Sony MVC-FD87Sony announces an affordable 1.3-megapixel digicam with basic features, good quality pictures, and a dual-media storage drive!<<Camera Modes & Menus :(Previous) | (Next): Video, Power, Software>> Page 10:Image Storage & InterfaceReview First Posted: 5/4/2001 |
Image Storage and InterfaceThe MVC-FD87 records still images to a double-sided HD 3.5-inch floppy diskette (DOS-formatted) or a standard Sony Memory Stick inserted in a Sony FD2M/FD2MA Floppy Disk Adapter (both the Memory Stick and Adapter are optional accessories).
Recording to a floppy eliminates the hassle of downloading files from the camera to your computer, and is a primary reason for the Mavica's huge popularity in the consumer marketplace. Instead of messing around with cables and driver software, you just take the diskette from the camera and put it in your computer. A small disk icon on the camera's LCD display lets you know how much of the disk is full and how many images have been shot. In addition to the standard write-protection provided through the Playback menu, the entire diskette can be write-protected by sliding the lock button on the diskette itself). All of the standard rules for floppy disk usage apply here, such as keeping diskettes away from heavy magnetic fields and not getting them wet. This type of image storage is perfect for PC users, who should have a floppy drive readily available on their machine. Newer Mac users, however, will need to use an external floppy drive since the latest Macs don't come with floppy drives.
The downside of floppy storage though, is the limited capacity offered by the medium. While 1.44MB was a lot of space a few years ago (when 0.3-megapixel digicams were considered high-tech), but with the FD87's 1.3-megapixel sensor, things are definitely a bit cramped, and only six high-resolution images can fit on a diskette at one time. This also means that the images are stored with a higher level of image compression than is common on other high-end digital cameras, resulting in higher levels of compression artifacts in the images.
As a solution to the space limitations of floppies, the MVC-FD87 can also store images on Sony Memory Sticks via a floppy disk adapter. Memory Sticks come in varying capacities from 4 to 64MB. Like floppy diskettes, Memory Sticks feature a sliding lock that write-protects the entire card from formatting or any other alteration. The LCD reports the number of images already captured and displays a small Memory Stick icon showing the approximate available space. To download images from the Memory Stick to your computer, simply insert the floppy disk adapter as you would a normal floppy, and drag and drop the files to the computer hard drive.
The FD87 offers a nice selection of image resolution sizes, including 1,280 x 960, 1,024 x 768, and 640 x 480 pixels. There's also a 1,280 (3:2) aspect image size which crops the top and bottom of the image slightly. In addition to the write-protection, resizing, and copy features offered in the Playback menu, images can also be cropped after playback enlargement. To crop an image, simply enlarge it with playback zoom to the desired size and press the Shutter button. A new, 640 x 480 image is recorded and the LCD returns to the normal image display.
Below are the approximate number of images and compression ratios for a standard 1.44MB diskette:
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Resolution/Quality 1.44 MB Diskette |
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| High Resolution 1280x960 | Images | 6 |
| Approx. Compression |
15:1 | |
| Standard Resolution 1024x768 | Images |
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| Approx. Compression |
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Images |
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| Approx. Compression |
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Below are the approximate number of images and compression data ratios for a 8MB Memory Stick:
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Resolution/Quality 8 MB Memory Stick |
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| High Resolution 1280x960 | Images | 32 |
| Approx. Compression |
15:1 | |
| Standard Resolution 1024x768 | Images |
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| Approx. Compression |
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Images |
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| Approx. Compression |
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