Subtopic	Posts		Updated
	High-end Digital	10		2001/10/13, 01:28 pm

Anybody got any suggestions? I am not a supreme tech god, and just have your normal desktop computer and a dialup internet account. So, keep that level of stupidity in mind when considering the following question:

I'd like some doodad that would take pictures, maybe even movin' pictures, would be small and portable, would not be a major risk for hanging about in my pocket in some of the main mongering locations. Any suggestions?

Thanks.

I have the Sony Mavica series. It's bigger than most, so it might not be right for you as it won't fit in your pocket. However, I like it because it will fit in my large waist pack and is one of the few digital cameras that use a floppy disk to store pictures. For most cameras, you'll need to connect a device to your computer at home to download the pictures from the camera to computer. With the Mavicas, you just pop the floppy out and put it into ANY computer. When I was in Costa Rica, I would occasionally go to an Internet Cafe and upload pictures to my yahoo account just in case anything happened to the disc or camera. No worries.

To reiterate, for digital cameras it's a bit large, so it might not be suitable for you.

Try the Sanyo line. They take progressive still which can be used as small movie clips. If you chech the egghead board and work down comsumer electronics to digital cameras you may find a good deal. For casual use 1.6 mega pixels is OK, any more is expensive and overkill. You use more memory to take 60 plus shots at one time

I recently got a cannon s110
It is the smallest camera in th market it will fit on you pocket, plus it is 2.3 megapixels.

However it is on the expensive side. I also bought the 64 Mb disk which allows me to take about 120 pics at the best resolution before I have to download them into the computer, for $630. Also it allows me to take little movies. plus it has a whole lot of other features that I just found great.

Did I mention that it was published in lots of magazines as one of the best 10 digital cameras overall.

Art

My Sanyo cost $150 6 months ago

I like the floppy idea. Anyone know of any other brands besides Sony that use a floppy that they can recommend?

I have a Panasonic model PV-SD4090. it is a 1.3 megapixel camera which uses both the regular 3.5" floppys (1.4mb) and the LS120 floppy which has a capacity of 120mb. The advantage of the LS120 is that it holds MANY more photos than the 1.4mb (17 for the 1.4mb versus over 1,500 for the LS120) but the disadvantage is that you need a special floppy disk drive for your PC. The good news there is that they are readily available and inexpensive and they can read and write both the LS120 and 1.4mb diskettes. The camera can also be attached to your PC via a USB port and you can copy your images from the camera to the PC that way too.

Have you seen the Mavica series? Is the 4090 larger or smaller or the same?

I have an Olympus D-360L in my pocket at all times when I'm mongering. For me it's a great compromise between size, picture quality, and price. With a 32mb SmartMedia card (~$40), it will take 70+ pictures at the highest resolution. It's completely painless downloading the pictures onto my PC.

Apparently the D-360L is now discontinued, but I notice it's replacement the Brio D-100 is less than $250.

I would never use a camera that I couldn't carry in my pocket, no matter how many nice features it has. I've already decided that my next camera will be even smaller.

Capn Dave

What kind of connection does the Olypmus have to hook up to the computer and how large is it(the connector). Do all use the same kind of connection?

9 pin serial or USB are the usual connections. No problem, cable is provided. I leave mine attached to the computer all the time. You may want to buy a good jpeg viewer program. Many sites have trials before you buy. I like the thumbnail feature myself.

I used a Nikon coolpix 600 for a while. It took ok pictures but had a lot of trouble with pixs coming out dark.I had a lot of trouble with pixs coming out blury on the highest resolution setting and the the setting below it produced pretty small pixs. The dowload process was ok. It was simple but could take (depending on the resolution)as much 30 seconds per photo.

A friend had a coolpix 900 and it was a big jump in quality. Also it cost over $900 and was pretty big.

Wouldn't recommend the 600. There must be better ones out there.

This thread got me surfing around looking at digital cameras. For those who don't like memory sticks Sony makes a line of cams now that use CD-Rs & RWs (MVC-CD series). What do you guys do if you want a hard copy image of a pic? Print at home or send to a processing place/site?

Hard copy can be done through Yahoo photo and several on lines sites. You e-mail your pic and they send you prints. Also check Kodak, they do return pics in jpeg format if you want so there must be a way to process them.

I bought an Olympus D-460 ZOOM about a year ago for about $450 w/tax. The product line was recommended by a techy buddy who has been studying these things for the better part of a decade. He claims that Olympus has a superior lens design. I guess so.

I am a happy camper. It is truly idiot proof and even a clown like me gets good pictures at low resolution. The 460D is a little bulky, but fits in a pants pocket. I hike a lot and am very pleased with both the indoor chica and outdoor naturaleza shots.

TjHombre - I'll send you one each as gallery nominations.

For the most comprehensive, informative, and factually accurate digital camera information available anywhere, try this site http://www.imaging-resource.com/

Unlike other reviews they tell the good the bad and the ugly about digital cameras from the $5000.00 Nikon Dx1 down to the $79.00 cameras the reviewers pull no punches. Be ready to read some long reports on digi cams.

Olympus D370

I bought it after reading it got top rating in a PC World article. Not the highest quality, but high enough with the longest battery life (AA) at the lowest price, only $199.

I bought an open box 16 MB memory card for $20. Retail is $30. The card holds 40+ pics at 1024, if you shoot at 640, it holds a lot more. You can get up to a 128MB card.

Hmmm...now that I've written this I've reread your post and saw you requested a good zoom. This camera only has digital zoom which I've never used. If I recall correctly Xenono said it wasn't that good.

Oh well, maybe this info will be of use to someone. I know, I'll post it in Discus.

In my opinion, the pictures are too pixilated using the digital zoom.

Check out the D-510 zoom. Goes for around $300-$400. It has a 3x optical zoom, 9x digital zoom. 2.1 megapixel.

http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/cpg_product_lobbypage.asp?l=1&p=16&bc=1&product=691

Try pricewatch.com for the best prices.

Here is one more.

http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/cpg_product_lobbypage.asp?l=1&p=16&bc=1&product=712

Starts around $536 at pricewatch. 4.0 megapixel.
2.8x optical zoom, 7x digital zoom. Also has a "10-position Mode Dial helps you quickly and easily set proper exposure, white balance and color saturation for awesome images."

If you're undecided on which digital camera to buy, check out this web site. They provide extensive reviews and comparisons on all types of cameras.

http://www.dpreview.com/

Well, it turned out the waterproof case I had for my camera wasn't really. The camera, an Olympus 340, got damp and now it is dead.
Anyone know of models that are a little hardier with moisture? I'm thinking that maybe having one of these isn't too practical considering the way I travel (buses, trains, etc). Rainy season's a bitch!

Usually with today's electronics, as long as it wasn't salt water, once it dries it it should be okay.

I just started using my Kodak CX6330 with the Easy Share Printer Dock 6000. Although the pics can get expensive to print, the pics come out fantastic and the pictures are so damn clear that I couldnt believe my eyes. The megapixel is only 3.1 but I dont plan on blowing the pics up past 4x6 anyways. This will be a great toy to give SEAsia girls pics of themselves after I take the pic....they will think I'm a witch doctor or something. I tested the camera in low light, action shots, indoor, outdoor..and all the photos came out very clear. My sister has a Sony Cybershot 5.0 megapixel which is an excellent camera and we were comparing pics and couldnt notice any difference until the pics were blown up past 8x10. I am kicking myself for not buying a digi camera and taking pics of hundreds of girls and tourist scenery pics with a regular camera. I just bought a 256 media card and I will plan on burning through 300 plus photos on my trip in a month. Last time they let Ahora007 and myself take as many pics as we wanted inside the bars in Angeles( I will be posting as soon as I receive the rest of the pics from AHora007). January 21 and I am gone to THailand and the PI.

I have a Nikon Coolpix 2500. I got it about 20 months ago for 300 bucks, I bet you can get it for 200 now.

It is 2 Mega Pixils, which is plenty, and it is very compact, the lense folds over so its pretty rugged (It surved an active trip to Thailand).

It will take 15 second movie clips. Check out my video post of the topless sunbathers for a demo.

Actually, I just got a new one, the Kodak 4530 or something like that, it is 5MP, only 300 bucks from office max, and I got it with a free 128 SD card.