Scanner and Digital Camera

[Toast]

I know this is not in realation to the Teeners, but I am interested in purchasing a new scanner and digital camera. I know nothing about either one. I just know I dont want to keep borrowing other peoples cameras or trying to find a scanner that works. I see pic posted on this board all the time, so I know that some of you may have some knowledge on these items.

If anyone can give me their recomendation on these, please do so. It would be greatly appriciated.

Thanks,
Toast

[SGB]

If you get a camera, you won't need the scanner. There are lots of really good digitalo cameras out there for big $, but to post on the web or email, the picture file sizes are usually too large. My own opinion is that unless you will be printing 8x10 on photo paper to show Grandma and Aunt Sue, a 2.1 or even 1.0 megapixel camera is fine. It needs optical zoom (typical is 3x or greater). A feature I wish my camera had is movie mode, not to take movies but to catch a moving image in one or two frames. Digital cameras always have a short (.5 sec maybe) delay before the "shutter" fires. I needed a movie mode when I've gone to races, so I didn't have so many "there's the exhaust pipe again" pictures. The camera I advise is a less than $300 type (but I am cheap).

[Alfred1]

It really depends on what your needs are. I like the Canon Canoscan 3000F Scanner because it's inexpensive and fast. I haven't bought it yet but the specs look good and Canon has a good name. I agree with SGB's assessment of digital cameras. If you're only going to be using it to put pics on the web or make 4 x 6" prints, a good 2.0 camera should be fine.

[Toast]

I wanted to get a scanner in addition to the camera because I have several pictures that I would like to put on the computer, some for internet uses.
Thanks for the tips so far.....

[John Rogers]

I use a Sony CyberShot, the 3.3 mega pixel model that is several years old now. I think most of the name brands are good and I'd look for the following: Extra storage media in the 256MB range since high quality picts can be 1.2MB each. Ability to shoot short 20 second MPG movies which are neat to have and they are about 5.5MB each. Good zoom capability and good batt life and availability, not some one off weird brand you can't find when on vacation. Finally, ease of use when connecting to computer via USB cable or media reader. I like the CyberShot as it meets all the above, is big enough not to get lost and easy to hold onto and operate with one hand. Sorry I can't help with a scanner?? Good luck.

[M. Hendrix]

Heya sweetie..

Just need a cheapy scanner, I like HP stuff... they have very inexpensive models out..

You are mostly looking for resolution... look at the cheap ones, and go up til the resolution is in the midrange. You may never use the higher resolutions, but scanning high, and converting looks much better than scanning at low res.. obviously..

Go shop at Staples, then buy on www.pricewatch.com




M

[green71]

Check out reviews of cameras and scanners at:

www.steves-digicams.com
www.dpreview.com
www.photographyreview.com

Happy hunting!

[sean_V8_914]

I would recomend desciding first, how much do you want to spend? $300 buys a very nice digital camera. Fugi has nice features per dollar. I use a Sony Mavica, it records on a CD. You ahve seen my camera. the newer Mavicas have better features, are much smaller and are faster to record but a camera like Fugi or Cannon that uses a memory stick will record faster for consecutive photos.......How much do you want to spend? I paid $500 for teh Mavica MVC-cd 1000 and $100 for a Lexmark scanner/copier/printer ink jet

[Toast]

Thanks for all your help guys!
Toast

[AaronM]

My personal recommendation is the Fuji 2650 Zoom. It's a 2.0 MP digicam and I've gotten some very nice shots from it. It's no SLR as far as manual settings go, but it does a great job as a point and shoot. They should be going for a bit less than $200 right now.

As far as scanners, a basic Visioneer should be more than enough for occasional use.

Aaron

[robphelan]

I have the Sony Cybershot 3.3 megapixel, too... it works great.. my only gripe is that I have to hold down the button for about .75 second before it actually takes the picture.

I've seen others that snap the photo faster.

As posted above.. go for a cheapy scanner. picked up my visioneer for $19 about 3 or 4 years ago. still going strong.

[sean_V8_914]

damn, I paid $30 for my Visioneer, it lasted 2 years

[bludden]

Im a sony fan for digital cameras, and HP for scanners. Not the highest quality imaging on HP scanners, but good - and they are very easy to use.

[green71]

Regarding resolution, I bought a 2-megapixel camera last year. Now for the same cost or less you can get a 3-meg camera (or more). In retrospect, I wish I'd gone for a 3- or 4-megapixel rig. I like my camera (Pentax Optio 230) but 5x7 is about as large as a print can be output (228dpi), provided you use the entire image. More pixels gives you greater freedom to crop & compose at the computer.

[AaronM]

Originally posted by green71
Regarding resolution, I bought a 2-megapixel camera last year. Now for the same cost or less you can get a 3-meg camera (or more). In retrospect, I wish I'd gone for a 3- or 4-megapixel rig. I like my camera (Pentax Optio 230) but 5x7 is about as large as a print can be output (228dpi), provided you use the entire image. More pixels gives you greater freedom to crop & compose at the computer.

For posting on the web or for E-mailing, anything more than 2.0 MP is overkill given the current access speeds and normal monitor resolutions. As for printing out digital photos, why bother? If you want prints, 35mm film is really the only decent option.

Aaron

[Kargeek]

Get both. The scanner comes in handy for scanning your old photos and articles for keepsaking. I have a canon thin flat bed USB port and like it very much. As for a digital camera, once you get the habit of taking pictures you will want the highest megapixel you can afford. The canon G series is really cool as they have a flip out and adjustable LCD screen and you can compose shots in all kinds of situtations. Mine is an older 3.3 G1 series- I just bought a 6.3 SLR Canon D10. My G1 has the short movie feature- I've never used it. Get removeable flash memory so you can purchase a 256 meg card to store many shots. Sony uses their own memory stick others more common and cheaper priced smart media and compact flash. The Canon cameras come with a Photoshop elements- a great program for adjusting, cropping and doing cool things with your photos. If you have a CD burner, backup all of your photos on CD's to store. Once you get confortable with digital photography- you'll be hooked. Dave H

[sanglee007]

Hi guys, I'm new to the board but I've been using digital cams for about 4 years now. I dislike the whole process of film cameras...I want it now!

I had a 1.3 Fuji, no zoom. Great quality shots, but no zoom.
then a 1.3 Fuji with 3x zoom. Again, great quality, not enough zoom!
then a 2.0 Olympus with 10x Image Stabilized zoom (good quality, bordering on great...zoom is good. But it's too big and I never use it.

Then I bought a tiny little Sony Cybershot U, about the size of a Juicy Fruit big pak. 1.3mp, they have a 2.0mp

I take it EVERYWHERE! and I mean everywhere. It's small enough I can put the Sony and my cell phone in my pocket and take it everywhere. I mainly use it for taking pictures of cool or stupid looking cars.

http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_BrowseCatalog-Start;sid=GX3gF4iuL5jgVLcfQQfqHMegLJ6cF5HmHJw=?Cat egoryName=dcc_DIDigitalCameras_CybershotUDigitalCa meras

The biggest factor I've found in making prints isn't megapixels, but the the printer, the better printers will make my 1.3mp look great @ 5x8 prints...I have yet to make a 8x10 print, but the 2.0 should do those fine.

I enjoy my big camera, but I never take it anwhere except for special times like hiking or car shows.

As for scanners, I found the slim Canon scanners (about the size of a Notebook computer) to be perfect. They don't have an external power supply and run off the USB port, so no extra wires and I can store it on my bookshelf when I'm not using it.


thanks for all your enthusiam guys...one day my Porsche will run too!

Hope this helps someone...

Sang

[Alfred1]

The highest resolution image that my ViewSonic monitor can produce is 1280 x 1024 at 24 bits. The HP photosmart 635 2.1 MP camera, for example, can produce images with a resoution up to 1636 x 1236 at 24 bits.

[green71]

Originally posted by AaronM
For posting on the web or for E-mailing, anything more than 2.0 MP is overkill given the current access speeds and normal monitor resolutions. As for printing out digital photos, why bother? If you want prints, 35mm film is really the only decent option.

Aaron

Agreed: for electronic use, smaller is generally better.

Also agreed: given current technology, film provides superior prints to digital. However, I have directed digital shoots for brochures done w/a 5MP camera that provided images satisfactory for offset printing. That's pretty good. Even my 2MP camera does a pretty stand-up job on small-format output.

Besides, I don't usually know if I want to print a photo 'til after I've taken it.

Ultimately, you can always interpolate down to reduce file size and optimize for the 'net. But interpolating up simply doesn't work. So IMHO as long as you have software that will reduce a file size for satisfactory emailing, etc., you're better off with too many as opposed too few pixels in the raw image.

[D7N7MASTER]

I'll bet you didn't expect this - this is a teener board!!! Oh! Anyway, I got mine off e'bay for less than $120.- (delivered) It's a Kodak EasyShare CX4300. 3.2MP. Other than the forever annoying .5sec delay, it's awesome for the $$$. It has 16MB built in, X2 zoom stock. I added a 256MB SmartCard & now, in "best" mode it's good for 48 HUGE 1.2MB pics. USB straight into Kodak EasyShare software & boom...2min. later - clickin' thru pics on your 'puter. I'm still in shock. BUT - If your not in a hurry, wait 'til after Christmas. You know the routine...
I use M/S Photo Editor to resize pics for e'mail, etc.