digital cameras

[kemshmi]

I am wondering about what the differences are in digital cameras..I know that the higher the dpi the higher the resolution..what kinds of accessories are needed..or what should I look for??
anyone have experience or advice on this?

thanks,
kemshmi

[henrik]

Except for the obvious; resolution and quality of lens and CCD there is
one *very* important thing to look for. And that is how fast the camera is; some digital cameras have a delay between pressing the trigger and actually taking the picture. This is extremly irritating and will screw up many shots.

A built in flash is handy for all-round use, but pretty useless when taking pictures of paintings. If the camera can use an external flash then it becomes useful in the studio too.

You also need to look at how quickly the camera is ready to take another picture.

Good luck.

[s mckee]

I got a Casio digital camera two years ago - it's already a dinosaur. I imagine the same will be said about today's models two years from now. I think they are still some time away from building a digital camera that can in any way rival a 35mm.

It all depends on what you want it for. If you want to take pics for use online, then a digital camera is the way to go, because low-res images translate well on a computer screen. If you want to take pics to print for any sort of professional purpose, I wouldn't recommend a digital camera. Not for a couple more years, anyway. If you hear anyone raving about the quality of digital pictures now, take it with a grain of salt - they are raving only because the pictures are so much better than they were a few years back, not because they are good by any universal standard.

No more accessories are needed than that which comes out of the box. Except for a computer, of course, and some sort of digital editing software. I think every camera comes bundled with some software or other - Adobe PhotoDeluxe is probably the best of those that I've seen offered.

My best advice is to consult Consumer Report magazine at the local library. Because digital cameras are so new, some, I think, don't work very well at all (too dark, pukey colour, etc.) If I'd read Consumer Report I'd never have bought the camera that I did. Learn from my mistake! Consult Consumer Report!

[henrik]

More tips...

If you already own a Canon EOS 2 or 5 or a high end Nikon you can take a look at http://www.siliconfilm.com they produce "digital film"

If you can afford it get the Sony Digital Video camera DCR-PC100. Check it out at http://www.sel.sony.com/SEL/consumer/ss5/office/camcorder/dvcamerasandproducts/dcr-pc100.shtml

The really neat thing with the Sony is that you can shoot both digital video and stills. You can capture still images from your video. Loading them to your computer is really simple. The digital video can also be loaded into the computer and edited. I have an older Sony DV camcorder (PC7) with much lower resolution and think it is ok - the PC100 must be fantastic. (Now all I need to do is to find some sucker that wants to buy my old PC7 :cool http://www.wetcanvas.com/ubb/smile.gif

Using digital video is great for capturing a scene to paint; it is like taking thousands of pictures - panoramas, close-ups etc. At home it is easy to browse/view what you captured and select/download what you want. No need to worry about pressing the trigger at the right moment when shooting since everything is captured you just pick the image you want later. The video also captures audio so you can take voice memos too.

If you are going for a digitial stills camera don't pay extra for frills like digital editing, effects, etc. you can do this more easily on the computer.

[scottb]

For some more info:

<A HREF=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/feature/-/554/102-3834228-7116809>Digital Camera Primer</A>

Cheers.
Scott

[kemshmi]

thanks Henric, S~Mckee and Scott

kemshmi

[Drew Davis]

Digital camera reviews, info, etc, that I've found useful:

http://www.dcresource.com
http://www.digicamera.com
http://www.imaging-resource.com
http://www.steves-digicams.com

[Billie]

I have a RICOH digital camera RDC-300. And I love it! I use it for taking quick photos of a subject and I use it to keep portrait clients up to date with the progress of their portraits with the LCD screen. It has the ability to upload from the camera to my computer and download from the computer to the camera. It also has a macro feature to get very very close up. I can get the scales on a goldfish and the features on a snail in my aquarium!!!

[Gisela]

Kem,
I have a Sony and it's the forerunner to the Sony Mavica. I've had it for almost three years and I'm real happy with it. I bought a Fuji first and took it back after 2 days. It was $800.00 worth of junk. Mine has a flash with 5 settings, shutter speed control, exposure control and a setting for 3 different qualities of pics. Or you can use full automatic. I have to upload all my pics though. If i were buying again, I would buy one that puts the pics on a floppy disc. That would be a really important feature for me.
Gisela

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http://www.artistnation.com/members/paris/gisela

[Drew Davis]

Looks like a new wave of 3.3 megapixel digital cameras are coming out. Big industry show coming up soon, preview models trickling out to reviewers. So, if you can stand to wait a couple of months, you'll probably see prices drop on the old top-of-the-line in favor of the new toys, or at least get more for the same price.

[kemshmi]

Hi Drew..thanks..yup..all the new or improved technology sure does bring the prices down..good to know
I did read up on digital cameras, and what to look for..

kemshmi

[msue]

Has anyone looked at the HP PhotoSmart C200 Digital Camera with 2x Ditgital Zoom? There is one at Office Max for $300. The brochure sounds like it would be perfect for the average person and artist too. Has an auto focus with lock and macro focus. Macro focus from 8 inches to infinity and normal focus from 2.6 feet to infinity. Anyone currently owning a digital have an opinion?

[This message has been edited by msue (edited February 29, 2000).]

[scottb]

You can buy the HP C200 through WetCanvas - and you really should, since we get a commission, and it helps keep the site going....*cough cough*! http://www.wetcanvas.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

Cheers.
Scott

[Rod]

While I have been busy receiving and posting photos of our project. I have loaded several into my image software and checked sharpness etc.
The photos that were taken using the HP C200
obtained from wetcancas were excellent quality , could not fault in any way.
Would also suggest an adapter, as bateries can get used up while downloading your shots,
Rod