Tracey Capen

Sony Digital Mavica MVC-FD92

An upgrade of Sony's MVC-FD87, this model boasts an 8X optical zoom (a substantial bump up from the FD87's 3X zoom) and dual media support. Now, in addition to 1.44MB floppy disks, you can save images on Sony's tiny Memory Stick media, which comes in capacities up to 64MB--a useful feature if you take lots of shots at the camera's highest resolution. If you want to hand someone a few of your shots on a floppy, an internal copy function lets you transfer images from the Memory Stick to a floppy (or the other way around). Other improvements include a slightly higher resolution. Like the FD87, the new model has a true resolution of 1.3 megapixels, but through interpolation you can shoot at up to 1.6 megapixels (or 1472 by 1104 resolution).
Like most of the other FD Mavica models, the FD92 gives you no optical viewfinder--you preview all of your shots in the 2.5-inch LCD screen, which tends to shorten battery life. If you're more accustomed to optical viewfinders, the lack of one can make shooting somewhat awkward because you must hold the camera away from your eye and try to arrange the shot based on what you can see in the LCD screen. It just doesn't feel as fast as using an optical viewfinder. The autofocus system also seemed a bit iffy; it often had trouble locking in on a subject (especially with close-up shots). That, combined with a hair trigger, left us with a number of out-of-focus shots.
One of the camera's more unusual features is its solar-assisted backlighting for the LCD screen. When you are outdoors or in any other bright light, a clear panel on top of the camera pipes in sunlight (or any other light source above the camera) and illuminates the image on the LCD screen. It works surprisingly well in strong light and saves battery life--a switch lets you turn off the internal backlighting. Image quality was a mixed bag. Some of our indoor test shots produced accurate colors and exposures, while others seemed somewhat dark. On the other hand, most of the prints made from the FD92's images had pronounced distortion along sharp lines. Casual outdoor shots taken on a bright sunny day, with lots of reflected light from the San Francisco Bay, had nice detail but all were nearly underexposed. Overall, the MVC-FD92 is easy to use. Using a simple slide switch, you can jump from still shots to movie mode to playback. A thumb button lets you navigate up, down, and side to side through an uncomplicated text-based menu system. With four dedicated buttons you can quickly set the flash modes, switch to macro or manual focus, turn on or off status text in the LCD screen, or rotate to one of the six programmed automatic exposure settings. The Program AE options include the usual suspects: two levels of twilight compensation, a landscape mode, and a setting for getting everything in focus, both near and far. It also includes spot metering. The FD92's zoom operates smoothly, and a simple indicator in the LCD screen tells you when you are switching from optical zoom to digital. Better yet, you can turn off the digital zoom through one of the menu options and not worry about it. There are few high-end features such as true aperture-priority or shutter-priority exposure controls or auto-bracketing. But if you like special effects, you can morph your images with a solarization, sepia, black-and-white, or negative image effect. Another option lets you add audio clips to still images at the time you take the shot. The software bundle is relatively basic--a single CD-ROM contains the camera's USB driver, MGI's PhotoSuite v8.1, and VideoWave IIIse for your video clips.
Consider the MVC-FD92 if you are looking for a fairly flexible digital camera and you positively must hand digital images to others on a floppy disk.

Buying Information

Sony Digital Mavica MVC-FD92 1.3 megapixels (1.6 megapixels via interpolation), 1472 by 1104 maximum resolution (interpolated), 41 to 328mm focal range (35mm equivalent), f2.8 to f3 aperture range, shutter speeds from 2 seconds to 1/500, LCD viewfinder, USB and video connections, uses 1.44MB floppy or Memory Stick media (neither is included), one rechargeable battery, 22.7 ounces with batteries; MGI PhotoSuite v8.1 and MGI VideoWave IIIse software. One-year labor warranty, 90-day parts warranty; toll-call support for 15 hours on weekdays. $ 599 1.3 megapixels (1.6 megapixels via interpolation), 1472 by 1104 maximum resolution (interpolated), 41 to 328mm focal range (35mm equivalent), f2.8 to f3 aperture range, shutter speeds from 2 seconds to 1/500, LCD viewfinder, USB and video connections, uses 1.44MB floppy or Memory Stick media (neither is included), one rechargeable battery, 22.7 ounces with batteries; MGI PhotoSuite v8.1 and MGI VideoWave IIIse software. One-year labor warranty, 90-day parts warranty; toll-call support for 15 hours on weekdays. 800/222-7669 http://www.sony.com/di