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Archive through January 12, 2008

The TVClubHouse: General Discussions ARCHIVES: Jan. 2008 ~ Mar. 2008: All Things Technical: The Help Desk: Digital Camera/Photography Help: Archive through January 12, 2008 users admin

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Jimmer
Moderator

08-30-2000

Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 10:01 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jimmer a private message Print Post    
Not necessarily. It depends on where the bottleneck is. Putting a faster card in some cameras won't make them any faster.

Ultra II CF 5.425MB/sec
SanDisk regular 3.747MB/sec

Those are CFs with a Canon 30D but it will give you an idea.

Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 10:44 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Julieboo a private message Print Post    
Thanks Jimmer!!

Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 10:57 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Julieboo a private message Print Post    
Just noticed that neither the SD1000 nor the A720 has a sports setting. Does this mean that neither one would take crisp actions shots?

Eeyoreslament
Member

07-20-2003

Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 11:23 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Eeyoreslament a private message Print Post    
Kids and Pets has the fast shutter speed that goes with the action settings on other cameras. Kids and pets are always moving around, much like athletes, so the fast shutter speed is what you're looking for there.

Juju2bigdog
Member

10-27-2000

Friday, January 11, 2008 - 7:57 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Juju2bigdog a private message Print Post    
My new SD1000 has a kids and pets setting. It is kind of cute. I could not figure out what that tiny icon was.

Hey, Spongie! What do those green boxes mean? Is that my face recognition thingie? I have not read that far in the manual yet. I am not the best at plowing through manuals. My eyes start glazing over with information overload. Once I know how something works, I am good at writing manuals myself. This stuff here is important. This stuff is not, but here it is if you get bored.

Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Friday, January 11, 2008 - 8:14 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Julieboo a private message Print Post    
Juju, I am pretty sure the green boxes are the face recognition. (From what I've seen on-line.)

Can you tell me how well the pix turns out on a person who is not totally still? (Like maybe ask bigdog to slowly shake his head back & forth--in an attempt to mimick an antsy kid). Is the camera fast enough to capture a crisp image??? TIA!!

Landileigh
Member

07-29-2002

Friday, January 11, 2008 - 8:30 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Landileigh a private message Print Post    
yes the green boxes are the face recognition thingie. julieboo, that's why i wouldn't recommend the SD1000, and instead go with the A720. you can set shutter speeds with the A720. the kids and pets setting is perfect for either KIDS or PETS. i've used it for the antsy cat i have.

Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Friday, January 11, 2008 - 9:21 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Julieboo a private message Print Post    
Landi, which camera do you have? I assume the K&P setting works for your kitty. Do you know if it works on antsy kids?

I was all set on the pocket size 1000, but now I do like the idea of the extra zoom of the 720. Guess I will push my sis in that direction and test out hers!!!

I just wonder if having the zoom will take away from the quality of basic portrait type shots... Cuz really, most of the shots I'd do will probably be the type of picture where you tell everyone to look at you and say cheese.

Cinnamongirl
Member

01-10-2001

Friday, January 11, 2008 - 10:17 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Cinnamongirl a private message Print Post    
eeeeeeeeeeeek... I just bought the A720 online.. Should get it in a few days to a week..

Then I'll have 2 weeks to decide if I like it. I'm betting I will.

Jimmer
Moderator

08-30-2000

Friday, January 11, 2008 - 10:22 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jimmer a private message Print Post    
I just wonder if having the zoom will take away from the quality of basic portrait type shots...

Having a zoom (or using a telephoto lens) generally makes a better portrait shot. You can shoot from farther away at a longer lens length, which does a number of good things. It relaxes the subject as you aren't as in their face. It tends to blur the background (longer lens = shallower depth of field). And the extra distance provides a much nicer perspective on the face.

The face recognition thingy looks neat.

Finally with respect to action shots, these cameras will do their best but to get great action shots you really need an SLR. Though you can help a lot as a photographer by getting experienced at it and anticipating the action.

Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Friday, January 11, 2008 - 10:26 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Julieboo a private message Print Post    
Cool Cinna!!! Where'd ya get it/how much? How does that 2 week thing work? You have a 2 year old, right?? I am curious to see what you have to say about it once you get it...

Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Friday, January 11, 2008 - 10:29 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Julieboo a private message Print Post    
Jimmer, thanks!! I didn't even think about taking portrait shots from farther away with a zoom!!!

Juju, how are you photos turning out???

Cinnamongirl
Member

01-10-2001

Friday, January 11, 2008 - 10:46 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Cinnamongirl a private message Print Post    
I bought it thru Future Shop online. It cost 7.99 to ship it but they throw in a 2GB card for free (online only), so it was cheaper than getting it at the store. And they give you 2 weeks to test it out in case you decide you want another camera. So I really can't go wrong..

I do have a two year old, and this camera is all about him :-)

Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Friday, January 11, 2008 - 11:01 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Julieboo a private message Print Post    
Here is the conclusion that the guy at dpreview.com offers about the A720:

Overall conclusion

The A720 IS comes from a long line of successful cameras and, while it is hardly the most exciting upgrade we've ever seen, it does nothing to detract from a popular and successful recipe. And this makes it quite hard not to damn the thing with faint praise because it's hard to say anything about the A720 IS beyond the fact that it's a really good little camera.

Finding fault with it is a pretty awkward task. It also has one of the most stupidly placed tripod mounts that we've ever encountered but that's hardly a fatal flaw and one that will be an inconvenience for only a tiny proportion of users. But beyond that we're struggling. Its weaknesses (ISO modes whose ambition outstrip their image quality and an optical viewfinder that wouldn't be out-of-place on something that fell out of a cereal packet), are present in its competitors too. And, poor though compact optical viewfinders tend to be, they're still handy to have in bright or very low light when the LCD is hard to see.

If anything, our major niggles are that the A720 IS could have been even better. It would have been nice to see Canon's clever 'Auto ISO Shift' function on here. It's a useful function that probably just needed to be 'switched on' in the camera's software, yet has been missed off - It's arguably a greater benefit to the user than the ISO 1600 mode. The decision not to use two of the directions on the four-way controller also seems a little perverse at a time Canon is providing more direct access buttons on its other cameras.

But none of this should take away from what is a very good camera. If used in automatic mode, it takes consistently good photographs so long as you keep away from the highest ISO settings. It also has a perfectly usable manual mode which is a fairly rare commodity on compacts.

Ultimately, while neither groundbreaking nor particularly inspiring, it's difficult not to be impressed with the A720 IS. It's a good little camera with a simple and consistent user interface that allows the user to take good photos for a very reasonable amount of money. These may sound like the qualities that all compact cameras should offer by default yet there are still many manufacturers that struggle with these basics. As long as their expectations are not utterly unreasonable, it's hard to imagine anyone being disappointed with the A720IS; an unpretentious little thing.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Friday, January 11, 2008 - 11:06 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Julieboo a private message Print Post    
Cinn, is that a canadian site?

Landileigh
Member

07-29-2002

Friday, January 11, 2008 - 11:40 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Landileigh a private message Print Post    
julieboo,
i have the A570IS. which is 7.1 megapixels with a 4X zoom. yes, it would work with antsy kids, no different than a cat.


Juju2bigdog
Member

10-27-2000

Friday, January 11, 2008 - 1:13 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Juju2bigdog a private message Print Post    
Julieboo, my pics are coming out great. I am not sure Bigdog can move fast enough to challenge the camera, though. You know he is older than snot and slow as the dickens? I could go out and look for a younger boyfriend if you like, though.

Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Friday, January 11, 2008 - 1:15 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Julieboo a private message Print Post    
Cool!! I'd actually love to see some action shots of you and your young boyfriend! Your camera shoots video too, right? So you might as well test that out as well!!

Cinnamongirl
Member

01-10-2001

Friday, January 11, 2008 - 1:45 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Cinnamongirl a private message Print Post    
LOL @ Juju!!

Yes, Julie, its a Canadian Site.. And the camera was $229.00 (I forgot to add that in my last post)

Juju2bigdog
Member

10-27-2000

Friday, January 11, 2008 - 8:32 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Juju2bigdog a private message Print Post    
Well, Bigdog's brain MRI showed he does not have a brain tumor, for those who are interested. Prelim. report says it is a sinus infection, will know more Wed. So I may not be getting the younger boyfriend after all.

Jimmer
Moderator

08-30-2000

Friday, January 11, 2008 - 8:37 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jimmer a private message Print Post    
I'm very happy for Bigdog. Sorry about the younger boyfriend though.

Mameblanche
Member

08-24-2002

Friday, January 11, 2008 - 9:01 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Mameblanche a private message Print Post    
Jimmer I don't see why she cain't have both of 'em. One for weekdays and t'other on weekends and holidays...

<skedaddling outta here>

Eeyoreslament
Member

07-20-2003

Saturday, January 12, 2008 - 3:14 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Eeyoreslament a private message Print Post    
I'll trade you my younger hunky boyfriend for older hunky BigDog!!!

Juju2bigdog
Member

10-27-2000

Saturday, January 12, 2008 - 6:54 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Juju2bigdog a private message Print Post    
Yikes! Well, um, how about those shutter speeds nowadays! And uh, my new SD1000 gets itself open and ready to take a picture much sooner than my old camera.

Egbok
Member

07-13-2000

Saturday, January 12, 2008 - 8:50 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Egbok a private message Print Post    
OT...having met both younger hunky boyfriend and older hunky BigDog, I'd say you both got great men and no trade is necessary...send 'em to me!!! hahahahaha!!

...Okay, carry on with your camera discussion...