Digital Cameras... Everything Under The Sun.

[alam 0]

I bought a digital camera (digcam sounds shorter and more convenient) yesterday. A Kodak CX7300, 3.2 MP, prints upto 11" x 14" decently, and loads of simple features. A camera for the entrant into digital photography. For the price I got it (Rs. 6100), it was a pretty good deal.

I would like to see this forum expand, because digcams are cheaper than ever.

Things that would look good here - tips on buying, reviews of various models (multiple reviews of the same model would be great), what to watch out for, how to use tips-and-tricks, and of course the all important suggestions on maintenance.

Keep clicking!

[deepu 0]

Can you give me more info about this Kodak camera... Sounds interesting...

[alam 0]

Firstly, I (and one of my friends) would like to thank you for the "Dormancy Resolver". Nice little utility.

As for the camera, today was the first day, and needless to say, I realised that there is a lot to learn yet. Right now, I'll just tell you some of the main features of the camera.

====================================================

CCD resolution.......... 3.2 MP (2096x1560 pixels)

Image resolution....... 3.2 megapixels (2080x1544 pixels)

Zoom....................... KODAK Lens 37 mm (35 mm equivalent)

3X continuous digital zoom

Focus distance........... 0.8 m (2.6 ft.) to infinity

Display..................... 1.6" (4 cm) TFT color display

Flash mode............... auto, red-eye, fill, off

Flash range............... 0.8-2.4 m (2.6-7.9 ft.)

Self-timer................. 10 seconds

Exposure compensation...........+/- 2.0 EV in 0.5 EV step increments

Movie mode............................30 seconds, no audio recording

Movie image resolution............320x240 pixels at 15 fps

Storage....................16 MB internal memorySD/MMC card expansion slot

Power options........... 2 AA lithium or Ni-MH batteries or 1 CRV3 lithium battery

Image file format...... Still: JPEG/EXIF v2.2; Video: Quicktime MOV

Interface.................. USB compliant, KODAK EASYSHARE 6000 Series Docks

Weight..................... without batteries: 147 g (5.2 oz.)

Dimensions.............. WxHxD: 103.5x65x40.2 mm (4.1x2.6x1.6 in.)

Warranty................. 1 year

====================================================

The USB cable, drivers, etc. come bundled. Its basically ready to use out of the box. The price in Chandigarh - 6100, and bound to go down steadily. Contact me for any other queries.

Note - I'm not advertising anything here. I just like to 'know' and let others 'know' too.

[deepu 0]

The features seem really good!!

I do not think that any other company has a camera with such features in this price range!!

The only thing is that you will need to add more memory to it for taking more snaps and that can add some 1 to 1.5 K more!!

[rEdshiFt 1]

Digital cameras catching up — IDC survey

The Hindu, Wednesday, Mar 09, 2005

By Anand Parthasarathy

BANGALORE, MARCH 8. Lay Indians are going digital with a vengeance, fuelling an `explosive growth' in the sale of digital still cameras. Findings in a study conducted by market analyst IDC, released today, reveal a 114 per cent growth in numbers sold in 2004 to around 1.46 lakhs. This year vendors can expect to notch up revenues of around Rs. 367 crores.

The interesting trend, IDC analyst for Peripherals Research, Charanjit Singh, told The Hindu in a telephonic briefing from Delhi, was that the digital camera was no longer perceived as a pricey tool for professionals. In fact nine out of 10 digicams sold last year were amateur models. About half of them were rated three megapixel or better.

The IDC study found that Kodak was the market leader — but 2004 saw the entry of makes like HP, Benq, TVSE and Techcom who had aggressively priced models at the entry levels. The biggies like Kodak and Canon sold in multiple channels — the photo shops, the computer shops and the corner consumer electronics store.

An informal poll among camera vendors in major cities carried out by this correspondent today shows that the entry level of digital still cameras is now around Rs. 5,000 for a three megapixel camera.

[rahuldevnath 0]

I too have Kodak CX7220

It differs from the 7300, as it has only 2.14MP VS 3.2 of 7300 but it had some plus points as it has a 2X optical zoom. I made a choice between these two beacuse of the Optilcal zoom in the former one, as i really don't need anything more than 2 MP. I got it for 7500/-

along with a 256MB MMC and Carry Pouch

Eralier i had a Mercury Cyber PIX s-330 3.2 Mp camera, and infact it had much better Video quality.

But it's just 2 days, with the Kodak, and i want to sell it off, as i 'm intrsted in buying Nikon Coolpix 3700, a 3.2 Mp camera with 3X optical zoom.

[AK3D 0]

I own an Olympus C770 UZ. Its 4MP, has 10 X optical zoom, and full manual control. The results I get with it are tack sharp, and I've enjoyed photography a lot with it. Photography was never this fun!

Equipment :

Olympus C770 6.3 to 63 mm (38 to 380 equivalent in SLR terms)

256MB XD flash card

Marumi 52mm Circular Polarizer

+1,+2,+4 and macro diopter/magnifiers

4xLi-10B battery packs.

Giotto 3 way tripod.

Some Galleries.

Recent trip to a bird sanctuary

A trip to a world heritage site

A trip to the forests in Idar

Some images from Muharram

[deepu 0]

The photos are great AK3D!!!

But while putting on net its better to reduce the resolution a little bit so that they load fast on even slow connections!!

[AK3D 0]

Hi Deepu,

-

Thanks for the comments . Well, I'd like to reduce the photo size, but you'll agree with me, when i say that, for most of these, if I'd reduced the size to say 640x480, many photographs wouldn't have the same appeal and impact. As it is, I never go over 1024 or 800 horizontal, and compress them as a 70% compressed JPG. Its a good tradeoff between size and quality. The original photographs are 2288x1712 and over 1 MB each!! . Again, glad you liked them.

The photos are great AK3D!!!

But while putting on net its better to reduce the resolution a little bit so that they load fast on even slow connections!!

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[alam 0]

Sorry for being off for some days, had some family work to attend to. Anyways, i see this is going pretty well.

Downsides of my camera -

1. Drains batteries like anything (i think its a general problem of digcams)

2. Has no proper lens cover

Upsides -

1. The price...

2. Great prints at 5" x 7" also (dont believe the advertised stuff)

3. An additional 128 MB card (Rs. 750) is enough for 150 BEST quality or 600 GOOD (1024x768) photos.

So its a great buy. Nikon is the better camera, no doubt (especially the great Coolpix 3700). But price is a great consideration, and the fact that most of us intend to use digcams as an alternative to the regular family film camera. Hence Kodak it is. Hurrah for aggressive pricing.

P.S. It would be great if others would share information on their camera model.

[tanveer 59]

I have an Olympus D 390 with me.

A very basic model 2 MP only but good as your first Digicam. The biggest shortcoming is lack of optical zoom. The Prints in daylight are great, Those in flash are also good. I am planning to get myself a canon or nikon shortly

[alam 0]

I have bought the camera to replace the existing point-and-shoot film camera that I have. So its great from that point of view. As for the serious users, the digcams with a price range of Rs. 15000 upwards would suffice. Let us hear more from people.... some tips and tricks too.

[rahuldevnath 0]

I have bought a Nikon Coolpix 3700 after much...hunting....and belive me it's the best sub 15000 camera!

Main feature are:

3 X Optical Zoom

3.2 Mp

640X480 TV size movie

COmpact size

Auto ISO setting

Best Scene Selector

Impressive Noise Reduction

Some points and advices from me:

All though i had been a hobbiest photographer for years, this is my 3rd Digicam.

(1) For all those people whose Cams are powered by AA or AAA size batteries i would advice them to get atleast a 2100MaH GP batteries.

(2) People who are intending to go for Sony Digi Cams, beware that although Sony is the best, it supports only Sony Exclusive Memorysticks...which are much mcuh costlier than their SD/MMC counterparts.

(3) If you are not the long video shooter invest in more memory cards than larger memory cards, and prefer high speed MMC like the Panansonic ones. Though minimum go for 128MB.

(4) Data corruption is a common problem and how much horrible it can be i very well know, so that's y buy more MMC than larger ones and while on a vacation try to backup them as soon as possible.

(5) If you are Pro and are thinking to go for a SEMI SLR (DIGI) Cam, fo r a high price tag, than it's better to go for a point and shoot series as the sub 25000/- cams really don't give much of freedom, whereas the point and shoot gives u much more better perfomance.

(6) Camera are much more prone to shocks than water or humidity.

(7) Don't go for bigger screens and avoid cams without Optical/Dital Viewfinder.

(8) Embeded batteries are good as well as bad, much bad if u are a frequent traveller!

[Chirag 5]

Good info rahul

[alam 0]

Hmmm, a lot of pointers indeed. Even I feel that we can divide digcams into 2categories - amateur and professional. Most of us own digcams that dont even come close to SLRs. But that doesnt mean that there is nothing to discuss.

I agree on the point that daylight (natural light) give best results. Flash is just for a pic clicked for memories' sake. Otherwise, to put it simplym flash ruins any decent pic.

Still have to get some prints though. Advice (2nd hand) - "Always try to edit the pic on a PC (resize, crop, etc.) before you take it for printing." I think thats pretty sound advice. As for the editing part, not all people are Photoshop experts. I strongly suggest Picasa, which has been developed by Google, at www.picasa.com .

[rahuldevnath 0]

One moret hing to add, like i never use flash, until it's pitch dark, it's alway better to have slow shutter speed resulting in really amazing pic in lowest of light, though u need a tri pod or steady hand...i have both

[alam 0]

My feelings exactly - I recently attended a marriage, and indoors I had the most pathetic of snaps. As it is - the exposure settings change automatically also (at least in my cam they do). So an increase in exposure means u really need a tripod or ' rahuldevnath's ' steady hand.

To cut short - higher exposure timing means ruined photographs in 90% of cases, at least for me it does.

[rahuldevnath 0]

Alam..while taking pics with slow shutter speed always use..auto self potrait mode....

so that as u click, atleast 3 to 10 second gap's there, resulting in smoother pics becasue ur hand jerk is avoided while clicking.

[alam 0]

Thanks for the hint, though I dont remember an 'auto self-potrait mode'. My flash does have an auto-mode, but thats just for the flash according to light. Well, I have almost given up on low-light photography, almost...

As for tripods, my friend had a palm-sized tripod (plastic). Its basic idea was to keep the camera steady when placed on some object, because it had no height adjustment, just angle adjustment. Any clues as to where I can get such a tripod, or for that matter, any tripod (for around Rs. 1000) ?

[rahuldevnath 0]

Its basic idea was to keep the camera steady when placed on some object, because it had no height adjustment, just angle adjustment. Any clues as to where I can get such a tripod, or for that matter, any tripod (for around Rs. 1000) ?

U don't need a pro Tri POD, just the simple one so as to adjust the camera's position, but u are a pro and usually use Camcoders than u can find TRIPODS ain any camera storage shop.

Thanks for the hint, though I dont remember an 'auto self-potrait mode'. My flash does have an auto-mode, but thats just for the flash according to light

The self potrati mode is when u set ur camera to automatically click after few seconds, ie when u want to be in the frame u can set the camera click it once and it wil shooot after few seconds, similarly u ahve IR remotes for that, depents on ur camera, mine has even a "SOUND SHUTTER RELAEASE" that u can shoot with just making some noise or even saying "SHOOT" to camera!

[Devesh 0]

The self potrati mode is when u set ur camera to automatically click after few seconds, ie when u want to be in the frame u can set the camera click it once and it wil shooot after few seconds, similarly u ahve IR remotes for that, depents on ur camera, mine has even a "SOUND SHUTTER RELAEASE" that u can shoot with just making some noise or even saying "SHOOT" to camera!

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The self potrait mode which Rahul is referring to is more commonly called the self timer mode.

[alam 0]

Hmmm, I got the thing about the "self-timer mode". Still, the small and handy tripod I mentioned should be neat. I found one online - its by SONY, and is rather small, appropriate for positioning the camera rather than adjusting the height or anything. However, the price ranged close to Rs. 1000, and thats too much for such a small tripod.

[alam 0]

Also, the issue of battery usage is a serious one. My experience is that the LCD is not such a battery seeper as is the flash. With flash I manage around 20 pix at 3.2MP, while I get 50 without flash. LCD usage is kept appropriate, I'm getting into the groove and avoid checking my pictures too much right then and there.

My batteries are simple Sanyo rechargables (700mAh). The 2100mAh batteries come HIGHLY recommended from all quarters, but are a tad costly. 4 batteries plus the charger would leave one poorer by anything between 550 to 900 rupees. This is also a good topic of discussion.

[Devesh 0]

Also, the issue of battery usage is a serious one. My experience is that the LCD is not such a battery seeper as is the flash. With flash I manage around 20 pix at 3.2MP, while I get 50 without flash. LCD usage is kept appropriate, I'm getting into the groove and avoid checking my pictures too much right then and there.

My batteries are simple Sanyo rechargables (700mAh). The 2100mAh batteries come HIGHLY recommended from all quarters, but are a tad costly. 4 batteries plus the charger would leave one poorer by anything between 550 to 900 rupees. This is also a good topic of discussion.

29539[/snapback]

Digital Cameras as a breed consume a lot of power. The sensor also consumer power in addition to LCD and Flash. 2100 Mah is minimum recommended. Nowadays 2300 and 2400 Mah batteries are also available. If you hunt around and bargain, you could get 4 2100 Mah batteries for as low as rs.300/-.

However if possible choose a camera with Li-Ion batteries as this would give better performance than Ni-Mh batteries.

[Devesh 0]

I have bought a Nikon Coolpix 3700 after much...hunting....and belive me it's the best sub 15000 camera!

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For a sub 15K cameras we would recommend the Kodak LS 743.

It has got all the features of the Nikon 3700 but wtih a 4 MP sensor against the 3 MP of the Nikon.

The lens is german, Schnieder (one of the best in the market), and the body is metal alloy. The lcd quality too is brilliant.

IT comes with a rechargeable Li-Ion battery and a charger included.

If you hunt around, you can buy this beauty for Rs.13900/- all inclusive with 1 year Kodak India warranty.

The movie mode is better than the Nikon, we have checked out both cameras personally. The move mode is quicktime in Kodak as opposed to avi in Nikon.

I sell digital cameras online on Ebay.in and Rediff.com. So this advice is coming from professional in the feild.