707 – Is the party over?

Now that people are starting to have hands on experience, the complaints are surfacing (Blooming, CA’s, dead pixels). Some people are taking about canceling there orders.

Were our expectations too high? Are we just impossible to please? Did Sony lay an egg?

I’m still looking forward to mine. I just hope the focusing is better then my S85.

I still can't wait to get mine and try it for myself! I keep hoping to see a post on here that somebody's had a call from Sears, but still no luck. My receipt says Oct. 8, but one sales go told me they'd probably be in today. I don't believe him, but I still had that slim hope.

Jeff said:

Now that people are starting to have hands on experience, the
complaints are surfacing (Blooming, CA’s, dead pixels). Some people
are taking about canceling there orders.

Were our expectations too high? Are we just impossible to please?
Did Sony lay an egg?

I’m still looking forward to mine. I just hope the focusing is
better then my S85.

Click to expand...

With a bullet proof return policy from Sears, I am still going to try mine out. Heck, I'll use it through the holidays, lot's of red during Christmas. If I don't like it, I'll be at Sears Dec 26th returning it....

David

Jeff said:

Now that people are starting to have hands on experience, the
complaints are surfacing (Blooming, CA’s, dead pixels). Some people
are taking about canceling there orders.

Were our expectations too high? Are we just impossible to please?
Did Sony lay an egg?

I’m still looking forward to mine. I just hope the focusing is
better then my S85.

Click to expand...

r00t said:

With a bullet proof return policy from Sears, I am still going to
try mine out. Heck, I'll use it through the holidays, lot's of red
during Christmas. If I don't like it, I'll be at Sears Dec 26th
returning it....

David

Click to expand...

David,

How's the return policy from Sears??? 30 days for digicam. computer products??? I've a nightmare return policy from CircuitCity 15% stocking fee Arghhhhh

Dylan,

Jeff,

It's too early to say. We saw the first shots 2 days ago.
I too bought an 85 and have been frustrated with focus

However, as I learn more about the camera and its foibles
and as I get more help from Ron and others on this forum
my shots continue to improve (2-90 taken so far)

Just did a portrait shoot of my Mother in law (19 shots)
The results are sensational (13 are keepers)
Not one shot out of focus
all of them were white balance adjusted using white paper
all taken using full manual aparture and shutter settings
I composed each shot
focused the camera on her very contrasty top
that I'd asked her to wear for the session
then moved back to my shot
This may sound inconvenient - but it's very easy
........perfect
The pictures are fantastic IMHO and the rest of the family.
Most importantly - she loves them.
"no one's ever taken pictures of me like this before"
She's 70 and it made the purchase of the camera worthwhile
My wife was happy as well

I have been, like many, thinking about the 707
However I'm increasingly likely to wait for 6-12 months
and buy an SLR from Canon, Olympus, Pentax or Nikon.
I am convinced that the 5mxl prosumer SLR is months away

Don't get me wrong the 707 looks good.
But I am not sure the difference versus the 85 is
that great for my photographs
Of course I'd love one

So - the party is not over. I may still jump
But it looks like I'll wait for my SLR

Now if I had not bought the 85 13 weeks ago
I'd be on the 707 in a flash

All the best
Robert

Jeff said:

Now that people are starting to have hands on experience, the
complaints are surfacing (Blooming, CA’s, dead pixels). Some people
are taking about canceling there orders.

Were our expectations too high? Are we just impossible to please?
Did Sony lay an egg?

I’m still looking forward to mine. I just hope the focusing is
better then my S85.

Click to expand...

Jeff said:

Now that people are starting to have hands on experience, the
complaints are surfacing (Blooming, CA’s, dead pixels). Some people
are taking about canceling there orders.

Click to expand...

Who got a dead pixel?

Member said:

Were our expectations too high? Are we just impossible to please?
Did Sony lay an egg?

Click to expand...

I think some people thought that the 707 would have performance comparable to digital SLRs for which lenses along cost nearly as much as the entire 707. The party is over for these guys. It's just starting for the rest of us.

Ron Parr

Dylan,

In my past experience with Sears and electronics. "I" have returned items over 2 months old right after Christmas and received a full refund. You just say that you bought it for someone and they didn't like it.

David

Dylan said:

r00t said:

With a bullet proof return policy from Sears, I am still going to
try mine out. Heck, I'll use it through the holidays, lot's of red
during Christmas. If I don't like it, I'll be at Sears Dec 26th
returning it....

David

Click to expand...

David,

How's the return policy from Sears??? 30 days for digicam. computer
products??? I've a nightmare return policy from CircuitCity 15%
stocking fee Arghhhhh

Dylan,

Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. I'm glad you are having good results with your S85. I am so disappointed with the s85 focusing. I have a Canon S110, Nikon 880 (the S85 is on ebay). I took stationary shots on stationary subjects, pressed halfway , heard the beep and clicked. Still some short were not in focus.. When the camera focuses correctly, it’s gorgeous. I take a lot of family photos (kids playing etc) and my S85 misses a lot. My Canon S110 never misses, the Nikon 880 is poor in low light. I wish Sony issued firmware upgrades for these problems. I have a 707 on order and I really hope the focusing is solid.

I keep my cameras in very good condition. I keep all the original packing and boxes too. After 8-12 months of use I put them on ebay. I usually recoup 80-95% of the cost. Then I buy a new camera. It's a great way to upgrade. I use paypal so payments go straight into my checking account - I've never had a bad experience.

Just some food for thought.

Take care and have a good day

Jeff
PS
These were taken with my Nikon 880 last Saturday.
http://www.shagnow.com/pics/Photos/09-30-01-PoolParty/index.htm

I haven't seen anything horrble yet, aren't these issues typical to some extent of all dicams of this price-point and zoom level?

Jeff said:

Now that people are starting to have hands on experience, the
complaints are surfacing (Blooming, CA’s, dead pixels). Some people
are taking about canceling there orders.

Were our expectations too high? Are we just impossible to please?
Did Sony lay an egg?

I’m still looking forward to mine. I just hope the focusing is
better then my S85.

Click to expand...

Yeah, we should all rush to judgement based on a few photos taken by one F707 that the owner received 2 days ago. Excellent thinking.

Jeff said:

Now that people are starting to have hands on experience, the
complaints are surfacing (Blooming, CA’s, dead pixels). Some people
are taking about canceling there orders.

Were our expectations too high? Are we just impossible to please?
Did Sony lay an egg?

I’m still looking forward to mine. I just hope the focusing is
better then my S85.

Click to expand...

I am happy with the results and will still be getting the 707. I bought from Sears so can upgrade when the F707V comes out and hopefully they will have some things fixed by then. The blooming is the only negative I've seen and it really didn't bother me to much (might show up more on the prints though). It still amazes me that they can sell these digital cameras for so much & still haven't fixed the problems. Consumers just seem to accept it. But there really is no alternative, they all seem to have the same problems. I feel that instead of making the camera 5mp why don't they concentrate on fixing the reocurring problems, maybe there is no solution so they add extra mp's & all these fancy options to cover it up? I have the S75 now (which I am returning because its messed up) and do alot of selling on ebay. The S75 really messes the colors up on the clothes I sell and I have to regularly correct them. The F707 colors will be a big improvement for me and save me alot of time. They got that right this time!

Ron Parr said:

Jeff said:

Now that people are starting to have hands on experience, the
complaints are surfacing (Blooming, CA’s, dead pixels). Some people
are taking about canceling there orders.

Click to expand...

Who got a dead pixel?

Member said:

Were our expectations too high? Are we just impossible to please?
Did Sony lay an egg?

Click to expand...

I think some people thought that the 707 would have performance
comparable to digital SLRs for which lenses along cost nearly as
much as the entire 707. The party is over for these guys. It's
just starting for the rest of us.

Ron Parr

Click to expand...

Jeff said:

Now that people are starting to have hands on experience, the
complaints are surfacing (Blooming, CA’s, dead pixels). Some people
are taking about canceling there orders.

Were our expectations too high? Are we just impossible to please?
Did Sony lay an egg?

Click to expand...

Were the expectations of some too high? Probably. Are some of us just impossible to please? Probably. Did Sony lay an egg? I haven't seen any evidence of yolk yet.

Most of the pics I have seen are very consistent with the production-camera samples that were posted on dpreview and elsewhere. Is everyone of the pics perfect? Nope, but I haven't seen any camera (including D1x, 1D, D-30, etc.) that consistently produces only perfect pics. To me, the pics have a quality that seems very consistent/appropriate for a $1000, 5mp, 5x optical zoom, digital camera. I'm going to enjoy this camera. Now if Sears will just call. (I wonder if it would help if I went down and started camping on their doorstep?)

Isn't that a bit unethical?

r00t said:

David

Dylan said:

r00t said:

With a bullet proof return policy from Sears, I am still going to
try mine out. Heck, I'll use it through the holidays, lot's of red
during Christmas. If I don't like it, I'll be at Sears Dec 26th
returning it....

David

Click to expand...

David,

How's the return policy from Sears??? 30 days for digicam. computer
products??? I've a nightmare return policy from CircuitCity 15%
stocking fee Arghhhhh

Dylan,

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

angela said:

I am happy with the results and will still be getting the 707. I
bought from Sears so can upgrade when the F707V comes out

Click to expand...

Just curious, how would that work? As far as returning it 6months later?

can i get a quick refresher?

Howdy said:

Jeff said:

Now that people are starting to have hands on experience, the
complaints are surfacing (Blooming, CA’s, dead pixels). Some people
are taking about canceling there orders.

Were our expectations too high? Are we just impossible to please?
Did Sony lay an egg?

Click to expand...

Were the expectations of some too high? Probably. Are some of
us just impossible to please? Probably. Did Sony lay an egg? I
haven't seen any evidence of yolk yet.

Most of the pics I have seen are very consistent with the
production-camera samples that were posted on dpreview and
elsewhere. Is everyone of the pics perfect? Nope, but I haven't
seen any camera (including D1x, 1D, D-30, etc.) that consistently
produces only perfect pics. To me, the pics have a quality that
seems very consistent/appropriate for a $1000, 5mp, 5x optical
zoom, digital camera. I'm going to enjoy this camera. Now if
Sears will just call. (I wonder if it would help if I went down
and started camping on their doorstep?)

Click to expand...

I think the photos suck.Don't stand in line for one, I don't want to wait .Now about camping out, do you think they will let me in Pa, where is the warehouse.? Omega man, will they let me in if I tell them I have cash and I am a neighborhood boy? Or should I say I am a neighborhood girl?

Member said:

Is the party over?

Click to expand...

The party doesn't even begin until this weekend.

Air fairs are very affordable right now, especially to Los Vegas.

Analia & Brian have agreed to meet us all, Friday evening, at the Los Vegas airport and party all weekend.

For those coming in late to the festivities, you will have to rent your own car. I would imagine, that it would be easy enough to form a pool of late arrivers on Saturday.

If you are sitting on the fence, and might not make up your mind till the last moment don't worry. All flights are only half full.

Do not forget to pack extra MemSticks, batteries, and all other personal camera equipment. The Smith's are wonderful hosts but we must remember to not impose.

rgds
mike g

I'll bring soda and chips!

mike g said:

mike g44959 said:

Is the party over?

Click to expand...

The party doesn't even begin until this weekend.

Air fairs are very affordable right now, especially to Los Vegas.
Analia & Brian have agreed to meet us all, Friday evening, at the
Los Vegas airport and party all weekend.

For those coming in late to the festivities, you will have to rent
your own car. I would imagine, that it would be easy enough to
form a pool of late arrivers on Saturday.

If you are sitting on the fence, and might not make up your mind
till the last moment don't worry. All flights are only half full.

Do not forget to pack extra MemSticks, batteries, and all other
personal camera equipment. The Smith's are wonderful hosts but we
must remember to not impose.

rgds
mike g

Click to expand...

Jeff said:

Now that people are starting to have hands on experience, the
complaints are surfacing (Blooming, CA’s, dead pixels). Some people
are taking about canceling there orders.

Were our expectations too high? Are we just impossible to please?
Did Sony lay an egg?

I’m still looking forward to mine. I just hope the focusing is
better then my S85.

Click to expand...

Excuse me !
Have any of you growlers read what a real pro had to say about the "Dark angel"
Read this and reflect.........then growl about real things .!

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1009&page=2&message=1587521

Don C.

Who still has cash for Vegas after the purchase? Hmmm..Go to Vegas and try to win the money back for my purchase. Sounds like a great idea.....

jrouss said:

mike g said:

jrouss said:

Is the party over?

Click to expand...

The party doesn't even begin until this weekend.

Air fairs are very affordable right now, especially to Los Vegas.
Analia & Brian have agreed to meet us all, Friday evening, at the
Los Vegas airport and party all weekend.

For those coming in late to the festivities, you will have to rent
your own car. I would imagine, that it would be easy enough to
form a pool of late arrivers on Saturday.

If you are sitting on the fence, and might not make up your mind
till the last moment don't worry. All flights are only half full.

Do not forget to pack extra MemSticks, batteries, and all other
personal camera equipment. The Smith's are wonderful hosts but we
must remember to not impose.

rgds
mike g

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

I've seen enough. Did you see the CA in those sample pics? Other prosumer digicams don't have CA. And those reds, oh those reds... I can tell just by looking at other's sample photos that they just aren't right. Afterall, I know exactly what the lighting conditions were, the exact color of the subject, and the exposure of the camera and therefore can determine what the color should have been. I can tell that much from a photo, its a gift I have.

Kidding aside, am I the only one who is still kinda blown away by the 707? I really like the detail, color, noise levels, and even a slightly more shallow DOF. Blow up and overanalyze pics all you want. Just remember, you're starting with a pic thats 5 megapixels and blowing it up... how big of a photo do you really need? How much detail can the human eye possibly discern in a normal sized photo? Do any other digicams have a laser?

Jeff said:

Now that people are starting to have hands on experience, the
complaints are surfacing (Blooming, CA’s, dead pixels). Some people
are taking about canceling there orders.

Were our expectations too high? Are we just impossible to please?
Did Sony lay an egg?

I’m still looking forward to mine. I just hope the focusing is
better then my S85.

Click to expand...