digital dummy

frank_f15 · May 9, 2003

mike ; THAT IS A NICE CAMERA. my eyes ain't so good either, so the EVF is a nice feature, course ther are a lot of my old body parts that don't works so well any more /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

MikePA · May 9, 2003

I had not thought about the time between shots or manual controls 
There are plenty of digital cameras that can take a series of pictures as fast as you can press the shutter release. The Olympus ES-100 (I think this is the model number), which is a few years old, could take 15 in a row before it had to write them to the storage media. The Sony cameras that use a floppy disk are the slowest because of the floppy disk drive in the camera.

I owned a Sony 770 that had as many mannual controls as any 35 mm camera I had, even manual focus, aperture priority, etc.

Digital camera models run the same gamut as film models, i.e., from point and shoot, fixed focus to ones with all manual controls.

If taking multiple pictures in rapid succession is important to you, there are digital cameras that can do this. If you want manual controls, there are digital cameras that can do this. I have two digital cameras now, and have owned 6 different ones over the years. None of them took 10 - 15 seconds to write to the media, even the floppy disk cameras. One that uses Smart Media and one that uses Secure Digital. At most, it takes 2 seconds. How long it takes is a function of the media and the resolution (file size) of the picture.

Yes, the paper can be expensive, but unlike film cameras, you do not have to print every picture you take and you can print several pictures on a single sheet of paper (depending upon how large each one is, of course).

My recommendation is to define what your requirements are, then visit web sites (dpreview.com) and or stores and see what's available. Kinda like tractor buying. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

mikim · May 9, 2003

there are a lot of my old body parts that don't works so well any more 
Boy Howdy am I finding that's true. Trying to lose some weight - figger I'll work out every other day to help ... ouch ... Sure ain't like I remember - and when did I develop that pain in my shoulder joints? /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
Another thing I like about that camera - I bought a 128meg mem chip - on high res it holds 160 pics! My plan is to shoot high res - and I can trim it down for e-transfers - but it will be there if I want to print an 8 X 10 or something. It only takes a couple of seconds to save each shot and you can shoot several action shots in rapid sequence too - but I still need to rtfm on that and the mpeg. I've only used it the once so far - going to Cozumel in Aug for son's wedding - should come in handy then. ...... Who gets married in hurricane country at the height of the hurricane season???? oh well. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

GaryM · May 12, 2003

"Just remember that quality high gloss printing paper is probably as expensive as buying film and having prints made. Also, you are limited by the dots per inch of your printer"

I use Epson Stylus Photo printers and can buy Epson Glossy Photo 8.5 x 11 paper at Costco for $19.99 per 100 sheets. And I can print 2 4x6 and some 2x3s on one sheet of paper. That's not expensive. If you're pressed for time, Costco, and I think Sams can print from your memory card or CD for about $0.20 per 4x6. That's a deal.

Anonymous Poster · May 12, 2003

20 cents a sheet is a good deal. Like I said, I don't print much, and the last time I bought glossy phot paper at the office supply store it was like a buck a sheet.

I was really just cautioning on not buying more resolution that you need or can use...

frank_f15 · May 13, 2003

I USE EPSON stylus photo printer also. sometimes it is not so much the cost of printing as the ability to creat a project of your own and then print it out, i find it fun & relaxing. and when i want to print i want to print in high quality.

19th_VA · May 13, 2003

You probably have more replies than you need but here's my 2 cents. You don't see press photographers using digitals (at least I haven't). The best quality, most professional pictures can't be taken with the vast majority of digitals. In fact, I doubt the best digital can compare to the best 35 mm in terms of the control you have over shutter speed, aperature and lens sizes. That being said, they can't be beat for snapshots and the vast majority of personal needs. Just try scanning a bunch of hard copy photos--it takes forever and is a pain. I rarely print digitals but have the option if I want to. Looking through and organizing digitials is vastly quicker and simpler. So...what are you waiting for?

WVBill · May 13, 2003

( You don't see press photographers using digitals (at least I haven't). )

Your quote made me wonder - since it seems to me that digital would be a much better medium for photojournalism than film (can transmit the native image to press room rather than scanning, and the "print" in the newspaper isn't exactly going to be very high resolution) - so I did a quick google search and came up with many hits including this one from the "DigitalJournalist" web page.
19th_VA: It pretty much echoes what you said in your post about the control you have available in film over digital - but the end result is often indistinguishable.

frank_f15 · May 13, 2003

although, i have both> i find myself using the digital more and more, and i do beleive more pros are using more digital. u can get dititals with all the control of 35 mm , shutter, apeture, changeable lens, etc. granted they are not cheap. also the speed between shots has greatly improved. plus the ability to view your shot as soon as u take it is another plus. will digital replace 35mm? not for a long time. i get a lot of infor from a mag. called PC PHOTO. BTW i don't sell cameras ! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif just my $0.02 worth

19th_VA · May 13, 2003

I guess that's why I haven't seem them-they're in Iraq! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif The article (very recent) does make good points about getting the photos to press sooner so I can certainly see advantages when distance is a factor. It's hard to teach an old dog new tricks, however, and I'll bet the old guard will resist change. I'm sure it will come, however.