Sony Cyber-shot DSC-F828Sony extends their high end to encompass 8(!) megapixels and a sharp 7x Zeiss zoom lens. - And Sony's new RGB+E sensor technology for more accurate color!<<Camera Modes & Menus :(Previous) | (Next): Video, Power, Software>> Page 10:Image Storage & InterfaceReview First Posted: 08/15/2003, Updated: 02/05/04 |
Image
Storage and Interface
The F828 uses either the proprietary Sony Memory Stick (compatible with Memory
Stick PRO) or CompactFlash Type I or II cards for image storage. The camera
is also compatible with the IBM MicroDrive. CompactFlash cards insert into
a compartment on the right side of the camera, while the Memory Stick slot
is tucked away inside the battery compartment.
Sony's provision of a CF card slot is a real departure for them, but a very welcome feature. Most prospective purchasers of this camera will already own a digicam, and there's a good chance that that card will be in the CF format. Sony's addition of a CF slot thus removes one purchase barrier for many users.
The camera does not ship with a memory card, as the large image size really calls for a large capacity memory card, and Sony evidently didn't want to run up the cost to the extent that would have resulted from including a large card. (Most users of this class of camera purchase their own large memory cards in any case.)
Individual images can be write-protected from accidental erasure (except through
card formatting) via the Protect option under the Playback settings menu.
Individual write-protection also prevents the image from being rotated, but
does permit resizing and trimming, since those operations don't disturb the
original image, but rather make a new copy. Entire Memory Sticks can be write-protected
by sliding the lock switch on the stick into the locked position, which also
guards against the stick being reformatted.
Like the F717 before it, the F828 offers the ability to set up individual
folders on the memory card. You can thus manage images by folder and choose
where images will be recorded. This could be handy if you wanted to organize
your photos by events, date, etc. (This is a larger issue now that really
large memory sticks are available, not to mention gigabyte-plus CF cards.)
The F828's LCD monitor reports storage information in its detailed information
display mode, including the current number of images captured and how many
additional images can be stored at the current image resolution and quality
settings, while a small graphic shows you approximately how much space is
left on the card. (In Movie mode, the camera reports the available recording
time remaining.) Through the Playback settings menu, you can designate whether
the camera numbers each image sequentially (from one card to the next), or
restarts file numbering with each new card inserted. The Playback menu also
offers a Resize option, as well as a Rotate tool. The camera's Digital Print
Option Format (DPOF) compatibility allows you to mark specific images for
printing on a DPOF-compatible printer. Through the Setup menu, you can decide
whether or not to print the date and / or time on the image as well. A new
feature on the F828 is the USB Direct Print capability (labeled under the
Setup menu as Pict Bridge USB option), which provides direct printing capabilities
to any printer supporting the recently-defined Pict Bridge standard.
Image Size options include 3,264 x 2,448; 3,264 (3:2); 2,592 x 1,944; 2,048
x 1,536; 1,280 x 960; 640 x 480; and 320 x 240 pixels (E-Mail recording option).
Movie file sizes are 640 x 480, and 160 x 112 pixels. In addition to the
uncompressed TIFF and Fine and Standard JPEG compression levels, the F828
also offers a RAW data mode.
The table below shows the approximate still image capacities and compression
ratios for a 256MB memory card (That card size being a good compromise between
size and cost, and providing reasonable capacity at the 828's highest resolution/quality
setting.) Note that in the following, 1 MB = 1,000,000 bytes, as is used
by memory card manufacturers in specifying the capacities of their cards.
(Normally, in computer parlance, 1 MB = 1,048,576 bytes, 20 bits' worth of
memory space.)
| Resolution/Quality |
|
|
|
|
|
| Highest
Resolution 3,264 x 2,448 |
Images (Size) |
64 3.9 MB |
2.2 MB |
17.4MB (Note, also saves JPEG) |
24.0MB (Note, also saves JPEG) |
| Approx. Compression |
6:1 | |
|
|
|
| Higher
Resolution 2,592 x 1,944 |
Images (Size) |
2.5 MB |
1.3 KB |
|
|
| Approx. Compression |
|
|
|
|
|
| High
Resolution 2,048 x 1,536 |
Images (Size) |
1.6 MB |
886 KB |
|
|
| Approx. Compression |
|
|
|
|
|
| 1,280 x 960 S |
Images (Size) |
591KB |
328KB |
|
|
| Approx. Compression |
|
|
|
|
|
| Resolution 640 x 480 |
Images (Size) |
164KB |
66KB |
|
|
| Approx. Compression |
|
|
|
|
|
The F828 is also accompanied by a USB cable for quick connection to a PC or
Macintosh computer, as well as a software CD containing interface software
and USB drivers. The USB connection supports both USB 1.0 and 2.0.
I tested the F828's download speed on my Windows XP machine (Sony VAIO, 2.4
GHz Pentium IV, 512 MB RAM, supports USB 2.0), and was astonished by the
results. I clocked it at 20.5 seconds to download 54.8 megabytes of files
from a Memory Stick PRO card, a transfer rate of 2.67 MBytes/second.(!) It
was somewhat slower when copying from CF cards, with speeds ranging from
1.98 to 2.00 MB/sec with fast CF cards, and 1.2 MB/sec for an old, very slow
card. Here (at last) is a camera that *really* supports the USB 2.0 standard!
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