My 9 year old HP printer finally died, so I got a HP 8250 (to go with my AMD 2.8) and decided I need to move into the 21st century and get a digital camera to use for work, and family stuff. Like to keep it around $500. Been using Consumer Reports for the stats.
I need one with 7-8 megapix of resolution, so I can print 8X10’s. SLR size is fine with me, as I’ve had several Nikon’s and Canon’s, but I don’t want to mess with carrying lenses. Looked at some of the little-bitty ones, and I’d lose them in the truck. Most of the work pix would be of set up areas for cabs, etc. I’d also use it for photos to show to clients. The family stuff would be just grandkids, etc. or the latest drunken gatherings. I’d some fairly good macro capability to record details of installs and problems. Good flash for low-light areas too.
I’m looking at Olympus C-7070, 310, or 350. Sony Cyber-shot DSC-V3. I’m leaning toward the Sony, as I have a Sony Plasma, and could plug the memory sticks directly into the set. However, I don’t know what hassle or picture quality issues would be with using cables to the screen from the Olympus. The HP will accept most any storage media for printing.
Any experience’s with these or similar models or suggestions would be appreciated.
P. T Barnum said “there’s a sucker born every minute.”
Politicians replace “sucker” with “voter.”
NOTA.org
Replies
Just a quick FYI you only need 3 mega pixels to print clear 8x10's everything else is overkill. Eats up your card in the camera and space on the computer. Based on my experience you can't go wrong with the Canon's (I do the reviewing for work and have used Olympus, Kodak, Canon, Fuji and HP up to this point). No direct experience with the models you spoke of. Do a search for Steve's digcams , great web site with reviews and examples of photos
If you're shooting outside and in bad weather have a look at the Olympus (actually 5 mega pixel) that is waterproof, good performance and weather/water is a digital cameras worst enemy.
One issue to keep in mind is that digital zoom is the darkroom equivalent of enlarging, so you lose resolution. One of the Olympus models has a 10X optical zoom. If you think you would want that much zoom.
I have the Leica Digilux 1 and I love it. Very fast shutter response time (digital cameras are notoriously slow on shutter response) and a fast recycle time.
Oh and if the type of memory card matters to you, keep that in mind too.
Couple of Canonscheap from Dell.
http://www.spoofee.com/
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I've got the Olympus 3030............about 5 years old. I still use it every day to document job progress, etc. (Check out the "Barn Work" thread in the photo gallery, all my pictures were taken with the 3030.
It makes a great sales tool, has paid for itself many times over..........the old saying........a picture is worth a thousand words.......when a client can actually see what has been done before it can sell the job
I took a panaramic shot with the camera.........5 pictures and the software stitched them together to make 1 big shot.
I printed it out a a photo shop.......13" x 48", had them dry mount it, I matted and built a frame for it. Clear as can be, it looks like a pro did it.....(if I do say so myself)
More than a few times I've been asked "where'd ya buy that?"
I'm betting you can't go wrong with the 7070. I'll buy another Olympus when it's time. And mine only has 3.3 megapixel.....almost top of the line when I bought it.
Rod
The most important thing not mentioned thus far about the Olympus 7070 is that it has a true wide angle 28mm lens at the widest zoom setting. Most, if not all of the other's mentioned start their zoom at 35-38mm - Huge diff!Also, if you do not absolutely need a sub-compact camera - then stick with a larger one (IE: 7070 vs. Canon SD series) because the ccd is larger and you'll get much better quality images.I have the Olympus 7070 as my carry around camera and have been very happy with it. For the money, features and quality wise - it cannot be beat. One other thing - the battery on my Olympus lasts and lasts - I've had it for 6-8 months and charged it maybe 6-7 times. The wide angle is the true decision maker though, with the others you'll be hard pressed to be able to shoot anything indoors. Also, It will accept a super-wide attach lens which would come in handy if you did a lot of room photos.Stay away from Sony - the stupid memory sticks are proprietary and expensive.Basic tips -
digital zoom means nothing
tiny cameras = lesser quality
Buy only Canon, Olympus or Nikon - most of the others are very much consumer oriented, consumer quality - kinda like tools stick with the big 3-5 brands.
Sd cards or CF cards are cheaper than XD or memory stickJT
Have you tried to view pics on your TV directly from the 7070 with the AV cable?P. T Barnum said "there's a sucker born every minute."
Politicians replace "sucker" with "voter."
NOTA.org
Not a problem - works flawlessly.It does hunt a bit for focus in low-light, but not too bad and there are ways around that issue.Check out DPreview.com and Stevesdigicams.com for digital camera info and reviews.They may not have a direct review of the 7070, but helpful nontheless.I'd give it a 9 out of 10 rating - the wide angle is what seals the deal + it's got a multi-angle lcd which comes in handy in tight spots.I use it for taking ref. pictures for estimating and for detail ref. and before pics.
Did you buy it on-line? I've called every Best Buy, Circuit City, CompUSA,etc. in the area, and nobody has one. They've just got the 500VR with the 10X zoom.
Thanks again for your help.P. T Barnum said "there's a sucker born every minute."
Politicians replace "sucker" with "voter."
NOTA.org
While it can be done, the resolution of TV -- even the new HDTV -- is much lower than what digital still cameras give you. If you do it, remember that your pictures are actually much better than they look on a TV set.
-- J.S.
In case your looking for reviews.
http://www.steves-digicams.com/hardware_reviews.html
<Stay away from Sony - the stupid memory sticks are proprietary and expensive.>Guess I should stop shoving those cd-rws in my Mavica, especially the 2 dollar Memorex and Maxells<G>But tell me more about this wide angle Olympus 7070. Better yet, would you mind posting some pics from inside a house, like a bathroom? I can only get so much through the front door, while I'm laying in the yard<G> "what's in a name?" d'oh!
Apparently the C-7070 Wide Zoom is discontinued. The model that most nearly duplicates the features is the SP-350. It's 8 Mgpx with a mild WA lens of 38-114 mm, where the 7070 was 27-110. Got a larger LCD, and accepts rechargeables or AA's. $399.99. Saw it at Best Buy, and it looks pretty good.
tom.. just bought my wife the Nikon CoolPix 7900.. about $400..
my CoolPix 995 is a 3 meg.. takes great pics.. think about some of these "at-work" features
helens cm is very small , so very transportable... but it doesn't swivel
my older 995 is 3 times the size.. but the lens can swivel from the viewer..
you'd be amazed at the number of times you want a swivel action..
you can stick the camera down a hole and still see the viewing screen..
you can raise the camera over your head and still see the viewing screen....
you can also stick it in a jet-black crawl space... don't use a flash.. just take the pic..
there is enough ambient light to show everything
also... the resolution thing is very over rated.... a 7 meg camera is about 4 megs more than 99% of people will ever need..
i don't even remember where to put the decimal point..but anything you want to send email is going to be about 100... so why do you need a pic that is recording at 7000 ? almost every pic you see posted here on BT is displayed at 100 or less
we use digital in our CAD program for printing out on our HP500 DesignJet... i can get excellent pics at a .bmp resolution.....
i get the same excellence at .jpg... both color pics on our plans wow the customer...
what you reall need is stop-action.. that is my biggest complaint of digitals.... the effective lens speed is too slow for subject motion.. it works great for still subjects.. but any subject motion will end as a blur..
so... digitals don't do well with people..
go to a big camera store like Ritz.. and try them... especially little kids.. and group shots... really difficult tests of effective lens speed
and try and find a swivel lens camera to try... my first digital didn't have that feature... my next two both had it,....i'm pretty sure any future digital i buy will have a swivel / rotate lens featureMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
How is this for stop action with a digital?
Edited 11/10/2005 9:34 am by Shoeman
How about this - done with a tired, old 2.1 megapixel.
Great shot
Olympus does no longer make the 7070 but they have an 8080 which also has a wide angle lens I believe. The 8080 got rave reviews and won as best pro-sumer 8meg camera.
I have an old Olympus 3040 and it is just great. The only problem with the 3040 is I don't think that they make the memory(smart media) for it anymore. It has a super fast lens by digi-cam standards and great low light auto-focus.
Daniel Neuman
Oakland CA
Crazy Home Owner
outstanding.. doubt i could have done better with my old Nikon FM
what were you shooting ?Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
That was with a Canon digital Rebel.
Can shoot like that all day. Turn the swith to sports setting point and shoot. Can just hold down the button and it will pop off three shots in a row. Makes for some kinda fun shots of the neices and nephews behind the boat. Sit in the back and pop off a hundred shots or so. Blow up couple of the best ones to 8x10 and give them to the kid for their wall. Great gift.
Even my old sony has a burst mode. Three pics bang bang bang. Especially for action, I've gotten hummingboids buzzing each other...just wish I could find 'em<G> "what's in a name?" d'oh!
Thanks for the info. The higher the Mgpxl, the more you may enlarge a portion of a photo. This model allows you to store in "RAW (3264X2448)," format, then "size" the photo all the way down to 640X480 for transmission. The xD-Picture cards go to 1 Gb.
Coupled with the "mild" zoom, and the ability to "crop" without losing resolution seems like a very good option. Having a lot of experience with SLR's and some in 4x5's, it should be very flexible w/o the hassle of film speed changes and graininess when enlarging.
It will be interesting to see how to incorporate photos in AutoCad 2000 which I use a lot.
Don't be fooled by anything at Bestbuy - not the place to buy cameras. And although it may seem like a similar camera - it probably isn't even close.The 7070 has an all-metal body, a very good lens that's relatively fast and quite wide angle. Plus not mentioned earlier is one of the best things about it - it has a ton of external buttons that allow you to change common settings without fussing within the menu system - very cool in actual use.It was truly the last of Olympus' close-to pro quality digicams. They've actually changed their marketing and are now sticking with cheaper consumer models.Well worth finding.UPDATE: Just did some checking, and it seems that the 7070 has done a bit of tipsy turvy pricing... When first introduced, they were priced at close to $600-650. Then, Olympus slashed the price on them down to about $425 - wow, what a great deal - I bought one. Well now, because they can't seem to be found hardly anywhere - they are selling for over $600 on Ebay, and even close to $600 for refurbs.So, if wide angle is important to you - and it should be - then check out Dealcam.com and search for it, they only show one dealer that has it - techdepot.com - for about $480. If it's truly available new at that price then it's a great deal. If not, the next camera recommendation is the Canon S70 - Great camera as well, wide angle, quite a bit smaller, and excellent quality. They've just introduced an update (s80) so the s70 should be available and reasonable.It's in a different class, smaller, less durable, no pivoting screen, less external buttons = more menu based function changes. But still, one of the only out there with an excellant wide angle zoom - good for us kind of guys.JT
Didn't want to spend over $400 in case I drop it down a sanitary sewer, like I did a data recorder a few years back...$1200 in that case. And a HP-41CV which a dozer buried...along with a field book...
The C-7070 is only available mail-order here. Checked every camera store and electronics warehouse. Not gonna spend that kind of money without beind able to look at it. Think the 350 will do.
Thanks for the help.
check "the mall" at Nikon.com ... usually have great prices on factory reconditioned or discontinued cameras and assessories.
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
jeff, went to nikon.com no "mall" any better directions????
As a nikon guy am very interested...
Bud
Try this link for nikon http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=2&productNr=25521
Nikon 8400. comes with wide angle lens that is just enought for most projects. The main problem I have had with taking pictures indoors is I can't get back far enought with most cameras. It has a max of 8 megs per shot. Lots of features (still reading the book). If you go to http://www.nikonusa.com you can download the manual to look through.
Edited 11/8/2005 9:43 pm ET by USAnigel
For my money I couldn't be happier with the Canon S2 IS. Costco.com carries it for $450 and that's with their lifetime guarantee. The camera is a great 12x optical zoom with image stabilization. 5MP with a great lens. It has a swivel LCD screen and a great assortment of features which allow you to grow with the camera. One great feature is that it has an auto assist lamp. This allows the camera to focus correctly in low light situations. It takes incredible full light pictures and very good indoor/low light pics. It's not to bulky, making it easy to carry on your person.
Ask away if you have any more questions.
Ryan
Edited 11/8/2005 7:12 pm ET by ThinKerf
You don't need 7-8 mp to print nice 8x10. 4 mp, plus or minus a bit, will handle that nicely for all but the pickiest photographers.
I agree...7-8 megapixel not required. I use a Canon Powershot A70...3.2 million pixels...uses four standard AA size batteries, my case...NiMH, 2300 mAh rechargeables...save some $$$ and spend it on a larger memory card and warranty!! check out - dpreview.com...hope it helps.
rustbucket
Just checked "Best Buy"...Canon A520, 4.0 Megapixels...190.00...SanDisk memory, 512MB...57.00. At those prices...one for the truck...one for your honey!!
rustbucket
4-5 megapixels is enough. Check if batteries are common (and rechargeable is available) or are special.
Get the most optical zoom you can.
Go somewhere where you can try it out with your hands. Some cameras that look good on the spec sheet just don't fit your (or my) hands.
I got a Fuji 5100 on a Dell special offer deal ($200) and love it.
I did quite a bit of research before buying and found this website,
http://www.dcresource.com/
The reviews and info are amazing, and they dumb down the technical stuff so even I can understand it.
I bought the Sony DSC-W1 (5.1 megapixel) last fall. I think Sony has replaced it with the DSC-W5. The DSC-W5 and a 1 gb card should be available for around $500. There is also a 7.2 megapixel version that is available for an extra $50 or so.
After 2,800 pictures, I can say that I am completely happy with it for my purposes - job progress photos and personal use. I print 8x10s on our color laser printer at work and get 4x6 prints at Target or Wal-Mart. I attached a couple of examples from this summer. The files are about 3 mb each. Both were taken at the maximum resolution for 3:2 format (4x6 print) photos. Sony digital cameras (at least mine) require no software to transfer photos to your pc as long as you're using windows xp and either the usb cord or a memory card reader. We have a Canon Digital EOS that takes great pictures but it's big, bulky, eats batteries, and takes forever to download the pictures to the computer.
A couple things to be aware of:
1. My camera uses rechargable AA batteries. I have 2 sets of the Sony Ni-MH and the Sony 1 hour charger. I can usually get 100-150 photos out of a set of batteries (if i remember to shut it off during times when I'm not taking pictures). While it will use standard AA batteries, they die almost immediately after you start a new set. I keep a spare set of them in my case just in case both sets of rechargables die on me.
2. There are several types of Memory Stick media available. Make sure that the camera and the intended memory stick are compatible.
3. Buy a bigger memory card than you think you'll need. My 1 gb card will hold about 400 photos at maximum resolution. Sounds like a lot but it fills up fast if you don't clear the card every day.
Like someone else said, go to the store and get a feel for the ones you're seriously considering.
You actually can't go wrong with a Nikon D70 (thy've recently upgraded the "70" and a zoom lens. If you don't want a separate lens, then a Nikon 5000, 6000, 8000 type camera is excellent (NB, model numbers don't necessarily carry over between countries).
But, the truth is, virtually all the big brand-name cameras are fine.
Phill Giles
The Unionville Woodwright
Unionville, Ontario
I'll second the D70 having one of my own. If you're in the market for a digital SLR and don't want to pony up for the D70, give the D50 a look.
I second the Sony DSC W-1, 5.1 megapixels. I too did alot of research before replacing my older Kodak 2.1 megapixel. You might want to checkout http://www.cnet.com, great source for reviews on anything electronic.
The DSC W-1 has a large LCD viewing screen, can make movies(which you might not think you need, but comes in handy once you have it) and you can add accessories such as lenses, external flashes, etc.
Check out http://www.bhphotovideo.com, they are here in NYC, but they have internet/mail order sales. They are apparently the largest camera store in the world and I think you would be hardpressed to beat their prices. If you go there in person you can often haggle the price down. ( I'm actually going there today to get a lens for mine). Good luck with your purchase.
Tom,
My wife and I have several Digi's as well as film. Used them all a lot. For "fun", you are wasting money on anything over 3.0 megapixels/point and shoot. P&S cameras like that are idiot proof.
Now if you want to take the time to learn, the 8 MP Canon Rebel is a great camera, (I have one) BUT be forewarned, It will take bad pic's if you don't educate yourself as to how to use it. Awesome camera for the money though. It's definitely not a point and shoot. You can change lenses like an SLR, and have more settings than a traditional SLR film SLR.
WSJ
>>Looked at some of the little-bitty ones, and I'd lose them in the truck
FWIW, I carry mine (about the size of a pack of Luckies) in a pouch on my belt all of the time (even at church!)
Having it saved my azz after a fender bender, because it is always handy.
BTW, it is an antique and much larger than it needs to be.
I'm drooling over the Canon PowerShot SD500 Digital ELPH 7.1 Megapixel 3x Optical/4x Digital Zoom Digital Camera http://tinyurl.com/8fuz2
Let me know if you want the Consumer Reports info on that one. I'll shoot it to you.
">>Looked at some of the little-bitty ones, and I'd lose them in the truckFWIW, I carry mine (about the size of a pack of Luckies) in a pouch on my belt all of the time (even at church!)Having it saved my azz after a fender bender, because it is always handy.BTW, it is an antique and much larger than it needs to be.I'm drooling over the Canon PowerShot SD500 Digital ELPH 7.1 Megapixel 3x Optical/4x Digital Zoom Digital Camera http://tinyurl.com/8fuz2"I have a Canon digital Elph (a 4 megapixel model), and I bought it for the same reason. I keep it in the glove box of my car, and because of its cigarette-pack size it's easy to slip in my pocket and carry around when I need it. I use it mainly for construction site shots, but it works just fine for recreational photography as well.
Go with a true SLR. The nikon D50. It might be a bit higher than your price you posted but it's worth is weight in gold. SLR's have faster processors which means you dont get that horrible delay when you take a shot, the lenses are interchangeable and overall the picture clarity is 100% better.
SLR's have faster processors which means you dont get that horrible delay when you take a shot, "
TG,
Yes to a certain extent. What makes them fast is in bursts, is that they quickly write the data to an internal memory cache, then later to the memory card over a longer period of time. My Canon will do 3 pics/second, but takes 10 seconds to write it to the card after the cache is.full.
Also, the disadvantage of Digi SLR's is that your views are exclusively through the view finder vs. the LCD display as opposed to a P&S. Something to consider.
WSJ
Edited 11/10/2005 3:47 pm ET by WorkshopJon
Technically correct, yet I have never found a point and shoot that was faster at taking shots than an SLR. Nikon SLR at least.
With an SLR, viewing through the lens gives you a better perspective of what you are taking the shot of.
i was in Ritz today picking up an extra battery for my Nikon 995.. couldn't resist looking at the new and old lines..
set my heart on a D50 with a 18-55 lens.. $799.... there sure were some great cameras for $399 .. there was a 6 meg CoolPix 6500 ( swivel ) that i almost left the store with... thought i should hold off until i see what i get in my stocking for christmas
i still have my twin-lens reflex.. and my Nikon FM ( 1973 ) .... this 995 is my third digital...
and the way they've progressed.. i'm ready for the D50Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Technically correct, yet I have never found a point and shoot that was faster at taking shots than an SLR."
Nikon SLR at least.
Tool.
Totally correct, but there is a learning curve. If one thinks they can buy a digi SLR and get better pic's than a P&S, they are wrong, IF they don't lean how to use it..
WSJ
Definitely. Having an SLR or even a great p.s. doesnt make you a better photographer. I totally agree. you have to learn how to use it to get the most out of it.
"overall the picture clarity is 100% better."Yep. Too often folks assume the higher the resolution the better the photo. In the case of the digital SLRs, image quality is typically better than a higher resolution P&S. The most important advantage to an SLR is the glass on the front. I don't care how high the resolution is on a P&S, you are still getting an inferior lens - except maybe for the digital Lieca.With an SLR, you are getting a much better lens even when buying a lower grade product.Of course when its all said and done, the P&S are still great cameras and more than sufficient for anything but pro use.That said, I've got a cheap Nikon 5700 in great shape if anyone is interested. I replaced it with the D70 a while back and never got around to selling it. Now I'm thinking about moving up to the D2X. Kind of like boats, once you've got one its never good (big) enough.
I'm newcomer to this forum, but if you don't mind I'll toss in my 2.4 cents worth.
I've got an Olympus C7000 (7 megapixal, 5x optical zoom), and I'm happy with it. The only way it would make me happier was if it was water proof. In RAW mode with a 256 X-D card you'll get 24 shots, and when your down to 640x480, you've got 1065 shots. You can also shoot short video, black and white, panoramic along with auto or manual modes.
As to the cable to the computer question. Just plug the two in, the Olympus master software (that comes with the camera) opens, and you download which ever pictures you like.
I'm not trying to make you buy the C7000 because all the major camera makers make good products, and it comes down to what you need, want ,can afford, and like. Just keep doing research and don't buy on impulse. Enjoy enjoy whatever you buy.