The main problem I had with the Digital Mavica is the image quality of the pictures. They're not that great even in fine mode! No match when compared to the excellent image quality of the Epson PhotoPC 750Z. Here is a sample of a fine quality 640x480 mode picture. In this mode, each floppy can only hold about a dozen pics.
I found the colors not to be very vibrant and the skin tone is off. At first I found it hard to believe that the above picture was really taken in 24 bit color. Kim's reaction was "Oh God! I look awful! Don't you dare use this photo!" OK Kim, I won't. :)
The Digital Mavica uses a lot more compression than the Epson PhotoPC 750Z. This might explain some of its imaging problems. Average 640x480 standard mode image on the Epson PhotoPC is 55K. High quality fine mode 640x480 pictures from the Sony is 40K. Less than the Epson's standard mode. In standard mode, the Digital Mavica compresses each photo down to just 20K. While this may be great for storing and reducing send time by email, the quality of the pictures suffers quite a bit.
The other major problem is the Sony's flash. It's way too bright and washes everything out. Check out these 2 indoor shots. The one on the left is the Sony Digital Mavica. The one on right is the Epson PhotoPC 750Z. Both taken with the flash on. Click the image for full view.
The digital Mavica is limited to a maximum resolution of 640x480. This is fine for taking photos and showing them on the web, but it's not that great when you try to print it out. The poor image quality doesn't help either.
Other than the image quality problems, I didn't have any problems using this camera. It's very easy to use and super convenient. If you don't need your photos to be very high quality or you like washed out photos, then you should take a look at the Digital Mavica.
Price at $499, this is not a cheap camera. It was $100 less than the Epson PhotoPC 750Z. However, whether this $100 saving justify the poor image quality is up to you. It doesn't for me.
The Goods
Nice big LCD screen
10X Zoom
Use of floppies mean cheap storage
The Bads
Poor image quality
Flash is too strong
Limited to 640x480 resolution
You need to carry around lots of floppies