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Archive through December 25, 2006

The TVClubHouse: General Discussions ARCHIVES: Jan. 2007 ~ Mar. 2007: All Things Technical: The Help Desk: Digital Camera/Photography Help (ARCHIVES): Archive through December 25, 2006 users admin

Author Message
Landi
Member

07-29-2002

Sunday, December 17, 2006 - 8:02 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Landi a private message Print Post    
eggie, i don't use the camera software. i use adobe photo elements and i have it so the minute i plug my camera into the computer that it comes up. you don't need that software that comes with the camera. you do need a good photo editing software though. examples: adobe photo elements, adobe photoshop, paint shop pro, etc.

Seamonkey
Moderator

09-07-2000

Sunday, December 17, 2006 - 8:24 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Seamonkey a private message Print Post    
I have a card reader/writer that reads 10 different camera cards, so I just pop the card from my camera into the reader and the reader plugs into a USB port in my desktop or my laptop or ANY other computer. I don't have special software.. I can bring up the files/images that are on the card in any one of several programs and usually just move the files I want to move to known folders under My Picturs and then use, in my case irfanview, but coud be any of the proggies landi mentions or anything else to resize, crop, and fiddle with the pics.

So I don't directly plug my camera into anything, don't use those batteries for transferring.

I have a 4 gig card now, compact flash in the case of my camera, and it is great for transferring files back and forth.

What kind of camera did you get? I always remember that your camera flashed three times :-) and that you got very good pictures with it!

Jimmer
Moderator

08-30-2000

Sunday, December 17, 2006 - 10:35 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jimmer a private message Print Post    
It sounds like you've got some good advice already!

No you don't have to install the software. However, if they bundled something useful with the camera (like PhotoShop Elements) you might want to install it.

The only other reason you might want to install it is that some cameras let you record your name so it appears in the EXIF data (the data associated with the images) and the only way to do this is usually through the camera software link on your computer.

A card reader is a great way to transfer files.

Egbok
Member

07-13-2000

Monday, December 18, 2006 - 12:48 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Egbok a private message Print Post    
Thanks landi, Seamonkey and Jimmer!

Sea, I'm going to look for the type of card reader you've got because it sounds practical.

My new camera is the Canon G7 and I'm really liking it so far. Retro look with nice size buttons/dials and an image stabilizer to help capture those quick shots.


Juju2bigdog
Member

10-27-2000

Monday, December 18, 2006 - 9:50 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Juju2bigdog a private message Print Post    
Eggie, I would have said no out of hand, don't install the camera software, but what Jimmer said is an excellent idea. Explore your software disk without installing it and see if it has a free photo editing program on it. You don't want one that is a free trial and then you have to buy it, but if they have a full or Limited Edition program that is not going to expire, then install that. I have Photoshop 5.0 LE (Limited Edition) that came free with a scanner, and it is a great little photo editing program, easy to learn.

I have a card reader that I use to transfer my images. What I usually do is create a New Folder in My Pictures called Temp. Then I highlight all the pictures on my camera card, right click them, and move them to the Temp folder. Then I rename them all, using the date they were taken for the temporary name. You can rename multiple pictures at a time by highlighting all of them, then going back to the first one and right clicking and giving it a date. Then it will name all the photos that same name, sequentially numbered. Such as 12-18-06 (1), 12-18-06 (2), etc.

Jimmer
Moderator

08-30-2000

Monday, December 18, 2006 - 10:19 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jimmer a private message Print Post    
It's even better if you can rename your photos starting with a date in the format of yymmdd. That way they will always sort in the order in which they were taken.

Juju2bigdog
Member

10-27-2000

Monday, December 18, 2006 - 11:21 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Juju2bigdog a private message Print Post    
Oooh! Thanks, Jimmer. Excellent idea.

Seamonkey
Moderator

09-07-2000

Monday, December 18, 2006 - 3:46 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Seamonkey a private message Print Post    
Eggie, card readers, even 12 in 1 ones can be found dirt cheap at Fry's and other places..

Oh yes for a sort key you want to do YYMMDDHHMM

LOL and for our hospital system to be sure to be unique we had to go to seconds and microseconds..

I'm too lazy for all that, but I do have folders for various themes and events.. all those years of rigorous standards, program templates, naming conventions and at home I am just chaotic.

Egbok
Member

07-13-2000

Monday, December 18, 2006 - 9:22 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Egbok a private message Print Post    
Hey ALL...thanks so much for excellent information. I really liked the idea Juju shared about moving pics to My Pictures in a Temp folder....and then Jimmer great advice about YYMMDD for sorting! And Sea, I'll be dropping by Fry's!

I love you guys!!


Abby7
Member

07-17-2002

Tuesday, December 19, 2006 - 9:36 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Abby7 a private message Print Post    
thank you so much for posting your question Egbok (i haven't told you, yet, how much i love that you have your old name back. so much more like you!).

dh did put the software on both our computers. i haven't, yet, tried to figure it out though. i do know, the software caused a bit of a problem, though...but i'll figure that out later.

so, eggie, your post helped me in that i know about other options. thanks. and thanks for all the great (as usual) replies.

( i will post photos here once i figure it all out and have time to learn).

so, good to know i have other options.

Teachmichigan
Member

07-22-2001

Wednesday, December 20, 2006 - 8:06 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Teachmichigan a private message Print Post    
GGRRRR!! I ordered the Canon Powershot A530 from an Amazon merchant. It was supposed to arrive this week (Monday -Friday). TODAY I get a notice of cancellation in my e-mail. It just said it was canceled due to 'circumstances beyond their control" but they have NOT credited the amount back to my card (they were certainly fast about charging it!). To top it off, I've been on hold for over 40 minutes trying to get a REAL person in customer service, and no luck yet.

On the postive side -- Best Buy has the exact same camera for $10 cheaper. Although they won't allow me to order/pay for it over the phone, the gal said they had plenty so I can pick it up tomorrow. Wish I'd gone this route from the beginning! I've always had great service from Amazon, but never again will I use an Amazon "merchant"!

Jimmer
Moderator

08-30-2000

Wednesday, December 20, 2006 - 8:40 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jimmer a private message Print Post    
The sad thing is that while there are reputable dealers like B & H, there are also some real crooks selling cameras on the Internet. I'm not suggesting that is necessarily the situation in your case Teachmichigan, but one thing for sure - if the price seems to good to be true - it is too good to be true and you will be ripped off!

Abby7
Member

07-17-2002

Wednesday, December 20, 2006 - 9:32 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Abby7 a private message Print Post    
teach, i'm not sure if my situation applies to yours, but i was able to get 2 phone calls from Amazon today. i had a question for them about my order and an e-mail they sent.

i went to the website/logged in/went to help. from there i found a link. i opened up the window, typed in my phone number and then clicked the "call back now". immediately my phone rings. it's amazon. it was great getting my question handled. (amazon called me twice--i gave them my phone # twice, 2 questions-- no waiting, phone rings immediately).

eta: i purchased a book from an amazon merchant.

Chiliwilli
Member

09-04-2006

Thursday, December 21, 2006 - 1:35 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Chiliwilli a private message Print Post    
Teachmichigan, make sure you notify Amazon right away about the cancellation if they don't know already. I bought a book from one of their merchants and it never came. Amazon refunded my money as soon as I notified them.

Juju2bigdog
Member

10-27-2000

Thursday, December 21, 2006 - 9:31 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Juju2bigdog a private message Print Post    
I have had very good experiences with Amazon.com in resolving problems with their affiliate merchants. One time I inquired about the timeliness of a refund (which was in the works and I did receive it), and Amazon put a $5 courtesy credit in my account.

Teachmichigan
Member

07-22-2001

Thursday, December 21, 2006 - 5:36 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Teachmichigan a private message Print Post    
I left negative feedback and then received notification from Amazon today that they had refunded my money. Thanks for the info on how to call. I've used that a couple times in the past month, and they have always been extremely helpful.

I picked up the camera at Best Buy today. It's too cute -- just a little thing but super easy to use. I've got a few new pictures posted here:
http://tinyurl.com/y5z9bo

Abby7
Member

07-17-2002

Friday, December 22, 2006 - 3:33 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Abby7 a private message Print Post    
teach, happy to hear you are happy w/the camera.

quick question: you posted "To top it off, I've been on hold for over 40 minutes trying to get a REAL person in customer service, and no luck yet"

later you posted: Thanks for the info on how to call. I've used that a couple times in the past month, and they have always been extremely helpful

-----------
i'm just wondering, since you knew about how to call to speak to a "real" person right away (so you didn't have to wait 40 minutes), why didn't you use that this time?

did this purchase not apply to the amazon call back immediately (meaning an amazon representative calling you back immediately w/o any wait?)

Teachmichigan
Member

07-22-2001

Friday, December 22, 2006 - 11:28 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Teachmichigan a private message Print Post    
I was trying to get through to Tiger Direct (since they were the company that caused the problem). It wasn't Amazon's fault, so although I knew how to call THEM, it was the Tiger people I wanted to speak with personally. Sorry for the confusion!

Eeyoreslament
Member

07-20-2003

Saturday, December 23, 2006 - 1:53 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Eeyoreslament a private message Print Post    
Jimmer, I recently got into putting up all my photos onto Flickr to share with others. I was looking through the EXIF properties on various shots, and I was wondering what "Gain Control" meant. Is that something I have adjusted? What setting is it on my camera? Or is that something the camera does on its own?

My old camera's picture's properties don't show it, but my new one does. Here is an example:

http://www.flickr.com/photo_exif.gne?id=330716770&context=set-72157594435021722

Jimmer
Moderator

08-30-2000

Saturday, December 23, 2006 - 4:12 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jimmer a private message Print Post    
It's normally described as the ISO setting. A higher ISO setting allows you to take pictures in lower light without reducing the shutter speed and widening the aperture as much. Basically, it increases the sensitivity (gain) of the sensor. The downside of this is that it can lead to more noise in the image.

Curlyq
Member

07-10-2002

Monday, December 25, 2006 - 5:22 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Curlyq a private message Print Post    
Help! I've been wanting a digital camera for years, and last night my aunt very generously gave me one for a Christmas gift. It's a Sony DSC-W50, and it's the camera of my dreams. The trouble is I'm now finding out that it isn't compatible with Windows 98. My computer is 6 years old, and I can't afford a new one anytime soon. The tech support has been contradictory. On the website they have an article saying you can use the camera with Windows 98 if you plug it into the USB port. However, the first tech guy I questioned in chat said it was not compatible. This afternoon I called them on the phone and the guy I talked to said I could try it using the USB port and installing the enclosed software. When I tried installing it I got a message saying I didn't have the right OS. So I called back and the next guy I talked to said it wouldn't work and that Sony no longer makes cameras that are compatible with Windows 98. I asked him about the conflicting information, and he just apologized and offered no other advice except to find another computer.

Do I have any other options besides giving the camera back to my aunt and thanking her for the thought? I'm just heartbroken about it.

Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Monday, December 25, 2006 - 9:12 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Julieboo a private message Print Post    
I am totally not geeky, so you might get a better solution. BUT the good news is this: you can always take the camera to any number of stores (Walmart, Target, Walgreens, etc...) and just have them burn a disc. Then download what you want from the CD and voila! (It costs maybe 84¢ for the CD to be burned... And you can get a ton of shots on one disc. Or if you like them to be separated onto different discs, you can do that too...

Bottom line is, you can keep your camera!!! Unless, of course your computer doesn't have a CD thing.

Teachmichigan
Member

07-22-2001

Monday, December 25, 2006 - 9:16 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Teachmichigan a private message Print Post    
Instead of a new computer, have you considered upgrading your windows to XP? If you've got the memory for it, it's cheaper than an entirely new computer, but it will still allow you to use your new camera. Upgrades are typically cheaper than "new installs," so it might be worth looking into.

Curlyq
Member

07-10-2002

Monday, December 25, 2006 - 10:16 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Curlyq a private message Print Post    
Thanks to both of you. This computer is so old I'm not sure an upgrade would be worth it or if it would even work. For example, it has only 96MB of RAM. It's a lot slower than it used to be. It gets harder and harder to handle some websites, especially the ones with Flash on their home page.

Julieboo, I was hoping that was true about going to Walgreens but I wasn't sure. Is it really only 84¢ to have a disc made? That would really help. Since I've been going to the store to drop off film I guess it's no hardship to do that, plus I won't be paying for photos that didn't come out right. I wish I could download straight to my computer to save me even more time, but any option that doesn't involve returning the camera is great!

I love this website. I've spent most of the day searching through other sites and forums looking for any answers on my problem. Somehow I knew I'd find more practical advice here.

Seamonkey
Moderator

09-07-2000

Monday, December 25, 2006 - 10:33 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Seamonkey a private message Print Post    
Curlyq.. It seems that you have built in memory but you can also use a memory stick


quote:

Memory Stick Duo™ Media
The DSC-W50 has a built-in slot for optional Memory Stick Duo™ or higher-capacity Memory Stick PRO Duo™ media -- the ultra compact media for shooting, storing and sharing your photo images.




Now, I'd assume, but you can find out, that there should be an inexpensive card reader that would take the memory stick and then to your computer .. IF a card reader would work with win98, which I'd think it would, if you have USB ports.

Hmm well the first reader I found says win 2000, Me or XP

Here is a site that might give you info

http://www.steves-digicams.com/flash_memory.html#ms

and a link on that site, but not seeing info about operating systems.

http://www.sonydigital-link.com/memstick/compatibility/compatibility.asp?l=en&f=dsc


(and IF something works with 98, it sounds like mini versions of the memory sticks may need adaptors to work with readers. (many of the readers also allow writing so you can use them to put info ONTO memory and then put those files on another computer)