Digital Photography

roddie Wed Jun 08, 2016 12:34 pm

95% of the still photos I post, are shot with my "old-school" Sony Mavica CD-250 disc camera. I purchased it "refurbished" with a nice camera-bag at a Sony outlet store in July of 2003. Then "single"; I needed photos to post on a dating website.. Cool

It uses 8cm CDR/CDRW media.. not to be confused with mini-disc media. Without going into too much detail.. I shoot in it's highest-res 1200 x 1600 dpi mode exclusively. It has a built-in pop-up flash.. and a hot-shoe mount as well.

For "Macro" (close-up) shots, I choose this icon from the menu-options. Auto-focus adjusts itself for the clearest shot.

Digital Photography Macro_10

Some images of the camera itself..

Digital Photography Sony_m10

It will shoot MPEG video.. (3 modes) but not much duration using HQX (highest-res) setting; given the 200Mb avg. capacity of the media. Stills go well over x100 images shooting in the highest-res setting.

One major minus is the lack of a viewfinder. The LCD screen is almost impossible to see in sunlight.. and if it ever stops working.. then the camera will be useless.

About 7 years ago, the "info-lithium" battery started to fail.. and I put the camera away for a couple years.. using my phone-cam as a substitute.. What?

Tired of the crappy images.. I did a web-search and found "new" replacement batteries and chargers for CHEAP $$$!!! Less than $50 bought me x3 batteries and x2 chargers. A package of x100 8cm CDR's at about $30... (.30/ea) and I was back in business for less $$ than a new camera. Granted.. a new camera has x20 times the effective resolution of my 2.0MP dinosaur.. but that's ok.

I recently discovered that my laptop's OS (Windows Cool

will read non-finalized discs in it's drive.. which will greatly reduce wear and tear on the camera's drive. I typically shoot only a couple images and then connect a USB cable to download directly from the camera. From now on; "initializing" the disc in the camera.. and viewing images via the camera is all that it's drive will be asked of.

fredvon4 Wed Jun 08, 2016 4:12 pm

Very Timely post so I will hi-jack a bit

My CEF buds came through very well for me on the speaker and good music quest

I have been disappointed with my ability taking quality build photos with my Samsung S5 cell and I suppose it may be that it has a very good camera and I just don't know how to select the correct settings

I used to have some high end Minolta 35mm camera gear from the 80s when they started fancy computer controllable auto focus and settings

I liked a old skool Sony Sure shot and recently thought about getting a newer more hi res (mega pixels?) version

If you were to buy a new camera today for under $200 what would you get and why

Based on some reviews I am leaning to the Cannon Elph 350/360

crankbndr Wed Jun 08, 2016 4:31 pm

Ive been using a Canon Powershot SX series and it works very well. Good macro and long zoom and outstanding color.
I had two Sonys that didn't reproduce color well, they also had to have Sony batts. and memory $$$.
The Elph is probably just as good and smaller than the SX series.
I liked the SX because they use AAs and SD cards.

ian1954 Wed Jun 08, 2016 5:01 pm

I am not a photographer but a snapper! I have been using a Nikon COOLPIX S6300 for about four years now - most of my engine pictures were taken with it . (Not the Ollies)
I have been very pleased with it and taken thousands of snaps. It cost about £90 (duty free) - 10x Zoom, Full HD and 16 Mega Doh Dahs. I have worn it out, soaked it in oil, dropped it a few times.................but it has a fully automatic setting.

I am not recommending it because cameras get cheaper and have more features. Like Roddie has mentioned - the LCD screen is useless in bright sunlight - but with my eyesight - a view finder doesn't help. So I just point and click!

With a digital camera - there is no processing fee - so just take many shots and delete the ones you don't like.

The only other comment I would make is speed. A cheaper camera has a slow speed and so when I take a picture of a moving object - it always ends up off centre or not in shot at all! There is a delay between pressing the button and picture completion.

I now have a Sony Alpha 6000. I haven't got to grips with it - it is a 24.3 Mega Doh Dah, 4 K wot not, swappable lens - super dooper Gary Cooper jobby. But ........ the manual is 483 pages, there are loads of adjustments (AF this and that) that you can do what ever that is but I think I have just got it to an automatic point and click setting.

The auto focus is superb but sometimes it decides to take a picture. Early days yet. One thing I like is that it has WiFi - I just push a few buttons to upload pictures to my PC. No wire tugging or pulling and pushing cards in and out. I got it half price and duty free in Dehli airport but it has one big drawback! - It won't fit in my pocket!!!!!

It is difficult to recommend a camera because it does depend what you are going to use it for. I would look for one that is quick and fits in my damn pocket! as well as letting me point and click.

**Cribbs74** Wed Jun 08, 2016 7:52 pm

Photograpy... My Father was really into it in the early 1980's he even had a dark room in our basement. To this day, and even though I am GenX I still think the best pictures are taken with good old film. I use modern digital photo's daily, but still think something is lost in the translation.

Oh well, time presses on.

pkrankow Wed Jun 08, 2016 9:13 pm

Cribbs74 wrote:Photograpy... My Father was really into it in the early 1980's he even had a dark room in our basement. To this day, and even though I am GenX I still think the best pictures are taken with good old film. I use modern digital photo's daily, but still think something is lost in the translation.

Oh well, time presses on.

I feel your pain there. I did B&W film photography in high school, class of '95, and on the school newspaper (there are several issues that they deliberately mis-credited my photos so that it looked like there was a photo staff and not just me No!

) My older brother and I were going to set up a studio and darkroom in the basement. I DID arrange a portable studio but ran into problems using incandescent lighting, color photography, and mail order development. Followed up with a blue filter, and had usable results, but with digital, the rising costs of everything and being a college student I just had to shelve the whole thing.

I still have an inexpensive but very nice Minolta kit, 4 lenses, extras... haven't used it in years. Makes me sad every time I get it out as there are memories from a number of years attached to it and I only have some of the negatives. (none from the newspaper)

Phil

NEW222 Wed Jun 08, 2016 9:37 pm

I have to agree with crankbndr. I have a few digital cameras throughout the years, and have stuck with Canon as I find them nice and friendly to use, and to agree with crankbndr, they use standard SD cards and AA batteries. This is good because the batteries are available everywhere, you do not need to take a charger with you (unless you use rechargeables), and the SD cards are also available most places for cheap.

roddie Thu Jun 09, 2016 2:20 am

NEW222 wrote:I have to agree with crankbndr. I have a few digital cameras throughout the years, and have stuck with Canon as I find them nice and friendly to use, and to agree with crankbndr, they use standard SD cards and AA batteries. This is good because the batteries are available everywhere, you do not need to take a charger with you (unless you use rechargeables), and the SD cards are also available most places for cheap.

Cameras that use AA batteries benefit from using lithium cells. Duracell and Eveready make them. If you're using a flash frequently.. you'll definitely notice the difference in battery-life.

rsv1cox Thu Jun 09, 2016 7:07 am

roddie wrote:
NEW222 wrote:I have to agree with crankbndr. I have a few digital cameras throughout the years, and have stuck with Canon as I find them nice and friendly to use, and to agree with crankbndr, they use standard SD cards and AA batteries. This is good because the batteries are available everywhere, you do not need to take a charger with you (unless you use rechargeables), and the SD cards are also available most places for cheap.

Cameras that use AA batteries benefit from using lithium cells. Duracell and Eveready make them. If you're using a flash frequently.. you'll definitely notice the difference in battery-life.

Many years ago I bought an Olympus C3000 3.3 mp camera, it took great pictures but went belly up. My son had one just like it and had moved on to a more modern camera so he gave it to me..

In the interim I had bought a Kodak V550 5.0 mp which I dearly loved which also stopped working. Then a Kodak M550 12 mp and a Canon A2500 16 mp both of which took lousy pictures. Trashing them I next bought a Nikon “Coolpix” L-120, nice camera but it didn’t match the old Olympus for ease of handling and picture quality.

Since then I have bought five more C-3000’s on ebay most for less than $20, one for $7.50, all came with sim cards and all work just fine. Mega pixels, more is better? Not so in my experience,

Here's one starting at 99 cents.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Olympus-Camedia-C-3000-3-3MP-Digital-Camera-3x-Zoom-Great-Shape-Tested-Nice-/322138771520?hash=item4b00f79040:g:5fMAAOSw6btXReQ8

BTW..and completely off-topic, sorry roddie but today is our 60th anniversary. We eloped, two five dollar rings in front of a judge in South Carolina on my boot camp leave. A ten dollar wedding that lasted almost 59 years until I lost her to Alzheimer's.

roddie Thu Jun 09, 2016 11:58 am

rsv1cox wrote:

BTW..and completely off-topic, sorry roddie but today is our 60th anniversary. We eloped, two five dollar rings in front of a judge in South Carolina on my boot camp leave. A ten dollar wedding that lasted almost 59 years until I lost her to Alzheimer's.

Bob, Please don't apologize. "Happy Anniversary". We know through your writings; how much in-love that you "still are" with her. Smile

rsv1cox Thu Jun 09, 2016 12:38 pm

Thanks for understanding roddie. I guess I do wear her on my sleeve. Funny, I don't share her anyplace else but here. We are such a small and close knit group I feel little hesitation not to do so. We had a 70 year relationship, it tough to let that go.

Bob

fredvon4 Thu Jun 09, 2016 1:29 pm

Hey Bob... I bet there are a bunch of us here that "GET IT"

of your 60~70 years I guess I am a baby with only 32 to my wife Rowena (Renie)

But is not hard for me to see the future and know, if it is 50, 60 or 70 years passed, when she looses me, or I loose her... well I guess you know what I am trying to say

Happy anniversary Bob...

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