dr_resq's Full Review: Sony Mavica MVC-FD100 Digital Camera
I have now owned this camera for over two years, so this is long term use review. Even if you've never owned or used a digital camera before this one is intuitive and simple to use right out of the box as a point-and-shoot. As you become more familiar with the basics of digital photography, you will discover this reasonably priced camera is loaded with enough features to keep you marveling at your newfound digital expertise and impressing your friends for a very long time to come. This camera is now a very reasonably priced unit for what you are getting. I paid close to $400.00 for mine at the time, you can pick it up for a fraction of that now. The camera is a 1.2 megapixel, which by todays standards isn't all that much, but I really don't see the need personally for such huge pixel photos unless you are really planning on making BIG enlargements of your pictures. This camera takes great photos. And, as you become more comfortable with it and learn how to use the advanced features...awesome photos!!
After 2 years of constant use I still am learning how to fully utilize all the features of this camera. Sound scary? It's not. The way the optional features are set up that go beyond simply taking a picture is very unobtrusive in nature. As long as all you want the camera to do is take a picture of what you are pointing it at , without any further involvement from you other than pushing the button, that is all it will do. You have to poke it with a stick to get it to reveal its concealed intelligence, it will not impose itself upon you. When the day comes that you do wake it up, go ahead and jump in with both feet. Play with the settings, experiment. If you should find yourself hopelessly lost, dazed or confused upon getting into the menu and options... simply turn the unit off. It will revert to simpleton mode upon powering the unit back on again. And it won't even laugh at you.
The camera has all the usual bells and whistles, rather than me typing a redundant, monotonous long list of them just click here, or paste the link into your browser;
Those are the technical specs. You know....Double overhead cam, 16 valve multiport fuel injection, Triple Recoil Wizzgidget.
What you really want to know and why you are reading this is...how does it drive?
Well, with the option of using the floppy disk you can transfer, e-mail, save and view your photos on any computer anywhere you happen to be. No software needed, no USB cable needed. Sony is still yet the only one out there with that option. I personally have only used that option once or twice, instead utilizing the many memory sticks I have. I really thought I would be using the floppy more often but it just has not happened.
The Mavica is no better, or worse, than any other digital out there I've used for whipping it out to quickly capture an action shot. Quick action shots are just not a digital camera strong point. However, by using a little trick it can be significantly reduced to capture good action shots reliably, if you know where the action is about to take place. You can "pre-focus" on a general area where you anticipate the shot to take place by holding the shutter button halfway down and waiting for the moving object to enter the frame. This shaves off the time required for the camera to focus and enables you to capture a shot fairly quickly. With just a bit of practice you can capture terrific high speed action shots beautifully.
The thing I hear very little about but I have used frequently is the ability to view a slide show of your photos on any television via the supplied standard video cable. Say you are at someones house who does not have a computer (yeah I know, but bear with me on this one O.K.?) or there is a large group of people you wish to share your photos with.....simply plug the Mavica into the T.V.'s video IN connection and view your photos in glorious 37" forrmat!!! You control the slide show frame rate...pause...zoom....rotate, all with your camera. Uncle Lester wants copies you say? Hmmmm, plug the Mavica into Lesters VCR or DVD recorder and transfer the photos onto tape or disk as everyone views them......all without involving a computer at all!! With the self timer and standard tripod mount it is a snap to get yourself into the action as well, whether that be still photos or video. There is also a night photo setting which does an actually quite nice job of low light scenes by means of a delayed shutter effect. I have taken some really neat night time/lights/traffic shots which you'd never guess came from a digital camera at all.
Although the manual doesn't really address this, through experimentation I have found a technique for great night photos with this camera. I have set the Mavica up on a quality, heavy tripod and selected the night photo option (seen on the display as a moon) then after composing the shot simply engaged the self timer function. The combination of the tripod and self timer assures the camera will be rock steady for the extended shutter opening. I have even caught a few great lightning shots this way. In my opinion a digital camera is the best choice for the task of trying to catch those elusive lightning photos. Since there is no way to know for sure exactly when the lightning will strike it makes the infamous shutter delay inherent to digital cameras irrelevant. With an film camera you often wind up with dozens of wasted shots for maybe one that accidentally catches the lightning strike. With the Mavica it's the same thing but you simply scroll through the photos on the built in display screen and delete the duds.
About the display...it's great for all around use, it is particularly great for taking extreme close up or macro shots at odd angles just due to the fact you do not have to have the camera up to your eye to frame the shot!!! The downside is bright sunlight. It really washes out the display sometimes. Sony neglected to add that simple small viewing box to look through for such conditions.
Another drawback is the size of this camera. Make no mistake, this thing is a monster to carry around. Camera-Zilla by comparison to most digitals. This is only because of the floppy disk option. When I purchased this camera I accepted the large size as a trade off for the option of using the floppy disks. For reasons which I can't recall now I felt i just had to have that option. In retrospect I could certainly have lived without it, having only used it a couple of times and even then I didn't really have to. If you were in a business where you might need to quickly view or share pictures on the spot however, such as an insurance adjuster perhaps, the floppy disk option would probably be priceless to you.
The reason I'd recommend this behemoth in spite of it's size and sometimes allergy to sunlight can be summed up in one word: QUALITY.
Seriously, this thing is just short of bulletproof!!! After 2 1/2 years of constant use in all kinds of temperature extremes, conditions and travel you'd reasonably expect any type of portable device to show some signs of wear, no matter how slight. You know, a plastic doomahickey that doesn't quite slide into the whatsamadoodiddle like it used to...the cable plug in is getting loose, you hafta wiggle it a bit to get it to connect.....that sort of thing. Nope. Not the Mavica. Everything, and I mean everything still works, fits, locks, flashes, clicks, and connects just like it did when I took it out of the box many moons ago. Now THAT says something. In todays cheesy, cheap plastic world that is simply astonishing to me. How is Customer Support for this item? I have no idea. We've never spoken. I expect we ever will. I'll get over it.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 400.00 This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Flexible Enough for Enthusiasts
1.2-megapixel sensor captures 1,280 x 960 images for prints at sizes up to 5 x 7 inches Autofocus lens with 3x optical/2x digital (6x total) zoom Stor...More at Amazon Marketplace
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