Descended from the DSC-F505 and DSC-F707, the F717 is considered by many who have used it as the best digital camera Sony has yet produced. Featuring a sharp, fast Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar lens, it is a five-megapixel camera capable of producing excellent images (click on the photo of the Pentax Optio S4 on this page). That along with its ease of use and extremely long battery life makes it a superb camera.

Although replaced in late 2003 by the similarly configured eight-megapixel DSC-F828, the F717 will continued to be a popular camera for a long time.