GO SONY !! A contender to all the big 35mm cameras with sony reliability.

Author's Rating:

Pros: Feels like a camera, looks like a camera, Color accurate. reliable. sensible easy

Cons: Slow at highest res. 12 pics.on 512 mb cf. petite buttons.

The Bottom Line: 
A digital camera that doesn't feel like an mp3 player , is reliable, easy to use. high tech , high quality, excellent lense, a professional camera for the consumer.

Author's Review
I bought the F828 about 5 weeks ago , I read the manual 3 times prior to using the camera [ my habit with all products ] I have found the controls easy to get accustomed to, though they are small, even smaller if your hands are big. I own a mini dv. I bought in 1998 and a Mavica FD-81 I got used in 2004, I find everything to be in a convenient location and easy to use, I just need to become relaxed and comfortable with all of the functions. I have used the Raw format in fine and in auto mode to test its maximum capabilities , so-far I am impressed, very impressed. On my computer , I could zoom in all the way into my dogs face so that only her eye was in the frame and still have crisp detail and even see a shadow of myself and the camera in her pupil. I am used to the Mavica's floppy drive being slooowww! So right now the F828 seems , well, faster but still slow though I have to try other resolutions to get a good gauge of it's speed.
I bought the F828 after considering a 35mm digitalSLR, I loved it's looks right away , very much like the 505, but much nicer . I read all of my digital camera/photography/science magazines to compare product specs,prices,resolution and brand reputation all the way to 1998 . Brand reputation was a number 1 reason for purchase. I bought the Mavica because it was very cheap at $50.00 , low res. by todays standards, but great in 1998 and expensive at retail $899.00 , $100.00 less than the F828 now. I have waited a long time to see a digital that really looked like a camera and felt like a camera. It feels comfortable to hold and easy to operate once you become aquainted with all the functions, I always start off slow and patient so as not to become discouraged by functions I am not used to , my prior use of Sony's products makes me familiar with their button logic, though the buttons have become much smaller. The zero-lux is amazing [ if you need to catch something in no light] , night-framing makes a good picture when the lighting is poor. Overall I feel that I will many years of reliable use and fun with this camera . I will have more to say as I discover all of my capabilities with my f828