The main problem I had with the Digital
Mavica is the image quality of the pictures. They're not that great even in fine
mode! No match when compared to the excellent image quality of the Epson PhotoPC
750Z. Here is a sample of a fine quality 640x480 mode picture. In this mode,
each floppy can only hold about a dozen pics.
I found the colors not to be very vibrant and
the skin tone is off. At first I found it hard to believe that the above picture
was really taken in 24 bit color. Kim's reaction was "Oh God! I look awful!
Don't you dare use this photo!" OK Kim, I won't. :)
The Digital Mavica uses a lot more
compression than the Epson PhotoPC 750Z. This might explain some of its imaging
problems. Average 640x480 standard mode image on the Epson PhotoPC is 55K. High
quality fine mode 640x480 pictures from the Sony is 40K. Less than the Epson's
standard mode. In standard mode, the Digital Mavica compresses each photo down
to just 20K. While this may be great for storing and reducing send time by
email, the quality of the pictures suffers quite a bit.
The other major problem is the Sony's flash.
It's way too bright and washes everything out. Check out these 2 indoor shots.
The one on the left is the Sony Digital Mavica. The one on right is the Epson
PhotoPC 750Z. Both taken with the flash on. Click the image for full view.
The digital Mavica is limited to a maximum
resolution of 640x480. This is fine for taking photos and showing them on the
web, but it's not that great when you try to print it out. The poor image
quality doesn't help either.
Other than the image quality problems, I
didn't have any problems using this camera. It's very easy to use and super
convenient. If you don't need your photos to be very high quality or you like
washed out photos, then you should take a look at the Digital Mavica.
Price at $499, this is not a cheap camera.
It was $100 less than the Epson PhotoPC 750Z. However, whether this $100 saving
justify the poor image quality is up to you. It doesn't for me.
The Goods
The Bads
Rating 6.5/10
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