I purchased this camera for the same price, but I was able to get a PM at Bestbuy, which brought my price down even further. Plus Bestbuy has a $75 rebate on this (I believe it is still good).
I found a site that had sample pictures, and after seeing the photos I was sold. Now that I have the camera.... I am constantly amazed at its photo's.
If you were like me and reluctant to switch over to a digital camera, you need wait no longer. For the price I bought this at, it was just too tempting. The photos are stunning. The features are excellent.
I was concerned about the proprietary memory sticks, and the batteries. However, the price of the memory sticks is quite resonable, and the proprietary battery has stellar performance. One charge will last an entire shoot in studio under very demanding situations. Photos are uploaded via a USB cable to a laptop or computer. The charge time for the batteries is about an hour. And the battery charge lasts a very long time.
If you have waited to get a digital camera, and do not mind the size (I like the feel of a "real" camera), you want to keep your purchase sub $800.00, this is THE camera for you.
The new Canon Rebel digital camera was not out when I made my purchase, and I was unable to wait..... otherwise I would give that camera serious consideration. The abililty to use my Canon lenses from my Elan II was VERY appealing.
Once again, the photos you will be able to take with the Sony 717 will amaze you.
If anyone is interested, I can find the link to the photos that sold me.
BUY IT!
The Carl Zeiss lens alone makes this a SUPER hot buy.