Sony Cyber-shot DSC-F717 5.0 Megapixel

I bought this camera from Shawn Young, Seller ID s6905. The camera didn't whork when I received it. I paid extra for insurance when I bought it. I didn't know that the seller made himself the insured. I filed a claim with UPS and they picked up the camera and took it to their inspection facility. When I tried to follow up, they wouldn't talk to me because I wasn't the insured. They will only talk to Shawn Young and they will not return the camera to me. I filed a claim with PayPal because the seller refused to refund the money. PayPal refused to pay unless I mailed the camera back to Shawn Young. Catch 22. So now he has my money. He has the camera. He has the claim with UPS. So much for PayPal's Buyer Protection guarantee.

This camera has tremendous optics, is light weight, the swivel design is easy to use and is more handy than you can imagine. Best of all, the output is terrific. There are many options available for it including an underwater case, wide angle and telephoto lenses, various flashes, etc. The Memory Stick format is a bit more expensive than some others but certainly not bad. Get it; you won't be disappointed. I prefer it to the 828.

My ego got me started looking for a new SLR and after looking I started to think about what I was getting other than a new toy. So I compared it with my Sony f707 which I got this new when they first came out the cost about a grand 5 years ago. it's was a great camera then and is still today. If your looking for a good used camera look at this one first. There is very little difference between this and the f717 or the f828. Which has more up grades. Really we are looking a the same basic camera at a much lower price. For the average or above average camera buff this should something to look at. Let me point out several things about this camera.
1. It still works trouble free and gets used a lot every day.
2. Carl Ziess optics
3. The lens will accommodate any 58mm filter or conversion lens
4. Optical Zoom
5. Megapixels: I would love to see you print off a 10mp image on your printer.

Now you really can not say that about the new SLR cameras but with bodies costing $1,500.00 dollars less lens I thought I would wait till the curb came down on state of the art cameras. I would say that for the 2 or 3 hundred dollars you would spent on this type of camera would be a wise investment

All, I have been a happy owner for several years. The Camera takes excellent pictures. I had mine serviced by Sony which provided excellent service. I have a relative who wants mine and offered to by me a new Sony Model....I don't want to take a chance on parting with it and sacrificing picture quality.

I would recommend the camera to everyone and to go out and buy a used one and have it serviced. In my opinion, the quality of Images it produces cannot be matched.

JULY 2006:
Bought mine 2/2004. Bought it online from MyDigitalGear.com as an eBay item. They sold me a six-year extended warranty for $180. Both the vendor and the service organization are defunct. Story of my life!

I've shot nearly 15,000 images on this camera! It's worked flawlessly until two days ago. The imager went fritz (black), and I cannot take images anymore. Sony's site guided me through a few steps to determine that it has a problem that is addressed by a recall notice. It'll take several weeks to get it there and back, but there is no charge to me, including S&H. Same for you, if yours develops the same problem.

Only beef with the camera is that the filenames are assigned sequentially, starting with DSC00001.JPG, but at DSC09999.JPG, it rolls back to DSC00001.JPG! What's wrong with that digit in the ten-thousands-place? I had to write a batch file to rename all my images, as I keep them all and need to have unique filenames. Have NO IDEA how I'm going to deal with a reset filename when the camera is returned.

Close-ups, special lighting, timer shots, bursts, mpg video (sound not up to par), night vision, Zoom, other options are plenty for my needs, and I shoot a lot of images! You pay more for the camera than some others, but it does the job, and, save for the recall issue, has worked beautifully for 28 months!

One feature I really like on this camera is the ability of the body to rotate on the lens. That means I can turn it upside-down, and hold it over my head, and still see the preview screen. Shooting low objects just means to rotate the body, so the screen is facing up, where I am! Once you've used this feature, you may never go back to a one-piece body again. It's sad, i noticed the newer versions of top-end Sony cameras are back to a one-piece body.

KP:

8/18/06 Follow-up
I am pleased to say that Sony was true to their word. I got a prepaid shipping call-ticket within four days of reporting the problem to Sony. I sent it off same-day, and was able to track its progress thru Sony's repair facility. Only twelve calendar days went by before I had the F717 back in my hands, working just like always does, flawlessly!

Oh, and resetting the filename sequence is EASY! Just copy the LAST picture you took back onto the memory device, and the camera will begin renumbering from the next available number. I copied DSC01564.jpg onto the proper directory of the chip, and there's your Uncle Bob!

I have a simple batch file that I use now that I've passed over the DSC09999.jpg filename. The camera restarts the sequence at DSC00001.jpg. I just copy this batch file to the memory stick(s), and execute it on the stick before I move the images to my hard drive for storage and processing:

ren DSC09*.* DSC29*.*
ren DSC0*.* DSC2*.*

I'll change the batch file's second line when the filenames wrap to DSC09000.jpg:
ren DSC0*.* DSC3*.*
... and so on as the numbers climb.

All in all, I'm VERY happy with this camera!

UPDATE 04/15/2009: 62 months of use, now nearly 29,000 images. Still using the original 2004 batteries!

Excellent camera that continues to give me superb shots time after time. Set it on Auto, or get creative and set everything manually if you wish! But its "only" 5 megapixel you say? Well with that huge great Zeiss Lens it will outperform ANY of the larger pixel count cameras with lenses no better than a pinhole camera! I was considering upgrading to Sony's 8mp 828, but the 717, in my opinion, and that of many others, gives superior results. The 828 suffers from severe purple fringing, the 717 doesn't! Ever! A great choice.

Notice that every single review that gives this camera a bad rating is complaimng about an ebay transaction gone wrong, or purchasing a non-working camera from the seller. Not a single one of them actually reviews the camera. Everyone who actually review the camera gave it quite high ratings!

We've owned one of these for years! I took it to the local camera shop recently looking for some add on lenses, and the local guru said, "Honestly, nothing I can sell you will out do the lens that's built into that camera. It would be like putting a marble up to a piece of stained glass. The Zeiss lens is awesome!

If you're looking for movies, and lots of media type settings, this probably isn't the camera for you. But if your just a strait photo enthusiast, you will not be disappointed. The quality of the lens far out shines the newer 8+ Mega Pixel cameras with lesser lens quality.

One drawback to the camera (besides not saving movies at a higher rate) is that good lenses for it do cost a bit. If you want a lens though, I'd just pay the extra money for the nice ones. I tried the middle of the road ones (Opteka) and was not at all impressed!

Enjoy!

If you're looking to move up from a standard digital camera, but not ready for the Digital SLRs. this is the perfect camera for you. Don't be detoured by the megapixel count or the fact these were manufactured in 2004. The picture quality will give you incredible 8x10 prints and the automatic settings will help even a complete amateur get incredible shots.

I wasn't happy with the quality of a standard 7Megapixel camera. No depth of field. Colors were either too vibrant or too dull, (never where I wanted them) and the auto focus completely controlled the cameras with no user overrides. No matter how hard I tried, I could never achieve the great depth of field on my shots and nothing made me more disappointed then taking shots of people where it looked like trees were growing out of their head due to overall focus of a scene. I also wasn't ready to make the costly and time consuming jump to Digital SLR, so a mid-range camera was what I was looking for. The F717 came up, because it's now cheaper then some standard 5-7MP cameras and I've the best galleries I've seen on the internet used the F717. It's perfect for those who are looking for a great price on a mid-range camera. Don't worry about the 5MP output because they print beautiful 8x10 photos with no problem.

The camera also allows you to screw on 58mm filters and lenses, giving you even more possibilities in your shots. I used a Neutral Density Filter on a photo shoot and got some really beautiful artistic shots that I normally wouldn't be able to achieve without the use of filters. There are also Macro lenses, telephoto, wide-angle lenses and a huge assortment of other filters which can easily be added to this camera.

The only bad things about the camera is the lack of controls using night framing and night shot. I wanted to experiment and take some nightshot landscape photos, but unfortunately was forced to use auto settings with little control over the shots. The only other bad thing is that when you add a telephoto or wide angle lens, they block the IR lights completely killing the nightshot mode, (there is most likely a work around this problem). It's nothing big since I didn't buy the camera for that purpose.

In the end, the F-717 is by far the best camera I've used in the mid-range cameras.

This is a beautiful piece of equipment. Very slick, with a great lens. impressive quality and manageability. It lacks size, big compared to other digital cameras. But compared to SLR's it is smaller. I love the features and quality of this camera it is truly a professionals Digital Camera.

I bought this camera used around 3 years ago. I've taken lot of pictures and I love the quality of pictures and all the cool features. Manual modes are really useful if you want to take night pictures without flash. I've used it to take pictures of decorated houses on Christmas wit excellent results. The only negative comment I have is that a month ago I had a problem with the CCD sensor and the camera stopped taking pictures. I learned that there is a problem with the F717 but Sony will replace the sensor at no expenses to the owner. I contacted Sony service and they sent me shipping label to return my camera. I got it back repaired 5 days after without spending a single penny and it works like new. This offer for free repair will end on October 2007, so tke this in consideration before buying it.

This was my 3rd Sony camera and I am still very impressed with their build quality. They HOLD UP!!!! Mine spent a good many days on the seat of the car - out of a case, ready to be grabbed and used. We walked a few cemeteries and we did a few weddings and we did a lot of rodeos, brandings, christenings, and events over the 4 years I have had this thing. 50,000 pictures and never a blink! Now my hubby is using it and altho for him it is set on Auto 99% of the time, he still gets some of the most fabulous machinery shots anyone could ask for under some of the worst dust, wind, rain, snow, cold, hot, etc, weather conditions you can ask for on the Railroad.

Only 5 megapixals? How many do you really need when every one of them is coming thru that beautiful Carl Zeiss lens? There is a reason these lenses are so great and so costly - Zeiss puts out one H... of a good lens and this camera has the ability to use all of it. Great Macro capability - you can get up close and very personal with that lens. Good movie capability - only limited by the amount of storage capacity of your memory stick, good sound for what it is (we are not talking motion picture quality obviously - it wasn't built for that anyway!) Wonderful focusing, did I say sharp clear clean pictures?

Throw this one around your neck and you know you have a good camera that will last for several hours worth of continuous shooting - trust me I have worked it hard and non stop at several events and weddings. But for the average Joe who wants a great picture and fairly easy control - THIS IS THE CAMERA! No lenses to change, nothing to get lost, or damaged by weather or dust. Good build quality and good service if needed.

Go get a moon shot, get fireworks, get the first birthday party smiles, the wedding cake blitz, etc... this will do it all. No purple fringing, no fuss, just great shots and the ability but not the requirement to move up in the learning curve if needed or wanted. It will and can do some amazing things.

Be aware there is a fix for the chip at Sony if there are problems, but that is the only problem this line has had and that says a lot for how well it performs.

Above excellent for photo clarity and quality, overall super easy to use. A dumby could take award winning photos with this camera.

It's so hard choosing a digital camera today. With models changing soon after they're reviewed, how do we? Well if you like a super fast lens (lets lot a light in, even at full 5x zoom), then maybe this is the camera. It's not compact,but similar to a SLR except the Zeiss lens is not removable and you can't look directly through the lens. And try to buy an SLR with a 5x precision lens and a 2.0 to 2.4 aperture. You'd pay around $800 just for the lens. You can add a wide angle or zoom tele-conversion lens, but this increases the weight. Like the new Sony DSLR's, you can view at an angle, but instead of the display pivoting, the lens pivots.It has a fast focus,even uses a laser grid. It's durable magnesium/aluminum alloy frame can take a beating.I can see the two claws at the end of a grasshopper legs using macro.I love the night shots, so easy to see in the dark and compose great photos that would be It's almost impossible to get a second shot.I have taken several great photos of stars using time exposure.It takes awhile for the camera to process, but love seeing green grass, trees at midnight.When shotting the moon, try to have something else in the shot like interesting clouds, outline of tress,etc. Remember the moon is lit with reflected sunlight, so use manual modes and set like a daylight shot, i.e. 1/250th or 1/350 of a second.
This Sony only has 5 MP, but I'm not making billboards and the great 5x lens more than makes up for this lower number.What's the good of a camera with 10 MP, if the lens is poor ( small diameter, inferior optics,etc). This camera can be used as a point and shoot camera or for more advanced photography. So it doesn't have facial recognition or image stabilization, but then it doesn't have lag time to take the shot. It does not have RAW or split image focusing, but it's rare that I'll need it. So if you want a camera that's so much more than a point-and-shoot, but don't want go the SLR route that'll cost you over $1,000 with a good lens then maybe this cameras for you. These are some of the reasons it's still top rated by DPReview and so many others.

I've had this camera for several years - there are some 'better' cameras out there these days, but if you can pick up one of these for a good price, it might serve you well.

Here are some random things about the camera:

It can use the Sony memory stick *pro* (as opposed to the previous f707 model). The pro is faster, and can go to larger sized (non-pro is limited to 128Mb).

The lens swivels from the body, which allows you to easily take pictures from interesting angles (high & low).

The battery lasts about 2 hours, and tells you exactly how many minutes are left (that's the 'info' part of the 'info-lithium').

You can attach filters & extra lenses to the 58mm threads.

The infra-red night-vision mode is pretty neat :)

The macro mode works pretty well for extreme close-ups of insects, small items you're wanting to sell on ebay, etc.

There are threads on the bottom to mount it on a tripod (or monopod).

You can buy a wired remote to plug into the 'acc' hole, to control the zoom, on/off, and snap pictures (this works really wall in combination with a tripod).

It has a 'hot shoe' and you can attach an external flash.

There are many/many settings & adjustments you can make, or you can use one of several 'auto' modes.

The camera takes pretty good pictures in low-light, with no flash (such as concerts) - here are some examples I took of a local performer:
http://robslink.com/slideshows/JaclynTurner/index.html

Limitations:

It only goes up to 5 megapixels (but unless you're making large prints, you don't really need more than 5).

It can't take rapid pictures one after another, like some of the new cameras with large built-in memory "buffers".

The lcd screen is a bit small, compared to the latest cameras (but that helps save battery life).

There was a manufacturing defect on the CCD - you could get it repaired for free before Oct 2007 -- if your camera didn't get fixed before then, your CCD could fail in warm/humid environment (your mileage may vary). Mine did fail (when shooting an outdoor car show on a hot/humid day), and they fixed it for free (before the deadline).

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August 2008 Update: I'm still using this camera, and it's still working well.

Awesome camera! Have had mine for 3 years and love the pictures it takes! Way to go Sony. There are a lot of cameras out there on the market but I believe that the Carl Zeiss lens is very comparable to many high end cameras on the market.

Works great! Very high quality photos. Fast photo save time. No shutter delay. I use this for product photography for use in high end catalogs.

This camera is an excellant product and even though it was used. I've had nothing but great pictures with it. The person I bought it from was great to do business with. Quick and reliable. Thanks Ebay!
Joe

Recently I filed a complaint with eBay about a flagrant act of theft on the part of the seller: I have paid $517.98 to him and I have not received the item (a Sony camera DSC-F717). I have denounced him to the Police and FBI affiliated ICR3, without any result till now. But I feel especially offended by eBay which has turned a deaf ear to a case that discredits you. Under these shameful circumstances when it clearly appears that eBay favours the wrongdoers, your request for a "Review" sounds both ironical and offensive. I dont't like to hear anymore from you unless you secure full refund to me for the theft.

For taking pictures I really like the F707 & F717 Sony DSC camera's. I purchased my first 707 at a closeout price at one of the big box stores. I enjoyed the ease of use, easy controls, close to where your finger was holding the camera and the joystick is so easy to use. I have purchased 2 others since, both on eBay. Once came as almost new with lots of extra attachments. The 2nd one I was lied to about how it worked. The 707s after having a long life with being used and picked up everyday start losing contact with the memory stick and it just got worse instead of better. I have not been able to find anyone except sony to work on them and when you get their bill, you may as well have bought a new one.

I purchased a 717 and have been very happy with it. The same Carl Zeiss lens and uses all the same attachments as my 707s. I just bought a 2nd one for my employee to use. These work great for everyday use in my eBay business. I have used it from time to time for more high res pictures and it works great for that also.

I did try the 828 which is the newest in this line of camera's. They changed the controls and I do not like it at all! I sold both of them and went with a 717. I am going to buy several of these so I will have them for years to come.

I used this camera on and off for about two years as the main camera at my eBay auction shop. It consistently shot great pictures, which, when contrasted and brightness were balanced (normally in Irfanview, which took about three seconds per image), were occasionally said to render the object better than it looked in real life.

Most shots were taken against a white drop in our studio, but many were taken against a black drop (including clear crystal and diamond against black, both of which are tricky). Other shots were taken during daylight outside. Colours came out stunningly, the resolution was far more than enough for screen resolutions, and the camera worked quickly.

The large, hunky frame is great to work with, and the split-body design allows for hip-shooting for hours without having to crouch down. Manual focus and macro functions worked great.

I've used a few DSLR cameras, and, for most things, the feel of the Cybershot simply wins out.

I want another one.

Even though this camera is somewhat antiquated in today's technology, this camera does everything you want it to and well. My camera is a pre-2005 camera, so it did have the infamous CCD image problem. I contacted the right people, and Sony emailed me the shipping stuff and my camera was shipped, fixed, and returned in very quick sime. I have not had a problem with the camera since. I do love it. It may only be 5 Mega pixel capability, but I do not even use that anyways, i like ot take internet capable photos to send to the family and friends.

This is a great camera for those who want sharp professional looking photos and not worry about overly technical details in setting up a shot. Still there are plenty features on it for those who become more sophisticated in their photography prowess to take increasingly "professional" pictures. The biggest reason for buying it, is that we already have one for taking auction photos and we find it very reliable and sturdy. It has withstood literally 10 thousand shots. The only problem that it has is in a faulty sensor that gives the LCD screen a greenish hue. We will send the older camera for a warranty repair soon, but all photos taken came out as clean and sharp as it did on the first day we used it. All-in-all, we think that the camera is very much the best mix of professional and point-and-click.

I do alot of small item selling on e-bay, and when I bought my f707, 8 years ago, nothing would take good macro shots execpt it, so I paid the $1200!!.....now 8 years and 35,000 images later, it finally went out (shutter stopped opening)......I listed it for parts on e-bay and bought a f717......I sure wish Sony still sold them new so I could buy 3 or 4 of them to last me the rest of my life.......why anybody would buy any other camera is beyond me......this f717 has it all.......give-a-way price and more cool features than can be mentioned here.....it you are looking to spend under $400 on a digital camera, do yourself a favor and snatch up a f717 while you can still find one in excellent condition!!!!!!! You will be as happy as a clam!