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| Thread ID: 32983 | 2003-05-03 13:42:00 | Digital Cameras | Ritzz (731) | Press F1 |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 141136 | 2003-05-06 09:55:00 | There are pros and cons for buying here or overseas Caffy. One disadvantage is the possible hassle of claiming under a warranty when buying overseas. Another disadvantage is if you wish to use your new camera while on holiday overseas it might take you a bit of time to learn how to operate it properly. In the meantime you could be missing or stuffing up some good shots if that was your only camera. I would be surprised if the duty free shops had cheaper cameras than the specialist shops. Some people here buy their cameras overseas and make good savings but it would depend on where you were travelling to. It is something you would need to do your homework on. ;-) |
Susan B (19) | ||
| 141137 | 2003-05-06 12:02:00 | Thought I might add to the debate as Ive owned a Sony DSC85 (4Mp) for a year+ and some 9000 'shots' later. I was/still am a keen 35mm photographer, but the digital is great if you are prepared to spend a bit on hardware/software. Prices are dropping rapidly - nearly 50% in the case of the DSC85, so watch for good deals. Yes, Dpreview is THE place to check reviews and user comments (some of mine there). Im really happy with the camera, blast away all day and getting some great shots. I use ACDSee for filing, quick viewing and it can print sheets with multiple thumbnails if you need - often print 4-6 per sheet & stick straight in the album for family shots. For hi-quality printing Ive got an Epson 1290 and have blown fine jpg's @ 1600 to 2273x dpi up to A3 size with no problem via Photoshop, but I prefer to keep manipulation of shots to a minimum in line with 35mm. Havent done many tiff's yet due to size/time to save U need a big HDD, fast graphics, good printer to make the most out of digital. A couple of Mem cards is worth having (I generally get 60-100 shots per 128Mb stick depending on resolution), xtra battery too, tho DSC85 Infolithium is top rated. I dont miss film processing costs Downsides? LCD is difficult to check autofocus on - cant beat TTL, minimal optical zooms (tho getting better), poor/proprietary filter accessories All in all, if you want to put some fun back into photography, Id say bite the digital bullet, but do your homework on the net first. Trademe has some good deals at times. |
phred (1819) | ||
| 141138 | 2003-05-06 12:09:00 | > Downsides? LCD is difficult to check autofocus on > n - cant beat TTL, minimal optical zooms (tho getting > better Not at all true. My camera is far from top of the line at around $1500 at the moment, yet it has a 10x optical zoom. This is the equivalent of a 35-350 lense which is certainly not ultra zoom, but is far from minimal. Iain |
Iain Walmsley (3372) | ||
| 141139 | 2003-05-07 09:09:00 | >> My camera (Olympus CZ-700Ultra Zoom) is far from top of the line at around $1500 at the moment, yet it has a 10x optical zoom . Fine Iain, but 10x optical is rather above the norm for most 2-4 Mpixel cameras on the NZ market today, other than stepping into the professional price/pixel range, and you had to go outside NZ to get a good deal (the CZ740 UZ is now around $US500) . Most digitals are 3-4x optical with similar digital zoom, but for snapshot/family use thats probably fine . If you really want, you can usually buy accessory lenses for zoom & macro, but they'll cost . As I said, optical resolution is improving all the time, as is that of the CCD's, and prices are coming down quite rapidly as you also noted . My next move will probably be a Sony DSC F717 which has a 38-190mm (5x) + 2x digital zoom lens and takes 58mm filters . Prices have dropped under $2K now - long may they fall . . . . . . Anyway - lets not knock it . Digital photography is great fun and an excellent/cheap way to explore hidden artistic talent, especially for kids, most of whom have heaps of computer 'nouse . They can also turn out some pretty good prints with the hardware readily available these days . Have fun Phred |
phred (1819) | ||
| 141140 | 2003-05-07 09:56:00 | Well, Phred do you really think that more than 3-4x optical zoom is "above the norm" for 2 - 4 MP cameras these days. May be it is for Sonys, but as you have learned, Iain's Olympus has 10x optical. I've had FujiFilm cameras, 2MP & 6MP. Both have had 6x optical zoom + 3x digital. At the prices I dont think Iains are stepping into the professional/pixel range. But as you say, 3-4x is probably fine for family/snapshot use, and it's all great fun. Enjoy. |
Bazza (407) | ||
| 141141 | 2003-05-22 04:56:00 | I just wanted to report back to here, about what I've purchased . I bought a Sony Cyber-Shot DSCP-72 that was priced at $899, on special with a 64mb memory card . I was surprised to get the camera with the 64mb memory stick AND a 16mb mem stick! It comes with rechargable AA batteries and charger, and software . I haven't used this software yet, looks too confusing and has limited options - I'd rather fiddle around with the photos on Photoshop . I just go into My Computer, and the Sony USB thingy is there, and click on that to get to the photos on the memory stick (after plugging the camera to the computer via USB) and save them then paste them into a photo folder, and then delete them off the memory stick . Quick and clean job . . . Since then, I've been playing around with it quite a bit - picture quality is excellent, even at 1 . 2MP (the camera's highest mp rating is 3 . 2), photos look a lot more natural than photos from my old 35mm compact camera . There are a lot of options on the camera, which is good, and the video capture option is cool, not as good as a REAL digital video camera, of course, but this option is convenient for capturing something quick and funny for example . . . I haven't yet printed out the photos taken so far, but will be later . . Overall, I'm happy with this purchase :) Has anyone else bought a digital camera recently? cheers, caffy |
caffy (2665) | ||
| 141142 | 2003-05-22 09:01:00 | Yes! Today I got a Canon Powershot G3 - and at the moment am up to my eyeballs in manuals and software! All frightfully confusing - eventually I might get to take a photo.... Cheers R.M. ?:|, but very :) |
R.M. (561) | ||
| 141143 | 2003-05-22 09:59:00 | That's a nice model there, R.M. I got a G2 from last Nov o/seas with a 128cf and caselogic bag on a "price match" deal. Did a lot of online research before settling down on a choice. M2CW: - no probs with batt life; would have gone for a batt pack & car charger, funds allowing - planning on a 420 speedlite to improve those night shots which aren't too bad, just being picky - mucked around with the manual focus today; scanner broke down and ended up taking snaps of an old photo I was basically a 35mm point, shoot, payup and hope for the best snapper. Now I get better photos (well, relatively) and posted heaps on the yahoo group. I have printed a few on my S400 and won't mind paying the occassional $2 for really good photos above what my printer can deliver. I don't mind the >2MP res and their bigger files sizes that I have set as my default as I know I will get good A4 prints when I want to. Checkout the Canon forum of dpreview. Cheers Tom |
Tom McB (832) | ||
| 141144 | 2003-05-22 11:30:00 | I've done the SLR thing, toting heavy camera bags and lenses and all that stuff, plus I realised that photo albums are only good for gathering dust and taking up space. But once I got a digital camera for my big overseas trip I found I learned so much so fast about what makes a good photo, The instant feedback of a digital camera allows you to take a decent photo, and if it takes 2, 3, 5 or more attempts it doesnt matter, you just delete the duds and try again. I have a middle of the road Canon but the results I have gotten are fantastic. Love it. The ability to use AA batteries, as other posters mentioned, is a definite plus, especially if you are travelling somewhere like Cuba and cannot rely on there being a camera specialist on every corner. Sony make a charger (about $88 duty free) that does AA rechargables in a couple of hours, making it practical for when you are traveling. Plus the price of flash memory is falling fast at the mo. |
Tane (1252) | ||
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