Great High-End Camera with features for both Beginners and Experts...

I picked up this camera a few days ago after lots of research and deliberation. I knew I wanted something better than the myriad of compact, 4-6 Megapixel, run-of-the-mill cameras.

Price: I wasn't so much concerned with the price of this camera as I had read it was very sturdy and durable and would therefore last a great deal longer than any "cheapy" 200 dollar throw-away digital cam. Actually in comparison with similar cameras (Fuji FinePix, Canon, etc...) it is very reasonably priced (I picked mine up for $474 from BestBuy).

Feel: As soon as I picked the camera up in the store I knew I had to have it. It fits my hands perfectly (I'm 6'3" and I have larger hands than most and always feel clumsy handling the tiny Cybershot's or similar credit card sized thin cameras). It has a great weight distribution as it feels proportionately heavy from front to back. Usually with super-zoom's the back is much heavier than the lens.

Photo Quality: FANTASTIC! I actually had to work to get a blurry shot...unlike my previous Kodak P.O.S. Even when shooting a moving object (a celing fan) the shutter adjusted in Auto Mode to give me a dead-on PERFECT still shot of a single fan blade. No blur what-so-ever! I did notice a strange phenomenon that the manual mentioned. When shooting in bright sunlight a strange Purple haze bleeds across the LCD from the sunlit part to the bottom and top. The effect does NOT transfer to the shot however it's just a bit of an annoyance. Again, it does NOT show up in the pictures, just the LCD.

LCD: Massive screen! I think this was another selling point for me. I really had using anything with a small screen. For me, I end up concentrating more on the tiny screen and the miniscule indicator lights than on the photo. With this camera, the screen is literally massive...3". I have yet to see a camera with anything close to a screen this size AND not have a body twice the size (Fuji).

Battery Life: I was a bit concerned at first considering the size of the screen and the mechanical movement of the lens that the battery life would be somewhere around 20 minutes. In reality though, it's much better than I expected as long as you use the provided Ni-MH rechargable AA's; about 340 shots. If anyone out there is like me and just read AA's and went to click the back button to find another camera...hear me out. I was also immediately turned off by the use of AA's instead of a Lithium-Ion rechargable however the more I read and researched, the AA's might actually be a selling point. Imagine having to buy and carry a replacement Lithium-Ion rechargable in case your original dies on the road. Firstly, you'll pay about 60 bucks for an OEM battery. Next you'll have to charge them both individually as an additional charge would be another 60 at best. It's just not cost effective to have a replacement battery if its Li-Ion. On the other hand: I picked up a 4-pack of cheapy Ni-MH batteries and a charger for 15 bucks at my supermarket and they work just as well as the supplied Sony batteries. Let's face it, carrying two AA's in your pocket or in the camera case is easy and economical. And in an emergency you can always shove Alkaline's into the camera for a few quick shots (but be warned they dont last long...)

Memory Stick: This camera requires either Memory Stick Duo or Memory Stick Pro Duo. The difference is the speed at which the memory can write data and thus the features of the camera depend on the type of memory. For full motion video or Burst shooting you need Pro Duo however for anything else you can do just fine with the slightly cheaper MD Duo flash memory. (Personally though, spend the extra 5 bucks and get yourself the PRO. You have a camera than can do some amazing things...why limit it right off the bat?) Oh and go for at least 1 Gig, the photos are large and pristine quality.