F828 owners, so how's the camera?


Status
Not open for further replies.

Rock

New Member
Dec 22, 2003
3
0
0
53
www.rock.per.sg
Hi proud owners of F828,

Just wondering if you can provide some more insights on the camera? I am ready to upgrade, but am still reading mixed reviews... especially seeing the canon 300D noise comparison.

What I need is a camera that has a good range lens, can take video clips and is fast enough to capture candid shots with minimal lag time to capture more photos of my family, especially my son! The 828 seems to fit this perfectly, just needed some more opinions. :think:

From what I read, the 828 won't be available until next year? Aiyah, 5% GST...:(

Thanks!
 

you mention about upgrade. would really help if you could mention wat camera you are using now.
 

Poon said:
you mention about upgrade. would really help if you could mention wat camera you are using now.

I'm currently using Cybershot DSC-S70, 3.3MP, so this is a major upgrade as the camera's lag time is getting unbearable. It still produces lovely shots, just that I have missed out many opportunities of my boy's smiles... I still have my Nikon SLR, but it's now stored in a box somewhere eversince I bought my Cybershot. I missed having telephoto lens, no lag time... Although a DSLR is great, but having video recording in my camera has proven to be a nice feature for capturing those magical moments.

Looking at F828 to be my next camera, but just as mentioned, the reviews are mixed, so wanted to see it for myself from photos by users out there...

Thanks Del_CtrlnoAlt for your photos. Any more users want to share their photos/ reviews. Thanks!
 

i just added a few more pics in.

btw, if you are looking for something that have video, imho, i'd rather get a dv cam, the F828 with 1G can only take about 20mins of video.

btw can you guys see any CA inside? I am a color blind so i can't see any purple... i just love taking pics. guess nothing wrong with that.

also another thing i found out just now, the F828 lense will vignet at widest angle when added a 2 filter & 1 polariser. Guess thats y they only give a rather short flower hood. i still like the F717 flower hood. too bad can't fit in. if not perfect.

There is also some minimal shutter lag that i think i could endure. i just found out how to use the focus. its better focus than the F717. F717 uses square box (centre, top, bottom, left, right, rectangle) F828 is multi focus, & i keep looking for the feature like F717 & can't find, & finally trial & error, i found in 1 of the focus selection i can use the cursor to select exactly where i wanna focus. perfect.

if you wanna look at the camera, i dun mind bringing it out on saturday at bishan for my lesson. i wondering when will my pals wanna have another photoshoot & also without my bosses/parents nagging...
 

the F828 with 1G can only take about 20mins of video.

is there no way to shoot video clips and photos in lower resolution settings?
esp for the photos coz it's kinda silly to take candid shots and all at 8 megapixels..
wat's the lowest one can take with 828 and wat's the file size?

Thanks!
 

Rock said:
Hi proud owners of F828,

Just wondering if you can provide some more insights on the camera? I am ready to upgrade, but am still reading mixed reviews... especially seeing the canon 300D noise comparison.

What I need is a camera that has a good range lens, can take video clips and is fast enough to capture candid shots with minimal lag time to capture more photos of my family, especially my son! The 828 seems to fit this perfectly, just needed some more opinions. :think:

From what I read, the 828 won't be available until next year? Aiyah, 5% GST...:(

Thanks!

The pix from my 828 is definitely noisier and not as well resolved (? for want of a better description?) than my 10D. However I can see myself taking the 828 out more often than the 10D given that I need to lug along the usual baby barang barang. As you can see from Del_CtrlnoAlt's 828 pix, there are purple fringes (PF) all over the place (look at the white lights in those 100% view of the Taka/tree pixs and the left edge of the BG map). The PF is common to 828's )you can read all about it in dpreview). However the PF is not so obvious when you print under A4 or smaller. You want to save on GST? maybe you can buy my 828 ha ha just kidding.
The VX fine video mode does come in handy especially when one needs to shoot just a few minutes of a special moment that just popped up.

In my opinion, if this is your only main camera and that you are prepared to carry a camera bag (of lens and stuff), I would recommend you consider the 300D or that Nikon DSLR (D70?) to be released soon.

Like to talk some more but got to go...its X'mas in 2 days you know...busy busy...
 

Del_CtrlnoAlt, the colors of the pictures seem to be very dull.. did you go on sunny or cloudy day?
 

hi del_ctrl, hmm was going to ask if cheng sing's cyan shirt was the correct colour...
it doesn't seem to be very good ah, from this hot day...
do u have any good shots, just to see what's the best it can do..
 

Rock said:
Hi proud owners of F828,

Just wondering if you can provide some more insights on the camera? I am ready to upgrade, but am still reading mixed reviews... especially seeing the canon 300D noise comparison.

What I need is a camera that has a good range lens, can take video clips and is fast enough to capture candid shots with minimal lag time to capture more photos of my family, especially my son! The 828 seems to fit this perfectly, just needed some more opinions. :think:

From what I read, the 828 won't be available until next year? Aiyah, 5% GST...:(

Thanks!

Here's some photos I taken recently using 300D for your reference :

http://forums.clubsnap.org/showthread.php?t=56093


300D is really fast - I virtually can't feel any shutter lag at all - feel very much
like conventional SLR. I upgrade from G2 mainly due to the shutter lag also - I
have a very active baby - now with my 300D - no problem at all :)

But 300D don't do video - you will be better off with a miniDV - the quality
is way high than those taken with any digicam - especially when converted
to SVCD - WOW !

Lastly you might want to check www.dpreview.com for their review on
300D and 828.

PS : I prefer Sony for miniDV though ;)

Hope it helps.
 

kst said:
Here's some photos I taken recently using 300D for your reference :

http://forums.clubsnap.org/showthread.php?t=56093


300D is really fast - I virtually can't feel any shutter lag at all - feel very much
like conventional SLR. I upgrade from G2 mainly due to the shutter lag also - I
have a very active baby - now with my 300D - no problem at all :)

But 300D don't do video - you will be better off with a miniDV - the quality
is way high than those taken with any digicam - especially when converted
to SVCD - WOW !

Lastly you might want to check www.dpreview.com for their review on
300D and 828.

PS : I prefer Sony for miniDV though ;)

Hope it helps.

Hahaha, it's funny, I was just reviewing 300D before your post! I saw your images, great stuffs, very inspired to own a DSLR instead. Any chance of seeing some of your baby pics? Hmm, I am thinking of forgoing the video feature... besides I do have a videocam, Sony TRV-50E, sometimes, it's just the thought of carrying too many stuffs. All-in-one is nice though...

The reason was the change of mind is still the noise levels and PF, as I see more images, I get more depressed. If I were to dive into this investment, I might regret it. Some things even photoshop can't do wonders, if it can, it might just take too much time! I have read the reviews on 300D, am pretty impressed. It's been a long while since I used a SLR, but I guess it'll be like riding a bicycle, you won't forget how, just needs a bit of practice.

Thanks so much for your feedback and time, I think I have a pretty good idea what my upgrade camera will be... Time to do some shopping around for my first DSLR. :)
 

denizenx said:
hi del_ctrl, hmm was going to ask if cheng sing's cyan shirt was the correct colour...
it doesn't seem to be very good ah, from this hot day...
do u have any good shots, just to see what's the best it can do..

erm.. it was a blue nike t-shirt??

and yeah that was was a cloudy, rainy day... can't see the sun around.
 

Rock said:
Hahaha, it's funny, I was just reviewing 300D before your post! I saw your images, great stuffs, very inspired to own a DSLR instead. Any chance of seeing some of your baby pics? Hmm, I am thinking of forgoing the video feature... besides I do have a videocam, Sony TRV-50E, sometimes, it's just the thought of carrying too many stuffs. All-in-one is nice though...

The reason was the change of mind is still the noise levels and PF, as I see more images, I get more depressed. If I were to dive into this investment, I might regret it. Some things even photoshop can't do wonders, if it can, it might just take too much time! I have read the reviews on 300D, am pretty impressed. It's been a long while since I used a SLR, but I guess it'll be like riding a bicycle, you won't forget how, just needs a bit of practice.

Thanks so much for your feedback and time, I think I have a pretty good idea what my upgrade camera will be... Time to do some shopping around for my first DSLR. :)

Glad to help.

One more thing about 300D - if you buy the lens kit version, the EF-S 18-55 mm
lens that comes with it is a bit slow for indoor photos since the largest apperture is f/3.5 only. I found that insufficient for indoor shoot of my baby
even with lights on - my baby hyperactive - causing motion blur. However,
I'm going to get a cheap Canon prime lens - the 50mm f/1.8 (around $135) which will allow me to take indoor photo at low light at high shutter speed since
the apperture can open up to f/1.8.

But outdoor - the lens kit is a gem at its price.

I understand the convenience of having all in one - but I'm kinda of quality
freak - so, I end up preferring getting the right device for the job - but that's
me ;)

Here's some of my baby's photos taken with 300D lens kit (still waiting for the
50mm f/1.8 prime lens - out of stock) :

http://www.pbase.com/kst/baby

Feel free to ask if you have more questions - I will try my best to help - I know
how diff it is to shop for a new cam - not to mention the right one ;)
 

Questions
1) How much is it? I know the retail is 1799, what is the street? It is pricey in my opinion, esp compared with 300D (and perhaps more costly than the forthcoming D70)
2) Can anyone share more detailed experience as this is the most anticpated camera in 2003 and for many months to come

The following are nifty features I like about the specs:
1) Night framing ... period.
2) Zero light shots .... gimmicky but again who doesn't like gimmicks :thumbsup:
3) Hologram AF assist .... this is a gem for foolproof low light AF
4) Interesting form factor
5) Range (28-200)
6) Great lens (though comparable to A1's GT lens and FZ10's leica)

The following can be improved in next release 939 :bsmilie: :
1) Do away with nasty purple fringing (it annoys me, I had bad experience using that with my Canon G1/G2). I saw samples of ctrl-del's singapore posts and the purple fringing are visible
2) Better RAW convertor (via reviews)
3) Cleaner images above ISO 100 (but again, all small sensor P&S suffers on this)

I do not think the 828 is a 300D killer:
1) True DSLR like the 300D provides more flexibility while fixed-lens pseudo SLR like the 828 provides flexibility
2) Noise and resolution-wise (note pixel-count not equal to resolution), 300D is a winner
3) Features-wise, I think 828 is a winner (feature-packed like spot metering,movie recording etc etc)

If this camera is retailing at 13**. For 1700, I could get the A1 + battery grip + Anti-shake.
 

Hi people, I know it's a struggle to consider which digicams are the 'best' to get. To me, it all boils down to your needs and your expectations.

I chose F828 for a few reasons other cameras cannot provide:
- manual zoom. No amount of shutter-lag or focusing lag can ever compensate the horror of a slow zoom motor. With F828, I can zoom from one end to another in milliseconds. I also can take zoom-and-shoot effects
- unique lens-body handling. The way F828 is built - lens separate from the body - means you can tilt the camera comfortably and quickly with two hands holding firmly on the camera, allowing you to make settings at the same time. Compare with a G5, where you have to handle a separate monitor away from the body.
- night modes. It's a different imaging experience using night-shot to take low-light situations in the day time. Treat it as black-and-white or sepia-like composition.
- zoom range. At 28mm, I can take good wide-angle shots. Most digicams stop at 35mm.
- high MP count. At 8MP, I can crop images down to the desired size. What's more, F828 has a 'smart zoom' feature whereby the cam helps you to crop the image at your required zoom-range. In other words, if you select a lower MP, F828 can potentially 'zoom' further by cropping. So at 5MP, you can smart-zoom to 9x; 3MP at 11x, 1MP at 18x, VGA at 36x
- battery life. Sony still is the only digicam maker to provide battery life real-time indication. In addition, F828 battery life is superb.

For the above features, I sacrifise the following (compared to my old Canon S45):
- compact size
- multi-shot buffer. S45 has a fantastic buffer management system. After taking multi-shots, while S45 saves the images to the CF card, as long as there a free buffer, you can immediately take more multi-shots. But for F828, once you release the shutter, the cam has to process all the images before you can carry on.
- speed of hitting the next-shot. F828 seems to refocus everytime you try to take the next shot, and that slows down the next-shot speed. The preview image takes a longer time to appear than S45. Because you cannot take the next shot until the image is saved, F828 is again slow. Finally, if you depress the shutter too fast (e.g. while the image is being saved), F828 does not hit the next shot. Under the same situation, S45 will snap the image once the image-saving action is completed.
- DIGIC. I seem to have a liking for Canon's DIGIC technology. Makes the images look so outstanding.

To me, F828 is the closest thing I have to a D-SLR without the hassle of investing in a whole lens system (I used to own some fantastic Nikon SLR stuffs).

What's yours?
 

can the 828 do dual focusing? ie AF then adjust the MF ring?
read that the Minolta A1 can.
 

denizenx said:
can the 828 do dual focusing? ie AF then adjust the MF ring?
read that the Minolta A1 can.

The Minolta has DMF ( Direct Manual Focusing ), and the 300D with USM has FTM ( Full Time Manual-focus ). I'm quite sure the Sony has it, because it also has a electronic manual focusing ring, just like the USM lenses and A1.
 

Indeed, Sony has the focusing ring that focuses electronically (not mechanical). But if you want to AF then MF, you have to first half-press the shutter to engage the AF to focus properly, then switch to MF then you can manual focus.

In my opinion, the MF is pretty useless because it is difficult to focus properly with an LCD monitor. Although Sony has the enlarge feature, the enlargement is so pixelated. So I'd rather trust the AF.

Of course, if you have situations whereby your subjects are consistently at a fixed distance and you don't want the AF motor to always refocus after every shot, I would switch to MF for quicker response, but will definitely not use that for focus-tweaking.
 

pianodancer said:
Indeed, Sony has the focusing ring that focuses electronically (not mechanical). But if you want to AF then MF, you have to first half-press the shutter to engage the AF to focus properly, then switch to MF then you can manual focus.

In my opinion, the MF is pretty useless because it is difficult to focus properly with an LCD monitor. Although Sony has the enlarge feature, the enlargement is so pixelated. So I'd rather trust the AF.

Of course, if you have situations whereby your subjects are consistently at a fixed distance and you don't want the AF motor to always refocus after every shot, I would switch to MF for quicker response, but will definitely not use that for focus-tweaking.
hiya pianodancer... so no dual focusing is it, which is using MF to fine tune AF without changing any modes.
 

Status
Not open for further replies.