Posted by Ed Garcia on February 25, 2001 at 10:33:18:
Ron,
I’m not a camera buff, so I have no business answering this post. But I use a Sony Digital Handycam. Now I know that it’s a little big to lug around, but it gives me the best of both worlds. If I go out to look at a Shopping Center, I can Video the entire center, as well as the surrounding area to send to my partners. I can also take digital stills as well, right off of the video, or shoot them live.
If I were to use it for a smaller acquisition such as a house, I would be able to tape the interior of the house as well, so that you could feel the rooms flow, something you can’t accomplish with a still camera.
Because the camera has a duel purpose, I don’t have to carry two cameras for family get togethers. Like I said, I’m not a camera buff, but I thought I’d share with you what works for me.
DIgital Camera Recommendation? - Posted by Ron (MD)
Posted by Ron (MD) on February 25, 2001 at 08:16:58:
I’d like to buy a digital camera, primarily to create photos of my houses for a website. Does anybody have a recommendation?
I deal in relatively small houses and think that a primary criterion for this camera is a wide angle lens so that I can take decent pictures of relatively small kitchens, bathrooms, etc.
Another consideration is size…I’d prefer a smaller camera that would be convenient to take on personal trips (please don’t mention this to the IRS).
I have a strong preference for rechargeable batteries.
I bought two Kodac digital cameras off ebay about a year ago. Got a decent price, but I just learned recently that the one I got my mom has recently died after the one year warranty just expired. Mine is used constantly by my mother-in law for her thriving ebay business.
What I learned from that experience was that while I can get some good/great deals on the net, it’s nice to have a local company and face to beef at should you need to. Also, the Kodac was not a USB port; that ain’t good. Their software was also ok.
Last month, I decided to tap into some of my unspent profit from my section 8 tenant (thanks uncle Sam) and upgrade my computer, printer, and digital camera. After surveying the options, I bought a HP315 from Office Depot.
The HP315 is great. First, it’s a USB port transfer, so the pictures transfer lightning fast (like 1 per second versus 1 per ten seconds with the kodac). Trust me: it has to be USB or nothing (assuming your computer can handle USB transfers). The HP Software is also incredibly intuitive and easy to use. It shoots great pictures, too. It is small and looks like a regular camera, but it’s not so small that it will break at the first drop. I’m amazed at how fast the batteries get eaten up. You may want to invest in rechargeable batteries. The 8mb card can hold like 80 pictures at the lowest quality photo (which is still very good, and is the setting I use for taking pictures of houses); 24 pictures at medium quality, and like 12 at highest quality.
The only thing I didn’t like about the camera was the price: $300. It ain’t cheap, but it performs like you would expect a HP product to perform. If you can afford the extra expense, it’s a great camera that will fit your needs (which are similar to mine).
Hope this helps; glad to return a favor… I enjoy your posts.
Posted by Rick Wheat on February 26, 2001 at 07:31:19:
a Sony Mavica 83. It uses a 3.5" floppy disk that I can take right out of the camera, put into my computer, and post it to the website within just a few seconds. The disk holds up to 25 or so photos of a small size and fair quality, or 12 shots of large, high quality pictures.
It also has several additional features, such as a good zoom, black-and-white, etc., etc., and can take up to a minute and a half of video with audio, per disk. COOL!
Re: DIgital Camera Recommendation? - Posted by Wayne (MD)
Posted by Wayne (MD) on February 25, 2001 at 18:05:35:
I do know a bit about photo journalism and by all means get the widest lens possible . . . 28mm or its equivalent. Anything wider than that will tend to distort the image.
I don’t really know anything about digitals yet, however, if all you are going to do is post the shots on the web, you only need 72 dpi to accommodate the monitor, hence Ed Garcia’s preference may be ideal for the web page situation. If I am not mistaken, the video cameras have very wide angle lenses.
I will be interested in learning what you eventually choose.