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V1 in-store test shots

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HelenPB

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Well, instead of going home to work tonight, I got off the airplane from the outer islands, dropped my luggage at the house and went up to Kitamura Camera to play with the new V1. I just couldn't resist, and since I had already told my boss in Turkey that I wouldn't get home from the airport until really late, figured why not...

It was dark outside so I was only able to shoot indoors, and even then coudn't move more than a foot in any direction (so pretty boring, repetitive pics). The camera is amazingly light (I thought it would feel like my old S45, but it didn't) and quite thick. But comfortable enough to use. Response time seems quite fast. I did notice, however, some really slow shutter speeds, even with the flash, so of course got several blurred pics. (Even with faster speeds I got some blurry images; I think they were mainly zoomed). I haven't had much time to analyze them, but wanted to post this for everybody. I'll try to go back tomorrow or at least as soon as I can during daylight and see if I can't talk them into letting me go outside for a while with it. They can hold my 717 as security if they like :-)

http://www.pbase.com/helenpb/sony_v1_instore_test_shots

Helen

--
http://community.webshots.com/user/helenpb_
http://pbase.com/helenpb

F717, PS7 & PSE, Epson 820 & 2200
 
Thanks Hellen. I'll bet this will be a hot thread.
Would you consider the V1 a, "pocketable camers?"

warm regards,
--
Rich
 
Helen Betts said:
Well, instead of going home to work tonight, I got off the airplane
from the outer islands, dropped my luggage at the house and went up
to Kitamura Camera to play with the new V1. I just couldn't resist,
and since I had already told my boss in Turkey that I wouldn't get
home from the airport until really late, figured why not...

It was dark outside so I was only able to shoot indoors, and even
then coudn't move more than a foot in any direction (so pretty
boring, repetitive pics). The camera is amazingly light (I thought
it would feel like my old S45, but it didn't) and quite thick. But
comfortable enough to use. Response time seems quite fast. I did
notice, however, some really slow shutter speeds, even with the
flash, so of course got several blurred pics. (Even with faster
speeds I got some blurry images; I think they were mainly zoomed).
I haven't had much time to analyze them, but wanted to post this
for everybody. I'll try to go back tomorrow or at least as soon as
I can during daylight and see if I can't talk them into letting me
go outside for a while with it. They can hold my 717 as security if
they like :-)

http://www.pbase.com/helenpb/sony_v1_instore_test_shots

Helen

--
http://community.webshots.com/user/helenpb_
http://pbase.com/helenpb

F717, PS7 & PSE, Epson 820 & 2200
Click to expand...
--

Considering the conditions, I like what I see from the V1. What did you think of the camera its self. I understand that after your lock focus there is NO shutter lag. Give us your opinion. Thanks

Greg
Jax, FL

Greg Gebhardt Nikon D1 & D1x. Sony 717, V1 (i wish), Epson 2200 & PS7
Jacksonville, Florida
 
Thank you. I am discouraged by the shots I have seen at dcresource.com and your shots. It will be interesting to see how this camera holds up under the scrunity of Phil's review. Thanks, once again for taking the time to share the pics with everyone.
Helen Betts said:
Well, instead of going home to work tonight, I got off the airplane
from the outer islands, dropped my luggage at the house and went up
to Kitamura Camera to play with the new V1. I just couldn't resist,
and since I had already told my boss in Turkey that I wouldn't get
home from the airport until really late, figured why not...

It was dark outside so I was only able to shoot indoors, and even
then coudn't move more than a foot in any direction (so pretty
boring, repetitive pics). The camera is amazingly light (I thought
it would feel like my old S45, but it didn't) and quite thick. But
comfortable enough to use. Response time seems quite fast. I did
notice, however, some really slow shutter speeds, even with the
flash, so of course got several blurred pics. (Even with faster
speeds I got some blurry images; I think they were mainly zoomed).
I haven't had much time to analyze them, but wanted to post this
for everybody. I'll try to go back tomorrow or at least as soon as
I can during daylight and see if I can't talk them into letting me
go outside for a while with it. They can hold my 717 as security if
they like :-)

http://www.pbase.com/helenpb/sony_v1_instore_test_shots

Helen

--
http://community.webshots.com/user/helenpb_
http://pbase.com/helenpb

F717, PS7 & PSE, Epson 820 & 2200
Click to expand...
 
Well, I think I like it, but I want to go back and try some outdoor pictures. I was bothered by the blurred pics, which now that I look seem mainly to have been taken with flash. I took non-flash pics at slower speeds that were "OK," so really can't understand it. Perhaps I subconsiously figure when the flash fires, the shutter speed will be faster (as I seem to recall from pre-digital days) and that I don't have to worry about camera shake so much. Obviously, that isn't the case here.

No, I don't recall any shutter lag after focus was locked; as I said it responded pretty quickly. I'll pay more attention to that when I go back for outdoor shots.

All in all, it's pretty effortless to use. The controls are set up a bit differently, so that will take some getting used to (Delete function, image resolution, jog wheel etc.) But that four-way rocked is MUCH easier to use than any of my other cameras; the center point is larger and I don't have to try to force it with my fingernail.

Helen
Greg Gebhardt said:
Considering the conditions, I like what I see from the V1. What
did you think of the camera its self. I understand that after your
lock focus there is NO shutter lag. Give us your opinion. Thanks

Greg
Jax, FL

Greg Gebhardt Nikon D1 & D1x. Sony 717, V1 (i wish), Epson 2200 & PS7
Jacksonville, Florida
Click to expand...
--
http://community.webshots.com/user/helenpb_
http://pbase.com/helenpb

F717, PS7 & PSE, Epson 820 & 2200
 
Well, sorry to have discouraged you :-). I too am disappointed by some of the shots, but I want to give it another chance. I was just snappin pics like crazy since the store was closing and it was obvious to the staff that I wasn't going to buy it, at least not then. so perhaps I need to go when I have more time and can think more about the shots I am taking.

However, I always have issues with these compacts and indoor pics; none of them ever seems to make me happy. So in a sense, it's the most crucial test for me, but yet after I leave Okinawa, will probably be the smallest percentage of use. And yes, Phil's review wil be interesting to see. I hope he also tries some indoor flash and non-flash, zoomed and non-zoomed shots to judge by.

Helen
Sage said:
Thank you. I am discouraged by the shots I have seen at
dcresource.com and your shots. It will be interesting to see how
this camera holds up under the scrunity of Phil's review. Thanks,
once again for taking the time to share the pics with everyone.
Click to expand...
--
http://community.webshots.com/user/helenpb_
http://pbase.com/helenpb

F717, PS7 & PSE, Epson 820 & 2200
 
I am sure this focus problem will be solved by sending the unit back to Sony service for a "Parmeter Fix". Anyone that buys ANY of the first 10,000 or so V1's would have to be described as an optimist. Sony never gets their initial batch of high end cameras right.

Lets start the "Bad Focus Serial Number Range" thread right now.

BTW, I have a Sony F717 and love it, so I am not a lurking Sony basher. But, both my 707 and 717 had problems and had to be sent back. Screw me twice, shame on me....

--

Sony 717, Canon S400, Canon S900 Printer, Canon S40 (Wife), Sony NZ90 PDA w/ 2 meg camera (kid), Olympus C2000 (Dog)
 
Hi Helen, Thank you for the photos. I have the Canon s45 and like it, except for the poor battery life and the LCD which is almost useless in bright light. Does the V1 have an anti-reflective coating? Good battery life?
 
Hi Harv,

Hmm, don't know about the anti-reflective coating; will check when I see it again. I have read that the battery life on the V1 is pretty short (95 minutes or something? Can't remember for sure0, which will be tough coming from an F717, which has an amazingly long battery life.

I had the S45, which I liked, except for the magnified particles of dust or rain when using the flash and the redeye that seemed to appear almost every time I took pics of people at any distance with flash, regardless of whether or not they were even looking for me. Other than those items, a nice little camera.

Helen
Harv said:
Hi Helen, Thank you for the photos. I have the Canon s45 and like
it, except for the poor battery life and the LCD which is almost
useless in bright light. Does the V1 have an anti-reflective
coating? Good battery life?
Click to expand...
--
http://community.webshots.com/user/helenpb_
http://pbase.com/helenpb

F717, PS7 & PSE, Epson 820 & 2200
 
Hi there, Helen -

Nice preview! I can almost feel you willing yourself not to buy another camera. :-)

A couple of things about the V1:
  • If you have the Auto Flash enabled (no flash symbol at all), then exposures can only go as slow as 1/30s.
  • If you have Forced Flash, then exposures can only go as slow as 1/30s
  • If you have Flash-SlowSync enabled, then you can get speeds as slow as 1s
  • If you have No Flash enabled, then again, speeds are as slow as 1s.
During your flash shots, do you recall if you had the Flash-SlowSync enabled?

Additionally, did you get to notice whether the Flash WB made any difference?
Helen Betts said:
Well, I think I like it, but I want to go back and try some outdoor
pictures. I was bothered by the blurred pics, which now that I look
seem mainly to have been taken with flash. I took non-flash pics at
slower speeds that were "OK," so really can't understand it.
Perhaps I subconsiously figure when the flash fires, the shutter
speed will be faster (as I seem to recall from pre-digital days)
and that I don't have to worry about camera shake so much.
Obviously, that isn't the case here.

No, I don't recall any shutter lag after focus was locked; as I
said it responded pretty quickly. I'll pay more attention to that
when I go back for outdoor shots.

All in all, it's pretty effortless to use. The controls are set up
a bit differently, so that will take some getting used to (Delete
function, image resolution, jog wheel etc.) But that four-way
rocked is MUCH easier to use than any of my other cameras; the
center point is larger and I don't have to try to force it with my
fingernail.
Click to expand...
--

Ulysses
 
Yes, I agree with you -- the first units always seem to have some bugs that need to be worked out. (I have had to send several of my Sonys in for initial repairs because I jumped the gun and just had to have them as soon as they became available.) But I'm not sure that these are out of focus; they might just be attributable to camera shake at low shutter speeds, although I think the majority of the blurred pics were taken with the flash.

Helen
DigitalDoggie said:
I am sure this focus problem will be solved by sending the unit
back to Sony service for a "Parmeter Fix". Anyone that buys ANY of
the first 10,000 or so V1's would have to be described as an
optimist. Sony never gets their initial batch of high end cameras
right.

Lets start the "Bad Focus Serial Number Range" thread right now.

BTW, I have a Sony F717 and love it, so I am not a lurking Sony
basher. But, both my 707 and 717 had problems and had to be sent
back. Screw me twice, shame on me....
Click to expand...
--
http://community.webshots.com/user/helenpb_
http://pbase.com/helenpb

F717, PS7 & PSE, Epson 820 & 2200
 
Harv said:
Hi Helen, Thank you for the photos. I have the Canon s45 and like
it, except for the poor battery life and the LCD which is almost
useless in bright light.
Click to expand...
That's a good camera in most respects.
Harv said:
Does the V1 have an anti-reflective coating?
Click to expand...
I guess you could call it that. It will be the same plastic overlay that the F717 has.
Harv said:
Good battery life?
Click to expand...
It will be about 85 minutes tops. That's similar to what the old F505/505V went for.

--

Ulysses
 
Helen Betts said:
not sure that these are out of focus; they might just be attributable to
camera shake at low shutter speeds, although I think the majority
of the blurred pics were taken with the flash.
Click to expand...
My vote is for camera shake. I noticed that the blurriest ones were taken at
1/30s
1/25s
1/20s

--

Ulysses
 
Hi Ulysses,

Well, you know I want to buy another camera; I feel totally lost without one in my purse at all times. But I still haven't decided on this one yet; I really want to try some more pics with it.

I'm sure some of the flash pics were shot with forced flash; some must have been with the flash slow sync as I recall it was a symbol I wasn't familiar with (think I was confusing it with auto flash). I don't really understand what that is, but (from the name of it) do you think that could be the reason for some of the blurred flash shots?

I didn't try the flash WB; didn't know it was there. In any case, that's why I need to go back and try again with it when I don't have to rush to avoid closing the store down.

Helen
Ulysses said:
Hi there, Helen -

Nice preview! I can almost feel you willing yourself not to buy
another camera. :-)

A couple of things about the V1:
  • If you have the Auto Flash enabled (no flash symbol at all), then
exposures can only go as slow as 1/30s.
  • If you have Forced Flash, then exposures can only go as slow as
1/30s
  • If you have Flash-SlowSync enabled, then you can get speeds as
slow as 1s
  • If you have No Flash enabled, then again, speeds are as slow as 1s.
During your flash shots, do you recall if you had the
Flash-SlowSync enabled?

Additionally, did you get to notice whether the Flash WB made any
difference?
Click to expand...
--
http://community.webshots.com/user/helenpb_
http://pbase.com/helenpb

F717, PS7 & PSE, Epson 820 & 2200
 
Yes, I agree, but they were still taken with flash. There were some with no flash at really slow speeds that were not particularly blurry.

Helen
Ulysses said:
Helen Betts said:
not sure that these are out of focus; they might just be attributable to
camera shake at low shutter speeds, although I think the majority
of the blurred pics were taken with the flash.
Click to expand...
My vote is for camera shake. I noticed that the blurriest ones were
taken at
1/30s
1/25s
1/20s
Click to expand...
--
http://community.webshots.com/user/helenpb_
http://pbase.com/helenpb

F717, PS7 & PSE, Epson 820 & 2200
 
Helen Betts said:
I'm sure some of the flash pics were shot with forced flash; some
must have been with the flash slow sync as I recall it was a symbol
I wasn't familiar with (think I was confusing it with auto flash).
I don't really understand what that is, but (from the name of it)
do you think that could be the reason for some of the blurred flash
shots?
Click to expand...
It's quite possible. Not likely -- I think you have steadier hands than that -- but it's possible.
Member said:
I didn't try the flash WB; didn't know it was there. In any case,
that's why I need to go back and try again with it when I don't
have to rush to avoid closing the store down.
Click to expand...
If the store has fluorescent lights, then those would be good conditions to test it in. I'm guessing that in just about any WB situation, the camera will take pics with it's usual Auto WB, but switching to Flash WB will give a more neutral appearance. Fluorescent lights ought to enhance this difference. I'd be interested in hearing what you find out.

--

Ulysses
 
Many thanks. Whenever I see from paces away an ultra clear LCD it is almost always a Sony! If the V1 is the same as the 717, then that satisfies me. It probably does not get any better.
 
Thanks for posting these, Helen. I predict your photobase page will get a lot of traffic.

Is it just me or are those reds way oversaturated?
 
Here is what Phil said in the F717 review about the LCD:

"The main LCD is clear and bright, has an anti-reflective coating and several adjustments (through the SETUP menu) which allow you to control both the image brightness and the backlight level (at the expense of battery life). The LCD itself is bright and clear, as mentioned above the anti-reflective coating works very well (it reminds me of the coating Sony use on their desktop computer monitors)."

Just keep in mind that the V1 LCD is slightly smaller than that of the F717: 1.5" versus 1.8".
Harv said:
Many thanks. Whenever I see from paces away an ultra clear LCD it
is almost always a Sony! If the V1 is the same as the 717, then
that satisfies me. It probably does not get any better.
Click to expand...
--

Ulysses
 
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