On Tue, 13 Jul 1999, Lawrence LeMay wrote:
> I've been seriously considering buying a digital camera for some time now.
> I assume others on this list already have these in order to photograph
> some of their computer items, so i thought I would ask which features
> are most important. And which features you really wish you'd spent extra
> money for.
Well, I took the plunge recently with a wider view than just shooting
'puters (and having a bit of background in photography), so after looking
at a number of different units I went with the Kodak DC-265.
Having gone thru both the 'photo-CD/Picture to Disc' route as well well as
scanning ,I'm MUCH happier with the digital camera approach.
> It seems to me that a macro-focusing feature, which allows you to
> manually focus at very close range would be very useful. Or can
> you get by with a 3X optical zoom in order to get detailed shots
> of computer boards, or the insides of a computer, etc?
The '265 does not have a macro-focus to speak of. (the macro lens on my
Minolta 35mm takes care of that in a pinch) But the resolution of the
'265 has proven sufficient for most needs.
> How important is high resolution? Is a 640x480 camera with 10X
> zoom much more useful than a 1280x960 with 3X zoom and
> no macro focusing?
IMHO resolution over all else! (almost) I've been able to shoot small
items at the inner limit of the focus range of the camera at max
resolution, and then crop the image and end up with a very usable image.
Can't do that if you don't have the resolution range as an available
option.
> I'm really only interested in photographing computers and circuit boards,
> I assume anything that can handle that to my satisfaction will be able
> to handle the occasional photo of my niece and nephews, etc.
Never assume a primary usage! B^} One of the most valuable things that I
have found in using the digital camera is the freedom to just tink around
with shots, setups, lighting, etc... Don't like the way a shot came out?
Hit the 'delete' button! Want to try different approaches/angles? Do it
and drop the ones you don't like! (or not... I learn as much from the bad
shots as the good!)
I just don't hear the cash register going off in the back of my head each
time the shutter releases. A very liberating feeling! (but maybe thats
just me...) B^}
For anyone curious enough to want to do a 'freehand' comparison of
images... Any images on my site with the naming convention "P????.JPG"
are from my DC-265. Others are primarily scanned from print (computers
and such) or from slide (WCCF images).
In general, shots from the '265 are done at the 'medium' resolution
(1152x768) setting of the camera, then scaled to 640x480 through 'Graphic
Workshop' for the (large) posted images.
Questions? You know where to find me... B^}
BTW: I figured that I had to shoot the equivalent of fifty, thirty-six
shot rolls of prints (with processing) to offset the cost of the camera.
I'm nearly half-way there after having the camera about four months. And
having a REAL good time doing it!
-jim
---
jimw_at_computergarage.org
The Computer Garage - http://www.computergarage.org
Computer Garage Fax - (503) 646-0174
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Received on Tue Jul 13 1999 - 15:36:47 BST