Digital Cameras

[Benson]

HOW DO I USE A DIGITAL CAMERA??
I WANT TO PUT SOME PICS ON THE PELICAN BBS?
I know there are some pretty good PO's that show
some great Pics, but I really did not know how to use
a camera or put up an IMG.
I found a real helpfully and QUICK OVERVIEW at the following
sight.
HOW TO USE AND BUY A DIGITAL CAMERA
Maybe someone can post up the basics on how to
post an IMG on the PELICAN SIGHT.

Check it out.

Benson

[Moses]

First, www.dpreview.com is an excellent source of info on camera options available.

Most folks take high resolution pics with their cameras. Great for printing, but the files are too big to use on most web sites.

After you have uploaded your pictures into your computer, decide which pics you want to post on Pelican and resize them using a program like Photoshop. There are tons of programs that will re-size your pictures, many of them are free. Most new digital cameras come with a program that will do this for you.

Put your re-sized pics (less that 100KB) in a special folder for internet use and give them appropriate names.

When posting on Pelican, click the attach multiple link and it will then let you browse your computer and select pictures to post.

[Doug Zielke]

Originally posted by Moses
There are tons of programs that will re-size your pictures, many of them are free.

Like: http://www.irfanview.com

It's freeware with no strings attached, and much better to use than most of the "lite" programs that come with cameras.

[Z-man]

I have an older 1.2 megapix. Fujifilm. Real basic camera, but shoots great pics! I know they have 2.0+ megapix cameras now: mine is about 5 years old!

Just my $0.42,
-Z.

[dad911]

My Sony will save two images for each picture snapped. One hi-res, and a smaller file-size for emails & posting.

[Adam]

I guess "the best digital camera" is a little open to debate.

You can have a technically superior camera (like my older Olympus Digital SLR C2500-L), yet a cheaper, newer and more user-friendly unit (like my Canon IXUS V2) can take photos that are damned near as good, but without the initial outlay and the aggravation of figuring the unit out. Especially if you're a novice.

Check out the comparative websites, but I'd also go to an electronics superstore and play with a few. One of them will appeal and just feel "right". Beware of any unit that uses AA-batteries, they are not fuel-efficient. I'd look for one that has it's own Lithium Ion power pack (Li-Ion) which is rechargable and will generally last a lot longer. Good Luck!

[ZAMIRZ]

My Sony has served me very well. If I had a place to upload I could show you pics of some of my work......good photography just takes practice, the more you do it and the more passionate you feel about it, the better the photos come out. Don't be afraid to walk some distance to get a good shot, or climb up the side of a hill to get nice angle/lighting on what you're shooting.

[Bill Douglas]

"All" digital cameras seem to have poor zooms. And digital zooms are just like doing a cut of an image. hopefully I'm wrong, i'm holding out for a few years until the zooms are better.

Randy, are your ones scans of photos or done with a digital camers?

[ZAMIRZ]

Bill, I must say that I am very happy with the zoom feature on my camera. It is a Sony DSC-F505V. They no longer make it, it is the predecessor to the DSC-F707 which a friend has and I have had the opportunity to screw around with, an EXCELLENT camera I might add. You should head down to a local sony retailer and really have a look at the 707, I'm sure you will be impressed by the zoom.

[Bill Douglas]

Ummm, 707. We have a few Sony digital cameras here at work and they are nice cameras I have to admit One of them saves directly onto a floppy disk so you arn't frigging about with cables and programs.

Maybe my department needs to buy a new one...

[ZAMIRZ]

the floppy ones are junk, the whole Mavica line as a whole are really crappy cameras. If you're gonna go sony, you have to buy a cybershot.

[dc914guy]

Get the Casio Exsclim, it is tiny and awesome!

[Adam]

I'd steer clear of anything with SmartMedia cards... ask me how I know. Luckily, the Olympus takes both SmartMedia and CompactFlash, wheras the IXUS only takes CF cards.

Media cards are for sale at stupidly cheap prices on eBay, too.

[dc914guy]

Originally posted by Adam Chaplin
I'd steer clear of anything with SmartMedia cards

I am curious why? I have had nothing but good things to say about the Sart Media cards?

~Eric

[jyl]

The question is so open-ended - depends on what you want to do with the camera.

But I'll tell you what I have and why. We got a Canon G2 (now they have the G3, it is similar). 6 MP, regular knobs and buttons for omst functions (I hate scrolling through menus), has some degree of spotmetering, hot shoe for a flash. Basically, it feels and handles more like a "regular" camera. The bad part is the zoom range is limited (I think they improved that in the G3) and the Canon wide and tele lenses aren't very wide or tele (but you can buy aftermarket). Also, like every consumer digital camera I've seen, the lag between pressing the shutter release and making the exposure is irritatingly long (but you can press the release partway to "pre-focus", thus reducing the lag). Oh, get a 1GB Microdrive (don't have to be IBM brand) as it will hold something like 700 exposures at high resolution - we've never, ever, run out of storage.

I still prefer a normal SLR but I'm waiting for the digital SLRs from Canon and Nikon to offer full-size sensors (CCD or CMOS is the size of a 35mm negative, so the interchangeable lenses give the same perspective as when used on the film 35mm SLRs), appx 13MP images (I've read that is the resolution needed to approximate the information content of most 35mm film), with minimal shutter lag (<1/10 sec) for <$3K. They make such cameras now, for $>$8K.

[BlueSkyJaunte]

The Casio Exilim had the most ridiculously quick "shutter response" speed I've seen on a digicam. At least they got that right.

My Canon S10 is well-nigh useless for any type of photography that has any degree of action in it--the shutter lag is somewhere on the order of USPS delivery time.

Takes great pix of sleeping kittens, though.

[Andyrew]

My olympus C 700 has amazing zoom. Great for taking those way out shots on a race track. 10 X normal zoom and 27 X digital zoom. Full digital zoom is great rez too. Bought the cam really cheep. Check out ebay, there are some sellers over there. Its only a 2.1 mp cam. But it still fills up more than my screen..

Good luck!

[Adam]

Originally posted by dc914guy:
I have had nothing but good things to say about the Sart Media cards?

Well, they're a notoriously unstable type of storage media. More prone to failure by exposure to changes in temperature and humidity than just about any other type. If you get fingerprints on the gold contact areas, you can ruin the card, or at the very least need to format it again to get it to work.

Plus, they're made in two voltages! 3.0v and 3.3v. wtf? I've wasted a lot of money on SmartMedia and I've got a lot of dud cards now. Luckily my Olympus takes the same CF (CompactFlash) cards (as well as SmartMedia) as my Canon IXUS, so I just use those now. Much more hardy.

Just my $0.02

[speeder]

I am certainly no expert, (but always like to learn), but I have been really happy w/ my Canon PowerShot S30. It is easy to use and takes compact flash media, I shoot lots of car pics at fairly high resolution, then shrink them on Irfanview before posting them on the web or emailing them. Here is a typical shot:

[Sarah]

Does anyone have any new comments (pro or con) about the digital camera they have?

We are going to get a new one pretty soon and I've been checking several web sites for comparisons.

We currently have a Nikon coolpix800...it does not take the greatest outdoor pics (people are never very clear), it does not have the movie option, and it is kind of bulky...plus we want more MPs.

I also might not have my the camera on the correct settings for outdoor pictures...there are many options & the manual was a bit confusing...so it could be operator error.

Thanks for any suggestions. S~