Sony · Cyber-shot

Cyber-shot DSC-F717

Released October 2002

A swivelling bridge camera with a bright 5× zoom, selectable autofocus areas, live histogram and external flash shoe.

Type: Bridge
Sensor: 2/3-type
Megapixels: 5
Lens: 38–190 mm equivalent
Video: 320 × 240
Body weight: 586 g

What reviewers say

DPReview and digitalkamera.de praised detailed images, improved colour, the bright lens, handling and battery life. Both welcomed the histogram, zoom ring and flash shoe but criticised limited storage and image-processing controls. DPReview noted sharpening halos and weak indoor white balance; digitalkamera.de found TIFF recording slow and USB transfer less impressive than its USB 2.0 label suggested.

From dpreview.com and digitalkamera.de

Specifications

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Image and sensor

Camera type: Bridge
Sensor format: 2/3-type
Sensor type: CCD
Effective resolution: 5 MP
Largest image: 2560 × 1920
RAW recording: No
Standard ISO range: 100–800
Sensor detail: 2/3-type Super HAD CCD with primary-colour filter; maker rounded effective and total sensor counts are 5.0 and 5.2 million. The native 2560 × 1920 image contains approximately 4.92 million pixels; the original press table prints 2590 in error, resolved by the maker operating manual
Image formats: Fine or Standard JPEG, uncompressed TIFF with accompanying JPEG and GIF Clip Motion; no RAW format

Lens and shooting

Built-in lens: 38–190 mm equivalent
Maximum aperture: f/2–2.4
Optical zoom: 5×
Lens detail: Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar; actual 9.7–48.5 mm, 38–190 mm equivalent; f/2–2.4 maximum aperture; 58 mm filter thread; electronic ring controls zoom in autofocus mode or manual focus
Autofocus: Three-area automatic selection or five manually selectable autofocus areas, with Hologram AF assistance; focus from 0.5 m wide or 0.9 m telephoto, wide-angle macro from 0.02 m
Shutter: Sony Japan specifies 30–1/2000 second in automatic/program modes and 30–1/1000 second in shutter priority or manual modes; DPReview notes program mode limits slower exposures to 1/30 second
Burst detail: Three full-resolution frames per burst; maker advanced manual specifies approximately 0.5 second intervals. DPReview measured 2.5 fps for three JPEGs with a subsequent write pause; no sustained rate is used as a headline
Flash: Automatic pop-up flash, hot shoe and ACC connector; external flashes operate with manual exposure settings
Exposure controls: Automatic, program, aperture priority, shutter priority and manual exposure; ±2 EV in 1/3 EV steps; multi-pattern, centre-weighted and spot metering; live histogram; NightShot infrared photography and NightFraming composition followed by normal-colour flash capture

Video

Highest video resolution: 320 × 240
Video detail: MPEG-1 with sound; 320 × 240 HQX or standard video, and 160 × 112 video-mail mode, limited by storage capacity. DPReview documents 16 fps HQX and 8 fps standard modes; maker launch table does not publish frame rate
Audio: Movie audio and still-image voice annotations

Screen and viewfinder

Viewfinder: Electronic
Screen size: 1.8″
Screen dots: 123,000
Tilting screen: Yes
Display detail: 1.8-inch TFT LCD with 123,000 dots and maker-stated 100% coverage; 180,000-dot electronic viewfinder. Lens/body joint rotates up 77° or down 36°; tilting describes this joint rather than an independently hinged LCD

Connections and design

Battery life (maker's claim): 410 photographs
Body weight: 586 g
Release detail: Sony Japan's 3 September 2002 announcement specifies 12 October 2002 sale; this is the documented Japanese date, without assuming the same international first day
Recording media: Memory Stick; supplied 32 MB card. The later Sony advanced manual also lists Memory Stick PRO MSX-256, MSX-512 and MSX-1G recording capacities; launch reviews describe the contemporary 128 MB limit
Ports: Mini-B USB 2.0, NTSC/PAL composite AV output, DC input and ACC connector; DPReview measured USB transfer at approximately 1.2 MB/s
Battery life detail: NP-FM50 InfoLithium; maker standard claim approximately 410 photographs or 205 minutes, using Fine quality, LCD on, alternating full zoom, flash every other shot, power cycling every ten shots and a photograph every 30 seconds. The separate 3,000-image/210-minute continuous VGA LCD-off flash-off claim is not the headline rating
Dimensions: Approximately 119.5 × 68.9 × 151 mm (width × height × depth), excluding protrusions
Weight detail: Approximately 586 g camera only; maker specifies 696 g with battery, Memory Stick, shoulder strap and lens cap. DPReview gives a different 659 g loaded figure; main weight follows the maker body-only specification
In the box: Japanese kit includes 32 MB Memory Stick, NP-FM50 battery, AC adapter, USB and AV cables, lens cap, shoulder strap and software CD

Pros and cons

Pros

38–190 mm equivalent f/2–2.4 zoom
Live histogram and five selectable autofocus areas
Swivelling body and electronic viewfinder

Cons

JPEG and TIFF recording without RAW
Burst capture limited to three frames
Supplied 32 MB Memory Stick limits full-size image storage

Closest rivals

Model	Type	Sensor	Megapixels	Lens	Video	Body weight	Released
SonyCyber-shot DSC-F707	Bridge	2/3-type	5.02	38–190 mm equivalent	320 × 240	594 g	Oct 2001
SonyCyber-shot DSC-F828	Bridge	2/3-type	8	28–200 mm equivalent	640 × 480 at 30 fps	832 g	Dec 2003
SonyCyber-shot DSC-F505V	Bridge	1/1.8-type	2.62	38–190 mm equivalent	320 × 240	424 g	Jun 2000

Sources

Photo: sony.jp

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