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Photo Forum / General Photo Topics / UK Photography / October 2003Going Digital
I am thinking of going digital soon - is there a more specific newsgroup I should join?  SignatureAlan ............ > I am thinking of going digital soon - is there a more specific newsgroup > I should join? rec.photo.digital but good stuff here too Peter > I am thinking of going digital soon - is there a more specific newsgroup > I should join? I'm using a Yahoo group / mailing list for my particular camera and find it very useful. Which digital system are you going for? SignatureSorby >> I am thinking of going digital soon - is there a more specific newsgroup >> I should join? [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > >Which digital system are you going for? Early days researching, but may be: - Fuji 304 on the budget agreed with the wife. - 602 if I ignore her - s5000 if we compromise Quite possible 2nd hand. Any recommendations for something similar? SignatureAlan ............ > Early days researching, but may be: > > - Fuji 304 on the budget agreed with the wife. > - 602 if I ignore her > - s5000 if we compromise Ignore her and go for the S602, you won't regret it :-) Just a couple of points on s602 - it uses an EVF not an optical viewfinder as an earlier poster said. The low light focus is pretty poor (mine struggles in room lit with a 60w bulb) Manual focus is pretty tricky in any light levels where the auto doesn't work - you won't be getting any low light grab shots. Other than these issues its a great camera. > > Early days researching, but may be: > > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Ignore her and go for the S602, you won't regret it :-) > >> I am thinking of going digital soon - is there a more specific newsgroup > >> I should join? [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > - Fuji 304 on the budget agreed with the wife. Have you held a 304? They're quite small despite their chunky look. I'm not sure I'd be happy with the EFV - I read it's quite dark. > - 602 if I ignore her From the reviews (and compared to the 304 & S5000) this is the one to go for. The optical viewfinder is a plus-point - many of my friends who have made the jump from film to digital find Electronic viewfinders *extremely* frustrating. > - s5000 if we compromise Looks like a good compromise - an excellent camera. > Quite possible 2nd hand. Won't you struggle to get the S5000 2nd hand as it's a very recent model? > Any recommendations for something similar? There's the new Kodak DX6490 - 4mp, 10x optical zoom - ?400 (Jessops) - but I don't know anything about it. What about a 2nd-hand Canon EOS D30 or D60 - (between ?600-800 on eBay) or the Nikon Coolpix 5700 or Minolta Dimage 7 Hi? I don't know if you're familiar with the following review sites but they're all worth checking out... http://www.dcresource.com/ http://www.steves-digicams.com http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/ (full reviews of S5000 and 602 ) Good luck and keep us posted with what you choose, ok? :o) SignatureSorby > >> I am thinking of going digital soon - is there a more specific newsgroup > >> I should join? [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > Any recommendations for something similar? > Go to www.dpreview.com and look at the reviews of cameras. That will help you fine tune or even change your choice. Then have a look at the forums, pick up on your brand or model and look for good and poor points in the posts. You don't need to register to do this. There's a mine of info in there - some very good ranging to Doh. If you have specifics you can post there or come back here. Jos > - 602 if I ignore her cameraworld.co.uk currently have refurbished 602s for ?299. >> - 602 if I ignore her > >cameraworld.co.uk currently have refurbished 602s for £299. Many thanks to all for the info and views. 602 ordered last night from cameraworld.co.uk and due to arrive Wednesday. I think the only weaknesses compared to my old OM10 will be shutter delay and no 28mm lens (not 602-specific issues, I realise), so I shall be experimenting with pre-focussing and the 5-shot facility for candids and athletics, plus starting to research a wide angle adapter. I can't see many websites being designed the rest of the week!!! [I can see several beach strolls ahead if these sunsets continue.] SignatureAlan ............ >>> - 602 if I ignore her >> [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >602 ordered last night from cameraworld.co.uk and due to arrive >Wednesday. OK I might as well start with the next question! The 602 has SmartMedia and CompactFlash Type II storage available and I don't have a clue. What are the practical differences? Which would you recommend? Are there good/bad manufacturers? Which would you choose? Many thanks (again!), SignatureAlan ............ > The 602 has SmartMedia and CompactFlash Type II storage available and I > don't have a clue. [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > -- > Alan ............ Glad you got the camera you wanted, As for memory, go for the compactflash, they are more widely available and less prone to damage. Also smartmedia seems to be being phased out. Both are around the same price. As for manufacturers, I can't tell you whether there is much difference between the manufacturers, but some do make 'high speed' cards, which should cut down on the time it takes the camera to write to the card. Whether this would be important enough to you to warrant paying the extra, only you know. Finally, if you're looking for cheap memory cards, 7dayshop.com are about the cheapest out there, but you'll have to wait about a week for them to arrive. Have fun with the camera! >>>> - 602 if I ignore her >>> [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > >Many thanks (again!), I'm quite please with the response time of the shutter, it's much better than my Kodak 3700! An extension tube to protect the lens when extended & to carry a daylight or UV filter is, IMHO, almost essential. I bought my 602 from Digital Depot, in Stevenage, & the package included a 256 MB Compact Flash card, as wel as the standard 16 mb SmartMedia Card. Since their prices for storage media were then ( August) even cheaper than 7Dayshop, I decided to splurge on another 256 MB Compact Flash card & 3- off 64 MB Smart Media cards. Surprisingly, they were out of stock of their "cheap" branded cards, so sold me Fuji cards, at the "cheap" price. No complaints there! As for which to use, try both! The camera will accept both cards at once, & it 's up to you to choose which one is used first. Obviously, a multi-media card reader is a "good idea", again 7dayshop & Digital Depot's priices seem quite competitive. One point, the camera will accept an IBM microdrive, but since 1 GB compact flash cards are now available, at the same price levels as the microdrives, I'd tend to steer clear of any device with moving parts. Uses even more battery power & i'm told that heat can be a problem. There is a Fuji newsgroup on Yahoo, which seems to be very friendly & helpful. Enjoy your camera, regards, David Clark. 602 has arrived in good shape. Initial thoughts: - Very good looking piece of equipment. - Quality feel. - Heavier than I anticipated (not an issue, though). - Decent handbook. - Beeps a lot. - 20+ buttons to learn. Played around with it yesterday for probably a couple of hours in total. Flat batteries already! I used the ones provided. Is this what I have to get used to? All the rechargeables in the house are now reactivated (10 of) and I'm starting to use them. First lot lasted a lot less than the non- rechargeables :o( The rechargeables are 3-5 years old and not been used for about 2 years. Do they age? Will they get better with use? Are today's new rechargeables better than older generations? How many sets do people usually carry around? SignatureAlan ............ > 602 has arrived in good shape. > [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > rechargeables better than older generations? How many sets do people > usually carry around? Welcome to the world of the 602 Alan, you made a wise choice :-) You really do need two full sets of decent Nickel Metal Hydride rechargeables to go out for a days shooting, I prefer 3 sets (12 batteries) minimum just to be on the safe side. I stress that there is a very good chance that you won't even need a spare set if you don't use onboard flash and screen much, I can fill a couple of 256meg CF cards on a single set of batteries with plenty of juice in reserve. Your old batteries might not be up to the job, it depends on their power output, mine are all 2000mAh bought from www.7dayshop.com they do even better ones now rated at 2200mAh. Get a decent charger too, I've got a slow overnight one and a second which is a rapid 2 hour charge with a 12v car kit for charging on the move. The batteries do get a bit warm in the rapid charger, some people don't like this but such is life. Good luck :-) > 602 has arrived in good shape. > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Played around with it yesterday for probably a couple of hours in total. Glad you like it so far. I had one for a couple of days in August, but returned it as there were enough things I couldn't get on with that it wasn't worth the outlay to me (I had the pro version though, which is considerably more than you paid). My main bugbear was the viewfinder. I just couldn't get on with that, particularly in bright outdoor conditions. Results were impressive, but it was really annoying to use. > Flat batteries already! I used the ones provided. Is this what I have to > get used to? And this was my other main problem with it. I'm used to a small Nikon digital with a Li-ion battery, which gives me pretty much a full days shooting from every charge. I don't consider 20 - 30 mins (which is what I was getting from brand new 2000mAh rechargeables) to be useful. OK, I was shooting at high resolutions, and probably shooting more shots than normal for the purposes of trying it out and getting the hang of all the functions, but 20 mins??? > All the rechargeables in the house are now reactivated (10 of) and I'm > starting to use them. First lot lasted a lot less than the non- [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > rechargeables better than older generations? How many sets do people > usually carry around? I would certainly invest in the latest ones, and a high speed intelligent charger. Only you can really tell how many sets of batteries you will need though. How much shooting do you do? SignatureJanie http://www.janie-thomson.co.uk http://clik.to/MEpages > My main bugbear was the viewfinder. I >just couldn't get on with that, particularly in bright outdoor conditions. >Results were impressive, but it was really annoying to use. I am getting a (wrong) impression when looking through the viewfinder that none of the shots are going to be in focus. Had a brief play with manual focus on macro and struggled. > I don't consider 20 - 30 mins (which is what I >was getting from brand new 2000mAh rechargeables) to be useful. OK, I was >shooting at high resolutions, and probably shooting more shots than normal How many shots are we talking about here? >I would certainly invest in the latest ones, and a high speed intelligent >charger. Only you can really tell how many sets of batteries you will need >though. How much shooting do you do? Recently not a lot, but I think that will change! A few days a month is likely, but the number of shots will be much higher than with film, obviously. SignatureAlan ............ > > My main bugbear was the viewfinder. I > >just couldn't get on with that, particularly in bright outdoor conditions. [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > How many shots are we talking about here? About 15 in 20-odd minutes. Put it this way, I was walking to the location I wanted to try it out, and snapped a few shots on the way. By the time I got to the location, the batteries were finished. The screen wasn't even switched on. SignatureJanie http://www.janie-thomson.co.uk http://clik.to/MEpages |
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