Sony DSC F505

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Price Paid:  $1000.00 from Crutchfield

Summary:
Camera is everything I'd hoped for. I still use it when I need smaller shots, have the 828 when I need larger. Relatively easy to use, instruction book provides all other info in an easy to understand format. The shots are great, macro is excellent. Wouldn't trade it for anything.

Strengths:
The lens is everything!

Weaknesses:
Memory stick that is shipped with was very small, even for a 2.1mpx camera

Similar Products Used:
828

Customer Service:
Haven't had the need

Overall Rating
 1 of 5

Value Rating
 1 of 5

Used product for
2-5 years

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5,
1 votes

Price Paid:  $800.00 from friend

Summary:
It stinks, specifically the battery (NP-FS11) and the service. See other reviews such as "davewasthere" for more details about the battery issue

Strengths:
None, until they resolve the infolithium circuitry and their service

Weaknesses:
the battery, the circuitry, the service

Similar Products Used:
none

Customer Service:
the worse on the planet. I will never buy sony again.

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Value Rating
 3 of 5

Used product for
2-5 years

Visitors rate this review
1.00 of 5,
1 votes

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
This camera has been fantastic to use. I've taken something like 5-6000 photos with it, so it has been worth every penny to me. The image quality is superb. I only have one major gripe with this camera, and that is the battery. The NP-FS11 battery supplied with the camera is a little under-powered. A new one works well for about 3-6 months, but then starts to exhibit some rather strange behaviour. After a full charge, the camera will show approx 60-65 minutes remaining. It will count down the minutes correctly as you use the camera, but when it reaches 40-ish minutes remaining, it suddenly goes to zero minutes on the display, and shortly turns the camera off. Now after quite a lot of research, I've found several other people all have exactly the same problem with their cameras. Possibly there is some sort of bug/incorrect setting in the info-lithium circuitry. This wouldn't be much of a problem if Sony's support was of a good quality, but so far I've basically been ignored. (I think they don't want to admit there is a problem.) Overall a pretty good camera. At the time I think it was the best available, but now other brands seem to have caught up.

Strengths:
excellent image quality. attracts attention. people are interested in the shape.

Weaknesses:
Very poor battery capacity. Menus are fiddly way of changing settings. slow to auto-focus. slow to power up. poor visibility of screen in sunlight. zoom control a little fiddly.

Customer Service:
Very poor. I've contacted sony (Europe) several times regarding the battery problem, but am just ingnored. This has made me decide not to purchase Sony products any more. I've loved this camera, but s

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Value Rating
 1 of 5

Used product for
2-5 years

Visitors rate this review
3.00 of 5,
2 votes

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
Although this camera takes great pictures it is sadly lacking in several ways. Manual focusing is difficult due to the lack of viewfinder and the unreliability of the LCD display. The spot metering, macro and picture effect features are helpful and handy. However the manual shutter and aperature mode is difficult to use beacuse one must push several buttons and open menu bars on the display just to use them. Downloading onto my computer has often been a problem, yet I''m not sure why. This is a good camera for someone who likes to take pictures of still life and do some nature photogaphy (because you need lot''s of time to use manual features). Tripod mount is in a good spot, under the lens. Not suitable for action or candid photography. But all in all not too bad of a camera. Although you could probably find a cheaper camera with the features that are most useful on this camera anyway.

Strengths:
--great pictures --fits in your hand well --tripod mount in good place --sharp color

Weaknesses:
--no viewfinder --difficult to use in manual mode due to but setup of shutter and aperature features, plus no viwfinder --slow focusing in auto mode --Extra features that that yield pricetag are not realistically useful

Similar Products Used:
Sony and Olympus digital cams also

Customer Service:
Not very helpful

Overall Rating
 2 of 5

Used product for
1 Week

Summary:
the only possible strenght of this camera is in its optics, all the rest is rather disappointing for its price range, i dont believe the new one 505v does nay better the moderate control over exposure pressuposes you should be able to see the pictures you're taking which is rather difficult given the fact that the camera's "hybrid" lcd panel does not allow you to see what's actually being recorded.

Strengths:
zeiss optics moderate image control fuss free menus tripod mount on lens

Weaknesses:
no viewfinder sleek design does not feel right in your hands hybrid lcd panel performs poorly in direct sunlight shutter speeds and aperture only accessed after one millions menus are pulled "up"

Similar Products Used:
canon ixus kodak (several models) olympus