Hi Cherilyn --
To be fair to Georgi -- who's one of the longest stayers (3.7 years) among us at DPR, I hope a few people note -- it's immaterial whether he has the camera or not.
Firstly there's nothing defamatory or derogatory about posting unmodified images, ex-camera, from units purchased at consumer level through normal retail channels, no matter how bad they appear. Obviously this implies that anyone doing so also stays carefully clear of any allegation that
all specimens would give eqally poor results.
Secondly, could we ask for a better example of a
non-owner making critical (in the popular sense) comments -- even soundly caning a manufacturer for something on occasions -- and posting samples to illustrate them than Phil in his own reviews on this very site?
There are many of us who would dearly love something like the F828 to become available, and to properly deliver to its paper specification without troublesome idiosyncrasies that (a) didn't appear in previous models and (b) can amount to
real deal breakers for
some people.
I lost an entire Australian spring flora shooting season a couple of years ago (and that had more than my own amateur significance), through waiting, and waiting, for problems to be sorted out before being confident enough to place an order. The likelihood of a faulty camera, and a prohibitive amount of hassle and delay getting it sorted out if that happened, made taking the plunge at that point nonsensical. That was clearly going to happen again in 2003, and I regretfully pulled the plug and went 10D rather than wait again and risk getting nowhere. Seems it was the correct decision and, again, note that that was
for me .
It's very frustrating waiting on the sidelines for a product that you know has great potential, that you want to believe in, and that could mature into a superb and predictable (to aspiring purchasers) instrument if only Sony would doff its stuffed shirt and get on with the job.
It is just as legitimate for people
wanting to go with the F828 to pursue a fix as for those who already own it.
Having said all that, I wish George luck. But I doubt that the project will get very far in the current fractious climate. I'll reiterate my concerns about the negativity surrounding camera problems at large:
My take on it is that the greatest amount of damage is being done by irresponsible postings from three specific mind-sets:
1) Those with the misfortune to have acquired below-par cameras (they don't have to be total lemons to qualify) and who won't give the time of day to those whose equal but opposite fortune has landed them a good copy.
2) Those who own cameras that perform very well and who won't give the time of day to those with legitimate problems.
3) Those who assume that a casual but
general sounding reference to either "side" of an issue is intended (note,
intended ) as a categorical, unbending assertion that
all copies of the camera behave either this way or that way.
There's a further trait here that operates as a corollary of mind-set (3), and it's one that insists on ascribing
motive or
intent to what is, if read literally, a merely narrative word, phrase or sentence, extending to the very raison d'être for an entire given post.
There is some (if limited) excuse for instances of the first scenario, but only through allowing for the inevitable dismay at having spent a lot of money on faulty equipment, and due recognition of the emotions that this reality arouses.
There is NO excuse for either of the other positions. These three cancers of denial and intolerance are precisely what we saw with Sony BFS, DLSS and HAF errors, and in the Canon camp with 10D front/back AF problems which, though far from universal, were widespread enough to prove they weren't happening in people's imaginations -- individual or collective.
One would have thought that the STF might have learned from the 10D focus epic. It was by far the worst display of abusive intolerance over a real camera problem that I can recall seeing in the equipment brand forums.
Until the F828 came along.
Mike
Cherilyn wrote:
If you don't have the camera, why are you starting a crusade? Why
not just get something else that pleases you (if anything would)
and move on? If I were a manufacturer, I not only wouldn't listen
to you (as you are not a customer), I'd probably consider legal
action against any such derogatory sites.
wait for the next generation of the F series, which may have all the fix you need and in the meantime, enjoy your time with your 707,it's a great cam 
