Sony F707 Digital Camera

The 5X optical zoom has a 35mm equivalent of 38mm to 190mm, while the digital zoom is really a fop - it offers nothing you couldn't do with Photoshop after the dust has settled.

This offers a fairly flexible set up which although clumsy looking, fell easily to hand for everyone who used it. If you are a photography buff, you'll probably be lusting after one of the serious Canon or Nikon professional digital cameras - those cameras produce images much larger than the F707 but in most cases, that's the only major advantage. Right now, the 707 is one of the few cameras in the medium range which can take a professional quality picture, but won't set you back $10,000 plus. It took many of the pics in the first issue of the magazine and its technological features are worth reading up on, cos they're more than we have the time or the space to list in this review.

Infrared illuminators built into the front of the lens have also been added , enabling two new exposure modes:

1 - the NightShot mode is similar to that used on Sony camcorders and lights the shot with invisible infrared light, enabling image capture in total darkness. This is a very useful feature for candid photographs at parties without alerting the subjects with a flash - the quality is grainy and monochrome but the priceless shots it produces are ideal for capturing moments in time without destroying them. No doubt the functionality could be effectively used for blackmailers and surveillance too.

2 - the NightFrame mode allows shot composition (framing) with the infrared but uses normal color mode with the built-in flash to capture the final image.

The verdict: we liked it so much, we bought the camera - at full retail!

It will be the yardstick by which we judge other digital cameras and in the meantime, it takes many of the pics used in Gizmag's print magazine.

Mike Hanlon