Anyway, to get closer to the heart of the topic:


I'm going backpacking in Southeast Asia, sometime around Xmas 2003. Currently I don't have a digital camera, but I want one and would like to have it by the trip. Right now I'm leaning towards the Sony Cybershot DSC-F717. This is really the top of my price range. Would anyone suggest a different camera? Does anyone already own a Cybershot? Do you like it?


The page you linked lists that model as "No longer available", so I'm guessing that unless you buy one of the existing stock now, then you wont find it. But I'd take Rob's advice and wait until closer to the time anyway. I'd add to that to advice and suggest that buying whichever camera you decide upon 3 months before the trip will give you time to read the manual, and get used to it's quirks and nuances.

I own an early cybershot (S30 - about 2.5 years old), and on the whole I like it. What I don't like about it is:

No optical viewfinder, LCD only. This makes taking pictures in very low light conditions difficult. Just about any decent digital camera on the market today *does* have an optical viewfinder, but it should be on your list of things to check.

Lack of wide angle capability. It just doesn't zoom out enough for decent landscape photos. There is a wide angle lens attachment available that I keep meaning to buy, but if I were buying new I'd make sure that the camera itself were capable of 35mm equivalency. (ideally 28mm, but I'm not sure if any cameras go that low yet).

My biggest gripe is the time lag between hitting the button and the picture being taken. It's about 1/3 second, which makes it difficult to take action shots, or shots of unpredictable things (eg animals or young children). Again, I'd hope that issue has been addressed in later models, but I'd advise you to check (and test if possible) before buying.

Aside from those three points, I can't think of anything else bad to say about it. Sure, it's not as flexible as my old OM10 SLR with 28-75mm zoom and 70-210 zoom lenses, but the OM10 rarely gets taken anywhere due to it's weight and bulk, whereas the S30 fits in my pocket and is convenient.