Timings & File Sizes
The F707 is a fast camera, it powers on very quickly and has the first shot under its belt in just 4.5 seconds. Focusing never takes more than 2 seconds (normal AF) and is typically closer to 1.5 seconds. File flushing is also quite fast, Memory Stick doesn't appear to be causing any major delays in this department. The entire camera is locked during the writing of TIFF format images.
Timing Notes: All times calculated as an average of three operations. A 128 MB Sony Memory Stick card was used for any timings which included file saving. Unless otherwise stated all timings were made on a 2560 x 1920 FINE JPEG image (approx. 2.0 MB per image).
Action | Details | Time
taken (seconds) |
Notes |
Power: Off to Record | 2.6 | Very fast | |
Power: Off to Play | 3.5 | Image loading *1 | |
Power: Record to Off | 1.2 | ||
Power: Play to Off | <0.5 | ||
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Mode: Record to Play | 0.8 | Image loading *1 | |
Mode: Play to Record | <0.5 | ||
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Play: Magnify | From x1 to x5.0 | 5.8 | (17 steps) |
Rec: Thumbnail view | 3 x 3 thumbnails | 1.2 | |
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Auto Focus LAG | Normal AF | 1.1 - 1.6 | Average *2 |
Auto Focus LAG | Macro AF | 1.7 - 2.5 | Average |
Shutter Release LAG | 0.1 | Fast | |
Total LAG | Normal AF | ~1.2 | Fast |
Off to Shot Taken | 4.5 | Very Fast | |
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Shot to Shot AF | 2560 x 1920 JPEG FINE | 3.0 | Fast *3 |
Shot to Shot MF | 2560 x 1920 JPEG FINE | 1.8 | Very Fast |
*1 | 'Rough image' is displayed while more detailed image is loaded. |
*2 | AF was approximately 0.5 seconds slower at full telephoto (average 1.6 seconds) and nearer to the 1.1 seconds timing at full wide angle. In low light using the Hologram AF (laser) focus times were closer to 2.2 seconds (still very respectable). |
*3 | The second frame can be taken as quickly as 2.4 seconds after the first, however subsequent frames can not be taken any faster than 3.4 seconds apart due to the fact that the cameras buffer must make space for the next shot. |
The F707's performance was surprisingly fast, with a very fast power-on time (just 2.6 seconds)* and fast shot to shot times you never find yourself waiting for the camera. Because the camera has a very short image review time (approximately half a second) the live view returns very quickly after taking a shot, this certainly gives a good impression of speed. Focus speeds were average, faster than the F505V but still not stellar.
* This time is a whole 1.4 seconds faster now on the final production camera compared to the pre-production unit used for the original review.
Burst 3 Mode
The F707 has a dedicated continuous shooting mode named 'Burst 3', in this mode one press of the shutter release records three frames over a 1 second period (thus 3 fps). Depending on the selected image size / quality you will have to wait for these images to be written away to the Memory Stick before you can shoot the next burst.
Image Size / Quality | Frames | Frames per second | Time before next burst |
2560 x 1920 FINE | 3 | 3 fps | 11.0 sec |
2560 x 1920 STANDARD | 3 | 3 fps | 9.2 sec |
2048 x 1536 FINE | 3 | 3 fps | 9.9 sec |
1280 x 960 FINE | 3 | 3 fps | 7.6 sec |
640 x 480 FINE | 3 | 3 fps | 4.6 sec |
File Flush / Display Timing
There are three timings below, I'll describe each in turn:
- Time to process - this is the amount of time after pressing
the shutter release button before the camera returns control to you,
the image may still be being written away to the Memory Stick but you
can begin to take the next shot.
- Time to flush - this is the amount of time it takes the camera
to process and flush; complete writing the image to the Memory Stick.
It is taken from the moment the shutter release is pressed to the moment
the red light beside the Memory Stick slot (inside the compartment)
goes out. This timing includes the time to process.
- Time to display - this is the amount of time it takes the camera to display the image, as with most digital cameras the F707 first displays a rough version of the image (a thumbnail from the file header) and then loads the full resolution image, you can't manipulate the image until it is fully loaded (magnify etc.) however you can interrupt this loading process skip to the next image.
The F707 appears to have enough buffer space to hold a maximum of three images at a time, so it's possible to snap two shots and still have space for one more.
File Type | Time
to process (seconds) |
Time
to flush (seconds) |
Time
to display (seconds) |
Average
File size *1 |
Approx.
images on a 128 MB Memory Stick |
2560 x 1920 TIFF | 39.6 | 39.6 | 2.7 | 14,403 KB | 7 |
2560 x 1920 FINE | 1.4 | 3.8 | 2.6 | 2,000 KB | 51 |
2560 x 1920 STANDARD | 1.4 | 3.1 | 2.3 | 1,300 KB | 96 |
2048 x 1536 FINE | 1.7 | 3.3 | 1.9 | 1,200 KB | 82 |
1280 x 960 FINE | 1.4 | 2.3 | 1.3 | 600 KB | 202 |
640 x 480 FINE | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 160 KB | 789 |
*1 | All file sizes are an average of three files. As is the case with JPEG it's difficult to predict the size of an image because it will vary a fair amount depending on the content of the image (especially the amount of detail captured). For example, take a photograph of a fairly empty wall and you'll get a small JPEG, take a photograph of a bush with a lot of detail and you'll get a larger image. File sizes here are closer to the later, the larger size of file you should expect. |
Battery life
We ran the camera through our new battery life test. This test is designed to be fair and comparative to each camera and battery type:
- Take 4 shots without flash
- Wait 2 minutes (50% of the time powering the camera off)
- Take 1 shot with flash
- Wait 1 minute
- Repeat
All batteries had been fully discharged and recharged before the test and all cameras were reset to their factory default settings. Here are the results:
Camera Prosumer / SLR-Like |
Battery | Power | Battery life | Number of shots |
Minolta DiMAGE 7 | 4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP) | 7.7 Wh | 1 hr 14 mins | 125 |
Minolta DiMAGE 5 | 4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP) | 7.7 Wh | 1 hr 56 mins | 195 |
Nikon Coolpix 5700 | EN-EL1 | 4.8 Wh | 2 hr 08 mins | 215 |
Canon PowerShot S40 | NB-2L | 3.9 Wh | 2 hr 13 mins | 225 |
Minolta DiMAGE S304 | 4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP) | 7.7 Wh | 2 hr 18 mins | 235 |
Canon PowerShot S45 | NB-2L | 3.9 Wh | 2 hr 28 mins | 240 |
Nikon Coolpix 4500 | EN-EL1 | 4.8 Wh | 2 hr 27 mins | 250 |
Fujifilm FinePix 6900Z | NP-80 | 4.1 Wh | 2 hr 29 mins | 250 |
Nikon Coolpix 990 | 4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP) | 7.7 Wh | 2 hr 30 mins | 255 |
Nikon Coolpix 995 | EN-EL1 | 4.8 Wh | 2 hr 30 mins | 255 |
Nikon Coolpix 5000 | EN-EL1 | 4.8 Wh | 2 hr 32 mins | 260 |
Minolta DiMAGE 7Hi | 4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP) | 7.7 Wh | 2 hr 33 mins | 260 |
Canon PowerShot Pro1 | BP-511A | 10.2 Wh | 2 hr 36 mins | 265 |
Canon PowerShot S50 | NB-2L | 3.9 Wh | 2 hr 39 mins | 270 |
Minolta DiMAGE S404 | 4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP) | 7.7 Wh | 2 hr 39 mins | 270 |
Sony DSC-V1 | NP-FC11 | 2.8 Wh | 2 hr 39 mins | 270 |
Olympus C-7000 Zoom | LI-12B | 4.5 Wh | 2 hr 44 mins | 280 |
Nikon Coolpix 8700 | EN-EL1 | 5.0 Wh | 2 hr 45 mins | 280 |
Minolta DiMAGE 7i | 4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP) | 7.7 Wh | 2 hr 46 mins | 270 |
Olympus E-20 | 4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP) | 7.7 Wh | 2 hr 48 mins | 285 |
Canon PowerShot G1 | BP-511 | 8.1 Wh | 3 hr 00 mins | 300 |
Nikon Coolpix 5400 | EN-EL1 | 4.8 Wh | 3 hr 06 mins | 315 |
HP Photosmart 850 | 4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP) | 7.7 Wh | 3 hr 12 mins | 325 |
Sony DSC-S75 | NP-FM50 | 8.6 Wh | 3 hr 15 mins | 330 |
Nikon Coolpix 8800 | EN-EL7 | 8.1 Wh | 3 hr 27 mins | 350 |
Fujifilm FinePix S602Z | 4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP) | 7.7 Wh | 3 hr 29 mins | 350 |
Canon PowerShot G2 | BP-511 | 8.1 Wh | 3 hr 32 mins | 355 |
Casio QV-4000 | 4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP) | 7.7 Wh | 3 hr 38 mins | 365 |
Olympus C-5050 Zoom | 4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP) | 7.7 Wh | 3 hr 48 mins | 380 |
Casio EXILIM EX-P700 | NP-40 | 4.5 Wh | 3 hr 48 mins | 385 |
Sony DSC-S85 | NP-FM50 | 8.6 Wh | 3 hr 50 mins | 400 |
Sony DSC-F717 | NP-FM50 | 8.6 Wh | 4 hr 02 mins | 405 |
Pentax Optio 750Z | D-LI7 | 6.6 Wh | 4 hr 03 mins | 415 |
Sony DSC-V3 | NP-FR1 | 4.4 Wh | 4 hr 05 mins | 415 |
Nikon Coolpix 8400 | EN-EL7 | 8.1 Wh | 4 hr 09 mins | 420 |
Sony DSC-F707 | NP-FM50 | 8.6 Wh | 4 hr 20 mins | 440 |
Fujifilm S7000 Zoom | 4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP) | 7.7 Wh | 4 hr 23 mins | 445 |
Konica Minolta DiMAGE A2 | NP-400 | 11.1 Wh | 4 hr 26 mins | 450 |
Canon PowerShot G3 | BP-511 | 8.1 Wh | 4 hr 32 mins | 455 |
Canon PowerShot G5 | BP-511 | 8.1 Wh | 4 hr 33 mins | 460 |
Pentax Optio 550 | D-LI7 | 6.6 Wh | 4 hr 36 mins | 465 |
Minolta DiMAGE A1 | NP-400 | 11.1 Wh | 5 hr 02 mins | 515 |
Leica Digilux 2 | BP-DC1-E | 10.1 Wh | 5 hr 05 mins | 515 |
Sony DSC-F828 | NP-FM50 | 8.6 Wh | 5 hr 28 mins | 540 |
Fujifilm FinePix S5000 | 4 x AA NiMH 1600 mAh (GP) | 7.7 Wh | 5 hr 31 mins | 555 |
Canon PowerShot G6 | BP-511A | 10.3 Wh | 5 hr 38 mins | 570 |
Olympus C-8080 WZ | BLM-1 | 10.8 Wh | 5 hr 52 mins | 595 |
Other test notes: | ||||
LCD monitor is left on during
the battery test The camera is powered off half of the time and left on half of the time (switch every 10 iterations) There are now higher capacity AA NiMH batteries available, however in the interests of fair comparison we will continue to use our 1600 mAh test set |
I remember how amazed I was with the DSC-S85 when we tested it, now I must repeat my amazement with the DSC-F707 which lasted a stunning 4 hours and 20 minutes in our battery test shooting no less than 440 images. On a full charge the camera states '280 minutes' of battery life, our tests ran just 20 minutes short of that. This amazing battery life not only puts the F707 at the top of our power chart but most importantly means you'll be out shooting all day on just one charge...
Cool
Something else which is noteworthy, the DSC-F707 remained cool to the touch throughout the battery test, the only heat from the surface of the LCD (and that's from the backlights). There was no heat around the battery or hand grip nor the main body or lens.
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