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Sony MVC-FD92 Sony adds a Memory Stick slot to a popular 1.3/1.6 megapixel (interpolated) design, for increased storage and improved image quality! Select a topic Reference: Datasheet MVC-FD92 Sample Images --------------------------------- 1. Intro and Highlights 2. Executive Overview 3. Design 4. Viewfinder 5. Optics 6. Exposure & Flash 7. Shutter Lag & Cycle Time Tests 8. Operation & User Interface 9. Camera Modes & Menus 10. Image Storage & Interface 11. Video, Power, Software 12. Test Results & Conclusion --------------------------------- Print-Friendly Review Version Additional Resources and Other Links Reader Comments on MVC-FD92 Review --------------------------------- Digital Camera Comparometer (TM) --------------------------------- <-- Digital Cameras (Home) <-- Digital Camera Reviews Index <<Camera Modes & Menus :(Previous) | (Next): Video, Power, Software>> Page 10:Image Storage & Interface Review First Posted: 4/16/2001

Image Storage and Interface
The MVC-FD92 records still images and movies to either a double-sided HD 3.5-inch floppy diskette (DOS-formatted) or a standard Sony Memory Stick. An MS / FD selector switch on the back panel specifies to which media the camera will record.

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 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 FD92's interpolated 1.6-megapixel sensor, things are definitely a bit cramped, and only five high-resolution images can fit on a diskette at a 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 floppy disk space limitations, the MVC-FD92 can also store images on Sony Memory Sticks, via another memory slot on the side of the camera. Memory Sticks come in varying capacities from four to 64 megabytes. Like the floppy diskette, the Memory Stick features 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.

You get a nice selection of image sizes with the MVC-FD92, from the interpolated 1,472 x 1,104-, to 1,280 x 960-, 1,024 x 768-, and 640 x 480-pixel resolutions. There's also a 1,280 (3:2) aspect image size which crops the top and bottom of the image slightly. Compression level depends on the type of media being used. For example, images are recorded at Fine quality when the Memory Stick is in use, or Normal quality for the floppy diskette. In addition to 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 640 x 480-pixel 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:

Image Capacity vs Resolution/Quality 1.44 MB Diskette		TIFF	Normal
Highest Resolution 1472x1104	Images	N/A	5
	Approx. Compression	N/A	17:1
High Resolution 1280x960	Images	N/A	6
	Approx. Compression	N/A	15:1
Standard Resolution 1024x768	Images	N/A	10
	Approx. Compression	N/A	16:1
Low Resolution 640x480	Images	N/A	30
	Approx. Compression	N/A	19:1

Following are the approximate number of images and compression ratios for an 8MB Memory Stick:

Image Capacity vs Resolution/Quality 8 MB Memory Stick		TIFF	Fine
Highest Resolution 1472x1104	Images	N/A	10
	Approx. Compression	N/A	6:1
High Resolution 1280x960	Images	1	12
	Approx. Compression	1:1	5.5:1
Standard Resolution 1024x768	Images	N/A	20
	Approx. Compression	N/A	6:1
Low Resolution 640x480	Images	N/A	48
	Approx. Compression	N/A	5.5:1

The following shows the approximate amount of movie recording time for a Memory Stick (8MB) and a floppy diskette:

Resolution Sizes	Seconds: Memory Stick	Seconds: Floppy Disk
320 x 240 pixels	80	15
160 x 120 pixels	320	60

The MVC-FD92 sports a speedy USB computer connection, as a way of quickly downloading images stored on Memory Sticks or floppy disks. Based on our experience with a number of Sony cameras now, Sony deserves kudos for the speed and stability of their USB drivers under Windows - We rarely have a problem getting a Sony digicam to connect! As for speed, we clocked the MVC-FD92 at a transfer rate of 369 KBytes/second, copying data from the Memory Stick. (We didn't test it, but assume that memory transfers from the floppy drive are limited to normal floppy speeds.)