Sony F717: 22 years later! RETRO review with IR hack! 

Trying out the Sony Cyber-shot F717 from 2002, 22 years after it was launched! Includes guide to infra red photography and magnet hack! Buy Gordon a coffee: www.paypal.me/cameralabs Gordon's In Camera book: amzn.to/2n61PfI / Amazon uk: amzn.to/2mBqRVZ Cameralabs merchandise: redbubble.com/people/cameralabs/shop Check eBay to find vintage gear: rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?icep_ff3=1&pub=5574908462&toolid=10001&campid=5338329149&customid=&ipn=psmain&icep_vectorid=229466&kwid=902099&mtid=824&kw=lg Check MPB to buy and sell used gear: bit.ly/3ULU9yL Lost photos? I recover mine with: www.dpbolvw.net/click-100568658-13808570?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.stellarinfo.com%2Fphoto-recovery-software.php Equipment used for producing my videos Panasonic Lumix S5 II: amzn.to/3Hf5IcI Sony A6400: prf.hn/l/pRO0wp5 Sony e 24mm f1.8: amzn.to/2TqWNzk Rode NT USB mic: amzn.to/3AdHcUp Rode Wireless Go II mic: amzn.to/3xkCvGo Rode Lavalier Go mic: amzn.to/3ygzzKY Godox UL150 light: amzn.to/2VpVbXE Godox QR-P70 softbox: amzn.to/3yQfGdF MacBook Pro 14in (16GB / 1TB): bhpho.to/3HiafJL 00:00 - Sony Cyber-shot F717 review 09:01 - Sony F717 Night Framing and Night Shot 10:41 - Sony F717 infra red photography 12:09 - Sony F717 magnet hack for IR photos Music: www.davidcuttermusic.com / @dcuttermusic As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases

These are *actual* peak Sony cybershot design you can't convince me otherwise. That aesthetic!

This camera truly looked like a Sci-Fi Spaceship. What a pugly camera.

My mom gifted me her 717 last year and by some miracle, it works perfectly

I have a Sony F717 at home and thought it was obsolete until one day in college when I took it to school to film some nighttime scenes for a military-themed short film using its night vision feature. The experience was truly amazing.

Oh man the memories. I had the 707 and 717. Got me into photography before I moved on to my first DSLR.

Ty Gordon! Love these older reviews!

It's sad that Sony has become so incredibly stagnant in their camera designs in some of their series. Crazy how ahead of the game they were back then.

I remember taking videos with my old silver P&S cameras and never had a clue what or why I would use that feature. Though some of the short videos of my folks I treasure.

Great video for a Friday after work. Thanks Gordon.

I had a 707 back in the day and I bought a 717 from Ebay just a few months ago. I guess I got lucky because mine works flawlessly and takes great photos. Keep up the great retro videos Gordon!

Love these retro camera videos 👍

Love seeing these hidden gems getting the spot light again! Just got Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W150, thankfully it came with a memory card and 2 batteries/ charger etc. Only $3.00 at a charity sale. The ergonomics of that F717 and others is something I wish camera companies would revisit. Always great content and thanks for sharing Gordon!

I have full working Sony Cybershot DSC717....have not used in the past 10 yrs Great Camera !!!!!

I have one of these, exposure is a bit off these days but I just bracket the shots and 1 always comes out perfectly, absolutely love these cameras, look great and great performers. Had the same issues as you with these, got through 6 before I found 2 that worked, the first one I eventually sold (needed the money) but my latest is just great. BTB - Nice collection you have there Dude!

Back to the Future! Perfect with a DeLorean and Marty McFly at the wheel!😅 Thanks for daring to go back there, and returning to warn us a thrilling ride isn't all it's cracked up to be 👍😉😄

Just found this video. I posted under the 707 video but, on watching this video, I've realised that I had the 717 not the 707. My comments still stand: an outstanding camera which coaxed out creativity in my shooting. I regret selling it for a 300D.

Remarkable how good the image quality is on this two decades later. Of course, when a 64MP camera with global shutter comes out I’ll still think I absolutely need it, so 🤷

F828 was my dream camera. Looking fwd to your review

Glad to see this review finally come out! It seems bad sensors plagued this model in particular. The one in mine gets all streaky, but a little percussive persuasion brings it back. There's also some weird spots going on in the lens, I think the balsam glue between the front two elements is failing. Either way, I was super happy to find one a number of years back. I remember a family friend having one when I was a child, and was always wowed by the design!

Great review Gordon. Think we might see some film cameras on here like Mamiya’s and Contax’s?

Would love to see you do the Nikon Coolpix 5400. That was a really fun camera. I bought it because of the fully-articulated screen, magnesium body, macro capabilities, and because it seemed rugged. I used it in Alaska during all times of the summer wet and winter cold. I then got deployed to a desert on the Persian Gulf and the extreme heat, humidity, and/or sand killed it.

I submit a motion to film all Gordon talking head segments with Night Mode engaged going forward.

Love the videos, the early 2000's was when I first got into photography as a teenager and it is fun to revisit the cameras of the era. I'd be curious to see your take on the Sony DSC-V1 as it was in-between the F-171 and the P1 you reviewed earlier. Also was one of my first cameras.

After seeing your video, I went and got out my old and original purchase 717, plugged it in (still have the original batteries, charger, memory cards, and a wired remote) all seems to work. Thank you for the tip on the magnet, will have to try that out. I had tried quite a number of IR images when I first got the camera, and still do have some IR filters that fit. Just cannot find the printed manual but do have a pdf version.

I bought mine yesterday, and am fiddling around to find a way of the best use the of the IR features.

What was photography trends in 2002 be like? 😳 The camera itself looks so fun to play with.

It would be cool if Sony put out a new camera that looks like these old Cybershots

I still have my old 707, and because I'm crazy, I still have the original box for it, lol. It was a nice camera for the time!

The “antique” digital camera that I fondle the most is my Leica Digilux 1. That front element is huge.

Gordon, this is an awesome review of one of the most interesting "compact" cameras from the golden age. Interesting info about the infra red mode. Camera designs were a lot more crazy and interesting, we got a lot more variety back then. Just compare this to the latest Sony mirrorless cameras there is a huge difference in design philosophy. It's not just sony, but sony is probably the best example i think.

Still have this and still working, just the LCD is like crystallized, but still usable 😅

I just picked up a replacement for my original 717 that had the plagued LCD failure. The replacement is flawless and according to Sony was a replacement for the original owner and was fully refurbished in 2010 hence why it looks and functions so nicely. Score! My battery is also newer and provides upwards of 240 mins of use.

I had one. F717 AF was as slow as the swivel body design was innovative. Took it to Egypt in 2004 and half way through the trip whilst on a boat on the Nile, it died out of the blue. At our next stop, I bought a bunch of 35mm disposable cameras. The pictures from those were in a way better than from the F717, or other digital cameras of the time. More realistic colour and the grain added a certain touch. When I got back to UK, took it back to ASK Electronics on Tottenham Court Road in London (TCR was my hangout since I was a kid!) and they sent it back to Sony for repair. Later I was using it to shoot restaurants on Brick Lane in London as part of my business. To my shock and horror, a huge fight broke out between a mix of ethnic and white youth. I hid behind a pillar to record video footage using the F717 (awe, 480P!) onto my £85 8MB blue Sony Memory Stick. A young man engaged in the fight, that was very brutal, saw me and mugged me, nearly killing me. I had the strap around my neck and faught hard to stop him stealing our £800 camera. Just as I thought I was going to die, he got the camera off me but it fell hard to the ground and broke in half at the lens. A police van pulled up and the mugger grabbed the body and memory card and ran off. I got in the police car to tell my tale. I was off work 3 weeks due to injury to my neck. Insurance didn't cover mugging, police never caught the guy, no compensation received. So that's my F717 story. Loved the zoom lens and swivel body. Great for still shots in good light. I'm assuming the mugger erased the video footage later.

It would be great to see Sony release some of the infrared technology they used to offer. It would certainly add an interesting touch to landscape and night photography. Great job on the re-review. It’s wonderful looking back at what we once enjoyed and thought was game changing technology. I still remember buying my first 1/2000 sec shutter speed camera and thought it was the coolest thing ever. 😂

Great video, as always! And good to have you back. Maybe Sony tried to cut costs and therefore some components of the F717 were not as reliable as from predecessors? Who knows... I guess some contacts in the card slot might be worn out, but with a bit of trial and error they then worked again eventually. 10:19 hmm, wouldn´t that be a nice new profile picture for you? 😁 These IR shots look a bit eery...like from the cover of some alternative electronic music CD or what you might see in the booklet!

I didn't know this existed. Now I want one.

Actually just bought one of these a couple months back! Sensor seemed dead on arrival but on a whim I held the lens up to a lightbulb and after a couple seconds of the screen flickering it popped back to life. Don't know why that worked, but it did. Also, you convinced me to buy an f828 when you said it can focus to infinity in IR, can't wait to play with that funky sensor!

Hi Gordon, yes I did have one for years, 717 that is. I did what I called Aqua-Art, shots of water changing the shape of what lay beneath it! Absolute boomer, Once the sensor had its fill of work, I took it into Sony i Christchurch, and low and behold a new sensor. In time the on-off switch failed and the era was finally over when I slipped in a stream, rocks played the last post! Online, believe it or not, a woman in San Diego USA had a little used one, and parted with it for US$ 60.00 plus postage, still have it, and action is needed with in infrared shooting in the backcountry. Memories Gordon bye..........

I remember even then rejecting the idea of these cameras because of the use of memory sticks. They seemed a bad idea because nobody else was using them (or perhaps Sony wouldn't allow others to use). It reminded me of the beta vs vhs controversy. It was an attitude of the company that didn't serve them well and only later seems to have faded. That said, I remember being very envious of the design and capabilities of this series. As someone else said, it'd be great to make a new, technically up to date camera in this design or perhaps the early nikon design. Thanks again for another trip down memory lane!

Well this was a very pleasant video suggestion by RU-vid 👍😊 And very nice review from you 🙏 So good memories of these cameras 👍 I had F505V and F717 back in the day. Too bad I sold them off 🫤 I still have F828 and R1 😊👍 I shooted a lot of IR images back then using IR & ND filters. Just heard about that magnet hack about year or two ago and would like to test it also some day 😃 I suppose a neodymium magnet is needed there? Do you have any recommendations what kind of magnet should be purchased, are there different strengths? I suppose ebay is the place to purchase these also 😉

Hello thank you. Really amazing really awesome I love Sony.

Sony made some of the most brilliant and innovative cameras during those years. I have a DSC-V3 in great condition, bought from eBay. Built like a tank, almost. Will look to get my hands on the F828 if luck favours.

Hi Dino, the other day, my F717 + the VCL-HGD0758 wide-angle lens came out of a cabinet that I hadn't opened for years. I bought it twenty years ago and used it a lot in my architectural work then... smartphones arrived and it gradually slipped into oblivion. Miracle, the camera works perfectly, the battery charged immediately and holds a charge, takes photos, etc. I looked for information on RU-vid to understand the current value of this machine and, above all, whether it still makes sense to keep and use such an obsolete, heavy and bulky object. The first thing that shocked me, now used to smartphone screens, was the size and resolution of the LCD monitor... I basically couldn't see anything! I'd love to hear your opinion Fabio

Great video! Are you going to do the F828

2002 was the year I first bought a digital camera - never looked back 👍🏻 I wanted this Sony but it was too expensive, so settled for the cheaper Canon G2 then G3

Own a couple of F828, one purchased when it came out. The Night shot mode was crippled by Sony due to complaints re the IR mode so almost useless, but the Magnet hack enables you to use the Nightshot mode in any exposure mode. The last F828 I bought from a local dealer almost brand new for around £35. The F828 has a great Zeiss lens and in IR Mode with an IR filter is useful. The design of the F range was always interesting and surprised they did not keep going or release a version with interchangeable lenses which would have given a very capable base. The only other camera I know of with a similar format is the JVC PX10 Falconbird (Lens, Display and grip with battery).

In an era when most people flips out their phones for taking photos and videos this camera is quite the novelty.

This camera is from 2002. Is there's on thing I learned from this series is not how fast digital photography evolved, rather, how soon it became good enough for 90% of people. We could use these cameras today and notice little difference. The story of digital camera evolution is the story of waiting for storage to become cheaper and denser. That's it, the only obstacle for these cameras was the size and price of the memory cards. And also, Sony with it's insistence on using their own proprietary formats sabotaged itself, they could be much bigger in the market during those times if not for their proprietary cards.

Nice! Interesting to see what a low rez video looks like upscaled to uhd resolution, its acceptable but blurry!

Great video, Gordon. I liked the IR photography experiments. The image quality this camera delivers is not bad, especially the macro shots. "HQX" video looks pretty awful though. Reminds me on 1960's Super-8.

I owned the 707 and 717. Great little cameras. I was thinking about getting the 828 (I think that's what it was called), but went with the Canon 20D, and have been using Canon ever since (now using the Canon R3). My first digital camera was the MAVIC FD97 or FD91, can't remember exactly, but it took the floppy disks, and had a seriously crazy zoom lens.

Didn’t Sony wind up pulling the nightshot modes because people were using it to “see through” bathing suits and stuff? Anyways, great vid as always!

I had the 707, and it was very different from what was out there at the time. My first digital camera. I could never part with the F100 at the time, as I felt secure with film back then. People would tell me the 707 was ugly.

I had the 3.2mp cybershot with the stubby lens.

Please review its archrival the dimage a1

What can this camera be used for today?

A little too old to be properly useful today but It definitely has a strong retro feel.

It´s interesting how cameras had narrower field of view back then. I remember buying a Ricoh Caplio R3 in 2005 probably, and it had an unusual "28mm" lens. These days, phones have stupid wide lenses. And people tend to often use the widest setting, everyday I see photos when people look distorted in the edge of frame in magazines and on TV. Am I the only one bothered by this ?

I have one mint in the room 😎

It looks like my Sanyo iDshot after been hit by a car. JK , I like it.

How I wish the camera companies would get back to experimenting with designs again. Cameras have for the most part become so boring....

I wonder if the fussiness is down to age? Nikons are notorious for demanding only Nikon genuine batteries, could this be Sony doing the same dirty trick?

Sony out there doing it just because they wanted to teach everyone else a lesson about who the boss was.

Any review that does not talk about the cc'd recall. Is so incompetent. Got a perfect one that died in 2006 and was never sent in.