purple fringing....

[Malakite]

Hi all... i've heard that the sony 828 suffers badly form this, issit true? any sample pics that i might view?
wat abt the nikon 8700? is it better than the sony? i've gone tru most of the forum threads but mostly my question still goes unanswered... will be much obliged if any one can help me out... i'm thinking of getting either one so i'm really confused... it seems that the more i read , the more i dun knoe.... pls help... many thanks

 

[imaginary_number]

There're a number of sample pics @ www.dpreview.com. Check out the F828 review.

And yes, the CA will be obvious if you shoot a scene with strong backlight and/or with a large aperture. You could avoid it if you're careful though.

 

[artyboy]

i have a F828 & shot around 200+ shots. the bad news - purple fringing is apparent in shots containing high contrast subjects - tree branches against a bright sky, window grilles infront of bright sky & chrome reflective objects eg, metal railings against contrasty bkgrounds. the good news - its NOT a big issue unless you shoot window grilles/trees for a living. this can be removed via software but it doesnt happen all the time, but its there if you want to be picky in the situations listed below. under normal shooting conditions, it IS capable of producing great photos, with post-editing (Photoshop) - very high quality images. its well-known that the F828 got its fans mainly from its following features :

- mechanical rotating (SLR-like) zoom/focusing ring
- f/2.0 - f/2.8 max aperture (the Carl Zeiss T* designation helps - psy)
- rock solid magnesium alloy pro build & "the look"
- 640 x 480 30 fps video recording (recording time limited to size of memcard)
(altho u need a Microdrive CF or hi-end MemStick Pro card)

but if image quality is more important to you than the above, then go for the Nikon 8700 but do bear in mind that its widest zoom is 35mm altho you gain at the longest zoom (280mm if im not wrong). in fact if image quality is top priority the Olympus CZ8080 is a better bet (altho you lose out in its maximum 140mm telezoom). in short, the F828 is capable of excellent results if you make an effort to do post-processing. if you hate that, i do not recommend it for you.

i myself am very proud of it becos im very happy with most of my prints. if the above 4 Pros is enough to win you over and close one eye to the purple fringing (noise too but its not as bad as you think becos even the other 8MP digicams have them to a certain degree), you won't regret it. at the end of the day its all abt compromises and your personal (priority) needs. you'll have to make a decision based on your own preference & needs. as they say, one man's meat is another man's poison. hope this helps. Cheers!

 

[Malakite]

ahhh... thanks to all those who replied... esp artboy... very candid and truthful abt the cam's pic quailty... much thanks...
the problem isn't so much my hate of doing photoshop... but i'm takin a photography course now... and wouldn't using photoshop be kinda like cheating?

and i've seen the shot taken by both the sony and nikon... frankly... the noise level is really a bit too high for my liking...
so u say my best bet would be c8080 huh? i shall check that up... many thanks again..

 

[jumbocrab]

In most (but not all) situations, PF can be drastically reduced during post processing. Using PS Elements for example, choose "enhance", "adjust color", "hue/saturation". Choose the magenta channel and crank "lightness" all the way up or all the way down. Voila, it's done.

To add to artyboy's description, the F828 can also use smartzoom. This feature allows a further zoom by further "cropping" the image. Of course other cameras can also do this during post processing. But F828 allows you to save the cropped image, thus saving valuable storage space.

 

[artyboy]

you raised a very interesting point - post-processing being "cheating". the great ansel adams used to dodge/burn in the darkroom during his day - thats cheating too. even pics taken on DSLRs are post-processed by the pros, so you need not worry abt its "implications on photographics principles". if the results are pleasing to your eyes, then yr hobby paid off - doesnt matter how you got there but you got there alright. just imagine how Spiderman2 would have turned out w/o the use of CGI/matte paintings. just look at the Clubsnap photo contest rules - post-processing is allowed but to a certain limit. the moral of the story? post-processing can only do so much to enhance your pics - the real meat comes from your photographic 'eye' - that is something which has to be learned without the aid of slider bars or lasso tools.

if noise level is a main concern, you'd be better off with a D-SLR, the Nikon D70 to be specific, just need topup a few hundred to the price of the current 8MP prosumer digicams. the Canon 300D is the current best value-for-$ entry-level D-SLR in the market but it just got edged out by the D-70 (more ex though). also bear in mind that the Olympus C8080 has a max zoom of only 140mm compared to the other's 200mm tele end. nevertheless, the C8080 is an excellent photographic tool in its own right. every model will have its own strengths as well as shortcomings.

Jumbocrab's valuable advice on post-processing tips & added features of the F828 just shows the benefits of sharing our hobby in these forums regardless of our personal preferences for brands/models/type of photographic gear. have a read at www.dpreview.com as recommended by a fellow forum poster above and you'll have all the info u need to make a wise purchasing decision. cheers!