Quote:
Originally Posted by dhbailey
It's not as bad as the photos make it appear. Digital cameras, if they focus or set their white balance on one item (the brightest, usually) will leave other things looking very dim, whereas a picture taken of only the 700 will show its detail much more crisply.
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by JSWolf
Just remember when looking at the pictures that they can be misleading and sometimes incorrect. I can take photos that would make a 500 look better then a 505. So unless you've seen the 700 in person, don't trust the photos.
|
I stand by the pictures I posted. They are representative of how my 700 looks like. Note that I tried to make the comparison as objective as possible by taking multiple-angle shots in four different places in my house. There are certainly tricks one can play with cameras, but if you look at the depth of field and focus point in these shots you will notice that there is no foul play. What is the point in doing so? I have no personal interest in making one look better than the other. If anything, I would have liked to see 700 do better. I did not order it so that I can have something to return. I was looking forward to something better than 505. These pictures show why I am puzzled by "700 rocks" posts - trust them or not as you like.
The pictures that sayhello posted (thanks!) show something that might explain the variance in apparent screen quality of 700 pictures. If one uses the flash (second picture) then the 700 screen looks much better than what you see without (first picture). This corroborates with what other people say about 700 looking better if you use very bright lights. I'm curious if SonyStyle stores have lights like that (bright CCFL). It might explain why in stores some people do not notice the same tremendous difference from the 505 screen. I don't have any SonyStyle stores nearby so I can't say. You might want to take the units outside the store or move to a different light for a quick check.
As far as comparing 700 with 505, I think it is a valid comparison. 500 is last-gen and current buying decisions are among 505, kindle, etc... The viziplex screen in 505 is what newer gen units have to compete against. If you go the Sony route, then you get to pick between 505 and 700. I would argue that when it comes to that comparison the opinion of 505 owners that used their readers for months will generally be more accurate than the opinion of someone that interacted with 505 only in SonyStyle stores.
Since speed is also an important characteristic for some of us, below is a quick video of 505 and 700 that shows the page-change speed. The screen flash is very similar, but 505 takes a little longer to react to the button press. While reading sequentially through books I find that I can't tell the difference after the first few pages. My mind adapts to the reader and I unconsciously press the button a split second sooner or later, depending on the reader I use.
So, there you go. PRS700 is a failure or a god send, depending on who you listen to. I subscribe to the first. If you want to try one my advice is to order it without engraving so that you have the option of returning it. And, if you have some time, post a few words of your experience so that we can all benefit from it.
Cheers,
Trek