generated) grayscale blocks below. We recommend to make the most of this review you should be able to see the difference (at least) between X,Y and Z and ideally A,B and C.

This review is Copyright 2001 Phil Askey and the review in part or in whole may NOT be reproduced in any electronic or printed medium without prior permission from the author. For information on reproducing any part of this review (or any images) please contact: Phil Askey.