Viewfinder (7.0)
The Sony DSC-F828 has a 0.44-inch 134K electronic viewfinder situated in the upper left corner on the back of the camera body. Dioptric adjustment can be made with the small toggle located on the underside of the viewfinder. I prefer Electronic viewfinders over optical, as the optical viewfinders only show a portion of the image that is to be recorded. The viewfinder is a useful tool, and this one can assist the user who knows what to look for. The rotating body also makes the viewfinder easily accessible, which isn’t a luxury on other cameras. All too often I find myself in a tight spot, neck kinked, squinting to see through the ill-placed viewfinder.

LCD screen (6.5)
The LCD screen on the Sony DSC-F828 is located on the back of the camera body. It measures 4.6 cm diagonally with 134.4K pixels. The color electric viewfinder measures 1.1 cm with 235.2K pixels for enhanced viewing.

The LCD screen and the viewfinder produced brighter images than those imported from the media cards. This is somewhat troubling, despite the consistency, as judgment via the image alone would be misguided and inaccurate (in regards to overall illumination). When in playback mode, the images also appeared much crisper and in better focus than they did when imported to an image editor or viewer. Trial and error and increased time using the camera will most likely give users time to adjust to this.

Flash (8.0)
The Sony DSC-F828 has several flash modes available. These modes are available in automatic, program mode, shutter priority mode, aperture priority mode, metering mode, and scene mode. Normally, the flash will engage and strobe when the scene is dark. The flash modes can be switched to auto, forced flash, slow synchro, and no flash.

Auto flash mode lets the camera determine whether or not to use the flash in a given scene. The Sony DSC-F828’s default setting is auto flash mode.

Forced flash, with the arrow lightning bolt icon, means the flash will engage without regard to the available light source.

Slow synchro flash mode, again with the arrow lightning bolt icon but with an “SL” added, engages the flash regardless of the ambient light in the scene. When set to this mode, the shutter will slow under dark conditions so users can shoot backgrounds out of the flash range.

No flash mode, with the white lightning arrow crossed out, restricts the flash from engaging.

Directly behind the somewhat oddly shaped flash compartment is the accessory hot shoe port. This is for attaching an external flash, and it can draw its power from the camera. The flash function itself can be set to high, normal, and low modes.

The flash does the job this kind of flash was designed to do: provide harsh, direct light on a close subject. What would be really great is if these manufacturers put a more usable flash design into their cameras, like a rotating head, allowing the flash to be used more productively. But, I suppose that’s why there is a hot shoe accessory, so that users who care will add a higher-end flash. This flash is good for filling in the void between camera and subject, but as with any onboard flash, don’t expect too much.

Zoom Lens (7.0)
The Sony DSC-F828 is a lens-centric digital camera, and it definitely feels like an all-lens SLR camera. The left hand can grip the lens, on the underside, and still maintain easy access to the focus and zoom rings. The 7.1-51mm (28-200mm, 35mm equivalent) Carl Zeiss T* lens barrel is arguably the predominant feature on the Sony DSC-F828. The Sony DSC-F828 also has a 7x optical zoom, with filter attachment threads around the front of the lens. There are no digital zoom options available on the Sony DSC-F828.

Filters screw in easily, but users beware as some adapter lenses will tip the camera's balance in favor of the heavy lens barrel. Very little additional weight (aside from filters) will be supported by the hinge itself.

7x is a decent amount of zoom for a digital camera, but for a grand, I would have expected more, especially considering real optical extension or lens replacement isn’t an option. The zoom function, however, works very well and has just the right amount of tension. In the end, the zoom will work only as fast as the hand that turns it.

Manual zoom on the Sony DSC-F828 is ring controlled, with no servo zoom. The Sony DSC-F828 has a Carl Zeiss T* 7x optical zoom. The zoom itself is easily controlled, and has decent tension, or resistance, for keeping the zoom in place. If users plan on utilizing any attachments, the manual zoom will not support added weight to the barrel. Additionally, the lens barrel will not hold the extra weight if the camera is supported by the body, not the lens. Thankfully, the tripod receptacle is under the lens barrel, not the body.