Sony Cyber-shot DSC-D770

Opinion: Aside from the software installation problems, this camera's features are really unmatched by any camera in the same price range. Such features are manual focus and manual
zoom and the support of tiff files which is extremely important for me as I have a job on taking pictures on jewelry. Being able to save as tiff format is a must that allows me to adjust high quality pictures in Photoshop. The 1.5 M pixels is good enough for me because I only intend to publish the pictures online. The DSC-D505 will probably not
as well for me since it only has an LCD display, and I found it
impossible to 'tell' whether a peice of jewelry is in focus or not through the LCD display.

Opinion: The overall manual controls with this camera makes it a standout. No other camera in this price range gives you this control. The image quality is not bad considering its resolution which is less than standard for todays times. I am definitely pleased with this model.

Opinion: The Sony DSC-D770 is an excellent camera, albeit one which is often misunderstood by those who purchase it. Many (such as a previous reviewer) complain about the undersaturated feel of its images, as compared to cameras such as Canon's PowerShot Pro70 - but in fact, the camera is capturing a more accurate image than those which blast you with color, allowing you to tailor the image to your own tastes afterwards. The D770 is a camera for those who enjoy the digital darkroom - if you want to use your photos straight out of the camera, it is probably not for you.

Also much maligned is the distortion on the lens - and yes, it is there. Thing is, this lens is giving you a huge range, right the way from a wide 28mm to a powerful 140mm - more than almost any other digital camera in its price range. The distortion is worst at only the very edges of this range, giving you probably a 4.5x zoom with little distortion where its competitors give you 2x or 3x.

The user interface is superb - this camera is really intuitive - and now that the manual focusing issues from the D700 have been addressed, this is truly a great camera. The upshot - if you're only interested in cartoonish images straight out of the camera, or how many pixels you've got, get something else. If you want a 5x optical zoom, fully manual control, and an SLR design below $1500, get the D770.

Opinion: Bottom line - this camera is currently your only option if you want true fully manual control in an SLR form factor, and can't run to the cost of a Kodak Pro camera or similar. The ability to accept Type-I and -II PC card, Type-I and -II CompactFlash, SmartMedia, and MemoryStick is great - pity it can't take the IBM Microdrive. I actually own the D770, which is slightly upgraded from the D700 - fixes the issues with manual focusing, has slightly faster focus, a histogram feature (really helps check your photo is correctly exposed), slightly better image quality, and an ISO50 setting instead of ISO200. The loss of ISO200 is a great shame, ISO400 is too noisy to use often, but overall image quality is great. Night shots are superb due to bright lens and 4-sec exposure. It is important to realise that this camera has a prism that will allow light to enter the optical viewfinder and affect your exposure, but the camera comes with a lens-cap for the optical viewfinder so just put this on whenever you're not covering the viewfinder with your eye and you're fine. Great documentation, very easy to get to grips with the camera although it does intimidate somewhat initially. Some reviews of this camera don't like the pictures, finding them to be under-saturated, but it is important to realise that Sony has done this deliberately - if you oversaturate the picture and lose information because of this, you can't get it back. If you undersaturate, you can simply up the saturation to get the desired result. This is a camera for professionals - don't expect to get the same snappy pictures straight out of the camera that most consumer cameras give you. Expect to do a little work when you get home, and get even better pictures than the rest get! Get a lens-hood and external flash, though - this camera is very subject to lens flare, and the external flash really does wonders. I've used it with a Vivitar 285 and gotten truly excellent results. For a camera where you can really control everything, get the D770! For a camera that gives you a pretty snapshot with little effort, look elsewhere...

Strengths:
- True SLR design
- Full manual control
- Very fast
- Good battery life
- Able to use almost any media
- Can use external flash
- Powerful 5x zoom lens
- Has an IR remote control
- Has TV out capability
- Most camera setup can be seen on the top LCD panel, saving battery life and making camera easier to use
- Great ergonomics, simple to use, hands fall right on the controls

Weaknesses:
- Non-interchangeable lens
- Built-in flash partially blocked by lens at wide angle
- Cannot use IBM microdrive
- LCD can be hard to see in bright sunlight
- Earlier models may have difficulties with matching viewfinder and picture focus
- Case is well made, but material looks like it would break easily if dropped
- Warranty is only 90 days (customer service is good afterwards, however)

Customer Service:
I have not had occasion to call customer service, but from what I've heard from friends who've had to call customer service, once you get through to somebody who actually knows about the camera they're excellent, and really go above and beyond to please the customer.