posted 05-29-2002 09:48 PM                  

It seems that a lot of you are using digital camers for your pics. I want to buy a digital camera but there are so many to choose from. I have decided to go with the 4 megapixel to get the best image but beyond that I don't know where to start. I know I want to do close ups and I will probably not use a lot of the features that come on this size megapixel camera. I will probably "point and shoot" most of the time. Thanks for any info...

Paul

posted 05-29-2002 11:24 PM                  

I am ecstatic about the Canon G2 I bought 5 months ago. I needed it badly for work projects and it turns out to be one of the more fun tools I've ever owned. Here's a summary of what I love about it...
1. 4 resolutions, 3 grades of compression, manual and digital zooms that are abosolutely natural to the touch.
2. You have to be awfully picky to see the difference between this camera's 2nd res 1024 x 768 setting and the highest at 2272 x 1704 but it's there if you need it.
3. Movable, swivel LCD IS CRITICALLY GREAT! You won't appreciate it until you begin using the camera a lot.
4. The swivel LCD also serves to protect the LCD when not in use as it folds into the body with the LCD facing inward!
5. One great gimmick is the 3 times zoom that works on any image taken after the shot is in memory. Say you're at a football game. You take a shot of the players so far away. Now just zoom in once or twice. It's like moving from the 100th row up to the 10th row while maintaining excellent clarity.
6. Movie mode with sound. My in-laws went nuts when they saw this gem showing off their grandkids in this small package.
7. Professional hot shoe...not all digitals have a regulation hot shoe for a bigger flash. I have a Canon flash that comes in very handy for those 15-50 foot range shots the built-in flash can't handle.
8 The software that comes with this camera is bar none, one the friendliest but still adequately sophisticated packages I've ever seen in a consumer product. It's not Photoshop but for all but 10% of the shots I take, more than this software package does, I don't need.
Can you tell I love this camera? 2 thumbs up, Canon G2.

posted 05-29-2002 11:38 PM                  

Thank you for that information. I was leaning towards Canon and your post seems to back up my thoughts. Can you get good close up optical shots? There are some great shots available on cars with a good optical close up.

Thanks again

PS. I agree with Ed, Dan you are fast......(not always I hope )

Kimo

posted 05-29-2002 11:47 PM                  

* optical zoom is better than digital zoom
* more pixels are generally better (more on this below)
* If you're already a photographer, get a camera with an optical viewfinder. If you're new to the whole thing, get one with a good LCD (and if possible, try to view the screen in the daylight)
* Make sure you're prepared with whatever removable storage the camera uses

Now, there was this article just today in the Wall Street Journal (no sub required). Now, I respect Walt Mossberg (and have even interviewed him (shameless plug: MacEdition Interview ) but I have to disagree with him on the number of pixels thing. Anything under 6MP and "you can never have enough", especially in the consumer space.

Mossberg's logic on this part misses what I consider to be a critical use of the extra pixels. While he focuses on the size of the resulting print, he seems to assume that all the original pixels will be used. It's been my experience that many times, users will want to crop their images then print a full-sized pic from the results. The results are much better if you have more pixels to work from in the beginning.

Some accessories to consider, depending on the actual camera:

Digital Wallet - For large capacity image storage, great for "on the road" and away from the laptop/desktop

Lexar Media - The brand of storage I recommend when folks ask me (and sometimes even when they don't)

Of course there are options for printing and displaying and sharing, but just like the cars, you have to stop and actually _use_ this stuff sometime. :-)

HTH,

-brad b

posted 05-30-2002 12:02 AM                  

Is this Sony DSC-707 worth the money? It's listed at $999.95

Please see Specs

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howlercat@yahoo.com

posted 05-30-2002 12:03 AM                  

Thanks for the info.

I really like your last comment as I REALLY understand.

Kimo

posted 05-30-2002 06:24 AM                  

Don't miss a super deal!

Sassy

thank you

posted 05-30-2002 07:28 AM                  

Anything > 2 megapixel is pretty decent quality. Mine is capable of 5.2, but I don't use that quality because the storage is too much. Most of the pictures I have posted started at 1200 x 1600 resolution (that's approx 2 megapixel). I shrink images down to around 200 x 300 by the time I post them (usually) - and that's only around 0.05 megapixels.

My camera is a minolta dimage 7 with 5.2 mp resolution and 7x optical zoom. This is my 2nd digital camera. I've only had this one for a few weeks - and so far it works great, and I'd buy it again...

If you do a lot of closeups... you will want to consider optical zoom... and something to steady the camera. Two things are useful for steadying camera: (1) tripod or monopod ... or (2) remote control. I have a monopod. A remote control allows you to snap a picture without pushing a button and putting pressure on the camera (and moving the camera right when you needed it to be steady). Also depends on "how close"... less than I'd say 10 feet and you may need some way to steady the camera.

A neat feature that my camera has is silent movie-making... I can take about a minutes worth of continuous video, but it takes up a lot of storage!!

The camera that you are considering should be able to very easily do the same quality of images that I post.

On some images, I do some digital post-processing to crop and to enhance the color. All digital cameras come with software that assist with this sort of processing.

My old camera is olympus D400 zoom 1.3 mp, w/ 3x optical zoom. All of the images that I have posted could have been taken with this camera. I have printed 2 foot x 3 foot posters with 1.3 mp images - not the best quality for that size of image, but not too bad either. With a 1.3 megapixel camera, you can print 8"x10" and you would be hard-pressed to see the granularity of the pixels. (Most experts would recommend at least 2 megapixels for printed 8"x10" images.)

It sounds like the camera you are looking at might be a tad over kill for what you want, but you may grow into it too... I bought the minolta mainly for the optical zoom capability. I can stand closer or further away than most and get the same picture. I am able to take some pictures that others can't, because I have greater zoom capability and I have a wider field of view.

Higher resolution does assist with closeups, but it's not that important.

That's most of what I know... I did not comparison shop... I bought the first camera that I found with all the features that I wanted.

Make sure you get a USB interface and cable. (I think all digital cameras have this now).

any more questions... just let me know... I'll try not to be too long-winded next time ...lol...

later,
Damon. (VirginiaCatDude).

posted 05-30-2002 07:34 AM                  

Great info, thanks.

I saw SasyMama's post so I am going to wait and see what she lists for sale tonight in the classifieds and go from there.

Thanks again

Paul

posted 05-30-2002 07:36 AM                  

The Sony cameras are OK but I do not like the limited storage of the "Magic Stick" memory cards, largest available around here is 128 Meg, and they cost about 2 to 3 times the more per meg than the other media.

posted 05-30-2002 08:16 AM                  

I'm not a pro - I simply wanted something Small that could slip into my pocket at shows to take great pictures. One of my friend's (who is a pro) told me about Cannon's Digital Elph. I bought one and love it - it is very small. (be careful - others will tell you size is everything ! lol ). I did not want to lug a big camera around. This one will even fit in your pocket. I found the Digital Elph Powershot S200 for $349, 128MB card for $49 and extra Battery for $49 at Best Buy. Hope this helps. I love it and it takes great pictures. I need to post my KY pictures.... Been way too busy to sit and do it.....

John

posted 05-30-2002 09:09 AM                  

quote:

---

Originally posted by Kimo:
Paul:

Can you get good close up optical shots? There are some great shots available on cars with a good optical close up.

---

Yes, Kimo, you push a button on the camera, a little "tulip" icon appears your display and it will handle close-ups to about 2.5 inches on that setting with good clarity.

Someone above also mentioned silent video with their unit. For the record, the G2 does video in 2 different resolutions (your choose a resolution) AND AUDIO, TOO!

posted 05-30-2002 09:11 AM                  

If you plan on printing pictures larger than 5x7, you will need the larger pixel camera. Take a look at some of Dan's pictures - that camera is under 3Mp and the pictures are very clean, crisp and clear. The optical zoom on that camera is AMAZING.

The Sony will give you the larger megapixels but I didn't like the large lens and how it flopped around. It takes superior low light photos. The only thing that held me back from this camera was the lens.

I ended up purchasing the G2 and I love it. Everything that Paul told me about it is absolutely true and I was not disappointed in my purchase! In the long run, I am glad I chose it over the Sony, for more reasons than just the lens. The zoom is not as good as the Olympus but I don't need that feature too much. If I am going to use a zoom lens, I break out my 35mm with my telephoto.

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Cliff Watson

2K1 Mulholland, Colorshift Flames, Mud Flaps, TGF Side Panels, TGF Bumper Covers, Eric Wolf Chrome Tranny Cooler, Blueberry Shimmers, Front Ceramic Pads, Homemade Top Brace, SSS Muffler.
2001 Dakota SLT+ CC (Patriot Blue)
1998 Durango SLT+ (Intense Blue)
X - 1998 Honda Accord
X - 1991 Dodge Spirit
X - 1965 Ford Mustang (289)
X - 1994 Dodge Daytona Turbo
X - 1971 Ford Pinto (The Rust Bucket)

posted 05-30-2002 09:23 AM                  

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Yellow is DCOOLEST