Digital camera - any suggestions?

[Dog paws]

I'd like to buy a digital camera for job site photo's. Any recommendations as to what type of camera this computer illiterate, don't know nuttin bout cameras type of guy should be looking at. After reading some posts I guess I'm going to need new software?

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[Cami A]

Do not buy HP cameras...Do not buy HP cameras...Do not...

I have a Kodak that I like.

Not sure what you mean about new software. The camera should come with the software you need to install the "photo transfer program". (How you get pics from camera to you 'puter and then delete the pics so you can take more.)

If you have Windows XP, it comes with a 'generic' camera software that's easy to use.

After you get the camera, you'll take a few pics and notice they come out HUGE. If you don't already have a program to resize and brighten your pics, try this nice free program: Irfanview (http://www.irfanview.com). Much better than the byte-hog "Picture It" program that comes packaged with so many cameras now.

And after you get the camera, we'll work on finding a place to upload all your pics so you can show the world...

[Bud Cline]

Dog paws,

Get a Sony Mavica FD83. Learn how to operate it with precision.

Then teach me how to use mine.

[JC]

Gotta Kodak 4900 4.0 mg myself I like it now that I am kinda figuring it out.

Thanks for that link Cami..I knew there was a better way the one at a time through Adobe..really sucked resizing and setting up the web pages....now if only I could upload 10 at a time somehow through the ifloor software..hmmm

[John Bridge]

I think a 4 meg is overkill. I've been tellin' you your pics are too big, JC. :)

I own a 2.1 megapixel Olympus with a 2X optical zoom. About $300. For the Internet I operate it at 1.3 megapixels, because that's all the Internet can display anyway.

I like Adobe software, and that's what I use on this site.

I also have a "reader" that comes with it's own driver. The reader saves the batteries in your camera. You take the medium (smart, flash, whatever,) out of the cam and put it in the reader, which is plugged into your computer. A reader with software runs less than fifty bucks.

Bud,

I have the original Mavica (640 X 480 res.). Many of the older pics on the site were done with it. New it cost around $800 (moons ago).

I wouldn't bother with the newer ones. At the higher resolutions they won't store many pics on the floppy or the CD either.

One thing, though. I just wish you could use Sony battery packs in other cams. Sony batteries are superb.

[azgunn]

I just bought a Sony Cybershot DSC-P30 at Ultimate Electronics. 1.3 megapixels 2x optical & 3x digital zoom.
Cost $195. $213 with tax.

Easy to use after I figured out how to turn it on!!!
Have to hold down the power on button for over a second to get it to start up. I guess this keeps it from accidentally turning on in the camera case.

Bad thing with all digitals is they are hard on batteries.
I took about 40 pictures and uploaded them to computer. Total on-time of camera was about 1.25 hours and that completely ate up 2 new AA batteries.

I just bought a rapid charger and 8 Ni-MH 1800mah batteries from batteriesnchargers@onlybatteries.com for
$34 (that includes slow-boat-from-china shipping).
Charger will charge 4 batteries in 1-2 hours whereas most standard chargers take 10-12 hours. These batteries are the highest rated AA batteries on the market with no memory issues to worry about.

Now I just have to figure out how to get my pictures posted.

[Bud Cline]

John, do want to critique the Cybershot azgunn just bought? Surely it doesn't meet with your approval either.

[Cami A]

Azgunn, here's a link to a short tutorial (http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages/?msg=21016.2) on how to use Hyperphoto, one of the many free photo storage places.

Check to see if there's an adapter so you can plug in your camera for transferring/deleting photos.

[azgunn]

Thanks Cami.

I am a mindspring/earthlink dial-up user and have 10mb of free web space with my account. I just figured out how to use ws_ftp to upload my files so I should be set.

Funny part is I develop large client server applications in visual basic & sql server for police departments across the US. You know how these "mud men" hate change well programmers aren't much different. I have never tried my hand at web developement and am just now looking into it. I kept hoping the web would just go away as a software development platform but once again I lose. Time to buy some books.

Mike

[Cami A]

Of course, I keep forgetting that the links will only work if you're signed up with that forum...You can also go to Hyperphoto (http://hyperphoto.photoloft.com/canon.asp?s=cano) directly. It's really pretty simple. The image quality isn't stunning, but it's well worth what ya pay for it!

I like that you can easily get different sized photos to link to, and that you can easily do linked thumbnails on boards that use html.

Single unreduced photo upload time is about 3 minutes on a 56K dialup.

Then you can post random pics everywhere you like on the web...for instance, here's the garage floor- Jack and I laid the pex for heating yesterday.

http://hyperphoto.photoloft.com/view/exportImage.asp?s=cano&i=9623537&w=350&h=233

See? You can force total strangers to look at really dull pics! Isn't the web great! :D

[Cami A]

Ummmm...never mind about the cheater html if you're a programmer. I think you'll do fine... :rolleyes:

[Bud Cline]

Cami is your garage built on a hillside?

[Cami A]

Steep slope for snow removal.... :D

[JC]

I get plenty of pics with the 128 meg chip it in I get about 112 pics at that high resolution.
John you should see them before I shrink them for the net..The ones you were seeing are at 10, they were at 34!

I have a qeustion though..I do have a setting on the camera to change that to lower pixels..my question is that if I do lower it to a lower resolution ..lets say 1.3 then is that the exact same thing as me rezizing it to a smaller size? in regards to picture quality?

In other words if I set it lower so that I don't need to resize them will the pics be just as clear as shinking them...still learning..JC

[John Bridge]

Don't kid yourself. That's an interesting pic. Looks like you have plenty of re-bar in the floor. I also notice that the exterior wall seems to be solid osb. Is there a second story over the garage?

Bud,

I have opinions, and I express them. Nobody needs to worry about whether things meet with my "approval." :)

[John Bridge]

JC,

That's exactly right. My 2.1 cam makes pictures 22 inches across when I run it at the lower quality. I've never used the high-quality feature. Mike's 1.3 takes the same pictures as mine for less money. Additionally, my camera won't even run on regular batteries. They have to be the rechargeable type, and it takes four instead of his two. :)



Don't use the type of shrinking where you just grab the margin and pull. That distorts everything. Use something like Adobe or the one Cami uses to actually "resize." Your pics will still be top quality on the net. You'll have a good clear downloadable shot when you get it to less than 70 klicks. Over a hundred, a lot of folks won't wait for.

[Cami A]

Yes, John, that's osb.
Saved the plywood for the subfloors- our budget is not unlimited. Although it does look like lots of rebar, we didn't want the tubing to drop to the bottom. Nearly 300 zipties...and I'm feelin' it today!:D

There's some attic storage over most of the garage, and then a few feet of the upstairs guest bedroom (for visiting tilers and other beer-drinking friends and assorted miscreants...)

[Edited by Cami A on 06-14-2002 at 09:09 PM]

[John Bridge]

Had to check the definition of that word "miscreant." Still not sure what it means. ;)

[Cami A]

miscreant \MIS-kree-unt\, noun:
A vile wretch; an evildoer; a villain, rascal.

We have a wide range of friends and relatives... :D

[John Bridge]

Whew, when you mentioned those evil folks in the same breath as tile setters I got a little worried. Sure glad you cleared it up. ;)

[Sonnie Layne]

Hey John, another cool lesson in Opera...!!

Hilight the word miscreant from above. Press right (or secondary) mouse button and you can look it up in a dictionary or encyclopaedia! You can even translate it to another language or vice versa. Now if they'd include a poet's dictionary I'd be floatin above easy street and gain a few inches of desk space.

Here's the result I got:

mis•cre•ant

Pronunciation: (mis'krE-unt), [key]
—adj.
1. depraved, villainous, or base.
2. Archaic.holding a false or unorthodox religious belief; heretical.

—n.
1. a vicious or depraved person; villain.
2. Archaic.a heretic or infidel.