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September 2003: Suggested retail price details for Sony’s new Cyber-shot DSC-F828 camera, which will go on sale in mid-December, have just been released.
The new 8-megapixel digital still camera boasts a fast f2.0 Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 7x zoom lens with focal length equivalent to 28-200mm on a 35mm camera. It is expected to sell for $2599 and will be bundled with a 256 MB Memory Stick Pro card (valued at $215).
Its CCD sensor features a new RGB+E four-colour filter, which adds an ’emerald’ patch to the standard RGB filter pattern, making its response closer to human colour perception. Pictures captured with this new sensor have a more natural looking colour reproduction, particularly for blues and greens.
A new Real Image Processor chip supports faster data processing and speedy colour mapping through conversion of the four-colour signal back into an ideal RGB colour space via a linear matrix system. The new processor also cuts image processing time, allowing the camera to capture an 8-megapixel image in roughly half the time required by typical 5-megapixel cameras to process a high-resolution shot. It also supports reduced power consumption.
The DSC-F828 has a lens-centred swivelling body, similar to that of the F717. The body is made from a black magnesium alloy, which is both rugged and light and the camera weighs only 906 grams when kitted out with battery and cards. The lens can be rotated upwards through 70 degrees and downwards through 30 degrees. The electronic viewfinder and 1.8-inch LCD monitor are similar to those on the F717 but the F828 is Sony’s first digicam with dual CompactFlash/Microdrive and Memory Stick slots.
The new model is targeted at serious photographers and offers an extensive suite of manual controls, including P/A/S/M shooting modes plus scene selections for twilight, twilight portrait, landscape and portrait photographs. Shutter speeds range from 30 seconds to 1/3200 sec and apertures can be set from f2.0 (wide) or f2.8 (tele) to f8.

Centre-weighted average, multi-pattern and spot metering are provided, along with ISO settings from 100 to 800. The 5-area multi-point AF system allows photographers to take readings from selected focus points, allowing easy composition of shots with off-centre subjects.
Maximum image resolution is 3360 x 2460 pixels and photographers can choose between JPEG, TIFF and Sony RAW file formats. Movie clips are recorded in MPEG-VX format with 640 x 480 pixel resolution at 30 frames per second and clip length is restricted only by card capacity.
The lens can focus to within 2 cm from a subject in macro mode and has a normal focusing range from 50 cm to infinity. The Five-Area Multi-Point Auto Focus system evaluates five separate areas of the frame and intelligently focuses on the subject, displaying the selected focus point. Users can also choose any of the five points for manual focus control. The F828 also includes Sony’s NightShot and NightFraming functions. The former allows the camera to capture infrared images in total darkness at a distance of up to 3 metres, while the latter uses a Hologram AF illuminator to light up the subject then lights up the scene with the appropriate level of flash.
Sony will also cut the price of its Memory Stick and Memory Stick Pro media from 1 October. Details of the new prices and other Sony products can be found at www.sony.com.au.