digital cameras

Discussion in 'Computer Science & Culture' started by djkmoney, Oct 18, 2004.

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  1. djkmoney Registered Senior Member

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    so i think im going to be buying a camera here soon, i was just wondering what i should really be looking for and what brands you people think are good and worthwhile. any help would be awesome
    thanks
     
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  3. tablariddim forexU2 Valued Senior Member

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    What's your budget? What is the purpose of the camera?
     
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  5. djkmoney Registered Senior Member

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    umm my budget it really whatever i want to spend i guess $500ish umm its for taking portfolio pictures and landscapes and friends...
     
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  7. djkmoney Registered Senior Member

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    im thinking about getting the NIKON 8700 COOLPIX probably more than i need but I fouind it for a really good price
     
  8. Stryder Keeper of "good" ideas. Valued Senior Member

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    I went witha Kyocera Finecam S5, the camera itself is good IF you can take the picture without a few faults cropping up.

    Firstly theres "blur" as you should all be aware its caused by motion, on a normal camera this only really occurs if you're moving it about, however I find it occurs while trying to hold the camera steady, usually caused by pressing the button to take the picture or by moving the camera away after the picture too soon.

    The cure for that is using the 3 second timer for the button push, this gives you 3 seconds to hold the camera steady, removing the blur caused by pushing the button. As for moving the camera too soon, it just means being a little more patient.

    The blur is lessened however if you use the flash, it seems the blur is more likely to occur in poor lighting conditions. (It's kind of interesting to work out how the pixels define the colour/shade and how the process has to decide what is what all has to occur in the time it takes to take the picture.)

    It has a few cool extras like increasing the exposure time and being able to take some film footage, however that only lasts for as long as your media does, so you can guess with a 256mb card and of course the limitation of power you could get perhaps a 30min home video at webcam kind of level.

    Nowadays though, most of the camera functions can be found on a mobile phone which you can then "send" via e-mail or bluetooth to your computer.

    It's really dependent on if you want a professional camera or just something to take some snapshots every now and then. (Mines not really a Pro cam, it's a pocket cam)
     
  9. cosmictraveler Be kind to yourself always. Valued Senior Member

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    Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W1 Silver Digital Camera
    (5.1MP, 2592x1944, 3x Opt, 32MB Memory Stick - SKU: DSCW1)


    Canon PowerShot S1 IS Digital Camera
    (3.2 MP, 2048x1536, 10x Opt, CompactFlash Card - SKU: 9179A001)


    Nikon CoolPix 8700 Digital Camera
    (8.0MP, 3264x2448, 8x Opt - SKU: 25515)
     
    Last edited: Oct 18, 2004
  10. cosmictraveler Be kind to yourself always. Valued Senior Member

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    So what did you choose?

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!

     
  11. whitewolf asleep under the juniper bush Registered Senior Member

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    1. You want to make sure there's manual mode, and you want to look at exactly what that manual mode will let you do. You really want to be in control of exposure.
    Well, the more control in manual mode, the more expensive the camera. There are digital cameras that are exactly like traditional manual cameras (real juice). See, it all really depends on what you want from the instrument.
     
  12. Hideki Matsumoto ñ{ìñÇÃóùâ?ÇÕêSÇÃíÜÇ©ÇÁóàÇ ÈÅB Registered Senior Member

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    Want to do something cool with a digital camera!!
    Take the IR BLOCKING prism out of an older 2.5-3MP Fuji film camera and watch it pick up IR instead of visible light! I have done this and it works very well.
    By the way it is very illegal to do this as it has some bad/evil uses.
     
  13. dsdsds Valued Senior Member

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    Why is it illegal. Doesn't Sony Nightshot use IR technology?
     
  14. djkmoney Registered Senior Member

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    so i decided on buying a nikon 8700.. i got it for a killer deal $464 for it and then decided that i needed a 1gig card a case and a tripod! im pretty excited it will be comming in around the end of next week, so i will give you all a report then, i cant wait!!!!
     
  15. philocrazy Banned Banned

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    my advice is to mainly look for two things resolution and optical focus compare that to
    other cammera prices and those specs and buy what makes good value for money,brand
    for me is not very important,however there are brands out there with better quality lenses
    and that translates to better pictures it is up to you to decide whether the extra money is
    worth the paper they are writen in,if you want the best camera i suggest you ask a professional photographer but itll will cost you top price
     
  16. GuessWho A Californian Registered Senior Member

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    djkmoney,

    Where did you find that price for the Nikon 8700? I suspect that it might be one of those bait and switch vendors. For example, it lists the price of only $339 from this link. but I have read reviews on these vendors who will end up telling you that the item is not available unless you buy accessories (even sometimes the accessories that is supposed to come with the product) from them with ridiculously inflated pricing. The link that I provided seems to confirm this tactics because the accessories shown on the right side of the screen for this camera is overly overpriced ($500 for High Speed 512MB Compact Flash which is only $40 here.)

    For myself, I am struggling between Minolta G600, Fuji E550 and Kodak DX7630. All three are 6MP and around $300. If you happen to run into one of those bait and switch vendors and end up not buying the Nikon 8700, I recommend looking into the three 6MP options.
     
  17. djkmoney Registered Senior Member

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    nope i got the camera from overstockers its a legit deal i cannot believe that i found! it should be getting here soon and i am so excited. I also got am awesoem deal on a 1 gig 40x compact flash crad from tigerdirect so i am really excited! I get to go to kansas next weekend to visit a friend and i cant wait to shoot tons of pictures..... i would really recommend looking for a camera at overstock, they have tons of good deals you just got to look!
     
  18. cosmictraveler Be kind to yourself always. Valued Senior Member

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    Glad you picked the Nikon. It has so many features that you'll be using it for many things. How about posting some of your images whenever you can to show us how your doing?
     
  19. djkmoney Registered Senior Member

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    I totally will, as soon as i get some pictures you can all take a look. I think i might get a deviant-art account so i have a place to upload them. Unless someone knows somewhere better? I think this camera probably has more features than I will ever use. Oh well

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    thansk for all the imput and wait for pictures to come!
     
  20. GuessWho A Californian Registered Senior Member

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    djkmoney,

    I totally agree that you found a great deal since overstock.com is definitely a legitimate vendor.

    By the way, is it brand new or refurbished? However, I think it is still a good deal for a refurbished.

    Now you have given me the temptation to look for a good deal out of this camera.
     
  21. Circe Registered Senior Member

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    Coolpix 8700 is not a bad camera, although it has some flaws. The focus is pretty slow, especially in low light situations. The same applies to the shutter delay; quite noticable in poor light.

    I would recommend you get an extra battery and a card reader. You might want to invest in a wide angle converter as well.

    Enjoy!
     
  22. djkmoney Registered Senior Member

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    its brand new, still in the unopened box!!!
    thanks for the advice Circe, im thinking a soon as the holidays are over i will probably start buying some more stuff for it. but until then i am really happy!
     
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