The Sony DSC-F707 looks unusual: attached to the camera like an oversized appendage is the very large Vario-Sonnar lens, providing the F707 with excellent image magnification via the 5x optical zoom and 38-190mm variable focal length, coupled with 10x digital zoom. The lens will also rotate through 113 degrees, offering flexibility in framing shots. Some may find the F707 cumbersome as the construction does not lend itself to point-and-snap photography. However, for the serious amateur the F707 will provide outstanding images with a high degree of manual user controls to customise the images.

With a 5 megapixel CCD, the Sony produces images up to a whopping 2,536 x 1,920 pixel resolution, offering 11 shots on the 16MB Memory Stick provided. Other features include the ability to shoot in zero luminance conditions with Nightshot technology, and ability to record short MPEG movies with audio.

In testing, the DSC-F707 produced the best overall image in the roundup this month (barring the Olympus model), capturing the test subject with vibrancy and clarity. The high-resolution image also displays strong contrast; the only drawback would perhaps be the fact that it was a touch over-bright, slightly offsetting the colour accuracy.