Sony DSC-D700 Review: 7. Operation: Digital Photography Review

Timings

Notes: All times calculated as an average of four operations. The D700 is a VERY FAST camera (apart from the auto-focus), by any standards, and this is one of the things that makes it so enjoyable to use.

The timings below represent time taken to "take and store" the image, I got MUCH. MUCH SLOWER results from the MemoryStick than a SanDisk 48MB CF card in SanDisk PCMCIA adapter, as such I've provided TWO sets of timings for image storage, the first the result with MemoryStick, the second the result using the SanDisk CF card.

Action (images stored as JPEG unless otherwise noted)	Avg. time taken (secs)	Notes
OFF to CAM	6.0
OFF to PLAY	5.0
CAM to PLAY	2.2
PLAY to CAM	4.4
PLAY: Image to Image	1.2
PLAY: Image to Image (TIFF)	4.2
PLAY: Image to Image (SHIFT)	<1.0	High speed scrolling holding SHIFT butt.
PLAY: Thumbnail view	<1.0	Ten images + exposure information per thumbnail view
PLAY: Zoom-in	<1.0
AF LAG (auto-focus)	2.0 - 5.0	Varies depending on ease-of-focus
Shutter release LAG	0.3
Store 1344 x 1024 SUPER (TIFF)	24.0 13.0	These timings represent the amount of time the RED "Writing to PCMCIA card indicator was on for, however the camera comes back almost immediately after review to take the next shot - until you fill the internal buffer - about 11 @ 1344 x 1024 HIGH; total 8 MB.
Store 1344 x 1024 HIGH	6.5 4.2
Store 1344 x 1024 MIDDLE	4.5 3.0
Store 1344 x 1024 LOW	3.4 2.4
Store 640 x 480 SUPER (TIFF)	6.5 5.0
Store 640 x 480 HIGH	3.4 2.4
Store 640 x 480 MIDDLE	2.2 2.0
Store 640 x 480 LOW	2.2 1.8

8MB MemoryStick timing.
48MB SanDisk CF card timing.

File sizes

Notes: All file sizes as an average of two files taken in a "worse case" scenario - most detail possible. As is the case with JPEG it's difficult to predict the size of an image because it will vary widly depending on the content of the image (especially the amount of detail captured). For example, take a photograph of a fairly empty wall and you'll get a small JPEG, take a photograph of a bush with a lot of detail and you'll get a larger image. File sizes here are closer to the later, the larger size of file you should expect. The reported JPEG compression ratios for the various JPEG image modes are: FINE (1:4), NORMAL (1:8), BASIC (1:16)

The estimated number of images per 8MB MemoryStick is give as a guide to beginners (as an 8MB MemoryStick is supplied with the camera). It is always recommended that you get a larger PCMCIA card).

Image resolution / mode	Compression Ratio	Average File Size (KB)	No. images per 8MB MemoryStick
1600 x 1200 TIFF	1:1	4,047KB	1
1600 x 1200 FINE	1:4	750KB	10
1600 x 1200 NORMAL	1:8	374KB	20
1600 x 1200 BASIC	1:16	172KB	40
640 x 480 TIFF	1:1	915KB	8
640 x 480 FINE	1:3	248KB	30
640 x 480 NORMAL	1:6	126KB	60
640 x 480 BASIC	1:12	60KB	120

Battery life

As ever Sony showed its strength here with the excellent InfoLithium battery (NP-F530 supplied rated as 7.2V @ 1350mAh Li-ion). The manual states around 3 hours for a full charge and 2 hours shooting or 2.5 hours of playback, I found this to be pretty accurate, and as ever because it's InfoLithium you always know exactly HOW MANY minutes are remaining (displayed on the LCD). The other power-saving feature of the D700 is the amount of information provided on the top LCD, once you get used to it you can easily shoot using a combination of the top LCD and viewfinder.

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