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Sony MVC-FD97 Sony adds a Memory Stick and USB to the FD95 - No more file-compression blues! Select a topic Reference: Datasheet MVC-FD97 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-FD97 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: 2/9/2001

Image Storage and Interface
The MVC-FD97 records still images and movies to a 3.5 inch, 2HD, DOS formatted diskette or a Sony Memory Stick (available in sizes ranging from 4 to 64 megabytes). A switch on the back panel determines which media the camera records to. Both types of media can be inserted at the same time, but cannot be recorded to simultaneously. As with the rest of the Mavica series, the FD97's floppy disk eliminates a good deal of the hassle of downloading files from the camera to your computer, and is a primary reason for the line's huge popularity. Instead of dealing with cables and driver software, you just take the disk from the camera and put it in your computer. Sony offers an accessory floppy adapter for use with the Memory Stick, that makes image downloading easy with that medium as well.

A small disk or Memory Stick icon on the camera's LCD display lets you know how much of the disk is full and how many images have been shot. Both floppy disks and Memory Sticks feature sliding write protection locks, which prevent either media from being formatted, recorded to, or altered in any way. The MVC-FD97 also allows you to protect individual images on either media from accidental erasure or alteration. All the standard rules for floppy usage apply here, such as keeping diskettes away from heavy magnetic fields and not getting them wet.

You get a nice selection of image sizes with the MVC-FD97, including 1600 x 1200, 1600 x 1200 (3:2 ratio), 1024 x 768, and 640 x 480. All images are recorded at the Fine JPEG compression level when a Memory Stick is inserted in the camera. When the camera is set to record to a floppy disk, default image quality is set to "normal" (no on-screen indication), and the size and resolution options change to include a 1600 x 1200 ECM setting, which is a lower quality JPEG compression level. New on the FD97 is an uncompressed TIFF recording mode, which wasn't previously available on the FD95, and is only available on the FD97 when saving files to a Memory Stick (the setting disappears from the menu when a floppy disk is in use). With the TIFF setting, the camera records one uncompressed image at the large resolution size, in addition to a standard JPEG image at whatever resolution size was already established in the record menu.

The table below shows the approximate number of images and compression ratios for a standard four megabyte Memory Stick:

Image Capacity vs Resolution/Quality (16 MB Memory Card)		TIFF	Fine (Memory Sticks Only)	Normal (Floppy Disks Only)
High Resolution 1600x1200	Images	0	4	4
	Approx. Compression	N/A	6:1	16:1
Standard Resolution 1024x768	Images	N/A	10	10
	Approx. Compression	N/A	6:1	16:1
Low Resolution 640x480	Images	N/A	25	30
	Approx. Compression	N/A	6:1	16:1

 

New on the FD97 is a USB computer interface. The camera ships with a USB cable for quick connection to a PC or Macintosh, as well as a software CD containing interface software and USB drivers. We timed the camera transferring a 5,627K TIFF file to our now somewhat aged PC (350 MHz Pentium II), and found it took 14.4 seconds. This corresponds to a data transfer rate of 390 KBytes/second, about average among USB-equipped cameras we've tested.