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F707, S85 reviews: why no mention of cripple by Memory Sticks?

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Memory sticks are great !

I use them everywhere, not just in Cybershots.

They have their own personality to learn and adapt to, since I use them daily to transfer data between PC's and Mac's easily and seamlessly and work in the cameras as well.

128 meg stick is more desirable to use than my 100 or 250 meg Zip disks.

My observation is that Sony will have the 256 meg out near the start of 2002 when the larger capacity cameras really catch on. Paying $100 now for a 128 meg stick is fine for me to use interchangably in the Clié, Cybershots, MP3 players and TRV30 camcorder as well as all the other devices.

No way can I see substituting CF or others in all these devices.

My 10 cents
 
Those with a problem with Memory Sticks should read over this statement carefully. If you would forego purchasing a camera due to the cost of the memory, that's fine. But to castigate an entire population of happy camera owners because of their decision is ludicrous.

Furthermore, the simple fact that many people don't like memory sticks doesn't necesarily mean that the sticks are a problem for potential users. It's a marketing feature, pure and simple. Like it, fine. Don't like it, then don't buy Sony. But that's where it should start and end.
david h said:
Memory sticks are great !

I use them everywhere, not just in Cybershots.

They have their own personality to learn and adapt to, since I use
them daily to transfer data between PC's and Mac's easily and
seamlessly and work in the cameras as well.

128 meg stick is more desirable to use than my 100 or 250 meg Zip
disks.

My observation is that Sony will have the 256 meg out near the
start of 2002 when the larger capacity cameras really catch on.
Paying $100 now for a 128 meg stick is fine for me to use
interchangably in the Clié, Cybershots, MP3 players and TRV30
camcorder as well as all the other devices.

No way can I see substituting CF or others in all these devices.

My 10 cents
Click to expand...
 
Edmar,

I had a similar point of view. But when buying a digicam you really need to take a good strong look at what's most important to you. I certainly would not consider the MemStick a weak point for Sony. Being that I already own a Digital HandyCam from Sony that uses the MemStick it came as a plus.

And what was most important to me was quality of the camera and quality of the shots it takes. Memory was the last thing I was concerned with. Afterall, what good is a 1 GIG MicroDrive on a camera with mediocre results? I just got back from a trip to Hawaii, and I took along two 128 MB MemSticks. That was all I needed. I was able to shoot 140+ pics a day using a S85. More than enough quality, and more than enough shots. And with MemStick prices becoming far more competitive and capacity increasing, I don't believe the MemStick will go the way of the BetaMax...which inicidentally was the superior format compared to VHS. But we know how that turned out. And if you look at the market share numbers...the MemStick is a far cry away from being a handicap for Sony. 25% and it's all theirs becuase no one else makes MemSticks...that's impressive.

I guess it all boils down to what is most important to someone when they are evaluating digicams. For someone such as yourself, you are looking for the best value, not the best quality. So your perception is vastly opposed to someone who is looking for the best quality. Or that's just my take.

But what a great time to be in the market for a digicam...cameras just keep getting better and better and prices are getting for more competitve.

Enjoy!!!
 
Edmar Wiggers said:
Memory Sticks are the worst flaw of F707 and S85, otherwise
wonderful cameras.
Click to expand...
As someone who uses all three (MS, CF, and SM), I've found that MS is the best. Why? Because the connectors on CF are terrible, and SM is flimsy. MS is, by far, the best mechanical design of the three.

As with SM, capacity is a problem, but there will be larger MSs in the fall.
Edmar Wiggers said:
MSticks are the main (if not only) reason I will not buy a Sony
digicam.
Click to expand...
It seems to me that refusing to buy a camera because of a largely irrelevant issue is nothing other than shooting yourself in the foot. Image quality, viewfinder, zoom range are issues that directly affect the quality of the pictures you produce, storage type isn't.

David J. Littleboy
Tokyo, Japan
 
David:

Although I concur, I certainly don't think Edmar's reasons are flawed. What I do have a problem with is the fact that he wishes to extrapolate his opinion onto the rest of the digicam marketplace (in the STF, for God sakes), as if by the shear force of his reasoning we should somehow feel that we're bing screwed by Sony.

The simple fact is that Memory Sticks are doing just fine, they do cause frustration for SOME otherwise happy Sony owners, and that's the end of it.

Even after being rebutted soundly by Phil he still felt compelled to carry his argument further. Go figure. Some people just don't know when enough is enough.
David J. Littleboy said:
Edmar Wiggers said:
Memory Sticks are the worst flaw of F707 and S85, otherwise
wonderful cameras.
Click to expand...
As someone who uses all three (MS, CF, and SM), I've found that MS
is the best. Why? Because the connectors on CF are terrible, and SM
is flimsy. MS is, by far, the best mechanical design of the three.

As with SM, capacity is a problem, but there will be larger MSs in
the fall.
David J. Littleboy said:
MSticks are the main (if not only) reason I will not buy a Sony
digicam.
Click to expand...
It seems to me that refusing to buy a camera because of a largely
irrelevant issue is nothing other than shooting yourself in the
foot. Image quality, viewfinder, zoom range are issues that
directly affect the quality of the pictures you produce, storage
type isn't.

David J. Littleboy
Tokyo, Japan
Click to expand...
 
There is no point at discussing this further, it is one of the most boring topics I have found on the STF for a long time...
Marcel-Etienne
Mike M said:
Although I concur, I certainly don't think Edmar's reasons are
flawed. What I do have a problem with is the fact that he wishes
to extrapolate his opinion onto the rest of the digicam marketplace
(in the STF, for God sakes), as if by the shear force of his
reasoning we should somehow feel that we're bing screwed by Sony.

The simple fact is that Memory Sticks are doing just fine, they do
cause frustration for SOME otherwise happy Sony owners, and that's
the end of it.

Even after being rebutted soundly by Phil he still felt compelled
to carry his argument further. Go figure. Some people just don't
know when enough is enough.
David J. Littleboy said:
Edmar Wiggers said:
Memory Sticks are the worst flaw of F707 and S85, otherwise
wonderful cameras.
Click to expand...
As someone who uses all three (MS, CF, and SM), I've found that MS
is the best. Why? Because the connectors on CF are terrible, and SM
is flimsy. MS is, by far, the best mechanical design of the three.

As with SM, capacity is a problem, but there will be larger MSs in
the fall.
KCTrio said:
MSticks are the main (if not only) reason I will not buy a Sony
digicam.
Click to expand...
It seems to me that refusing to buy a camera because of a largely
irrelevant issue is nothing other than shooting yourself in the
foot. Image quality, viewfinder, zoom range are issues that
directly affect the quality of the pictures you produce, storage
type isn't.

David J. Littleboy
Tokyo, Japan
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Not the most scintillating topic, I agree, but perhaps M. Marcel-Etienne would rather peruse the rather large volume of threads riddled with F707 lickspittles that have been coursing through the STF over the last few days.

Happy reading.
Mike Muir said:
Marcel-Etienne said:
There is no point at discussing this further, it is one of the most
boring topics I have found on the STF for a long time...
Marcel-Etienne
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
I agree that there has been a lot of useless talk about the F707 over the last few hours, but this discussion concerning the MS is not leading anywhere. All that needed to be said was said a long time ago (check some old and very tedious threads): what is new in this discussion? Some people like or even love the MS, some others hate it. Point.
Mike M said:
Happy reading.
Mike Muir said:
Marcel-Etienne said:
There is no point at discussing this further, it is one of the most
boring topics I have found on the STF for a long time...
Marcel-Etienne
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Edmar,

The larger memory sticks are in the works right now. Introduction of this camera will drive the process of introducing these sticks to a frantic level. Do I sense a hidden agenda??

Mike
Edmar Wiggers said:
Memory Sticks are the worst flaw of F707 and S85, otherwise
wonderful cameras.

What I don't like about MSticks:
  • limited in maximum storage (currently 128MB,
vs. 1GB now and 2GB coming for Compact Flash),
  • expensive (more $ MB, adaptors are ridiculously expensive)
  • proprietary.
The larger sensors of S85 and F707 (4MP and 5MP) make the problem
much worse.

I wonder why Phil hasn't mentioned it in the "Conclusion - Cons"
section of either review. He REALLY should have.

MSticks are the main (if not only) reason I will not buy a Sony
digicam.

--
Edmar Wiggers
Click to expand...
 
Where have you been all this time? Memory stick prices have dropped by over a third, other manufacturers are creating them etc etc..etc. Essentially, your post was 3 months old even before it was issued.
Mike C said:
The larger memory sticks are in the works right now. Introduction
of this camera will drive the process of introducing these sticks
to a frantic level. Do I sense a hidden agenda??

Mike
Edmar Wiggers said:
Memory Sticks are the worst flaw of F707 and S85, otherwise
wonderful cameras.

What I don't like about MSticks:
  • limited in maximum storage (currently 128MB,
vs. 1GB now and 2GB coming for Compact Flash),
  • expensive (more $ MB, adaptors are ridiculously expensive)
  • proprietary.
The larger sensors of S85 and F707 (4MP and 5MP) make the problem
much worse.

I wonder why Phil hasn't mentioned it in the "Conclusion - Cons"
section of either review. He REALLY should have.

MSticks are the main (if not only) reason I will not buy a Sony
digicam.

--
Edmar Wiggers
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Is this really the case? Memory sticks account for 25% of the total market? Seems rather high considering that there are more cameras using CF and SM than memory sticks....

-Gary
Mike M said:
Edmar:

Again, I think this is an issue left best for those that wish to
purchase a camera and make their own decisions about memory. The
simple fact is that memory sticks alone account for 25% of the
total market.
Click to expand...
 
Edmar: If that's holding your back, I sure wouldn't buy a Sony. G
Edmar Wiggers said:
Memory Sticks are the worst flaw of F707 and S85, otherwise
wonderful cameras.

What I don't like about MSticks:
  • limited in maximum storage (currently 128MB,
vs. 1GB now and 2GB coming for Compact Flash),
  • expensive (more $ MB, adaptors are ridiculously expensive)
  • proprietary.
The larger sensors of S85 and F707 (4MP and 5MP) make the problem
much worse.

I wonder why Phil hasn't mentioned it in the "Conclusion - Cons"
section of either review. He REALLY should have.

MSticks are the main (if not only) reason I will not buy a Sony
digicam.

--
Edmar Wiggers
Click to expand...
 
Wow, pretty impressive. If Sony can get the capacity and performance that the article alludes to, MS could be on its way to being the market leader.

-Gary
Mike M said:
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0106/01061503memorystickmarketshare.asp
DigitalDad said:
-Gary
Mike M said:
Edmar:

Again, I think this is an issue left best for those that wish to
purchase a camera and make their own decisions about memory. The
simple fact is that memory sticks alone account for 25% of the
total market.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Member said:
Looking at the figures Phil gives in it's review, in which he just
compares it with the Dimage7, well these figures have to be
compared with E10, D30, and even D1x, as they are ahwsome good.
Click to expand...
well, if just figures can make a good camera that simple, math professors can all be great painters ... look at these two shots by Phil himself, maybe I'm blind but I'm really not impressed by f707 at all.





don't compare a sony with e10, d30 or d1x, Sony is still a gadget manufacturer ... (i'm a user of d30 and c4040 at this time)
 
You know...I'm a hater of memorystick's...but hell...look at how much faster the data writes to them...there has got to be something said for that, right?
david h said:
Memory sticks are great !

I use them everywhere, not just in Cybershots.

They have their own personality to learn and adapt to, since I use
them daily to transfer data between PC's and Mac's easily and
seamlessly and work in the cameras as well.

128 meg stick is more desirable to use than my 100 or 250 meg Zip
disks.

My observation is that Sony will have the 256 meg out near the
start of 2002 when the larger capacity cameras really catch on.
Paying $100 now for a 128 meg stick is fine for me to use
interchangably in the Clié, Cybershots, MP3 players and TRV30
camcorder as well as all the other devices.

No way can I see substituting CF or others in all these devices.

My 10 cents
Click to expand...
 
Phil, to be frank, that's just your opinion, too!
You know what the real big problem on the price of memory strick is?

There are not many companies that manufacture MS. Therefore, there are less price competitions. A good news is that a big manufacturer, Samsung, will start producing MS. But, the price wouldn't drop a lot. And, it's for sure that 128mb capacity is pretty small especially for 5mg pixel cameras. Also, currently, the price of 128 mb MS is the same as 256mb CF. It just seems that you are favor of the companies Sony, Nikon and Canon that treat you pretty well (They seem to send you the products before they announce); but Olympus and Kodak don't.
Phil Askey said:
To be frank, that's your personal opinion... While I'm not a huge
fan of Memory Stick neither am I of SD/MMC or SmartMedia but I
don't make a note of that in my reviews.. The facts are clear,
Sony is bringing the price of MS down, are selling more and more
all the time and in increasing capacities.
Click to expand...
 
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