posted on November 17, 2002 12:04:43 PM new
I'm becoming less satisfied with my Kodak DC215 (I'm spending a small fortune on batteries and the rechargeables won't work in the camera) The pictures are on the blurry side, also. I'd like to spend less than $300. It will only be used for ebay; never for printing. Help? Thanks!
posted on November 17, 2002 12:11:24 PM new
I use a Fuji and you will soon hear from many others about their cameras...
I use the AC adaptor to take most of my pics now. I was going through a set of batteries every week and now I don't have that expense...but in all honesty my camera paid for itself in the first two weeks I had it so I can't complain.
posted on November 17, 2002 12:17:54 PM new
mine is a MX 1200...2 years old now...it uses a memory card but has worked great for me..I am going to replace it with a new Fuji if I get the chance..
Mine is very easy to use and I am the worlds worst photographer. Just right for me.
posted on November 17, 2002 12:19:54 PM new
i need more advice than a camera,i need the whole thing-how to set up a small studio for taking small to medium size items,say up to 18 inches tall with good lighting and background.
by the way,you will find sony mavica fans screaming with praises ,they are dropping in price,may be a little over 300,but you need to buy the battery charger and 2 batteries if you dont want to wait.
posted on November 17, 2002 12:45:56 PM new
I used a Kodak DC-210 Plus for years. Recently I upgraded to the Olympus D-510, and shortly after bought another Olympus, a C-700 with 10X optical Zoom.
Olympus has a model out now (D-550) that runs around $350. I would recommend that. If you decide you can part with $500 (do it) then I would recommend any of the new Olympus cameras, the 3020, 720, 700, etc.
My new C-700 has (in addition to 10X optical zoom) manual shutter speed, aperture, focus, exposure compensation, adjustable flash, plus (of course) fully automatic and presets.
As you know, the Kodak is almost completetly automatic, giving you almost no control over the output in unusual settings (like low light).
posted on November 17, 2002 01:02:59 PM new
I bought an Olympus Camedia C 3000 zoom, 3.3 megapixel and it ROCKS! I got it at a yard sale the day after my old camera broke. I had it narrowed down to the Sony or an Olympus and that made my mind up for me, but I wouldn't touch a Sony now after using the Olympus. It literally doesn't take a "bad" picture.
For your background, go to the office store and get one of those science fair backboards. Heavy duty tri-fold backdrop. You can use it in different positions for a clean background.
posted on November 17, 2002 03:49:15 PM new
I am using an Olympus D-450 Zoom that I bought about 4 yrs ago. I use a converter when taking pics at home & for downloading, which will really eat up batteries. I don't have a lot of whistles & bells, but it works great for the pics I take for eBay which is about 90 per cent of my pics. As for a studio, I have 2 pieces of chip board that i salvaged at a construction site. I have them covered with a medium blue cloth. I lay one on the floor & prop the other against the end of my coffee table. I either take pics directly off the blue or I have a small white box that I set some small items on. Works great & cost me practically nothing, (got the cloth at a garage sale for a dollar.)
posted on November 17, 2002 04:13:13 PM new
I use a FujiFilm Fine Pix 1400 Zoom with a Macro feature. I've used it for over 2 years and am very happy with it. I upgraded to a 16 mb card a year or so ago. The pictures are great and simplicity of use is wonderful. I think I will eventually upgrade, but it will definitely be another FujiFilm.
posted on November 17, 2002 04:23:10 PM new
I also use a Fuji 1400 Zoom. Fuji is definately one of the best digital camera companies out there. Their products will give you a camera that is versatile enough to provide anything from low-res web pictures to high-quality pictures to print out. (Fuji actually makes a lot of the lenses that go in other cameras!) They are also one of the best camera companies out there for service and support.
In my opinion Fuji is kinda like the Macintosh computer of camera companies. They are easy to use, high-quality, great customer support, and don't break down. Also like Macintosh, they don't have as big a market share, but they are growing in popularity. Anyone who trys a Fuji in direct comparison with the other brands will understand why!
Ok... enough of a plug for two of my favorite companies!
posted on November 17, 2002 04:25:48 PM new
When you download your images to your computer it will take all your battery power. I suggest you get a AC adapter to download your images. Taking images isn't hard on a battery. You can just leave that hooked to your computer all the time and when it's time to download just plug it in. I think they cost about $10.00 but saves you a bunch. I have a Sony Mavica with a floppy and a rechargeable battery. Love it.
Do you have a Sony outlet store near you? If you do my Mavica cost me $199.00 but it is refurbished and they don't make it anymore, but the store might have some left.
posted on November 17, 2002 04:41:18 PM new
Here's my second attempt at low lighting conditions with the C-700. I posted the first attempt a while back. Anyway, not much to say except it's better than last time. LOL.
This picture was taken without flash, slow shutter speed to let in more light, exposure compensation and lots of zoom. The real challenge is holding the camera dead still for half a second. I keep forgetting about the slow shutter and so the result is very blurry.
Pics were taken at SHQ quality (there is a higher-quality TIFF setting), then resized and saved again in JPG format. So the camera can do better than this. I'm still fooling around with it.
posted on November 17, 2002 04:46:07 PM new
I use a Fuji FinePix 2400 and have been very pleased with it. It does have a card,but on low resolution, it will take a TON of pictures!
posted on November 17, 2002 05:10:41 PM new
Hi everyone,
I use an HPC200. I like it enough I bought a brand new one to have as a backup for a whole big $99.00 on a Buy It Now. It has an auto-focus feature I like a lot. Good as close as 8 inches, closer than that I use a close-up lens.
Anyhow, I use a backdrop set-up much like Sanmar's, probably smaller, though.
I like to use the LCD screen to set up my shot so I always use the AC adapter. It's not the pictures that use up the batteries - it's the LCD.
The most important part of my "studio" is my tripod. I don't have to worry about holding the camera still for the available light shots I nearly always take.
Last Thursday eBay's penny gallery promotion inspired me to list 43 Fine Cooking magazines. I set up the tripod, adjusted my blinds for light and shot away. Did one listing on AW and edited as I went. Not the absolute greatest pics I've ever taken but I did it in a hurry. Oh, I've gotten bids on 34 of the mags so I guess I did something right!
Hope you all have a lovely evening and see lots of green on your My eBay page.
posted on November 17, 2002 08:34:25 PM new
Another Sony fan checking in! I had a Kodak DC210 that I kept dropping because I used the adaptor cord and would trip on the cord. Finially it said "no more". I took a survay here and decided on the Sony Mavica. I love it because the download is so much faster with the disk than having a program for it to go to and then have to resize, etc. It came with rechargable batteries and AC adaptor so I use it all day without the cord and plug it in over night and it is ready to go again. The pictures and versitility are great also. It will do lots of things I don't know how to do. I didn't take time to shop much because I was in a hurry to sell more so paid a little over $300.00 but think you can get one for less with a little patience.
posted on November 18, 2002 08:41:12 AM new
Sony all the way, I'm on my second Mavica. Only because I was able to upgrade with no cash outlay. Started with a 73, and am now using a 90. I fully understand that they are both obsolete, but don't care, as they have given me great service. They both have excellent auto focus that includes macro, they both use the floppy for easy downloading, any editing is a breeze. The lithium ion batteries hold a more than sufficient charge to shoot all you want, and the 90 can even be used without a battery by just plugging the charge cord into the camera. For a great camera at a great price, check your local Sony outlet store or Penny's warehouse outlet. They are both clearing out Mavicas.
Despite the high cost of living, it remains popular
posted on November 18, 2002 09:28:48 AM new
Another Sony Mavica fan here. Borrowed friends' FD-70 and FD-83 until I could get one of my own. I have had a FD-73 for about 2 years, and it has already paid for itself in the convenience of being able to take photos and put them up on eBay immediately. (I used to take photos with my regular 35mm camera, process them, scan them, and then put them up on eBay--what a hassle.)
I'd eventually like to upgrade to an FD-83 or FD-90 (so I can get higher rez pictures if I need 'em), but my FD-73 is fine for eBay/Internet use.
posted on November 18, 2002 10:28:56 AM new
I use a Sony MVC-CD300 with a CD-RW. I am very impress with this camera. A few months ago I attended a wedding and I took 183 pictures without having to recharge the battery. 90% of these pictures were indoor -- either at the Church or the reception, using the flash. The battery lasted very well over a period of 6 to 7 hours.
The pictures were excellent.
I download the pictures by inserting the CD-RW to my computer CD-Writer Plus, without any problem.
posted on November 18, 2002 07:06:13 PM new
I appreciate all the feedback on the cameras! The Kodac DC215 has a memory card, so the battery isn't used to download. The LCD stays on, so maybe I'll turn it off and see if it helps battery life. No Sony Outlet near me, or JCP.
*****TOOLHOUND*****Your pics are pretty good! What kind of lighting do you use?
posted on November 18, 2002 07:14:16 PM new
Olympus D450 zoom, love it... easy to use and also can take more picture than the Mavica, think Mavica may have the edge in Macro shots, have used one before at work, but for overall good looking camera Olympus is just dandy.
posted on November 18, 2002 08:57:20 PM new
I'm going to add another $.02 cents here. Okay, Sony Mavica 73/75 is convenient, and easy.
But if you're going to spend hundreds of dollars on a digital camera, how about buying one that you can take on vacation as well? I can fit 2000 low-res pictures on my 128MB SmartMedia card. Do you really want to lug around 1000 floppy disks on your next vacation? The Mavica itself is gigantic. You'll need a separate suitcase just for the camera.
The Mavica's VGA resolution? About a third of a megapixel. Forget about printing pictures bigger than two inches maximum. Eight by tens? In your dreams.
Is putting your pics on floppy disk more convenient than Olympus' plug and play system? Just plug your USB cable into the camera, and you can browse the camera like a drive. Open files right from the card, write to the card, (even copy files to the card), without removing it from the camera.
If you're thinking about buying a camera, get one that you won't quickly outgrow. Autofocus? Every camera has autofocus. Get one that also has manual focus. Every camera has a completely automatic mode. Get one that offers more. The more control you have over flash, shutter speed, exposure, aperture, focus, resolution, the more creative you can be, and the better your pictures will be.
The Mavica is easy to the point of being idiot-proof, but for $300/$400, you can do better.
posted on November 19, 2002 08:05:30 PM new
I started with a Mavica 75, then upgraded to an 88. I now have the Cybershot 3.2 megapixel and it's everything I could ever want. I miss the convenience of the floppy, but I leave my usb cord plugged in and ready to attach, so downloading the pictures is fast. I have a 128MB memory stick, and I have yet to fill it up, even with video! (This model also takes video clips in .mpg format). I have two batteries, so one is always ready to go. I wouldn't use anything else, Sony all the way!
posted on November 19, 2002 08:47:35 PM new
tomwiii - I tried the Kodak easy share after my Kodak DC220 bit the dust one too many times and could never get it to work on my computer. I like the larger size of the Sony because the buttons are easier to use and I don't want to put it in a shirt pocket so a carrying case is fine with me. Maybe I am just a klutz but the size of the buttons on the Olympis is a drawback for me also.
