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Archive through January 10, 2008

The TVClubHouse: General Discussions ARCHIVES: Jan. 2008 ~ Mar. 2008: All Things Technical: The Help Desk: Digital Camera/Photography Help: Archive through January 10, 2008 users admin

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Jimmer
Moderator

08-30-2000

Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 2:16 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jimmer a private message Print Post    
I think your explanation is good, Eeyore.

Scooterrific
Member

07-08-2005

Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 2:24 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Scooterrific a private message Print Post    


Juju2bigdog
Member

10-27-2000

Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 2:26 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Juju2bigdog a private message Print Post    
I need to figure out how to turn off the digital zoom. On my old camera I could clearly see when I was going to digital zoom, and I did not go there. It does seem absolutely silly to me.

Played with the new Canon SD1000 this morning. So far, nothing to dislike about it. It sure powers up fast.

Julieboo, I admit to having that fear this morning - this thing is so small what if I somehow lose it? Or worse yet, I hand it to somebody to take a picture of us, and they drop it off a boat or something? LOL.

Tess
Member

04-13-2001

Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 2:29 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Tess a private message Print Post    
ok so we have Nikon D80, deal with the bad eyes (been there, done that, can continue), use optical zoom not digital zoom and see Eeyore after every class. And don't be fooled by the myth of megapixels.

I went to my camera shop today and they are giving a free photo printer with each of these cameras and no interest for 10 months. Life is so good sometimes. Now I just need Charlie to find the time to go with me and we're set.

Juju, if I were going to wait and take Spongie shopping with me, we'd be shopping in summer. That's the soonest we'll be in his part of the world. I'm loving that long battery life part. Y'all know I take hundreds and hundreds of photos.

Time to go and pick up the squirt from school. Thanks for the help! I'll keep reading here.

Jimmer
Moderator

08-30-2000

Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 2:50 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jimmer a private message Print Post    
That's great Tess. And the D80 won't even let you do anything but optical zoom so you don't have to worry about that.

Let us know if you have questions.

Eeyoreslament
Member

07-20-2003

Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 3:42 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Eeyoreslament a private message Print Post    
Soooo......when do we talk to Tess about which LENS to choose?

I say don't bother with the kit lens, and go for a VR.

This one is my next purchase:
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/18200.htm

Here are the Nikon lens offerings:
http://nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=5

Tess
Member

04-13-2001

Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 3:43 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Tess a private message Print Post    
Thanks, Jimmer. I certainly will.

Tess
Member

04-13-2001

Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 3:48 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Tess a private message Print Post    
Ack! Eeyore what is a VR??? My sister's boyfriend has a lens which cost him $900 and it was used. He used it in the indoor primate exhibit at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago and took the most magnificent photos. The animals were so far away and in his photos you can see the expression in their eyes and every hair. He had them framed for my sister to put in her office at the museum.

I'm not sure I could even carry that lens. It was humungous!

Oh, and what's a kit lens?

Jimmer
Moderator

08-30-2000

Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 4:01 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jimmer a private message Print Post    
Vibration reduction to avoid shake on telephoto lenses.

Kit lenses are lenses that companies include with the body when you buy it. The kit lenses aren't bad but obviously they can't have the same quality as other lenses that you purchase separately.

Eeyoreslament
Member

07-20-2003

Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 4:10 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Eeyoreslament a private message Print Post    
Sorry to scare you Tess. I was directing the suggestion at Jimmer.

They even have the anti-shake on that 18-200 lens. It seems like a pretty all-purpose lens for people who want to do wide and telephoto shots, of fairly daily things like Miss Sarah's Christmas concert, soccer game, family vacation, etc. I love love love the idea of VR and really want that lens. I also want the 70-200 which is f/2.8 (a bit faster) for my boyfriend's rugby games. But that's a 2000 dollar pipe-dream right now.

Seriously Tess, the kit I bought I couldn't refuse the price, but I realllllly want to just carry that one lens, the 18-200 VR one.

Jimmer
Moderator

08-30-2000

Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 4:19 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jimmer a private message Print Post    
Canon's version of VR is IS (Image Stabilization). My favorite lens is an IS lens but they are very expensive!

Tess
Member

04-13-2001

Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 4:51 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Tess a private message Print Post    
Oh my. Lots of information there. How about I get the camera first, learn to use it and then talk lenses which cost more than my first car.

Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 5:34 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Julieboo a private message Print Post    
So Cinnamon, can you give a list of pros and cons for the 720 and the 1000? (Seems like you and my sister are looking for about the same things...)

Eeyoreslament
Member

07-20-2003

Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 5:40 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Eeyoreslament a private message Print Post    
The reason I say it now Tess, is that you have a choice to buy JUST the camera body, or include a lens with the purchase. The SLRs don't COME with a lens, you have to choose which one you want. The body alone cannot take pictures, so you HAVE to buy a lens with the body. There's kind of no choice, in that you need to buy a lens to make the camera work. That is why I suggest a PROPER lens, rather than a kit one.

So camera companies make it easy, by offering a "just OK" lens, often referre to as the "kit lens" because it's sold as part of a kit. I think the current kit lens of the D80 is 18-55, which doesn't offer much zoom. You pretty much have to be within 6 or 8 feet of the subject, if you want to get only them in the shot.

My thoughts on the standard kit lens is that it's not worth the extra money you spend on it, especially if you are just going to have to go buy a whole full new lens to accommodate the extra needs.

So you can buy the body alone, THEN choose a lens that truly suits all of your personal needs, that is worth the money.

For example, let's say the D80 camera body is 700 dollars. The D80 KIT that includes an 18-55 lens is priced at 1000. But that really doesn't let you take a picture anyone even remotely far away. So you look to get something that offers AT LEAST 135mm. Now you have to go buy ANOTHER lens for the far away stuff. So then you tack on another 200 bucks for a 55-200 lens. Now you're up to 1200. I personally would rather buy the body for 700, and a separate 18-200VR lens, for 679 (source B+H), and you never have to change the lens.

I hope I've made some sense. Tess, this is a big purchase, so make sure you guys understand all the necessary things, before going and buying one in a rush. That way you are truly getting the right things for your money, and not wasting money on sub-par stuff.

Eeyoreslament
Member

07-20-2003

Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 5:56 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Eeyoreslament a private message Print Post    
PS - only the 70-200 VR f/2.8 lens was around 2000 bucks, not the 18-200. Don't worry!! I know that one is expensive!! That's why I said it was a pipe-dream for me! It all depends what you're shooting, as to whether a lens is right for you. :-)

Teachmichigan
Member

07-22-2001

Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 6:00 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Teachmichigan a private message Print Post    
I've successfully used the digital zoom on my camera -- but the lighting has to be "just right" -- think daytime and clouds are actually better. When we were at Epcot over Christmas, I got this shot from across the lake -a 10 min. boat ride or a 15 min. walk:


Oh good heavens -- it's impossible to tell that this IS a good shot when it has to be so small to upload! LOL Just check my folder to see some of the close-up flower shots ... a few of the daisy ones were taken with the digital zoom.

Tess
Member

04-13-2001

Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 6:12 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Tess a private message Print Post    
Ah, now I get it. My current camera has a zoom lens built in so I mistakenly thought that digital cameras came the same way. Thanks for explaining, Eeyore. I think the camera was $549 at my camera shop with the photo printer thrown in for free. So what I need to do is also get an 18-200 VR lens which will do what I want but not break the bank.

Jimmer
Moderator

08-30-2000

Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 6:29 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jimmer a private message Print Post    
SLRs have interchangeable lenses. You put a different lens on the body, depending on what you are taking pictures of. Of course, zoom lenses have reduced the need to change lenses as much (if at all).

Most of the non-pro SLRs are sold as a kit including a lens. That's because the body is useless without a lens. The kit lens are not terrible. They just don't have the build and optical quality of the better lenses that you would buy separately.

The kit lenses are generally not very expensive. To see how reasonable they are, you can see what the price of the camera body is by itself. There isn't much difference. So while I used to think that the kit lenses were kinda cheap, they aren't a bad starting point.

Then you can decide if you want to spend big bucks on a more expensive lens.

For someone like Eeyore who knows exactly what she wants right away, it made sense to pass on the kit lens altogether and get the big one right away.

Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 8:18 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Julieboo a private message Print Post    
Okay, so what is the diff in these memeory cards???





Eeyoreslament
Member

07-20-2003

Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 8:53 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Eeyoreslament a private message Print Post    
Memory cards vary based on the SPEED that a camera can write to the card. So the really cheap ones you find will have a sort of "lag" when writing to the card. This is more pronounced if you use the video feature of your camera, or if you're using the "multi-shot" feature on some P&S or SLR cameras, where the camera can take several pics per second.

For example, my Nikon takes 3 pics per second (approximately) if I am on the multi feature, and it can "buffer up to 100 pictures. So....if I wanted to take pics of someone doing an entire layup in a basketball game, that would be a place to use multi-shot. But if the card is "slow" to write those 100 pictures, it will be a longer time before my camera is ready to take more pictures, because it is still busy writing to the card.

Faster cards are important if you want to take pictures with very little time between shots. Those slow cards take about a second or so to write a pic. Most times, we don't notice this lag because we don't need to take another shot right away, but I notice it at my bf's rugby games, where I am trying to capture stuff fairly rapidly.

Eeyoreslament
Member

07-20-2003

Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 8:55 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Eeyoreslament a private message Print Post    
I have to say, I LOVE having multi-shot on my cameras. I use it on my small one too. I can set mine for how many shots I want. I have a "burst 3" mode, where is takes 3 shots in about 2 seconds. I like this because it give you three photos of a moment, and you can pick the best one later.

Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 8:59 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Julieboo a private message Print Post    
Based on what you can see above (and please ignore the 1G one) how can you tell how fast they are? Do I assume the more $$, the faster it is???

Jimmer
Moderator

08-30-2000

Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 9:20 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jimmer a private message Print Post    
The Ultra II San Disk is faster than the regular San Disk. I'm not sure how the others compare.

Eeyoreslament
Member

07-20-2003

Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 9:36 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Eeyoreslament a private message Print Post    
Don't assume JB, better to just check the specs on each, and compare when you're buying.

Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 9:54 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Julieboo a private message Print Post    
So the speed of the camera is dependant on the card? Hmmm. Did not know that. And how much faster is the ultra san than the regular? TIA!