Sony MVC-FD92Sony adds a Memory Stick slot to a popular 1.3/1.6 megapixel (interpolated) design, for increased storage and improved image quality!<<Video, Power, Software :(Previous) | (Next): Reference: Datasheet>> Page 12:Test Results & ConclusionReview First Posted: 4/16/2001 |
Test Results
In keeping with our standard policy, our comments here are rather condensed, summarizing only our key findings. For a full commentary on each of the test images, see the MVC-FD92's "pictures" page.
As with all Imaging Resource camera tests, we encourage you to let your own eyes be the judge of how well the devices performed. Explore the images on the pictures page, to see how well the FD92 performed, and how its images compare to other cameras you may be considering buying.
Overall, the FD92 produced very nice images, with good color and detail. Color accuracy was reasonably good throughout our testing, although the large color blocks on our Davebox target appeared slightly weak in their saturation level, and the large magenta and red blocks had a bluish tint. The camera's white balance system seemed to handle most lighting situations well, with the automatic setting usually providing the most accurate results. The camera had some trouble with the incandescent lighting of our Indoor Portrait, producing either a magenta or sepia color cast. The heavy blues in the Musicians image also posed a bit of a challenge, as the FD92 produced either a very cool or warm image. Still, the FD92 does well in most instances, with good color accuracy overall.
In our laboratory resolution test, the FD92 began to show moire patterns starting at around 550 lines per picture height in both horizontal and vertical directions, although strong detail is visible out to at least 650 lines. This performance is about right for a camera with a 1.3 megapixel sensor: We'd put it near the top of that category.
Optical distortion on the MVC-FD92 is moderately high at the wide-angle end, as we measured an approximate 0.6 percent barrel distortion. The telephoto end fared only slightly better, as we measured an approximate 0.4 percent pincushion distortion. Chromatic aberration was low, showing only three or four very faint pixels of coloration on either side of the target lines. (This distortion is visible as a very slight colored fringe around the objects at the edges of the field of view on the resolution target.)
Though the FD92 offers only automatic exposure control, the variety of Program AE modes that include Automatic, Twilight, Twilight Plus, Landscape, Panfocus, and Spot Metering exposure modes provide some flexibility. We found good highlight detail in many of our tests, particularly noticeable in the bright white bay window of our Far shot.
The MVC-FD92 had a little trouble in the low-light category, as we were only able to obtain somewhat bright, clear images at light levels as low as eight foot-candles (88 lux) in the normal, Program AE mode. We could still see the target as low as one foot-candle (11 lux), but images were almost pitch black at the lower light levels. (We could see the silver disk at the 1/16 of a foot-candle, 0.67 lux, level.) We achieved noticeably better results when we switched to the camera's Twilight exposure mode, capturing reasonably bright images as low as one foot-candle (11 lux), though images shot in the Twilight exposure mode resulted in a pink cast. The target is still visible at the 1/16 of a foot-candle (0.67 lux) light level in Twilight exposure mode, but the image is much too dim. Noise is moderate with the Twilight exposure setting, and moderately high with the Program AE exposure mode images. To put the MVC-FD92's low-light performance into perspective, an average city night scene under modern street lighting corresponds to a light level of about one foot-candle, so city night scenes are right at the edge of what the camera can comfortably handle in terms of dim lighting.
We found the MVC-FD92's LCD monitor to be a little tight, showing approximately 91.78 percent accuracy at both wide-angle and telephoto settings. Since we generally like to see LCD monitors as close to 100 percent accuracy as possible, the MVC-FD92 performed only reasonably well.
The MVC-FD92 performed exceptionally well in the macro category, capturing a minimum area of just 1.70 x 1.27 inches (43.15 x 32.36mm). Detail and resolution both look great, with sharp, crisp details throughout the image, and very nice color. The brooch in our Macro shot appears slightly soft, possibly due to a limited depth of field or the close focal range. Still, the printing details of the dollar bill are very sharp, as are some of the individual fibers in the paper. We noticed some slight corner softness from the lens and the gray background shows a moderately low noise level. The MVC-FD92's built-in flash has some trouble throttling down for the macro area, probably due to the very close shooting range. The lens blocks some of the light, causing a shadow in the lower left corner, and the close proximity of the flash causes a glare on the brooch. Still, the details of the dollar bill are clear and sharp in the flash shot.
Overall, the MVC-FD92 performed well in our testing, with good color accuracy and overall image quality, and excellent macro results. Though exposure control is limited, the FD92's variable Program AE settings and Movie capabilities make it flexible enough for most shooting situations.
Conclusion
With all the great qualities of the Mavica line that have made these digicams so popular, the MVC-FD92 is a welcome new addition to the Mavica family. Limited exposure control keeps the camera at point-and-shoot ease, while a selection of Program AE exposure modes and recording options (such as E-mail, Voice, etc.) give the FD92 enough flexibility to handle a variety of situations. The Movie and Clip Motion modes are an added bonus, and the Picture Effects menu increases your creative options with some fun special effects. The FD92 is clearly aimed at those consumers who want a good digicam with the ease of floppy disk image storage and automatic exposure control. You'll pay a bit of a premium for the floppy disk capability, but the inclusion of a Memory Stick slot removes the image-quality limitations imposed on earlier models by the space constraints of floppy storage. The FD92's popularity should easily match that of its predecessors.
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