Sony brought simplified digital photography to the masses when it introduced the Mavica-a digital camera that stored digital pictures on standard floppy discs. This updated version boasts a 1.2 mp sensor and a Memory Stick slot, plus the charm and simplicity that made the original a hit.

The autofocus lens features both a 3x optical zoom and a 2x digital zoom. Remember, however, that digital zoom tends to reduce the sharpness and detail of your image, so it's a good idea to use it sparingly.

To save space, there's no traditional optical viewfinder to look through. Instead, to compose your images or review shots you've already taken, the FD100 uses a 2.5-inch color display. The advantage to using the LCD to frame your shots is that the screen lets you see exactly the picture you'll capture. The disadvantage is that you can't turn off the screen and just use the optical viewfinder to extend battery life. Fortunately, the included rechargeable battery holds a relatively good charge.

The FD100 is clearly designed for point-and-shoot simplicity, but there are several options for more adventurous photographers, including manual focus with macro, adjustable ISO and white-balance settings, exposure compensation, and the ability to shoot black-and-white, sepia, solarized, and negative images.

Movie Mode
In movie mode, the camera captures silent video clips. The limited duration and resolution of your movies guarantees that this feature won't replace your camcorder, but it's perfect for when you just want to capture a quick movie and e-mail it to a friend or relative.

Storage and Transfer Images are stored on standard floppy discs, which makes transferring pictures to your computer a snap. Take the picture, wait for the disc to stop whirring, then eject the disc from your camera and pop it into your computer's floppy drive. For safekeeping, it's best to transfer images to your hard drive OR a CD-R drive.

1.2-megapixel sensor captures 1,280 x 960 images for prints at sizes up to 5 x 7 inches

Autofocus lens with 3x optical/2x digital (6x total) zoom

Stores images on floppy discs or Memory Sticks (not included)

Connects with PCs and Macs via USB port or via floppy drive

Uses proprietary lithium-ion rechargeable battery(included)

Average Customer Review: ( 14 customer reviews )
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You don't have to be a computer wiz to know how to operate it, which is one of the best qualities. It is VERY easy to use and I seriously think that anyone can learn to use it in a matter of minutes. It's a little bigger than most cameras, but this is because it allows you to save pictures to a floppy disk (which means that you really never have to hook up the camera to your PC to view or share your pictures). You can also use memory sticks as well (they're expensive, but can hold lots of memory and is more convenient than switching floppies non-stop).

There's a lot of neat things you can do with the camera. You can zoom in and out with ease, change the effects to make your pictures look different, and you can make short MPEG videos (with no audio). All of these features are very easy to use and are easy to learn.

A main drawback to this digital camera is the price. It is rather costly, but I think it's worth it. If this seems to be out of your price range then you should look at some others. There are plenty of others that are less expensive.

All in all, I am very pleased with the Sony MVC-FD100 Digital Camera. It's easy to use and is very convenient. If you're looking for a high quality digital camera that can be operated by just about anyone, then I highly recommend that you check this one out.

3 of 3 found the following review helpful:

Just Because It's Big...!Jul 25, 2003
By Matsugawa J. Andrews
There was a little piece of advice I always gave people upon choosing their first digital camera, that being: 1)Take the megapixel count you are interested in, and 2)Multiply it by 100 3)If you spend within 50 dollars of that, you have basically gotten a good deal. If you pay less, you are probably missing some fundamental feature (a zoom is often the first thing to go) and if you pay more, you are getting more than you probably wanted (some special lens made from a glass that NASA uses to make the microwaves on the shuttle or something like that). With the Mavica FD series, the extra 100 or 200 dollars is going to its method of storing pictures, on simple, inexpensive floppy disks.
If that still does not seem to justify the price, consider this: a floppy disk drive runs anywhere from 40 to 60 dollars, now take that drive and stick it on the back of a digital camera (thus making it self-powered).
And then there is the media itself: Smartmedia and CompactFlash cards are down in price (averaging less than a dollar per megabyte) and are available in sizes in the giga-range. That all seems fine and dandy, until you consider the phrase "don't put all your eggs in one basket." The cards are like any other data storage media, and thus prone to corruption and electromagnetic interference. So, because of a simple error in the camera (it is a computer like any other, and thus prone to all the same weaknesses), a whole 64+ megabytes of memories can be lost forever. And, to add insult to injury, that card was really expensive! Meanwhile, a box of 40+ floppy disks (at about 1.44MB per disc) costs a little less than 10 dollars. Now get out your calculators....Okay....PENCILS DOW--I MEAN, CALCULATORS DOWN!
Of course, the problem with floppy disks is that there are so many of them that lugging them around your vacation spot can be a complete pain. Fortunately, unlike the FD-75, you have the option of using Memory Sticks. In fact, if you take someone's picture on the MemStick, but want to give them one of the photos, simply insert a floppy disk and copy (just like in a computer) the picture to the floppy and give them that disk. Beats making them wait for a print.
Also, Sony's sensibility guided them toward making the FD Mavicas out of HandyCam parts, meaning that some of the accessories you got for/with your Handycam (if you have one)can be used with the mavica, namely the battery (that little crummy one that came with it that you have probably not used since you got that even better 8-hour one!) which is exactly the same as the battery that comes with the FD! So, out of the box, you have doubled the battery life of the camera. Also, the camera has a 37mm filter thread, which allows you to attach neat accessories like color filters and fisheye lenses.
Final word: a little pricey and not much for resolution, but for Handycam owners, it is a new lease on life for those old batteries!

1 of 1 found the following review helpful:

Sony Mavica Floppy Disk 100May 11, 2004
By M. Scosyrev
I have purchased this particular camera due to its ability to record images to the floppy disk. I traveled across the country by bicycle and uploaded pictures from public libraries along the way, where computers would not allow to install software and have USB port, but always had available floppy drives. This worked very well!

The camera showed amazing performance in representing the colors in its pictures. Focus was always good, images were clear and beautiful. Macro mode worked extremely well. Camera is reliable and battery life is superb.
With 1.3 Mega Pixels, images are perfect for computer use or make print outs of standard size.

Shutter delay makes it difficult to shot moving objects unless you are used to guessing the right moment. Sensitivity in dark conditions was very low, on automatic mode at least. I don't know if adjusting white balance or exposure compensation would improve the sensitivity. I always found automatically taken pictures to be of best quality.
If there is a need to use the MAJOR feature of the Sony MVC FD 100 function - floppy drive, then this is the excellent choice.
FD 200 that replaced 100 in 2003 offers 2.0 Mega Pixels Matrix with identical features.

Here are few sample pictures taken with this camera:

http://www.angelfire.com/linux/mikhail4/travel8/flower_after_rain_macro.jpg

http://www.angelfire.com/linux/mikhail4/travel8/sunset_on_trans_canada.jpg

http://www.angelfire.com/linux/mikhail5/travel11/nice_mushroom.jpg

http://www.geocities.com/pont331/clouds_ahead.jpg

All in all, this camera provided exceptional service and I recommend it to anyone that needs to use its ability to save images on floppy disks.

1 of 1 found the following review helpful:

Almost two years and still loving it!Mar 01, 2004
By C. McMaster "Scrapper"
I bought my Mavica as my first digital camera and have never been disappointed with it. It has travelled everywhere with me and has taken many awesome pictures. It was very easy to learn to use and the manual for it is well written and understandable.
I'm just now getting around to getting a memory stick for it so that I can record my photos as TIFFs. I suspect that after I use that, I will love it even more.
I have learned everything that I know about digital photography with my Mavica by my side. I learned how to set white balance, ISO speed, and spot metering easily and quickly. I would love to have a camera with a bigger resolution and a smaller size, but my Mavica takes such beautiful pictures that I'm not going to replace it.
I use it mostly to take pictures of my daughter and her classmates. The individual pictures taken indoors in UV light with a flash are amazing. In fact, after her class Christmas party (2003) they were so good that I printed them onto photo fabric and made the teacher a scarf with pictures of the children.
I love this camera and have been VERY happy with it. I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone.

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