Camera, what to buy

toddwulf · Dec 19, 2001

I also have the Olympus D460. It's only 1.3 Mpx but for most of us, that is sufficient. The higher the megapixel rating, the less grainy the image looks WHEN YOUR GOING TO ENLARGE A SHOT. If your not going to do any enlarging, 1-2 Mpx is just fine. I compared the images from my Olympus with my brothers Fuji or some other japanese brand of digital cam in the same Mpx range and man, we were both duly impressed with the quality of the Oympus system and lenses. My next buy will be probably a 3 Mpx but I'll wait until prices plummet on those.

For Sony, they get too much for their brand name. I'd like to be able to use my old SLR Bayonet style lenses on a digicam but there not there yet unless you get into the professional range of digicams.

The Olympus C2100 look like a good value but they are battery hogs due to all the features. The only drawback to all these digicams is they are fragile compared to older SLR cams. Don't drop them on the ground like I did. I had to send in to Olympus service and I'm still waiting for the estimate. Also second the thoughts on digital zoom-It's crap.

Todd in Placerville

'98 NH 1920 4x4

Anonymous Poster · Dec 19, 2001

...they are battery hogs ...

Yep... that's why I very seldom have the display on... and use 1700 ma. NiMH batteries... big difference over 1200 ma. units...{and carry an extra set as well}

MikePA · Dec 19, 2001

The Olympus C2100 look like a good value but they are battery hogs due to all the features.

Todd has raised a great point. For the newbie digital camera buyer, all of us for that matter, take note of what kind of batteries the camera uses. Some cameras use proprietary batteries (Sony, for example) which require you to have a charger (sometimes a separate item) and a spare battery (one in the camera, one in the charger) while others use standard batteries (AA). At one time Sony batteries would work in their digital still camera as well as some of their video cameras. Proprietary batteries usually offer longer life and they also might keep people buying the same brand product since you've already purchased the charger and batteries.

I've had both and much prefer the ones that use standard batteries because in an emergency, you can buy them at a convenience store. I have several sets of high capacity rechargables and I rarely use the LCD which is a power hog.

And while I am thinking of it...for those of us that wear bifocals. One of the changes I had to get used to when I switched from SLR (Yashica FR1) to digital was very few digital cameras at the time had thru the lens viewing. They all had an LCD for composing the picture. It was a major pain, not to mention you looked like a dork, holding the camera almost at arms length, moving it all about composing a picture. If this matters to you, get a camera that has simulated TTL. It is simulated because the image sent to the LCD is just rerouted to the eyepiece. Some purists rail against the simulated TTL, I don't. I'm just glad I can actually see what I am taking a picture of without looking like a doofus.

GlueGuy · Dec 19, 2001

Good comments about the battery. About the only thing I don't like about my Kodak DC4800 is that it uses a proprietary battery. Hasn't been a problem though, as it seems to last forever (I usually keep the LCD turned off unless I am using macro mode; helps to get rid of the parallax (sp? /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif). It doesn't require a separate charger, I just plug the camera into the wall for 30 minutes or so before I take off with the camer.

One of the other nice things about the DC4800 is that it has a little diopter-corrector dial in the viewer. So if you are near-sited or far-sited, you just twist the little dial to correct to whatever you need. Very nice.

BTW - Another issue is the choice of storage medium. Older Sony's use a floppy disk. Handy, but horrible because they only hold 1.4MB of data.

Newer Sony's use their proprietary memory stick (about the size of a piece of gum). I don't like it because it's proprietary; and they generally cost more than compact flash or smart media.

Most other makers use either smart media or compact flash. Both of these cost about the same; but compact flash can be had with much larger storage capacity. I think smart media tops out at about 256MB, but don't quote me on that. Compact flash is currently available up to 512MB, but I read somewhere that someone is coming out with a 1GB version. Compact flash type II can use the IBM micro drive, which is 2GB.

The GlueGuy

Robert_in_NY · Dec 19, 2001

I had fun talking with sony before also, one guy ask you what is wrong you tell him and he sends you to another guy who sends you to another guy who sends you to another guy.... After it was all said and done they told me to go to circuit city and talk to them? Here is one of my pics from my sony it was taken in the second lowest resolution on my camera.

Anyways I have a Sony DSC-D770 which I do not think Sony makes anymore but is a great camera for printing 8x10's. I am getting a Sony DSC-D707 which is a 5.2 megapixel camera and cost around $1000 but is worth it. Digital cameras seem to be decent in the $400 on up range but usually anything less than $400 is not worth using as the pictures looks grainy. Definitly do some research and check some of the reports and comparisons that are on the web about different cameras as that might help sway you decision. Try to stay away from point and shoot cameras as they are not worth wasting money on. My sony uses memory sticks and the price of memory sticks is down now that there are larger sticks out, I have a couple 32mb sticks and I can easily hold 300-400 pictures on them. It also uses sonys infolitium batteries that do not develop memory and also tell you how much life is left on each charge which is a nice feature. Good luck and have fun.

Robert Turk Jr.
Whitetail Splendor Deer Farms
Silver Creek, NY

Edited by Robert_in_NY on 12/19/01 05:11 PM (server time).

glennmac · Dec 19, 2001

Using floppies as media is a bad idea. Outdated technology, poor capacity, and a battery burner because they have to be spun. Spinning drives also slow down the camera.

You will soon be able to download to a computer or printer wirelessly if Bluetooth technology is adopted.

glennmac · Dec 19, 2001

Tony,

It's true that you can buy either a digital camera or boxblade for $600. However, consider these irrefutable points.

1. The $600 camera will be close to top of the line, while the $600 boxblade will be close to bottom of the line. Prestige counts with toys.

2. The camera will be useful forever. It is questionable whether a boxblade is useful at all.

3. You have to be a rocket scientist to figure out how to use the camera. The boxblade is ten times more complicated and confusing to use than the camera.

4. With a digital camera you can take, and post here, lots of pictures of your friends' and neighbors' tractors and properties ........ and make believe that they are yours .... just like JMIII, Harv and Muhammad do.

Anonymous Poster · Dec 19, 2001

...just like JMIII, Harv and Muhammad do....

/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif Glenn you brought up a great point...

Harv and I showed "our" fictitious tractors... but now it's Muhammad's turn... /w3tcompact/icons/cool.gif

glennmac · Dec 19, 2001

Huck,

I believe Buy.dig is the same as Beach Camera, which has been around the NYC pushy camera scene for decades. Did they hassle you to buy accessories or to switch you to another camera?

huckflynn · Dec 19, 2001

glennmac,

I never spoke with anyone from the company. I placed the order through the web, received an immediate order acknowledgement via email and 6 days later I received an email with the order tracking number. The next morning, the camera arrived.

The downside was that during the 6 days of waiting, there was no way via the website to check the status of the order. I placed a phone call at about 4:30pm on Friday afternoon and an automated attendant advised me that the phone-in store hours were over for the day.

So too much contact was not the problem. You are right about the Beach Camera business. I tried 2 numbers from there website. With one of the numbers, the automated attendant answered "Beach Camera."

TonyC · Dec 19, 2001

Hehe...okay Glenmac, I see your point. I agree with most items except one. The camera, like all technology related items, will not last very long at all. In ten years, the box blade will at least be useful as a counterweight. The camera could be used as a boat anchor except I understand that they intermittently float!!!!!!! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

PLanger · Dec 19, 2001

Sam's Club has the Olympus C3000 for $389. I don't own a digital but I'm looking and I'm hearing that this is a great camera at a great price.

Harv · Dec 20, 2001

pictures of your friends' and neighbors' tractors and properties ........ and make believe that they are yours

And did you catch that footage I created that made it look like we actually landed on the moon? /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Nice smoke screen, Glenn, but you know darn well there are several thousand TBN'ers waiting desperately for pictures of your submersible tractor. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

toddwulf · Dec 20, 2001

Here is an experts explanation of Digital vs. Optical Zoom.

The only figure you should consider is the optical zoom. The digital zoom is just a marketing gimmick. Here's the difference: An optical zoom lens is one that can change focal lengths. An optical zoom brings the subject closer while maintaining the same resolution for the digital image. Thus, you can shoot a close-up of a person's face and get the same picture quality that you would get with a full-body shot.

Digital zooms are really just cropping tools. The camera appears to be zooming, but it's not really -- it's just enlarging an area of the picture being photographed. The resolution of the "zoomed" area is less than it would be with an optical zoom. By the way, you can achieve the same result with any picture-editing software by simply cropping and enlarging a section of a photo.

Hope this helps. Todd

'98 NH 1920 4x4

Anonymous Poster · Dec 20, 2001

Cameras on a tractor board duh!

toddwulf · Dec 20, 2001

PLanger wrote: "Sam's Club has the Olympus C3000 for $389. I don't own a digital but I'm looking and I'm hearing that this is a great camera at a great price."

The Olympus D Series is entry level, the C Series is a step up. The C 3000 is a 3 Mpx camera and at $389, that's a pretty damn good price. My D460 is a 1.3Mpx and has 3x Optical and 2.5x Digital Zoom. The Optical Zoom is what your after. The C3000 has 3x Optical and 7.5x Digital. I was looking at the C2100 which runs around $499, is only 2.1Mpx and if you look closely, you might find it in a circular for $399. I'm gonna run down to my club store and see what they've got. Go to Cnet.com and run a comparison and see what prices are on the market. I'm very pleased with my Olympus and the 3x Optical Zoom is just about right for everyday use.

Godd Luck. Todd

'98 NH 1920 4x4

Anonymous Poster · Dec 20, 2001

...Glenn, but you know darn well there are several thousand TBN'ers waiting desperately for pictures of your submersible tractor...

I'm one of them... I want to see that orange baby submerged axle deep in mud and slime and all that ookey{sp?} stuff showing everything...warts and all.../w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Then the following shot, see how those "jacks" your talking about... get this son-of-a-gun outa all that nasty muck... /w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif

While you're at it, you can take multiple shots in mega-resolution modes for a finale of this big outside lab dual test... on getting a tractor unstuck and digital camera techniques... /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

billboe · Dec 20, 2001

Glennmac,

If your main deciding factor is the swivel body on the Nikon (in other words, all else equal), I'd go for the Canon. The LCD on the Canon (I have the G1) is great. I would imagine you've already checked them out, but, in case you haven't... It flips out 180 degrees and swivels 270 degrees. When you point it to the front the display flips electronically (not mechanically). When not in use, the LCD is stored face into the camera for protection. It is great for taking shots while holding the camera over your head (crowds) or from the hip (incognito)...

I've heard people complain about the swivel body on the Nikon. Things like it loosening up after use and not able to hold itself upright. This is more of a problem when using a tripod. This info is old (990 days) and second hand, so, please verify this on your own...

Billboe

glennmac · Dec 21, 2001

Actually, I havent handled a G2. Studied many reviews and compared pictures. I'm hoping I like the maneuverable screen. As to the 995, I think they fixed it so it will lock in place. It has a nice comfortable feel with the rubberized grip and the horizontal part of the body. I dont like the small size of so many of the digitals. They feel funny.

When I do get a digital, I doubt that I will post tractor pictures here. I take perverse pride in being lower tech than even Bird, which is quite an achievment. Plus I believe my proper role is to be the Yin to Harv's and III's and others' Yang. That is, ya'll couldn't properly appreciate the worth of their great pictures unless someone was producing the useless thousand words against which to compare them. (Chalkley's thousand words don't qualify as Yin because he actually conveys useful information.)

Bird · Dec 21, 2001

take perverse pride in being lower tech than even Bird, which is quite an achievment

An achievment? You don't really think you've succeeded do you?/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif