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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 <<Design :(Previous) | (Next): Optics>> Page 4:Viewfinder Review First Posted: 2/9/2001

Viewfinder
The MVC-FD97 offers both a rear-panel LCD screen and "optical" or eyelevel viewfinder. The "optical" viewfinder actually uses a tiny (and lower-power) LCD screen to show you what the camera is seeing. Sort of an "electronic SLR" (single-lens reflex), identical to the design of the MVC-FD95 model. What makes the optical viewfinder interesting is the internal information display, which is the same as that of the LCD monitor (complete with navigable menus). The information display includes the shutter speed and aperture settings when shooting in Aperture or Shutter Priority exposure modes. The idea of being able to see the exposure settings in the viewfinder is a good one, but navigating the menus through the optical viewfinder is a bit of a trick (one we weren't able to easily do). We found it much easier to simply switch on the LCD monitor when we needed to change menu options. The optical viewfinder does feature a dioptric adjustment dial for eyeglass wearers, which is always a nice bonus. The 2.5 inch LCD monitor is turned on and off by the LCD On/Off button directly to its left, and the information display is controlled by the Display button just beneath the monitor.

We like eyelevel viewfinders because they promote a more secure camera grip (arms clamped to your sides, camera body braced against your face) that helps with long telephoto and low-light shots. They also provide a more natural "look & shoot" operation than when you're forced to rely on a rear-panel LCD display. The downside of having the "optical" viewfinder be electronically driven though, is that you're left with no usable viewfinder option when the light levels get really low: The FD97 has excellent low-light capability, and in fact can shoot in conditions about as dark as you're likely to be able to see in. However, the electronic viewfinder system needs much more light to operate, meaning that you'll have to either look at the finished shot and readjust the framing as needed, or just shoot at a wider angle setting than otherwise, and hope to get all of the subject in the frame.

For all our general bellyaching about electronic viewfinders though, we do recognize that they're a necessary evil on cameras with long ratio zoom lenses, since there's almost no way a conventional optical viewfinder could be made to zoom across a similarly wide range with accurate framing, and not add enormously to the cost of the camera.

In Playback mode, the LCD monitor offers a six image index display mode and a playback zoom that enlarges captured images up to 5x. Once a captured image is enlarged, the arrow keys of the rocker toggle button scroll around the image, allowing you to check on fine details. The image information display in Playback mode reports the date and time the image was captured, filename, resolution size, and the number of images saved on the memory card or floppy disk.