Sony Mavica FD97 Review


Sony MVC-FD97
Introduction & Physical Views
Click on the FD97 to take a QuickTime VR tour The Mavica MVC-FD97 and the MVC-FD92 are Sony's first-ever dual media digital cameras with both a 4x speed 3-1/2" floppy diskette drive and a dedicated Memory Stick card slot. The floppy disk media retains the ability to transfer and share digital images without need of special cables or card readers. The Memory Stick media expands the available image storage capability up to 88 times with the new 128MB Memory Stick card. Pictures can be copied from the Memory Stick to the floppy diskette. Image data can be downloaded quickly from the Memory Stick (or the floppy drive) thanks to the new high-speed USB port and drivers that mount the camera like a removeable drive. The 2.11-megapixel MVC-FD97 features a powerful 10x optical zoom (39-390mm 35mm equiv) lens equipped with Sony's optical SteadyShot technology that lets you capture blur-free shots from a greater distance and in lower light conditions. The MVC-FD97 offers all of the features true photo enthusiasts enjoy: six automatic exposure modes; aperture and shutter priority modes; high-speed automatic focus and manual focus via a lens-mounted ring with a magnified view. All of Sony's FD Mavica line uses a rechargeable InfoLithium battery with an AccuPower meter. The provided L series batteries provide a life of approximately 960 shots or 1-¼ hours, in still image standard mode. And with the Sony AccuPower meter, the battery life remaining is displayed by the minute, making unexpectedly running out of battery power a thing of the past. Other MVC-FD97 features:
Physical Views![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Both the MVC-FD97 and the Canon Pro90 sport 10X stabilized zoom lenses. |
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MVC-FD97 Specifications
Imager | 1/2.7" 2.11-megapixel CCD |
Image Sizes | Still: 1600x1200, 1600x1072 (3:2), 1024x768, 640x480 MPEG: 320x240 and 160x112 ClipMotion GIF: 160x120 and 80x72 |
Recording Formats | Still: JPEG, TIFF, GIF Movie: MPEG (160x112 or 320x240 @ 8fps) |
A/D Conversion | 12-bit DXP |
Lens | Sony 10X F2.8 6-60mm (39-390mm 35mm equiv) Sony SteadyShot Image Stabilization system 52mm filter threads |
Focus | Contrast Detect Autofocus 19.7" to infinity Macro AF 1.2" minimum Continuous manual focus with ring |
ISO Sensitivity | Automatic |
White Balance | Auto, Outdoor, Indoor, One-Push |
Exposure Metering | Center-weighted Averaging or Spot |
Shutter Speeds | 8 secs to 1/500 sec in 17 steps |
Aperture Range | F2.8-11 in 9 steps |
Program AE | Shutter speed priority, Aperture priority, Twilight, Twilight+, Landscape, Portrait |
Exposure Compensation | +/- 2.0EV in 1/3EV increments |
In-Camera Sharpening | +/- 2 in 1 step increments |
Flash Modes | Auto, Forced, Redeye, Off |
Flash Level Adjustment | Auto, High, Low |
Flash Range | 2 to 8.2 feet |
External Flash | optional HVL-F1000 on flash shoe |
Color LCD | 2.5-inch 123,000 pixels TFT w/backlight |
Eyelevel Viewfinder | color LCD, auto on/off with diopter adjustment |
Playback Zoom | 1.1 to 5X in 17 steps |
Playback Index | 9 frames |
Review / Quick Delete | Yes / Yes |
Trimming / Resizing | Yes / Yes |
Image Storage | 3-1/2" 4X floppy diskette, 1.44MB format Memory Stick card slot, any capacity Memory Stick |
Connections | Video, USB, AC power |
Battery Supplied | InfoLITHIUM NP-F330 and AC-L10 charger / AC supply |
Supplied Software | MGI PhotoSuite 8.1, MGI PhotoSuite SE 1.1 Sony SPVD-004 USB driver |
Dimensions | 4-15/16 x 4-15/16 x 7-1/4 inches |
Weight (w/out battery) | 2lb 1.5 oz |
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