Looking for a new digital camera

March 25, 2003

Hey all,

I have about 23 caches logged to my name and I'm looking to upgrade my digital camera to record my finds. I'm looking for a mid priced compact digital camera. Right now I'm using a freebie digital camera that I got from Earthlink. I need one that will survive our caching sport and not cost me and arm and leg.

Thanks much,

Cache on!

March 25, 2003

We got the Olympus D-550 in December. We took it to the UK for the holidays. I have been very pleased so far. At 3.2 MP, it has great resolution. I use it with all my computers, a Mac a W98 laptop and a WinXP desktop. The bundled software is pretty good, on the Mac as so as I plug it in iPhoto launches and downloads the pics from the camera. XP will find the camera as soon as it is plugged in, and ask you what program you want to use.

The camera itself has many features, some I haven't gotten to yet. Good exposure and flash control, panorama mode and a lot of others. It comes with a cable that lets you attach the camera to a TV and run a slide show, good for relatives w/o a PC. It seems pretty rugged, there is a new one noe that is water repelent.

I paid $ 299 and got a free 64 MB SmartMedia card as a rebate. I've since seen it as low as $ 249, it may go lower with the new model out.

March 25, 2003

I have to agree on the Olympus. You might want to look into their new Stylus models that are either out or out soon.

24.7k · March 25, 2003

Check out the reviews on ZDnet.com. They might prove handy.

Wherever you go there you are.

March 25, 2003

There are so many really great digital camera out there and many have nice features. but I chose the Sony FD100 series because with it you do not need to install any special software to use or view the pictures on any computer with a floppy drive. this makes it very handy to take some pictures and give them to your friend and they can view them on almost any computer.

March 25, 2003

I ended up buying a Nikon 995 about a year ago. I've had it a year and I'll have it for years to come. Here's something to remember in buying any camera.

The Lens is the most important part of the camera. I don't care what sort of imaging device you have the lens matters. Going with cheaper digital cameras that have bells and whistles such as video and sound capture dont mean SQUAT when it comes to photo quality.

Another thing to remember is that more megapixels is not always better. Look at how the image is captured. What technology do they use and how close together are the color sensors. This is another big one in quality.

Lastly, look at compression. Less compression is better quality. Look at their JPG compression modes. ZOOM the samples to 10-20x and see how much distorion there is.

I've used my Nikon 995 as a replacement to my Nikon FG for day to day photos and I have enlarged many of them to 8x10. I have one hanging in my office and people can not believe it was with a digital camera.

Quality is what makes a digital camera, if you go cheap or with bells and whistles you'll be disapointed if youre looking for a quality photo.

--

SpongeRob

rwmech@keenpeople.com

www.keenpeople.com

WPWU826

Cache'n Retrievers

March 25, 2003

We really love our Oly C-700.

With our 128mb card it will hold 100 8x10's

or 300 slightly smaller images before

downloading.

Gotta love that zoom !

Photo album

Regards

Seatrout

March 25, 2003

SiPix Stylecam Blink is a super cheap digital camera ($35 or so) that can take up to 100 640x480 pictures (or 400 smaller ones). The quality is not the best and you need a lot of light to take pictures but all in all it does its job as a camera. Consider that if you have very little money.

http://www.sipixdigital.com/cameras/styleblink/

My Geocaching Photo Album

--Ricky Cobb

March 25, 2003

Why switch from your freebie? My 5-year old digital camera is low tech and less than 1 mega pixel. The pics it takes are good and the native size is 30-70 KB, perfect for uploading to the website or emailing.

quote:
Originally posted by FamilyUnit:
Hey all,

I have about 23 caches logged to my name and I'm looking to upgrade my digital camera to record my finds. I'm looking for a mid priced compact digital camera. Right now I'm using a freebie digital camera that I got from Earthlink. I need one that will survive our caching sport and not cost me and arm and leg.

Thanks much,

Cache on!

March 25, 2003

I have a Nikon Coolpix 4500, which is probably a little much for just a "geocaching camera." However, I am IN LOVE with the Coolpix line of cameras, and assure you they're perfect for the job. I've used the Nikon Coolpix 995, 4500, and 2500. The 2500 is a very versatile camera, intensely sweet resolution, compact, and lightweight...check it out...you should be able to get it for $200-250 USD. PC Magazine has rated it at the top of their list of cameras under $500.

March 25, 2003

I agree that the Olympus and Nikon are excellent digital cameras; if I were to buy a high-quality camera, it would be one of those.

As a less expensive alternative, you may want to check out the low and mid-priced Kodak cameras. I received one as a gift a while back and carry it with me when I travel (even locally). It is a DC3800 and is quite small - perfect for quick shots without a lot of fiddling around. The Kodak, which uses AA batteries, was bought at Wally's on a closeout sale. Every so often, they have deals on stuff like this; it may be a lower priced alternative if the budget is limited and you want a small camera.

March 25, 2003

If you have a good 35mm with quality lenses, another option would be to spend less money for an outstanding scanner with negative and slide adapter. While taking it out of a camera backpack is a little less convenient than pulling out a small digital from your pocket (along with waiting to get it developed), the options are improved when it comes to getting that perfect shot. Scan the media when developed and your ready to send the image anywhere.

don

2.7k · March 25, 2003

Canon S30 is a great buy...lots of features and of solid construction. S40/s45 are similar but main difference is megapixels and expense. S30 is a great bang for the buck!

4.5k · March 25, 2003

Digital Photography Review is a premiere site for digital cameras. You can select features and price range to get cameras to match, read review for the cameras and see samples of the pictures they take. It's got great forums and a great reference web page.

I recently bought a Canon 230 with 3 megapixel. I got it because it's tiny but takes great pictures that I can use caching because of its small size (I wear it on my belt) as well as for family shots. However, it runs about $375 but than again, as I said I use oit for other purposes.

Good luck

Alan

March 27, 2003

I'm glad Alan pointed to the DP Review site. I use it regularly for unbiased reviews of digicams.

My camera is a Canon Powershot S330 Digital Elph. IMO it's hard to beat the Elph series for compact, sturdy cameras that take excellent photos.

http://doozy.us/

March 27, 2003

I have owned two digital cameras, my fist was a Sony Mavica that used 3 1/2 floppies, and now I own an Olympus C-700 that uses smartmedia Memory.

I love my olympus and its ten times zoom, it takes great pictures and the battery life isn't bad.

Here are some things you should consider:

1. Compact Flash is the most popular type of memory, if you use other devices like a PDA or mp3 player, You may want to consider buying a compact flash memory camera, b/c the memory is more compatible with other devices.

2. Pay no attention to "Digital Zoom" it is worthless -- look for a higher optical zoom. All digital zoom does is blow up the pixels, which can be done with software on a computer. Optical really zooms in on the subject and doesn't just expand pixels.

3. Get a camera that uses Nimh batteries, and buy two sets of batteries.

4. Get an idea of which model you want and then go to www.cnet.com and read user reviews of that product. CNET Editors did not give my camera a great review, but if you read the reviews from most of the people, they love it and feel that at the time it was the best camera in its price range and had more features.

5. Also try and get a camera that has an optical viewfinder and not just an LCD display, b/c when you are in the sun you can't really see the LCD too well and sometimes you need to use the optical view.

March 28, 2003

I use a Fuji s602z. So far so good. Great zoom

Rino 110

MeriGreen 128

March 28, 2003

I'll add another recommendation for Olympus. I have a C-3030 that takes great pictures and I love. Steve's Digicams is another good site for online reviews by a pro. It doesn't offer matches based on criteria but is a must read prior to making a decision final.

-Vb

March 28, 2003

I use the fuji fine pix, and I would recoment it to anyone.

It has a 6x Optical zoom and a 2.5 digital, the zoom is great and helps compesition.

The softwear that comes with it is easy to use and has enough features for the person wanting a little more.

Take a look here all of the images on our site were taken with the Fugi Fine Pix.

Images

I will open my chat room and if you want I will stay there for the next hour time 20.05 GMT

Just click on chat when you visit website.

Kids Caches and Mayhem what a day in the celtic tribal city.

5k · April 11, 2003

Hey all...

Looking at getting into the digital realm after shooting with film... I'm used to shooting an SLR, so to change to a digital means I'll have to accept a point-and-shoot unless I spend big money for the digital SLR's, which at this point, I'm not willing to do. I've happily found that even the digital point-and-shoots offer a fair range of features, though far from the variety of features available in an SLR.

Anyway, I've become most interested in the Canon Powershot G3, the Nikon Coolpix line, and the Olympus C-740/750.

I like the Canon and the Nikon, aside from their price. I feel like I'm paying a premium for the name. Also, those two cameras use funny camera-only batteries.

What I like about the Olympus is the features for the price, and that it uses AA's. What I don't like is the Olympus-only storage. The C-740/750 use xD Picture cards.

If the Olympus used Compact Flash or some other common memory, I'd probably go buy one today, but uncommon memory scares me. Does anyone have any experience with Olympus and their xD Picture cards?

Am I over-rating AA battery use? Should I more strongly consider buying a camera that uses a non-universal battery?

Jamie

April 11, 2003

I use a Kodak DC5000. It isn't very flexible, but it's water resistant & ruggedized. It uses CompactFlash & AA's.

April 11, 2003

quote:
Originally posted by Jamie Z:
...If the Olympus used Compact Flash or some other common memory, I'd probably go buy one today, but uncommon memory scares me. Does anyone have any experience with Olympus and their xD Picture cards?

Am I over-rating AA battery use? Should I more strongly consider buying a camera that uses a non-universal battery?

Jamie

I have a Minolta Dimage X, not a camera you would consider, based on your stated needs, but I bring it up because of the Batteries and memory it uses.

Batteries:

It uses a rechargeable Lithium Ion battery, by far the best type of rechargeable battery there is. I bought 2 of the batteries, so I always have a charged battery waiting. Lithium Ions have no memory effect, retain near full charge for long periods of inactivity, and are small and light. My previous digicam was a Ricoh RDC 5000, which ate AA alkalines quickly, but did much better on (expensive) Lithium non rechargeables. I was worried about getting a camera that used rechargeable batteries, but bought the Dimage X anyway because I have had a few things that used Lithium Ion rechargeables. I Highly recommend rechargeable Lithium Ion batteries for digicams, I'll never go back to anything else. If you get a camera that uses non rechargeable batteries, I think non standard (camera only) will end up being frustrating and expensive.

Memory:

I recommend SD (secure digital) or MMC (multi-media card), they are interchangeable (MMC can not use the Secure function), which I don't use even with SD mem) and a SanDisc manufactured 256MB card cost me $70, they are very small (32mm x 24mm x 2mm thick), reasonably fast, and 512MB cards are available, with 1GB and 2GB cards in the pipe (which will make 512MB cards cheaper when they come out). Non standard memory formats SUCK! look at the cost of a Garmin 128MB card, and a 128MB card of a common variety. Stay away from non standard memory types. A lot of devices use SD/MMC, if you get another device that uses the same type of memory as your camera (say an MP3 player) you're ahead. Though, if the non standard memory is a LOT faster (like Thomas & Dingo, says below), that would be an advantage.

_________________________________________________________

If trees could scream, would we still cut them down?

Well, maybe if they screamed all the time, for no reason.

Click here for my Geocaching pictures

[This message was edited by martmann on April 11, 2003 at 01:40 PM.]

April 11, 2003

I used to have the Oly C-700 UltraZoom, I liked it but its too big to put in your jacket pocket. I just bought the Canon S230, about 6 of my friends also bought it. We also all ordered 256meg and 512meg Ultra cards. You really need the fast data transfer rates of the Ultra cards in cameras.

2.3k · April 11, 2003

I like the Sony Cybershot line

It's small & extremely portable, and very user friendly. I've also got an underwater housing for mine (a P5) that does great for scuba diving & outdoor rainy days. Takes great shots -- you can see a few samples (on middle-of-the-road quality) here.

Hope it helped!

Joel (joefrog)

"Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for ye are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!"

5k · April 11, 2003

quote:
Originally posted by martmann:
Batteries:

Memory:

That's good advice, thanks.

The big reason I'm concerned about these two features is that in the immediate future, I plan to use the camera on an extensive bicycle/backpacking trip. I'm not sure how often I'll be near power for recharging and data transfer.

The AA's while not having the power capacity as the dedicated batteries are available wherever I go--and I've considered carrying rechargables and a small charger for when I'm near power. But I can see the usefulness of having a battery that simply lasts longer.

Memory is my other concern. The xD Olympus memory is more expensive. One feature that it has though that could be useful on my trip is that the camera can communicate with any Windows OS from 98 onward via USB. That means I could probably stop in at a library or internet cafe on occasion and either burn a data CD or email my photos to myself, thus clearing out my memory.

With the Canon (I've sort of ruled out the Nikon) the memory is cheaper, so I could hold more pics for the same money, but it seems that it's not as convenient to transfer photos from a system that isn't my own.

What do ya'll do when you have an extended period where you don't have access to your own computer? What do you do with the photos?

Jamie

April 11, 2003

I recently purchased the Olympus C-720. Great zoom at 8X optical and 3X digital. It's fairly compact and the pics are great. Lots of great features for the gadget lover.

I've never been lost, but I was a might bewildered for three days once. Daniel Boone

April 26, 2003

Hey Family unit

Maybe you already decided on a camera,

but in case you did not......

I have a Sony Mavica, Model MVC-cd200.

It takes great pics, and you store the images

on a mini cd. You can catalog the cds and thus

not take up space on your computer (doing this

memory intensive task).

You also can drop off the CD at your camera

store, like a 35mm film catridge, letting them do the work. This model is about 3 years old

and can be purchased at a very good price.

The next model up (cd300) has a Leica lens

standard.

also check out these sites for reviews of all

kinds of DIG cameras.

www.dpreview.com

www.electronics.cnet.com

www.camera-index.com

psyopwak

April 26, 2003

If I were to buy a new digital camera, I'd get one with a weatherproof-armored-rubberized outer casing. Camera makers have yet to produce one but if you check www.dpreview.com they might have one that will fit your needs.

Have GPS, Will Travel.

April 27, 2003

If you want to make photos of yourself, do you hate those timers? pressing the button, running back to the camera, which captures you falling all over?

Some camera manufacturers offer infrared remote controls, they are really cool! No misdone pictures again!

(For example, RC-3 for Minolta cameras)

5k · May 8, 2003

I have a camera question I thought I'd throw out in this great thread.

I have a camera that uses Compact Flash memory. I'm planning an extended trip away from home, so I won't have any immediate way to put my pictures onto my computer. I want to be able to take my memory card somewhere and burn my pics onto CD so I can erase the card and bring the CD home at the end of my trip.

Any thoughts how I might do this? I checked the Kinkos website, and they don't seem to have this capability. Might a photo-finishing place be able to do this? Any thoughts how I can get Compact Flash data to CD while I'm away from home?

Jamie

1.4k · May 8, 2003

The Super Wal*Mart in my area has a machine that accepts compact flash, as well as, Smart Media and Memory Sticks. I'm sure other Wal*Marts may have similar equipment. Cheers!

Jeff

http://www.StarsFellOnAlabama.com

http://www.NotAChance.com

If you hide it, they will come....

May 8, 2003

I use an Olympus C2100UZ that I picked up on the web for US$650. It is a powerful general purpose camera but a bit big, bulky, and heavy for Geocaching. 10x Optical Zoom one of the main resons I got it.

I picked up a Kodak DC3800 for $120 at Wallmart for Christmas and it is a small sturdy camera that does everthing most geocachers would need. Since it uses Compact Flash media, the pictures are very portable.

5k · May 8, 2003

quote:
Originally posted by jeff35080:
The Super Wal*Mart in my area has a machine that accepts compact flash, as well as, Smart Media and Memory Sticks.

Jeff.. um, excuse my dumb question... but then what does the machine do with 'em?

I mean.. if all it does is make prints, that's no good. I still want the data files somewhere other than my memory card so that I can take more pictures. Ideally I'd like to be able to transfer my images to CD. Can Super Walmart (ugh, I despise that place) do that?

Jamie

1.4k · May 8, 2003

Hmmmm.... I would assume that it could make prints and also burn them onto a CD, since most photo processors also sell Photo CDs. To be honest though, I didn't look at it that closely but do remember seeing a CD drive on it along with numerous slots for varying formats of removable media, as well as, a 3-1/2" floppy drive. I'll have to take a closer look at it this weekend when we go shopping, as you now have go me curious about it

Jeff

http://www.StarsFellOnAlabama.com

http://www.NotAChance.com

If you hide it, they will come....

May 8, 2003

I'd HIGHLY reccomend a Sony DSC-P31 or newer model that is similar. It is really easy to use, is supported by Win 98, XP, 2000, Linux, etc, can record short videos, the memory sticks are easily attained and it hooks into the AV in of a TV.

3.1k · May 9, 2003

quote:
Originally posted by arcadesdude:
SiPix Stylecam Blink is a super cheap digital camera ($35 or so) that can take up to 100 640x480 pictures (or 400 smaller ones). The quality is not the best and you need a lot of light to take pictures but all in all it does its job as a camera. Consider that if you have very little money.

There is now a BlinkII that you can probably find for about the same price. There's also a Blink Deluxe that can also do some audio recording. My parents recently got the Deluxe for the same price (after rebate) that I paid for my Blink a few months before.

The Blink is fine for outdoor shots and stationary subjects. It has trouble in low light. Also, for some reason the battery seems to go dead quickly, even during non-use and even with no pictures in memory. Here are some recent shots of mine. Notice there is some blurring around the edges. Still, it suits my purposes of occasional outdoor shots just fine. During the hike I took those pictures on, I carried the camera in the pocket of my t-shirt -- small and light.

To summarize, if I didn't already have one, I'd probably get the Deluxe (its pictures have been very good, and it has a flash). But the Blink is a decent, cheap, lightweight camera for snapshots. And it's fun to show off.

"Winter's just the curtain. Spring will take the bow"

-- Richard Shindell, Spring

20.7k · May 9, 2003

My primary (film) camera is a Canon EOS XSN. I am trying to talk the wifey into letting me buy a slightly used D30. This will allow me to transition between the two nearly seemlessly and use my lenses with either.

5k · May 9, 2003

Sbell, you are aware that most digital SLR's effectively lengthen the focal length of the lens, because the area to capture the image is smaller. I forget exactly what the ratio is, and I even tried to find it online, but I seem to remember it's somewhere around twice or twice and a half.

That means that if you use your "normal" 50mm lens on a D30, it will be similar to a 135mm lens. Therefore, unless you have a some really short lenses, you'll be shooting with some really long effective focal lengths.

The new Canon 1Ds, (MSRP: $7900) captures a full 35mm film size, so it doesn't suffer from the artificial lengthening of you lenses.

Jamie

20.7k · May 9, 2003

Thanks Jamie. I was aware of that. The D30 uses a fairly large CMOS sensor compared to the smaller CCD of other digital SLRs. This results in a more manageable conversion factor of approximately 1.6x, compared to my XSN (1.3x for the 1D). This will certainly affect lens choice, but it won't render the majority of lenses useless.

I wish I could afford the 1D (or even a D60), but my budget won't allow it. Prices for D30 packages have dropped to more realistic ranges (<$1k) and it offeres everything I need.

May 9, 2003

quote:
Originally posted by hammack:
Why switch from your freebie? My 5-year old digital camera is low tech and less than 1 mega pixel. The pics it takes are good and the native size is 30-70 KB, perfect for uploading to the website or emailing.

I absolutely agree with you. I've got a super cheapo DscPro cam and it works just fine for most landscape photography. The one problem I have (with mine at least) is that any closer than 3 feet to a subject and it gets too distorted to see anything clearly. This is a problem for photographing small benchmarks (that is if you're worried about clear detail of the markings). You can compare a really nice high grade benchmark photo against my cheapo here

I think that I'll stick with the cheapo for most caching as I'm not afraid to take it offroads to get dinged up and stuff. But when urban benchmark hunting I'll take my much higher end Olympus Camedia D-520.

Just searching real quick on AMAZON I found this low-end digi that actually seems great for offroad geocaching.

Team Kender - Willow and Dan exploring the Bay Area backroads!

May 9, 2003

quote:
Originally posted by Dinoprophet:
Here are some recent shots of mine

Hey Dinoprophet, that shot with the mirror is really beautiful. Just wanted to tell ya it really caught my attention.

Team Kender - Willow and Dan exploring the Bay Area backroads!

3.1k · May 9, 2003

Thank you! I took another of the bridge without the mirror, too -- it's nice not having to worry about wasting film. I wanted to have my daughter in the picture but didn't want to go through taking the pack off.

"Winter's just the curtain. Spring will take the bow"

-- Richard Shindell, Spring

May 9, 2003

Where is a good place to buy cameras online?

I just got an estimate of over $200 to repair my old Nikon Coolpix 900 and could probably buy a new camera for not that much more. Love that camera though!

Thanks!

May 9, 2003

quote:
Originally posted by njsmama:
Where is a good place to buy cameras online?

I just got an estimate of over $200 to repair my old Nikon Coolpix 900 and could probably buy a new camera for not that much more. Love that camera though!

Thanks!

Personally I think ebay is a great place for new equipment. Because it's an auction doesn't always mean it's used. There's a lot of factory clearance type places on ebay who run their own auctions or that work through mom and pop ebay "shops". I found my still-new-in-the-box Olympus on there for $180 (which at the time retailed for something like $400).

Team Kender - Willow and Dan exploring the Bay Area backroads!

5k · May 9, 2003

quote:
Originally posted by njsmama:
Where is a good place to buy cameras online?

I used Froogle to find a good price on my G3. Careful, though... most of the cheap prices you find are due to "grey market" cameras... which are basically imported models. They don't come with a warranty. If you don't mind that, you can save a few bucks... or you can make sure you check to make sure that it's a USA products and comes with a USA warranty. Most grey-market dealers are located in New York or New Jersey, although they can be anywhere.

I tried eBay for a while, looking for a G3, but it was flooded with dealers selling the camera plus a bunch of accessories that I didn't want. There seemed to be very few auctions I was interested in, so I just gave up and bought one outright from an online dealer.

Jamie

May 9, 2003

I use an Olympus Camedia C-3030, and to be honest, I'm not very happy with the quality of pictures I get with it. I paid about $750 for it a couple of years ago.

I wish I would have shopped around a bit more.

Don't be so open-minded that your brains fall out.

May 12, 2003

Thanks for everyone's input on this thread. I have made a digital camera purchase yet. Right now I'm looking at Olympus and Nikon and Sony brands. Thanks again for all your imput!

Team FamilyUnit

May 13, 2003

quote:
Originally posted by FamilyUnit:
Thanks for everyone's input on this thread. I haven't made a digital camera purchase yet. Right now I'm looking at Olympus and Nikon and Sony brands. Thanks again for all your imput!

Team FamilyUnit

5k · May 13, 2003

Jeff,

I got my 1GB Compact Flash card in the mail yesterday. It'll hold 261 photos at the highest quality, and 880 photos at the quality I usually shoot. That should last me the duration of my extended trip. If not.. I'll just have to dial down the quality a little to squeeze in a few more pics.

Jamie

May 14, 2003

Minolta Dimage X

the 2 or 3.2 megapixel models are both great. My dad has the 3.2 and a friend has the 2. The biggest advantage is the size and duribility. When my friend bought his the guy at the store picked up the display model and threw it 10ft against a wall, then picked it up and took his pic. my m8 said the camera looked good as new, and the guy said he throws it against the wall almost everyday.

Looking for a new digital camera

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