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DIGITAL CAMERAS WHERE TO BUY?


cache-potato

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I've owned Kodaks and Olympus. At the timeI was most interested in decent color rendition and either the ability to kill sharpening routines, or find sharpening routines that didn't smack the edges of everything. Both did that well, but cost more than $800 at the time.

 

However, we needed a digital camera RIGHT NOW on a job site the other day and picked up a Samsung Digimax 200 for $177 at Wal-Mart. It's 2.1 mega pixel resolution, which is enough to print out an acceptable 8x10 on a decent printer (we use Epson Stylus Photo models). I've been impressed with it for the money.

 

"The price of liberty is eternal vigilance" Thos. Jefferson

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We've had a Kodak DC280 (2.1MP) which has been versitile for us the past few years, but the After Hours review of mini digital cameras in the current (July 2002) issue of PC Magazine has me thinking of a lightweight camera specificly for geocaching excursions. I'm smitten with the $40 SiPix StyleCam Blink, which measures a little over 2" X 2" X 1/2", and the Aiptek Mini PenCam ($100, but 1.3 megapixel resolution and a macro mode would work better for benchmark closeups). There's also the Casio Wrist Camera (an only slightly clunky wrist watch/camera combo listing for $199), and 3 other offerings reviewed. Most of them only do VGA resolution (640 X 480), but 4 of the 6 cameras reviewed came in at $100 or less.

 

I wouldn't use these for higher quality pics; for one's only camera, I'd recommend something better. For a specialty niche, I wa-a-a-nt one! icon_smile.gif

 

max

Just visiting this planet

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We've had a Kodak DC280 (2.1MP) which has been versitile for us the past few years, but the After Hours review of mini digital cameras in the current (July 2002) issue of PC Magazine has me thinking of a lightweight camera specificly for geocaching excursions. I'm smitten with the $40 SiPix StyleCam Blink, which measures a little over 2" X 2" X 1/2", and the Aiptek Mini PenCam ($100, but 1.3 megapixel resolution and a macro mode would work better for benchmark closeups). There's also the Casio Wrist Camera (an only slightly clunky wrist watch/camera combo listing for $199), and 3 other offerings reviewed. Most of them only do VGA resolution (640 X 480), but 4 of the 6 cameras reviewed came in at $100 or less.

 

I wouldn't use these for higher quality pics; for one's only camera, I'd recommend something better. For a specialty niche, I wa-a-a-nt one! icon_smile.gif

 

max

Just visiting this planet

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We have got one of those but rarely use it. The quality of the photos is in the line of the jam cam type quality. For the price it's not a bad little gadget and definitely handy...but we've got a couple higher end digitals that we stick to for the most part. As to where to get dig cameras... I buy them for work quite frequently...I've had good luck with these online stores and some of the best prices you'll get will be at places like

www.harmonycomputers.com

www.compdirect.com

www.buydig.com

 

Good Luck

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FYI - I have an Olympus D-360L. I want to get rid of it.

I havent had any problems with the camera, and have been pretty satisfied with it, but Olympus has begun to p!ss me off.

First, there is an upgrade that can be done to it so it can handle up to 32MB SmartMedia. You send in the camera, they upgrade it, you PAY FOR IT! icon_frown.gif

 

The Camedia software also, to put it nicely, STINKS!! icon_frown.gif It takes for ever just to load thumbnails from a folder or the camera, much less to TRANSFER any files....The program is CONSTANTLY locking up my computer.

To upgrade to a newer version of Camedia (if they even fixed it), you HAVE TO PAY and buy a newer version!!

 

I definately WONT be buying an Olympus again!

 

SOrry, just wanted to vent and throw my Geo-coin's worth out, since this has really been bugging me lately....

 

Art

 

www.yankeetoys.org

www.BudBuilt.com

http://www.ttora-ne.mainpage.net/

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As to the question of where to buy, this is my all-time favorite site for finding where to buy at the cheapest price, read reviews, and compare specifications.

 

As for which, I like my good ol' sony mavica that puts 15-20 50k 640x480 pics on an ordinary floppy disk. I also have a 2.1MP camera and it takes pictures that look 10 percent better and take up 40 times as much space each and I never use it.

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There are dozens of questions you may be asking yourself as part of where to buy, but you should first ask yourself what you are going to use the camera for.

 

If all you are going to do is use it for documenting benchmarks and geocaches, you will probably be happy with a vga quality camera that has a macro feature.

 

On the other hand if you want to take pictures that you are going to make prints of, or share with friends or family, then you will probably want a higher resolution camera. 1.3 mpixel is probably too light end, 4 mpixel may be too much. 2 mpixel is about what you are looking for.

 

For benchmarks be sure that it has a macro lense. Otherwise look at the camera, decide if you can figure out what the features are without looking at the manual, and if you understand the features you didn't spot when you look through the spec sheet for the camera. If you know what the difference is between optical and digital zoom, you probably know which you would rather have.

 

Deciding upon where to buy the camera is a matter of comfort. If you are happy getting your camera online, do so. You are not likely to find better prices anywhere else. If you would rather shop at a discount store, Target, Shopko, Wallmart, Kmart, Alco, and many other regional discount stores all have varying qualities of cameras and sales people.

 

If you are not satisfied with the cameras you find there, start looking at camera stores. They will cost more, however better camera stores (not necesarily the ones you find at the local mall) will have spent more time verifying that the person selling you a camera actually knows something about the cameras he or she is selling.

 

If this is the first time that you seriously considered getting a camera, I would recomend getting a camera the same way you got your GPS.

 

-Rusty

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I got a decent $50 Vivatar compact digital at Walmart. I use it instead of the family JVC digital still/video camera. I got nervouse carrying the $2300 camera around on scrambles. Quality is good for benchmarking. And I have no fear giving it a 10year old to keep them interested in the hike.

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