With CB02 only a few short weeks away, I have made the decision to buy a digital camera. Can anyone make some suggestions as to what to buy and what extra equipment to go with it, i.e. batteries, extra memory chip/card, etc? I would like to be able to take many pictures at one time before downloading, video not real important and I also need to download into my Windows 98 system. Do I need any extra software for my PC? I would like to keep it under $500. Any help or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Oh, and if I didn't already mention it, I am a computer illiterate so speak easy! http://www.chevelles.com/forum/rolleyes.gif

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ACES #5032
TC #1074

I'm sure a few will pipe in and poo-poo my suggestion, but I say you go for a Sony Mavica. The benefits:

-shoots at a reasonably high resolution, typically more resolution than you will ever need on the 'net. (higher resolutions are desired if you want to make 8x10 paper photos of your pictures, but not many folks do that. Works great for up to 6x4 paper photos and Sony offers an inexpensive service if you want to have snapshots made of your digital photos)
-puts photos in the common .jpg format on floppy disks. You are limited to the capacity of however many disks you want to carry with you. Depending on the resolution you choose to shoot at you can get 10-25 pictures per disk. I usually carry 15-20 disks with me and I've never used them all up in one weekend.
-no special connections or software required (except for a floppy drive on your computer).
-disks are cheap, cheap storage.
-you can make copies with the camera so you can give copies of a disk or individual pictures to a friend.
-you don't need to be near a computer to off load data from a memory card so you can wipe it clean and use it again nor do you need to have multiple expensive memory cards.
-Mavica's are now available well under your price point.
-Mavica's have some nice low-light features and a built-in flash.

Tips: buy a spare battery (Sony's InfoLithim are great) and keep the spare charged at all times. I have two batteries and have yet to run through both in one day. They charge in 2 hours so you can charge them both in one evening. These batteries also tell you how much time is left on the battery.

Check out my web sites, almost all the pictures you see were taken with my Mavica at the lowest resolution settings available (640x480, many shrunk to 480x320 in software for on-line use, camera goes up to 1024x720).

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NCOA member #220 ACES member #1670
Team Chevelle #998 YesterYears Chevys #52949
American Muscle Car Association #142
Rich's 1965 Malibu SS Restoration Project Progress Page (http://www.geocities.com/ticklewiggle/)

As usual Rich is on the mark. Even I can use the Sony. If only I could figure out how to post pictures on the Team Chevelle page. I know very very little about this computer entry stuff.

We use a Sony Mavica here at work and even a dufus like me can use without screwing it up. http://www.chevelles.com/forum/biggrin.gif

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TC #364
Aces #4309
Jeff's 69 (http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/daytonajeff1.jpg)

I had borrowed a friend's Mavica. I liked it. The wife complained about the size and weight (it was an earlier Mavica and was a little on the heavy side) and about carrying around extra floppies. I liked the batteries and their charger, the battery life was great - a couple of hours or so with a fully-charged battery. She didn't like it, so it had to go back.

I bought an Olympus. It's nice, it's light, it's small, and it holds roughly 36 pictures on the built-in card. She hates it. She says she was able to take better pictures with the Mavica; she complains about the small memory card (I haven't upgraded yet); she doesn't like that I have to use my computer and some special software to get the pics off the camera instead of being able to just pop out the floppy and put it in her computer; she complains about the slow copying-of-pictures-from-camera speed and about the horrible battery life.

So... I'd suggest that either you a) get the worst camera you can find so when you get a different one it'd be an improvement, or b) get a Mavica.

If you do choose a camera that takes the memory cards, get a bigger card. 36 pictures doesn't go far when you're out of town.

I have an Olympus that has a USB port, so all I have to do is plug it into the laptop (or any computer that has usb ports) if I run out of storage in the field, without any special software. It is seen as a removable drive using standard USB drivers. Being that it is USB, it it reasonably fast. I think it will download the 128M compact flash in less than 2 minutes, which it pretty fast when you consider that is equal to almost 100 floppies (49 pictures @ 2.5MB each). If I wanted to do 640x480, I could get over 1300 pictures without having to download.

Also, if you compare the price of floppies to that of Compact flash or Smart media, MB for MB, solid state memory is only twice as much as floppies ($0.35/meg versus $0.70/meg)

Just something to consider.

[This message has been edited by Gene McGill (edited 05-07-2002).]

There have been several posts in the past few months regarding digital camera recommendations. It might be worth the time to do a search for them. The bottom line is, almost everybody recommends the camera brand that they own. That speaks well for digital cameras in general. It really means that you will probably be happy with whichever camera you buy.

Batteries - bring lots of them.
Memory - The smart card, memory stick, ATA flash, or the compact flash memory media all work quite well. You will want at least 64 Mbytes of memory which will store approximately 2000 pictures at the lower VGA resolutions (30 kbyte size) which are great for posting. If you want to print your pictures then an XGA resolution (500 kbyte size) will give you only about 120 pictures in 64MB. If you get 128 MB of memory, you can double the number of pictures. You can use resolutions in between those examples. You can buy multiple memories and exchange them on site to store more pictures.
Downloading - All cameras will connect to your computer for downloading the pictures. With some brands, you may have to buy the interconnecting cable. There are other devices that will allow you to merely plug your memory card into it and it will then act as another hard drive on your computer. Loading the software that comes with those devices is required. They cost about $30.
Costs - You will not have to spend $500 to get what you want. Several good cameras go for under $300.
More Info - There are many web sites that address this very subject. Here are a few of them: http://www.digitalcameras.com/consumerInfo.asp http://computers.cnet.com/hardware/0-1078.html?tag=st.ce.3622.dir.1078 http://www.epinions.com/elec-Photo-Cameras-All http://www.dcresource.com/



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Bob McCormick
69 Malibu project

You can also go to http://circuitcity.com and check out the dig camera section. They have consumer reveiws on there. At first I thought ya, it's just advereticing for them. But there is some cameras there that people say really suck and not to buy them.

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TC Member # 1308

my trailer queen (http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/trailerqueeny.jpg)
future racer (http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/austin.jpg)
justins 67 (http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/67sideveiw.jpg)
cals caminos web site (http://72sselcamino1.tripod.com/calscaminos/)

I love my Mavica!
I bought a camcorder bag that's big enough for the camera, plenty of floppies, charger, spare battery, wide angle lens, zoom lens, and filter lens.

The wide angle lens and zoom lens are good accessories. The FD90 Mavica I have comes with 16x zoom but with the added lens you can really get up close and personal.

I don't think I'd want one of the new Mavicas that use CDRs though, floppies can be read by any pc but CDRs can be iffy.

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ACES member# 5093
Elcaminos are special!
I'd rather walk around with a Chevrolet hubcap in my hand than drive a Ford

Ole Paint (http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/olepaint1)

I also have a mavica FD90 and love it...

Mavicas are convienent with the floppy storage but to buy one in the 2 megapixel or higher is a little pricy.I got the fuji finepix 2600 and i love it.2 megapixels,video,and usb download which after using it is even easier and quicker than floppies.The best bang for the buck at $299.There some pictures i took with it in the link in my sig.

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http://photos.yahoo.com/ochrisl
Updated 4/30/02

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by BobMcC:
The bottom line is, almost everybody recommends the camera brand that they own. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

On that note, I guess I would recommend my Nikon 990. Excellent quality.

Here's a site that does a good job on reviews: http://www.steves-digicams.com/

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JeffK ACES #01510
Team Chevelle Gold #72
496/Richmond 6-Speed
JeffK@chevelles.com
Jeff's Chevelle Page (http://www.72chevelle.com)

[This message has been edited by JeffK (edited 05-07-2002).]

If you've got any thoughts of video or .mpg as well as digital images you might look into a mini digital recorder. My Sony takes stills and .mpg movies and stores them on a memory stick and records digital video on 8mm tape. It's easy to use and I can take stills off the digital video (frame by frame)also... You might actually find something in the $500 range that does a decent job at all of it.

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...Dennis
The '69 (http://chevelles.com/showroom/fine69_03.jpg) & the '96 (http://chevelles.com/showroom/fine69_02.jpg)
Team Camaro (http://www.camaros.net)
Camaros Limited (http://www.camaroslimited.com)

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by BobMcC:
The bottom line is, almost everybody recommends the camera brand that they own.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Not always. When it came time to help my parents choose a digital camera I didn't get them a Mavica for a number of reasons. I do happen to think the Mavica has a lot going for it on trips and "in-the-field" picture gathering with a strong ease-of-use factor with lots of actually useful features.

A good suggestion is to to to a large store with many brands and models to choose from and try them all out. Each has their strong and weak points. Which you decide on will be strongly influenced by what your needs will be (and price).


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NCOA member #220 ACES member #1670
Team Chevelle #998 YesterYears Chevys #52949
American Muscle Car Association #142
Rich's 1965 Malibu SS Restoration Project Progress Page (http://www.geocities.com/ticklewiggle/)

Thanks so far guys. Unfortunately, I am a total novice to this stuff but if I am ever going to get a company web page, I need to get with the program. I want to start off small and work my way up. Thanks again.

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ACES #5032
TC #1074

My Sony says CD Mavica, 3.3 Megapixels on the front and has 6X zoom. I'm not sure if there are different Mavica's, but mine cost $995. in November at Best Buys. My son who's the electronics expert in the family has a Sony that he also paid about a grand for about a year ago and it uses a memory stick. He said I should buy one like his until he used this one. I really like the CD. It's just a matter of take it out, throw it in the computer and look at or print the pictures. His memory sticks cost 90 bucks and he has to download his pictures and reuse it. I'm not sure how many pictures a CD will hold in highest resolution, but at .37 each in boxes of 50, they're super cheap, permanent storage. I'm real pleased with this one, although it takes a little more time with the instruction manual than the trusty old Canon AE2.

I used a Mavica at my previous job and loved it. It was an early model, and although heavy, it was hella simple to take a pic and then put it on the computer.
At my current job we have a later model Mavica that will also shoot video. It doesn't work as well as the older version in my opinion. The pics are more grainy, and appear to lack the resolution that the earlier one had. That isn't to say that I just don't have it set wrong, but I don't like the pics it takes. Also, it can't physically take a pic that is bigger than 1.44MB because of the size limit on the disk. Floppys only hold 1.44MB for both of you out there who don't know that bit of info.

All that said, I personally have the Nikon Coolpix 995. It takes incredible shots in full chimp mode, and you can pick different settings (for you shutterbugs out there) like Aperture or Shutter priority, and you can set the aperture or shutter to whatever whenever you want in manual mode.
With the supplied 16MB flash card, you can shoot, I think, 17 images in fine mode, 1 in ultra fine (!!) or something like 25 in normal and 35 in basic. Or, if you are like me, you spend 80 extra bucks on a 256MB card (I have old hard drives around here smaller than that!) and you can shoot up to 310 in basic, 161 in normal, 82 in fine. 3.3 Megapixels, and the nifty LCD screen, Camera was 545 at BJ's (sam's club) Card was 80 at Staples. Came with rechargeable Lithium battery and a charger.
If you want to dump pics right away, you need a computer with a USB port, or more cards. I can't ever see needing to take more than 160 pictures for anything, especially since if you mess it up you can delete it and try again.

It actually takes pics that are good enough to print and keep, which is one reason I got this one. I didn't want to spend that much on a camera and need to buy another one to take family pics with later. Also it was recommended to me by a certain car magazine photographer who said that this is what he uses.
If you aren't already brain dead by reading all this, email me, and I can take shots in each of the modes and send them to you to check out. (too big to upload them here without reduction)

Hth

K

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64 2 Door 400SB with stuff on it It's IN THE CAR!!!
"You laugh because I am different. I laugh because you are all the same."
TC Member #1155

Sir, the best tip I got here was to put the search for "digital camera resource" in mAlta Vista and see what came up.

www.dcresource.com (http://www.dcresource.com)

I too liked the Mavica's , particularly the ones with the 10X optical zoom. But I decided on an Olympus C700, which also has the 10X optical and is much, much smaller. So if I did take it on a hunt, it be more packable.

I liked the idea of a floppy, but with the 32Mb card I got extra I can get 350+ low res pics on the disc. But you cant take a few pics of a buddy'e car and give him the floppy. Downloads through the USB port, as Gene McGill says, are lightening fast.

If you dont want the 10X optical, you can get the same camera for $150 less. Or the Mavica FD87. Nice.

Thanks everyone, I will make a concerted effort to get to the camera store this weekend and make a final decision. You all had very good points and areas to consider.

Look for the happy guy at CB02 taking pictures of everything in site!! http://www.chevelles.com/forum/biggrin.gif

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ACES #5032
TC #1074

Rick,
i cant make it to CB this year. i have a Sony Mavica FD92 that you can use if you want to stop in Indiana and pick it up.
that way if you dont like the Mavica you wont be out any money and you can buy something else.

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70 SS396 CHEVELLE
70.5 Z/28 RALLYSPORT
ACES#4390
some pics http://community.webshots.com/album/12590431pqkzKyilTC

I just bought the Sony cybershot 3.3 megapixels model dsc-s75 yesterday. So far I like it a lot, its easy to use and I really am not that swift when it comes to cameras or computers. This camera alows you to add different lenses, filters and an external flash if you choose. Provided you have a big enough memory stick you can take up to 90 minutes of video with sound. I paid $499. at staples I spent some time considering what camera to buy and this seemed to be the best bang for my buck.

Mike

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by DONNY:
Rick,
i cant make it to CB this year. i have a Sony Mavica FD92 that you can use if you want to stop in Indiana and pick it up.
that way if you dont like the Mavica you wont be out any money and you can buy something else.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

WOW!!! Some of you guys on here amaze me sometimes!! Never met me and you are willing to loan me your camera! Now that is what 'Team' is all about. I seriously do not like to borrow other peoples property but if something doesn't work out, I will let you know and THANK YOU very much for that offer.



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ACES #5032
TC #1074

Rick, I've also got the Mavica 92 and love it. Understand the new models write directly to CD which will stop the storage problem-that would rock!!! My .0000002c

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71 Ragtop
MCC #347, TC (Gold) #174
N3JHV@bellatlantic.net