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8×10 frame

Sony DPF-D80 8-Inch LCD Digital Photo Frame (Black)

Sony DPF-D80 8-Inch

Technical Details

8-inch display; 4:3 aspect ratio; 800 x 600 resolution
Includes 256MB internal memory, with optional image resizing (to maximize internal memory).
Compatible with all main memory card types
Auto orientation sensor and auto image rotation
Features 10 slideshow styles, 2 clock modes, calendar mode, and 2 index views

The good: Better than average display quality; fast, even with large files; easy to use; attractive.

The bad: No thumbdrive connector; no video or audio support.

The bottom line: Though it’s a little expensive for its feature set, the Sony 8-inch Digital Photo Frame DPF-D80 delivers exactly what most people want: high-quality photo slideshows in an easy-to-use, attractive package.

Easy to use and with a basic but solid feature set and above-average display quality, the Sony 8-inch Digital Photo Frame appeals to both the technophobic and undemanding technophiles who won’t mind spending a bit extra for it.

Unlike most frames, there’s no full-size USB connector for a thumbdrive. In addition to copying files directly from a PC, there’s a button on the remote to copy all or selected images on a card to the frame’s internal memory; it can resize them during copy, if you choose. In addition to JPEG, it can also display Sony ARW (raw) files, but the frame doesn’t play video or audio.

In a nice touch, you can cycle through the single-image view to display EXIF information. The clock view is a bit confusing, since it displays the date and time when the accompanying photograph was taken rather than the current date and time. You can also just use the frame as a big LCD clock or calendar, white on black or black on white, analog or digital.

The menus are easy to navigate, primarily because the frame doesn’t offer many options. The frame supports automatic rotation and display orientation; entire image versus fit-to-screen scaling; separate controls for the LCD backlight and brightness; an on/off timer; and support for the usual handful of Western languages as well as Russian, Japanese, and Chinese.

I really like the display quality of this frame. The D80 has a bit better dynamic range than I’m used to seeing; highlights and shadows render pretty well, colors and skin tones are pretty accurate, and there’s little visible color contouring. As with all LCD frames, when the frame is positioned vertically the viewing angle on one side is only about 25 degrees before the image inverts/disappears.

Though it’s a bit pricey for the basic features, the Sony 8-inch Digital Photo Frame DPF-D80 does provide everything most users probably want, especially the more technologically averse, as well as above average display quality.