Lars Porsenna Posted January 27, 2004 Share Posted January 27, 2004 I'm seriously thinking about getting a digital camera, so I can start taking some pictures and E-baying the ones I want to get rid of (GW). What kind should I get? What kind of features? What other equipment should I invest in (besides a tripod)? Damon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pae Posted January 27, 2004 Share Posted January 27, 2004 Whatever you get, make sure it has a good macro function. To take really good pics of minis, you'll have to be able to get up close and personal with them. Really. A matter of inches between the lens and the mini. I have a Fuji FinePix 2800, which is a few years old, and isn't too bad. However, the only digital cameras I've looked at recently have been digital SLRs, which are probably alot more than you'd want to pay for as a first digital camera. I'm sure others will have some suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodnik Posted January 27, 2004 Share Posted January 27, 2004 I just bought a kodak easyshare 6440. It was on sale with the one touch charging cradle for about $350--although some places online were selling 'em for around $270. I did some comparisons with Sony, Canon, etc , and it was a fairly decent camera relative to the others in it's price range. Some of the stuff I didn't understand....basically because I'm new to dcs What I don't like, but accepted (to a degree). The initial memory that comes with the camera is internal---non-removable. The easyshare software (it's a freebie). It has limited functionality and it doesn't reflect the true picture. I messing around with Paint Shop Pro 8 by JASC--I may buy it if I can figure out how to frame my pictures the way I want 'em. It's a nice alternative to adobe, it seems, since the price is only around $70. A few things I did like The macro goes to 3.9" has a 4x optical zoom--this is a nice feature simply because the digital zoom seems to zap picture quality in a hurry. 4 megapixel. Most of the functionality can be automically determined by the camera or manually set. This will allow me "grow" into the camera. I purchased my SLRs with the same goals in mind, and it worked out better in the long run. The lcd display is user friendly...you set the switch to the type of picture, and it gives hints on what conditions you would use that setting. I would do some in-store comparisons---hit best buy and have the salesman show you the stuff side by side. Take a mini with you and say "if you know so much, mr. salesman, then take a good picture of THIS!". Then whip out the mini and relish the panic-stricken look that jumps onto his skull! (I hates me some salesmen). Make the poor bastege jump through hoops and then finish the day with, "Thanks, I was just looking..." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jordahn Posted January 27, 2004 Share Posted January 27, 2004 I have a Sony Cybershot DSC-P10, and I love it. Here is a link for specs... DSC-P10 It'll cost you around $400 if you are willing to spend that much. I paid $500 for it last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeFall Posted January 28, 2004 Share Posted January 28, 2004 Just bought a 1 year old Minolta Dimage hi7 off a friend for $350. They sell new for about $600, but you can get them on Ebay around the $400 mark. This is an awesome camera! 5.2 megapixels, great optical zoom and an perfect macro feature. I've tried abunch of cameras and this is the best one I've found, next to her Conon digital Rebel she just bought, but I'm not spending $1200 to take mini pics. Other equipment? Lighting! Proper lighting is the main key. This is where I am having trouble right now. Make sure you have a very good WHITE light source. I'm usign my two paitning lamps which only have 60 watt incandescent bulbs, and my pics come out very yellow. A little zap with the color correction and they come out fine, but it is annoying. Also, invest in a good photo editing software. I'd strongly suggest Photoshop or Photoshop Elements. Elements is just a scaled down version of PhotoShop, and will probably work out great for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lars Porsenna Posted January 28, 2004 Author Share Posted January 28, 2004 Thanks for the replies. I see a lot about "megapixels" which I guess is an indicator of how many pixels a picture taken with one of these is composed of (more pixels, more detail). What is considered the base minimum for this value? Thankfully I already have Photoshop. My dad works in the software biz, so I get a lot of demos/freebies/samples/etc. Damon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragon Snack Posted January 28, 2004 Share Posted January 28, 2004 Seeing as I have a 1.2 megapixel, I can tell you it's MORE than that. I think the BARE MINIMUM is 2 megapixels, since that's were you can really start to see the detail in peoples pics. The more the merrier though, especially if you are going to be cropping the pic to show detailed areas of your mini. Not to highjack your thread, but Staples has a Fuji FinePix S3000 on sale this week for $300. It's only 3.2 megapixels, but it has 6X optical zoom. I plan on checking it out, you could also. flynn, you say your FinePix 2800 is isn't too bad. What do you mean by that? It's not a very glowing recommendation... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pae Posted January 28, 2004 Share Posted January 28, 2004 About my FixePix 2800 -- it's really a good camera. The only things I don't like about it are the fact that it's only 2.0 Megapixels, and that the color balance settings don't seem to get the color correction correct under most lighting conditions. Well, a couple of other things. I only have the one lens, though the 6x optical zoom is nice. I can't use filters with the lens. My film camera is a Pentax SLR, and I really got used to being able to swap out lenses, use filters, and play around with aperture/shutter settings. These features aren't available in most low-end digital cameras. Then again, most point-and-shoot film cameras don't allow this either. I guess what I'm trying to say is that the FinePix 2800 is a really good camera if you are used to using a point-and-shoot film camera. If you are coming from the SLR school, you'll want something more. That's why I just bought a new digital camera. I'll post more about it later in a separate thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sivousplay Posted January 28, 2004 Share Posted January 28, 2004 Well, from my experience quality is directly proportional to $. You have to decide how much quality you can afford. I finally broke down and got one of the new digital SLRs from Canon ... the D10. It's 6.3 Mpixel and allows you to switch lens which is obviously cool for letting the shutterbug in you get out, but it comes at a pretty steep price as well. The prices on these are coming down and Canon has recently released it's Rebel as a digital SLR ... it's about $800 before lens and it has most of the same features as the more expensive 10D. I went with the D10 because a friend has one and having a "living/breathing reference manual" was worth the extra price. If you'd like to know more about the camera, I'd be happy to blather on more ... it's truly awesome. jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pae Posted January 28, 2004 Share Posted January 28, 2004 Yeah, the D10 is very nice. I was thinking about that one as well. I ended up getting the Pentax *istD, simply because then the lenses for it would be interchangable with the ones I have for my film SLR, the Pentax ZX-50. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lars Porsenna Posted January 28, 2004 Author Share Posted January 28, 2004 Unfortunately, if I had $800 to spend, I wouldn't need to be paying on my CCs right now! I'm hoping for something decent in the $300-$400 range, which is approximately what my tax return will be (I think, haven't sat down and done my taxes yet). Damon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeFall Posted January 29, 2004 Share Posted January 29, 2004 My wife's best friend (the one that sold me the Minolta) just bought the Rebel, and we have a D5 here at work. The big difference with these is that they are a true SLR style "body". This means you can switch out real lenses just like a normal 35mm camera. Still, there are some difference and traps with this that you have to be aware of, such as lens stabilization. That said, after carefully weighing my options, I just couldn't justify spending $1300 to get a body and stabilized macro lens just to take vacation photos and mini closeups. Wish I could though. This Minolta is working great. I wouldn't get anything less than a 3.2 megapixel. What I like about this 5.2 is combined with the macro capability, I never have to use my digital zoom. I usually dont even shoot 5.2 right now because I don't have a big enough card yet. I shoot at what is the equivalent of a 4 MP and I stillhave plenty of space to crop and size it down to a web friendly dimension. If you are looking to take mini pics here is what I would look for, bare minimum... 3.2 MP 3x OPTICAL zoom (digital zoom isn't as important) MACRO MODE (this is almost a must if you want ot take real sharp details. Probably the most important feature, IMHO) Right now you can get the Dimage 7 like I bought on Ebay for under $400. In the stores they are still selling for around $600. As a side note, the other camera I looked at wasthe FinePix. It was only 3.2 MPs, but had a nice Optical zoom. I can't recall, but I believe it also had a macro mode. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lars Porsenna Posted January 29, 2004 Author Share Posted January 29, 2004 If you are looking to take mini pics here is what I would look for, bare minimum... 3.2 MP 3x OPTICAL zoom (digital zoom isn't as important) MACRO MODE (this is almost a must if you want ot take real sharp details. Probably the most important feature, IMHO) Thanks Freefall, that was pretty much the info I wanted... Damon, waiting patiently for his tax return... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pae Posted January 29, 2004 Share Posted January 29, 2004 Not only is digital zoom not as important as optical zoom, I'd say that it is irrelevant. Just about every image-editing software package I'm familiar with gives you the ability to enlarge your image, which is all a digital zoom does. But who really wants to pixellate their image by blowing it up? That's why optical zoom is all that really matters. With optical zoom, you are magnifying your subject, but aren't adding any pixelization at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
House of Dexter Posted February 4, 2004 Share Posted February 4, 2004 Good suggestions... Here's some more suggestions...going from a SLR to a FinePix 6800Zoom...The things I miss 1)Shutter Speed 2)Aperature Size 3)F Stop Alot of digital camera's allow you access to these setting inderectly...but not directly...So keep that in mind... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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