Digital Cameras • Non-Gaming • Photography • Eurogamer.net

pistol 29 Jan 2003 15:55:05 13,018 posts
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Any of you lot into digital photography, and if so, what cameras do you have?

Steven-Huckle 29 Jan 2003 15:58:41 852 posts
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I've been getting into it recently since I got my digital camcorder. Mainly it's used for my art stuff, but it's dead handy for shooting stuff and taking stills from the footage (also pretty good for normal stills).

Jos 29 Jan 2003 16:21:17 712 posts
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Canon Ixus 330 - love it to bits. Really easy to use, easy to get pics/vids onto computer. Lets you mess with functionality too. Only 2 mega pixels, but it's photos looks great to me.

Check out http://www.dpreview.com/ for a good site about all things digital camera...

Scientist 29 Jan 2003 16:28:09 1,197 posts
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Nikon Coolpix 995 with the rotating lens. Works a treat.
Now if only I could find the charger. :-(

Alastair 29 Jan 2003 16:45:20 24,828 posts
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Canon Digital IXUS 300. Bought it 'cos it's possible to get a waterproof case. Proved useful in the hot springs in Iceland.
One day I'll put some of the pics up on a website and you can point and laugh as much as you like.

Edited by Alastair at 16:45:44 29-01-2003

jaa 29 Jan 2003 16:47:34 962 posts
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I use a Fuji FinePix 6800 (3.3 Megapixel) at work and could use it for private pictures as well but most of the time I don't. Honestly, at least for the moment, I prefer a 35 mm camera. I'm a bit purist, too. Don't particularly like the idea of 'improving' the pictures with Photoshop. I prefer to think a bit when I'm taking them. And usually I don't like obvious digital effects. The photos tend to become too cold and impersonal.

A few years ago I used to take b/w photos and reveal them myself. I still have the enlarger, trays, etc., but no conditions to do it now.

I'm analogue at heart.

Steven-Huckle 29 Jan 2003 16:49:19 852 posts
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jaa wrote:
"A few years ago I used to take b/w photos and reveal them myself."
I'm analogue at heart.

Boy did I misread that the first time...

jaa 29 Jan 2003 16:53:09 962 posts
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Huh?

Alastair 29 Jan 2003 17:00:09 24,828 posts
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jaa wrote:
I'm a bit purist, too. Don't particularly like the idea of 'improving' the pictures with Photoshop. I prefer to think a bit when I'm taking them. And usually I don't like obvious digital effects. The photos tend to become too cold and impersonal.

What sort of improvements can one make*? I've only ever taken out glaring red-eye. Oh, and stiched together panoramas, which tend to come out OK.

*Hope that doesn't sound like a real doofus question, but I've never really looked into what one can do on bog-standard supplied software.

sam_spade 29 Jan 2003 17:12:31 15,745 posts
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What no lens flare, no glinting teeth, or hastily drawn moustaches?

jaa 29 Jan 2003 17:17:45 962 posts
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Well, I don't know that much about digital photography and what you can do with "bog-standard supplied software" but I was thinking about things like smoothing people's skin, changing the colour balance (warmer / colder) or saturation, improving the exposition in certain areas of the picture, removing objects to obtain better compositions, adding effects, morphing several pictures into one (I hate the 'fishes in the sky' kind of photos), etc.

Edit: I type too slowly.

Edited by jaa at 17:18:33 29-01-2003

pistol 29 Jan 2003 17:18:26 13,018 posts
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I've got a fuji model, but one of the the first ones that were available. good quality, but it doesn't have a zoom. I've also got a Sanyo Digital camcorder which takes stills. I was looking at getting the Fuji Finepix F401 or F601. Any views? I chose them because I've read pretty good reviews about them, and they also support the smartmedia technology that my HP Photosmart, old fuji and camcorder supports.

striker 29 Jan 2003 17:24:27 2,606 posts
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Imaging Resource is a good site for digital cameras reviews and a few tips for newbies like me.

Edited by striker at 17:26:40 29-01-2003

jaa 29 Jan 2003 17:28:34 962 posts
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The Finepix 6800 (replaced by the F601, if I'm not mistaken) is quite good, except for a notable barrel distortion induced by the lens. On the outer edges of the photos, vertical lines are far from vertical. I don't know if Fuji improved the lens in the meantime. Apart from that and the fact that I find the widest zoom position not wide enough (but 38mm it's almost a standard for compact cameras, digital or not), it's great.

pjmaybe 6 Jul 2004 13:59:54 70,666 posts
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Any opinions on the Minolta DiImage G600? Just about to go for one of those...

Peej

Mike_Hunt 6 Jul 2004 14:16:27 23,524 posts
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I've got a Minolta Dimage Xi. It's a fantastic camera, excellent quality shots, and great build quality too. It's also packed full of features and nice looking.

I know it's not the G600, but based on my camera I'd certainly buy Minolta again.

[MH]

binky Moderator 6 Jul 2004 14:27:28 11,163 posts
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nikon coolpix 3100

love it.

Mike_Hunt 6 Jul 2004 14:31:06 23,524 posts
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Peej, just checked out a review of the G600 here:

http://www.steves-digicams.com/2004_reviews/dimage_g600.html

Looks fantastic mate. Great piece of kit. The only possible negative is that the movie length has a maximum of recording in 30 second chunks. This probably wont bother you, but it's worth noting that a lot of other cameras aren't limited this way.

Anyway, it gets my vote

[MH]

pjmaybe 6 Jul 2004 15:19:54 70,666 posts
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Cheers Mike. I've just been and had a "play" with one in town, and the bloody thing's stupidly fast. Literally slide the lens cover back, click and you've got your picture. Almost unheard of (for me at least) with a Digital camera.

I'm pretty much sold. Was going to go for the slightly cheaper G400 but the 600's looking like the kiddie for NZ.

Peej

Amajiro 6 Jul 2004 15:23:47 2,214 posts
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I am the proud owner of a 6.3 megapixel Canon EOS 300D digital SLR. Can I use it? Can I fuck.

Deleted user 6 July 2004 15:41:55

I have a Nikon D100 digital SLR and it's a fantastic piece of equipment. Expensive though if you're not working with it and if price is an issue I'd rather recommend the new D70.

hoathenfold 6 Jul 2004 16:08:53 418 posts
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Minolta Konica revio 420Z.

tiny weeny in size (fits easily into shirt pocket!)
4m pixels
ABSOLUTELY Brilliant picture quality
easy to use
2 mem card slots

http://www.konicaphoto.co.uk/db/camview.php?vc=41

IDEAL FOR PEOPLE LIKE ME WHO JUST WANT TO TAKE DECENT HOLIDAY PICTURES!!!

Edited by hoathenfold at 15:10:40 06-07-2004

Gurgy 6 Jul 2004 16:13:33 2,924 posts
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Amajiro wrote:
I am the proud owner of a 6.3 megapixel Canon EOS 300D digital SLR. Can I use it? Can I fuck.

I am the proud owner of a 6.3 megapixel Nikon D70 digital SLR. Can I use it? Can I f*&k.

Edit - But it is lovely. It looks good, feels good and takes lovely piccies when the nut operating it stumbles accross the right settings (or if you leave it on Auto).

Edited by ReGuRgIt8oR at 15:15:57 06-07-2004

Amajiro 6 Jul 2004 16:18:57 2,214 posts
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I went to Paris for my anniversary recently and took over 250 photos in three days with the bloody thing. Around 12 came out OK. The biggest irony is that I actually talked the wife into buying it for herself and upgrade from her EOS300 for which she'd had the training. I don't think she's even pressed the trigger yet

Gurgy 6 Jul 2004 16:26:54 2,924 posts
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12 out of 250 ! Yikes.

Playing with the D70 has proven to me just how amazing DSLR cameras are.

I can take 50 shots of same thing with multiple settings and actually see where I've gone wrong in seconds for no cost and no hassle.

How did anyone actually learn in the good old days of film ?

Deleted user 6 July 2004 20:53:14

ReGuRgIt8oR wrote:How did anyone actually learn in the good old days of film ?

Own photo lab? Reading books?

Seriously, I know what you mean. I've learned tons of stuff esp. about external flash techniques, bouncing it off stuff, putting stuff in front of it, the works. Instant cheks on complicated lighting, multiple coloured sources et all is a piece of cake now. You know, stuff that was exclusively for the boys with a medium format plus Polaroid back before... I love it!

Gurgy 6 Jul 2004 22:18:47 2,924 posts
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valli wrote:
Own photo lab? Reading books?

I understand, but now using a DSLR really rams home how much effort (ok I accept it's fun to some people) that it must have been, whereas I can click away like a lunatic and it's cost me zilch.

The wonders of modern technology.

However I'm sure your learning process has made you a much better photographer.

jaa 6 Jul 2004 22:45:28 962 posts
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Kids these days... no effort whatsoever, please!

/remembers the hours in the dark, cutting paper masks to darken selective parts of the picture, passing the photo from one tray to the next without pressing too much or letting it slip, washing the photos in the bathtub, checking if the boxes of Agfa classic paper (warm but lovely) were closed before turning on the lights,...

Oh, and the smell of the chemicals...

...

Sorry. Just replaced my Meopta B&W enlarger (not used for years) with an Epson R800 photo printer. And yes, it's a lot easier. But not quite the same thing...

unwashed� 6 Jul 2004 23:52:51 60 posts
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Just so you know Boots shops are offering the Nikon Coolpix 2200 at �89.99 atm, good cameras, I have the Coolpix 885, marvellous! (Apart from the battery.)

otto Moderator 28 May 2007 11:16:19 49,322 posts
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I had a lovely JVC DV30 digital camcorder, bought back in 1998, cost a fucking fortune, but it went tits up on me last summer, now I've got a chunkier, cheaper but still very good Panasonic NVDS29B. Even cheaper than centre court tickets.

OK you're asking about still cameras. I've got a really cheap little Agfa which doubles as a webcam, fine for quick pix. I still don't think an expensive digital camera is justified, not if you compare the quality of the end result to the quality of digital images you can get simply by ordering scans of the negative when you take in your 35mm film for development.