We have found that E-mailing a photo with a concern about a problem has been very effective in getting the problem resolved quickly.
(Without visualization, some people have difficulty comprehending that a problem exists or that it can be as bad as stated).
The digital cameras provide a quick and easy way for us to get this ''visual'' information to people quickly. We have to reduce the resolution for sending (typically to 320 pixels by 250 pixels), but if we start at a low resolution, we have trouble framing the desired picture and making sure the relivant information is clear.
Several people have asked what they should buy. Not that I know, but I have responded about what is helpful to me.
Regarding the specs - 640 x 480 is acceptable. I typically use 1344 x 1109, then crop and reduce. Lack of a LCD display is acceptable, it will conserve on the battery power, but
occasionally it is nice to be able to immediately see if the picture actually came out as expected.
Lack of a zoom would be a major issue to me - at under $40, who cares. At about $100, I might start looking for one with zoom. Obviously the better the zoom, the more expensive the camera. Without a zoom, you will have to be in ''just the right position'' to get the photo. With a zoom, you have some control of relative size of foreground and background in addition to some
flexibility of how close you have to be or can be.
Regarding ''flash'', I usually end up turning it off, even at night. There are several reasons:
1) If you are not close enough, the picture ends up black, 2) if there is metal or glass that may reflect there would be a high probability of a glare spot, 3) flashes tend to attract too
much attention to the photographing in progress, 4) A flash often means that the background will be under exposed, 5) If we are trying to demonstrate ''existing lighting'', we don't want
''extra light''. It is important that if flash is ''standard'' that you have some means of over-riding this. This in turn relates to the ''equivalent film speed'' and lens aperture - can you get enough light to make a good image without the flash?
18 photos without clearing the card is reasonable; I typically get about 36 on my memory card. I have had to go home to transfer and clear the memory to continue photographing on two
occasions.
I typically get about 36 photos per charged set of 4 AA batteries, but this is partially because of powering the zoom lens and LCD in addition to the flash and camera operation. At
about $1.00 per pair of batteries, it may be worth while to use rechargeable batteries - although the information you sent me states ''not an option'', AA nickel metal hydride rechargeable batteries are available with a charger, though not cheep.
What features are important and how much money you want to spend depends a lot on how much you will use it, and whether the features will be ''helpful''
or ''in the way''. The major thing to consider is - if the camera doesn't have the features you want, will you have to buy another one in just a short period of time, or will you get by with
what it does have? Of course costs will continue to come down, so it may be worth while getting a cheaper camera to start with to gain some experience, and than planning on replacing it when costs come down and features improve.
(Without visualization, some people have difficulty comprehending that a problem exists or that it can be as bad as stated).
The digital cameras provide a quick and easy way for us to get this ''visual'' information to people quickly. We have to reduce the resolution for sending (typically to 320 pixels by 250 pixels), but if we start at a low resolution, we have trouble framing the desired picture and making sure the relivant information is clear.
Several people have asked what they should buy. Not that I know, but I have responded about what is helpful to me.
Regarding the specs - 640 x 480 is acceptable. I typically use 1344 x 1109, then crop and reduce. Lack of a LCD display is acceptable, it will conserve on the battery power, but
occasionally it is nice to be able to immediately see if the picture actually came out as expected.
Lack of a zoom would be a major issue to me - at under $40, who cares. At about $100, I might start looking for one with zoom. Obviously the better the zoom, the more expensive the camera. Without a zoom, you will have to be in ''just the right position'' to get the photo. With a zoom, you have some control of relative size of foreground and background in addition to some
flexibility of how close you have to be or can be.
Regarding ''flash'', I usually end up turning it off, even at night. There are several reasons:
1) If you are not close enough, the picture ends up black, 2) if there is metal or glass that may reflect there would be a high probability of a glare spot, 3) flashes tend to attract too
much attention to the photographing in progress, 4) A flash often means that the background will be under exposed, 5) If we are trying to demonstrate ''existing lighting'', we don't want
''extra light''. It is important that if flash is ''standard'' that you have some means of over-riding this. This in turn relates to the ''equivalent film speed'' and lens aperture - can you get enough light to make a good image without the flash?
18 photos without clearing the card is reasonable; I typically get about 36 on my memory card. I have had to go home to transfer and clear the memory to continue photographing on two
occasions.
I typically get about 36 photos per charged set of 4 AA batteries, but this is partially because of powering the zoom lens and LCD in addition to the flash and camera operation. At
about $1.00 per pair of batteries, it may be worth while to use rechargeable batteries - although the information you sent me states ''not an option'', AA nickel metal hydride rechargeable batteries are available with a charger, though not cheep.
What features are important and how much money you want to spend depends a lot on how much you will use it, and whether the features will be ''helpful''
or ''in the way''. The major thing to consider is - if the camera doesn't have the features you want, will you have to buy another one in just a short period of time, or will you get by with
what it does have? Of course costs will continue to come down, so it may be worth while getting a cheaper camera to start with to gain some experience, and than planning on replacing it when costs come down and features improve.
