Journal drinkypoo's Journal: Duelling Cameras 6
After struggling along with digital cameras without any optical zoom, and after the relatively timely demise of a Konica FC-1 whose trigger failed just after I compiled enough material to create the portfolio for my basic photography class, I've been blessed (heh) with a pair of prosumer-type psuedo-SLR cameras. (It's early, but if I am not consumed by laziness perhaps I could look up what they are actually called... nah.) These are the type with the video viewfinder, which produces a larger and more expensive camera than using a look-through type (or no viewfinder) but allows full use of the camera during the daytime without necessitating a SLR mechanism. I still want a Digital SLR (probably a Rebel) but I'm ecstatic to have what I've got, considering what little I paid.
To wit, I literally inherited one camera, a Konica/Minolta DiMAGE Z6 (yay for leet trademarks) and bought the other from eCost, a Fuji FinePix S700. At the same time I also picked up two free-after-rebate (we'll see) OCZ SD/USB2 cards; you pull off the back and plug them into a USB slot, although I actually haven't tried due to the abundance of laptops with SD readers in the house. I got a 1GB and a 2GB, and the latter is in the Fuji. The quick summary (specs are easy enough to find) is that the former camera has 12x optical zoom, optical image stabilization, 6MP images, looks super goofy, and only shoots QVGA/30fps DPOF video while the latter has 10x, 7MP images, looks super pro, and shoots VGA DPOF video at 30fps, but only does the "digital anti-shake" which is an interpolation function (read: lossy.) Both cameras have a lens just barely adequate for their sensor, which is pretty typical of this type of camera, but both will supposedly produce clear images up to about the middle of the zoom range. The Fuji is a refurb (of course) and came without a lens cap or AV cable, but I got ahold of someone who said they'd send them out to me (I'm still waiting.) The Fuji takes a standard lens cap, filters etc though (the other camera does not, which is another big drawback) so even if they don't make good I can pick something up cheap. The Fuji has twice as many pixels to both the external screen (at 60fps!) and the viewfinder, but no diopter adjustment. Neither camera really has enough pixels to make full use of manual focus, but the Fuji's external LCD is really gorgeous.
The Fuji is my more "pro" feeling camera but I think the other may actually be a better unit. I'll certainly be using the Fuji as my camcorder. I only have the Fuji because it was a rejected Christmas present. The idea was to have an inexpensive but high-quality camera for my lady to take on her impending dental vacation, but it was deemed to be too large. Being excessively large myself, I guess I just tend to forget this is a problem. I propose to replace it with a Nikon Coolpix L14 since they take AA batteries which I consider a must for travel (both of my "new" cameras take four AAs and will shoot 500 pictures on NiMH) but that camera is pretty stupid, so if one is willing to deal with the custom charger there's the Coolpix S6 or the Fujifilm Finepix J10 available right now as well. All three of these cameras shoot VGA-res video and take SDHC cards so as long as you can keep them fed with power they seem to be ideal small cameras for travel. Neither of my cameras will take an SDHC, oddly in the case of the Fuji (which uselessly will take XD or SD cards, as if anyone would ever want to use an XD card for anything. I guess it's handy to have an extra XD card reader though. Maybe.)
I also have sent my laptop in, gotten it back, and put windows xp back on it since I got fed up with Linux on it. This machine was intended for Windows, and honestly I seem to have virtually no problems with this machine and XPSP3. So long as I don't expect too much, anyway
Appropriate product name (Score:2)
Thanks to IRC I can't look at an XD card without getting the feeling that someone's laughing at me. And I couldn't buy one without knowing someone's laughing at me.
You should have fun with either (Score:2)
[ Warning: opinions from a Canon fanboi follow! Read at your own risk! ]
Assuming you got the Fuji for $88, I think that's a fair price for those capabilities these days. They should both be fun to play with. 6-7 megapixel is certainly adequate for standard 4x6 photos, and with luck you can blow some of them up to 8x10 (but I wouldn't count on it with every picture.) In a related vein, memory is dirt cheap: buy the 2GB SD cards and keep your resolution and quality settings as high as they can go. (
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Having to suffer with a pixellated 640x480 shot when you could have had a nice picture will make you scream later on when you discover your mistake.
Sure, I have a 2GB OCZ card in it now, and will buy some more soon enough. I also know better than to use digital zoom, just in case you were planning to tell me that :) (It is not entirely unuseful in video mode on some cameras.)
If it's not too late, you might want to consider exchanging the Fuji for a good quality small form factor camera. Both of your current cameras have roughly the same capabilities, and both are fairly bulky, meaning you can't stuff one in your jeans pocket and carry it effortlessly. The most useless camera is the one you don't have with you.
It's true. I have a RAZR with enough megapixels (1.3 of them) to take pictures of a car accident, but nothing in between that and this. The problem with my Konica is that it's fairly useless as a video camera; VGA video is enough for me at this stage because I have nothing capable
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Regarding the size, I literally meant carrying it in a pants or shirt pocket. I'm on the large side of average (certainly not a 'giant') but there's a large difference between slipping a camera into my pocket and having to holster one in a pouch on the belt. I suppose the Minolta could fit in a cargo pants pocket, though.
My cube neighbor is like you in that he is a Very Large Man, and he's told me about his trips to Japan, and visits to the shops that don't cater to tourists. I can only imagine the fa
I gotta ask... (Score:2)
It is with a great deal of trepidation that I inquire as to the meaning of the phrase "dental vacation".
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It is with a great deal of trepidation that I inquire as to the meaning of the phrase "dental vacation".
Because health care is so broken in the USA it is notably cheaper to take a trip to Thailand to have any major dental work done. In fact for any serious work it's probably no more expensive to take the trip and get the work done than it is to get it done here on your co-pay. In the past, Mexico has been the most popular destination for Americans to visit for this purpose but right now Mexicans are killing each other in unprecedented numbers and while amazingly no tourists have yet been killed in the current