DW and I are considering a digital camera purchase.
One feature I would like is a wider angle lens for taking inside pics of my handywork, kitchens and the like.
Anyone out there with reccomendations?
Heard good things about the HP photosmart line.
Not looking to spend more than 400$
We dont need a lot of mega pixels as most pics will probably be posted here or on a web site.
Thanx in advance
Mr T
Do not try this at home!
I am an Experienced Professional!
Replies
I've got an Olympus C-3000(3.3 megapixels). Was rated quite highly in Consumer Reports and price has probably dropped significantly since I purchased it. Be warned tho, the directions are a small um, norvella. <g>
The more pixels the better, I believe. My waterlotus photo is phenomenal and I've gotten some butterfly closeups that are superb.
Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and quite delicious accompanied by a balsamic and raspberry reduction, garlic mashed potatoes, smoked applewood gouda, a cold glass of Lynfred pear wine and something decadent for dessert.
I have a similar model to Plantlust, and I am very happy with it. Much easier to use than I expected....that's not a mistake, it's rustic
>> The more pixels the better, I believe.
Ditto that. You can always reduce resolution if you need to, but increasing resolution is difficult.
I bought the Toshiba PDR-M25. I bought it thinking that it would be good for lots of things, including taking pics of my projects. As the other posters suggested, it has 'lots of pixels' -- this has to do with how sharp the pictures will be (the resolution).
The Toshiba, although a good camera, is not the wide-angle device that you are hoping for, even at its widest'angle setting.
Note that I am quite happy with it other that than one aspect.
Psstt- Oh man you left your pry and hammer on the bare porcelin of the tub.
What a pinhead! No wonder your Rooster attacks you!
Do you scold him when he forgets to lift the lid on the commode?
:-)
I went over to snap some pics of Fred's harem today but they had the place shut up tighter than a a a they had they place shut up.
My wife and I got a sony mavica fd 73 for a wedding present 4 years ago and at one point upgraded to a Nikon Coolpix thinking we wanted better resolution.
We discovered that for the family photo album my wife still preferred the old school film camera but for emailing photos and documenting projects the Sony mavica was incomparable in its user friendliness. The Nikon had a wealth of features but it was just to much to keep track of. We returned it after using it for two weeks and continually being frustrated with it.
The biggest frustration I have with all digital cameras (other than sony mavica)I have tried is that there is a noticeable delay between hitting the shutter release and the camera recording the image. For example my son is making a hilarious face as I hit the shutter release and when I see the image recorded he has already turned his head so all I get is a side profile or the back of his head.
I don't have that problem with the sony and I really appreciate the fact that it records on a floppy disk as I can carry a few extras around should I take more photos than anticipated. Also I don't have to load them onto my hard drive or burn a cd in order to free up memory to take more photos.
Any one who values "cutting edge" technology should scoff at my mavica with less than a mega pixel of resolution but it does everything I want a digital camera to do and the lack of shutter delay is more important to me than the resolution.
Check ebay as they seem to go for around a hundred bucks. If you go this route get a spare rechargeable battery while you are at it.
I attached a photo taken with it
I bought a Photosmart 215 about a year and a half ago. Goog Inexpensive camera. However you can't use rechargable batteries. If you use the view screen instead of the birdhole view it really eats the batteries.
If they allow rechargable batteries now, it would be a good buy. If not, keep looking.
P.S. rechargable batteries fry the circuits in the camera. Yes, I know from experience. (sigh)
Ward
Have and still own an old Nikon - geez I loved that camera. Then 1 1/2 years ago I bought a Sony 3.2 pixels, took me about 3 weeks to understand it, still don't know all the features, but there is no going back to the Nikon. Photos are A-1, and I can correct the shots. It has a good zoom lens, not sure why you would want a wide angle, but many of the top of the line digitals have various lenses available, so look and choose.
Edited 3/22/2003 7:31:54 PM ET by Zano
Mr T, I bought a Canon A40 for work, its been terrific, compact, rechargable batterys, auto lens cover, interchangable lenses. good pics.
A good site to check reviews both pro and public is http://www.dpreview.com
good luck, Cheers John
I have a Nikon Cool Pix 2.3 mega pix. I have learned a lot since I bought it. I am happy with it. A few recommendations follow.
1. Almost any of the cameras has enough pix for E-mail, but if you ever want to blow up an 8x10 print you need a minimum 2.3 meg.
2. Buy a camera made by a camera company to get a real lens. (Nikon, Minolta, Olympus etc.)
3. Forget about digital zoom only optical zoom counts. Digital zoom is just cutting off part of the picture and not using those pixels.
4. Make sure it has a rechargeable battery. Replacing batteries will either send you to the poor house or stop you from using it.
5. Something I just learned. The memory cards have different speeds. They make a big difference in how fast you can take pictures. They are rated from 1X all the way up to 32X. The price goes up with the X's but don't settle for 2X or 4X
I've used several. Didn't like the Olympus - couldn't get sharp shots with it (althoiugh I now suspect I had a bum camera) and I can't even renmeber the 1st two. Ididn't like its software, either.
I really like my Canpn Powershots (Digital Elphs)
2 megapixals, which is very good up to 5x7 and pretty good for 8x10
I like it's rechargable battery - lasts a long time, but is propreitory, so if you need backup, you'll have to buy a second one - can't just slip in some store boughts.
I also like it's size - about the size of a pack of cigarettes, so it's easy to always have on me.
It was hard finding a carrying case small enough to fit it, so it now rides on my belt sharing a carrying case with my cell phone.
A recent pic:
_______________________
"I may have said the same thing before... But my explanation, I am sure, will always be different." Oscar Wilde
Bob, did you sneak a picture of one of 4Lorn's wiring jobs? :-)
Bob, did you sneak a picture of one of 4Lorn's wiring jobs? :-)A picture is worth 1000 words {G}_______________________
"I may have said the same thing before... But my explanation, I am sure, will always be different." Oscar Wilde
Hey you passed!
nice work dude!Mr T
Do not try this at home!
I am an Experienced Professional!
T,
Doesn't matter what you buy, 6 months down the road it'll be cheaper, so on that note, try and buy the best you can afford.
I bought the Olympus 3040 and am very happy with it. Although I wish I'd waited for the 4040. But then I'd have lost 6 months of learning. Once you get one you'll see that you'll start taking pics of things you never thought you would just to try it out.
Are those Sony Mavica's STILL around? Tried one out briefly, got maybe 6-7 pics on it, the pics were horrible, and the menu wasn't user friendly. Or maybe I'm just used to what the Olympus offers.
Who has bought a boat and never wanted a bigger (better) boat?
Here's a pic of a picture I took with the Olympus. Used their software and stitched 5 pics into a panaramic. Matted and framed it myself, used some old Chestnut I had hanging around.
View Image
Looks like par for the course around here on older homes. You have to love the Federal Pacific panel with the uninsulated splice effect. The Maxwell House junction box is a classic.
The Maxwell House junction box is a classic.
Yeah, I love that one!
I left out all of the corroded breakers and just pulled pics from about 2 months worth of pics. Someday, I'm going to catalogue all of my earlier shots, becasue I have somne real doozies for most of the residential component systems._______________________
"I may have said the same thing before... But my explanation, I am sure, will always be different." Oscar Wilde
I can see it now...The phone rings and you take a picture of your ear.
I can see it now...The phone rings and you take a picture of your ear.
LOL!_______________________
"I may have said the same thing before... But my explanation, I am sure, will always be different." Oscar Wilde
Canon PowerShot S200 Digital Elph ........... about $300, 2.1 megapixel, very compact (will fit in your shirt pocket), all metal body (rugged), has macro. http://www.powershot.com/powershot2/s200/
Any digital is worth it's cost.
Imagine having a record of all aspects of your project.
Like: just where were those drains/conduits/outlets/etc.
Down load all to a CD along with all project costs, contracts and correspondence and you will always have a complete project record for future reference i.e., new job estimates, questions from home owners or in a worse case support for a legal case.
I just bought an Olympus D-550 ZOOM. It cost $280. through B&H in NYC. My fiance' did a pretty good amount of research on the subject (my fiance' is really into photography, I won't even get into how much conventional [SLR film] stuff she has. Anyway, initially all I wanted was a camera that could take photo's to post on the web, which can easily be had for ~$120. However, after looking into it, for about a little over double the price, you can get a significantly better camera. The D-550, which is 3 megapixils, offered a host of features including the ability to take movies and act as a webcam, and a very user friendly memory card (no need to plug the camera into your PC, just slip the card into a permanently installed "mini drive" that is like a miniature floppy [up to 128meg.]) I see you are looking for something with a wide angle lens. That's asking a lot for a point and shoot, as they typically have relatively small lenses, and even if they have the capability, I tend to think would cause a lot of distortion of the image. If you need a wide angle image for a post you could use the movie feature and do a slow pan. In any event, I am extremely pleased with the D-550 and would strongly recommend it. Also, no matter what you decide, check out B&H. They are probably the largest photo video store in the world and their prices are unbeatable. They have an excellent web site and great customer service. It took two days for us to get the camera (shipped to WI). To access their web site or get in touch with them:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com
420 Ninth Avenue
New York, NY 10001
800-606-6969
212-444-6615
By the way, they typically sell for less than mfr. allowed prices, so you have to e-mail (instantaneous) for a price.
Jon
Edited 3/22/2003 10:16:55 PM ET by WorkshopJon
Edited 3/22/2003 10:18:04 PM ET by WorkshopJon
I don't have a digital camera. I have one of those Advanced Photo System cameras. They have the "panoramic" option. I like the camera a lot and I use the panoramic format occasionally. But I sure wish I had a zoom. I learned very quickly that if you really want to show off good work, tight shots of the details will do it a lot better than wide shots.
Next camera I buy, digital or otherwise, will have to have an optical zoom.
Another day, another tool.
these pictures i took with the sony digital still camera dsc-s85 w/4.1 mega pixel after a few weeks i'm still learning but so far the bells and whistle's make the camera a pretty decent buy at the high 400.00 dollar mark. there some pictures of a box i made for my wiiliam-hussey knives, obviously it's un- finished.... good luck bear
Wide Angle is expensive and not necessary. You need some decent software. I use Adobe Photoshop Elements ... reasonably priced after rebates. If You need a wide angle shot, you take two pictures from the same spot that overlap a little. The software will "STICH" them together without the fisheye distortion that you get from a wide angle lens.
I just bought the Olympus C 5050 for $509 total w/ delivery. Lists for 999 and sells locally for about 6-7. I also paid no tax. It was from a company called Buydig.com.
I personally had fast delivery with no complaints so far. 5.something megapxals with movie/sound mode and the stitch thingy and all kinda other options with it.
Seemed like a good deal.check out their site......better than Ebay. I hung out on Ebay for several weeks but no worthwhile deals being that DC's are so sought after
BE digitally inept
Namaste
andy"As long as you have certain desires about how it ought to be you can't see how it is." http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
got one myself a couple of months ago, its an olympus d520 around 350 canadian, some pictures i downloaded are in the photgallery under "kitchen i recently finished
its a 2.0 megapixel which seems to be plenty forgeneral use
I have a Kodak that was a Consumer Reports "Best Buy". It works alright, main complaint is that sometimes we have to take the batteries out, rub the ends a little, and put them back in, in order to get it going.
Our camera (the others in my office use it, too) is used for online pics only. Our experience is that you do not need a high resolution camera for online pics. In fact, trying to get extremely good resolution is the main reason reason why lots of pics load so slowly. Yes, I know you can use a high-res camera on a low-rez setting, but why pay for what you don't need? My two web consultants (one handles search engine placement and the other site maintenance) both say having slow loading pics is a primary reason that people don't keep viewing a site. Everybody wants it fast!
If you want to print photo quality prints, you'll need a higher-rez camera and access to a really good printer and paper.
It doesn't matter how fast you get there, it just matters that you go in the right direction.
Resolutions needed depend on your intended use. Most of the photos I take are printed at a fairly small size in printed reports, and a fairly low res is OK.
In some cases, though, I need to print a larger size, so I always shoot at a higher resolution for possible future use, then dreduce size for anything going on the web._______________________
"I may have said the same thing before... But my explanation, I am sure, will always be different." Oscar Wilde
I've got a Kodak and have had the same battery problem. Lately it's been getting worse and becoming more and more unreliable and often won't sstay on long enough to get a picture, or will make all the motions and sounds and flash for a picture and I get nothing. REAL frustrating....now I've gotta do the warrantee thing.
Get that resolved and I think I'll shop for something different. I'm using it too much in my work now...I'm addicted to the instant convenience.