Re: digital cameras

Posted by Bob M on January 29, 2004 at 08:32:46 from (165.170.128.65):

In Reply to: digital cameras posted by thurlow on January 29, 2004 at 06:43:33:

You probably won't get a consensus opinion on this one! However below are a few thoughts based on my experience over 4 years and 20,000+ (and counting…) digital images:

1 - Megapixels aren't everything. It's a trade off: More pixels = better image. But more pixels = less capacity on memory cards and hard drive. Depending on how you plan to use your images 2 - 3 megs may be more than adequate. If all you are going to do is email or share images online, 2 megs is fine. In fact you're just posting images on line will probably end up REDUCING resolution by 50% or more to keep file sizes reasonable while not sacrificing image quality. I've found I can create excellent quality 8"x10" prints from a 2 meg image. (Punch below for an album shot with a 2 meg camera then reduced to 1 meg before posting)

2 - Zoom. "Digital" just marketing hype. All it does is enlarge the center of the image and discard the rest resulting in a lower quality image. Optical zoom however is good - the more zoom the better. Recommend a minimum of 3x optical zoom.

3 - Batteries. I prefer cameras run on AA batteries as they are cheap and available anywhere. Some cameras however require proprietary rechargeable battery packs. A spare pack may cost $30 - $60 or more, and may be difficult to locate. You cannot buy replacements at the corner store! I use NiMh rechargeables (about $10 a set of 4) in my cameras due to the volume of photos I shot.

3 - Storage media choice. Some of the newer media (Secure Digital, etc) cards are so small I find them difficult to handle. And the small cards are more easily lost. My personal preference is for the more substantial media like Compact Flash. Cards are less inexpensive. And they are physically large enough (about the size of a book of matches) to be easily handled, even with cold fingers. Functionally however no card media has an advantage over another - they all work the same.

4 - Memory card reader. Forget about the data cable packaged with the camera to download images. Buy a card reader and plug it into the USB on your computer. To download images you stick the memory card into in the reader. The card then appears as another drive on your computer - you can copy, move, etc images quickly and easily. A reader can be purchased for about $20 - and sometimes are given away free with the purchase of a large capacity memory card.

5 - Ergonomics. Smaller digicams have a "wow" factor due to their compactness. But I find them difficult to use - and impossible to operate when wearing gloves. Suggest you try a few different size cameras and see what feels best in your hands.

I've used many different brands of digicams. My personal preference is Olympus and Canon. (BTW I work at Kodak. However the competition I feel offers superior digital camera offerings than does my employer...)

Cameras I currently own:
-Kodak DC210+ (1 megapixel, 2x zoom - now relegated to a daughter at college)
-Canon A60 (2 meg, 3x zoom)
-Olympus C2100 (2 meg, 10x zoom)

Good luck and hope this helps... (Incidentally my 35mm SLR has sat unused on the shelf since I got my 2nd digital camera!)

• sample image album

Follow Ups:

• Re: Re: digital cameras Frank 09:48:53 01/29/04 (0)

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