# Digital Photography Primer



## Lyle

If you are looking for general info on choosing and using a digital cam, check out the articles HERE

This thread is now used for asking questions about digital cameras, whether it is a question on what to buy, what features to look for, technique, confusing terms, etc etc. Just fire away. I am also using this thread to keep everyone updated on new cameras, discontinued models, etc.

Enjoy!


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## gbert15

Nice info dude! Do you think this is a good cam: http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?PA...PROD_ID=1012973


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## Lyle

I've never heard of the brand, and at 6 mp for $150, I'd have to say no. The body looks very plasticky, and the zoom controls are awfully low on the body to be easy to use. It doesn't appear to have any manual controls or shooting modes, and the lens itself looks very small. Also, may or may not be important, but it won't do video either. Oh, it also does not have any low light auto-focus assist, so you will have problems taking clear shots at night or in low-light.

There are many factors that affect picture quality, not just the megapixels. You want to be sure to get a quality sensor and good glass as well. I would recommend sticking to name brands. For that price I'd say spend $50 more and get either the Canon A75 or the Nikon Coolpix 3200.


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## Winkyee

Nice primer ,
Great Job. 
I bought the Sony F717 and one reason is battery life.It's outstanding ..
macro/zoom/ease of use is great as well. I love it.









Bored at work I took this last week.

Fullsize 1.1 mb


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## Atlanta Braves Baby!

Very informative thankyou


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## Lyle

Interesting color on that macro shot....the F717 is a nice camera as well.


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## elTwitcho

Cool thread but I have to disagree with your ISO settings. At an ISO of 50 or 100 on a fish tank using only the tank light you're looking at like shutter speeds of 1/30 with an aperture of 3.0 if you're lucky. I'd say an ISO of 400 is almost the minimum for tank shooting, and most cameras can do this with a minimum of noise and grainyness. I use 800 personally, 1600 if I'm really forced to do it by low light conditions


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## x-J-x

This should be a Pinned topic


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## yorkshire

Nice primer, just bought the canon G5 and still dont know what I'm doing. practice makes perfect i guess


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## Lyle

Twitcho-many digital cams out there won't go above 400...and I agree that most tank lights wont be sufficient to shoot at 50 or 100, but I think people should start that low, so they can find the lowest ISO that works for them.

Here are some example shots from my Sony DSC-W1:

This one is not a great shot, but is a good example of what a long exposure can do for you...note the look of the water...










A couple macro shots I took on the same trip this last weekend:










On the leaf shot, notice that the background is blurred ie. f2.8 and shallow depth of field


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## elTwitcho

I know most cameras won't go above 400, but all the ones I've seen will do at least 400 and I think as long as it isn't overly noisey it should be left that way.


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## Lyle

I love playing with long exposures...here is an example of a long exposure while moving the camera on a tripod with the white balance set on flourescent...










Here is another from my trip to Burney Falls...it's a 5 second exposure with a brief flash to bring in the buddy:










Here's the Santa Cruz beach boardwalk....around 3 seconds I think


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## Lyle

One thing I was thinking about...for those of you who take a lot of tank shots, look at cameras that have the ability to screw on an adapter for lenses, filters, etc...then you can use a circular polarizing filter, which will cut down much of the glare coming off of the aquarium. Good brands for filters are Tiffen, Hoya, B+W, Canon, Sony and Nikon.

Lyle


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## hastatus

I have to say from a novice and probably less than a beginner, this information you folks are sharing should be pinned!!!
Certainly helps me in an area I'm totally ignorant of.


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## thePACK

_AWESOME_









this will come in very handy when i decide on my next camera..

winkyeee...beautiful shot...just wondering what are your specs on your camera?thanks in advance


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## Lyle

I'm glad everyone finds this thread useful. If you have any questions, feel free to post them.

Also, if you are unsure of what certain settings will do to your shot, just ask and I'll post an example or two.

Any ideas on what to add? I was thinking of putting together another post in this thread about framing your shot, composition, etc...

BTW, the Sony F717 Winky took that shot with is last years model...it's a 5 megapixel with a 5x optical zoom, do a search on Ebay, should pull up plenty up hits. Nice camera. Very uh unique looking. lol. It's replacement, the F828 is a nice camera as well, although at that point you can get a Canon Digital Rebel or a Nikon D70. I'm really looking forward to the Sony DSC-V3 that is coming out soon. It's similar and looks to be a category killer.


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## thePACK

how are hewlett packard models?


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## Judazzz

Wow, this is outstanding information - thanks for sharing, Lyle









btw: Lyle, is there any chance you could make a short of recommended camera's, divided in a couple of market segments (like: up to $200,-, $200-400,-, $400-600,-, $600,- and up, and Digital SLR's, for example, or based on the amount of MPixels)?
It's clear that not all of us can afford or even want a top-of-the-range model, and even with a 1-2MPixel camera you can make great pictures that are perfectly suitable for use on the web... And some of us obviosuly do only want the best of the best - if we have all the information right here on PFury, it would be a tremendous service to our members, and a great addition to this site (I could even add it to the PFury Information Section, including this information, sample pics of what all the terminology means in practice, etc. etc. - if you're up for that, of course: pm me if you're interested, and I'm sure we can work out something...)

Either way, thanks you very much already for this primer


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## Lyle

Judazz, you've got pm.

ThePack, HP models tend to fall apart from what I've seen. They use SD memory, which is good, but the picture quality isn't outstanding. We used to carry them as an entry level ad offering, but we stopped. IMO, there are better cameras out there for the same money.


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## mantis

Great lnfo! Thanks Lyle


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## Winkyee

Lyle said:


> BTW, the Sony F717 Winky took that shot with is last years model...it's a 5 megapixel with a 5x optical zoom, do a search on Ebay, should pull up plenty up hits. Nice camera. *Very uh unique looking. * lol. It's replacement, the F828 is a nice camera as well, although at that point you can get a Canon Digital Rebel or a Nikon D70. I'm really looking forward to the Sony DSC-V3 that is coming out soon. It's similar and looks to be a category killer.


Very ...lol
It fits my hands well though ...

I love it


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## slckr69

geez wow well since u know a lot about cameras i got a ?. im looking for a digital camera not to expensive. what i need it for is like taking shots of different landscaping projects i have done.. since this is the business i am going into i would like to get something to make my pictures professional so i can show them to potential customers. thanks in advance..


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## sharpteeth

Good thread especially 4 camera noobs!







I wouldn't mind a digital SLR already got a 35mm Nikon F90 X-PRO and it rocks but expensive on film production!


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## Lyle

slckr69 - keep an eye out next week for an article on this stuff...it will include various price points and my recommendations...I'm just really busy until Monday. It will also include some tips on composition and framing, etc to make your shots look more professional, etc.

sharpteeth - Check out the Nikon d70. It's $1299 at Best Buy (cheaper online)with a lens and it will accept most of the Nikon lenses out there, so you can use what you already have. I would bet you could find a used one at bhphotovideo.com or adorama.com, perhaps without a lens if you already have an assortment. It's 6.2 megapixels, good solid camera....has a nice body on it, unlike it's competition the Digital Rebel...


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## Gordeez

Good Stuff!

I use an ISO of 100 on my shots, Less noise, With 80 watts of lighting
on my tank, My shutter is about 1/30 which is actually slow for a moving fish. I can bump the ISO to 200 but its gets grainy but the fish wont be blurry, due to the fact i can use a Faster Shutter.


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## Death in #'s

great info


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## elTwitcho

Gordeez said:


> Good Stuff!
> 
> I use an ISO of 100 on my shots, Less noise, With 80 watts of lighting
> on my tank, My shutter is about 1/30 which is actually slow for a moving fish. I can bump the ISO to 200 but its gets grainy but the fish wont be blurry, due to the fact i can use a Faster Shutter.


 I guess it depends on the camera.

I always use at least an ISO of 400 but tend to use 800 on probably 70% of my shots. I like the higher shutter speeds as it seems to bring something out as far as clarity goes especially on fins which are constantly in motion. This shot was taken at ISO 800, 1/125 6.7 and surprisingly under 80 watts of lighting just like you use. Kind of interesting to see how two people in similar conditions use completely different settings. Personally I think it's whatever works for the individual since all cameras are going to behave fairly differently in fish tank conditions.


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## Gordeez

It does matter which camera you got.
I shouldve mentioned that.
Thats an awesome shot, your using the Dreble though right?
There ISO 800 it cleaner than my ISO 200 :laugh:


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## elTwitcho

Yeah the 10D. Surprisingly my Sony Cybershot P-52 was spot free at ISO 400, it was more the no manual shutter or aperture that made it a pain in the ass.

Here's a shot at ISO 400 on my P-52. Wonder why the higher ISO isn't clear on the F707, maybe the P-52 is a newer camera?


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## xplosivelikec4

great post!


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## Lyle

Great tank shots Twitcho...and thanks for the sig heh


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## elTwitcho

Thanks alot dude.

On a final note before I go to bed, I've got to say that I don't like the idea of saying "go buy this brand, they're good". Generally speaking there's the three big brands (Nikkon, Canon, Sony) and people are usually going to tell you to pick one out of these three like "take a Canon, they've got the film camera heritage and their SLRs are great" or "Sony has those great lenses" but there's ALOT more on the market than these three guys. Generally speaking each camera company is going to put one camera out to target one segment of the market. Looking for a customizable 5 megapixel camera for x amount of dollars? Sony has ONE, Canon has ONE, Nikkon has ONE and that leaves you with 3 cameras to chose from. Looking for an ultra compact 4.0 megapixel camera with point and shoot features for y amount of dollars? Again, 3 cameras to chose from. I don't like this idea at all.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting you go buy some no name camera and hope for the best, that's silly. But at the same time, don't turn your head away from a Konica Minolta or a nicer Kodak because it's not one of three brands. If you RESEARCH before you buy, there's no reason not to look at 5 different camera brands, giving you 5 different camera choices letting you pick the one you like best. Choice is good, and you'll find that there's alot out there to chose from. sh*t I just found out the Minolta Dimage A2 has image stabilization built into the CCD and not the lens, something I've seen no other camera offer. It's little things like that that you'll miss out on if you limit yourself.

Read up on www.dpreview.com before buying anything. They're the best and most in depth as far as I can tell from all the stuff I've looked up.


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## beowolf

Gateway DC-T50 is a good choice when you only have $150.

It's japanese design. with japanese Lens.

just remember to buy one more spare battery.. thats all.
the rest of it is pretty good enough..


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## Lyle

Thanks for mentioning that Twitcho...keep in mind that I only have extensive experience with brands that Best Buy carries, so that knocks out Minolta and Panasonic, Samsung, lots of others.

On the Gateway though, we sold Gateway cameras for 4 months...more than 60% of them came back defective within 2 weeks. Many more were exchanged for something else...just something to think about.


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## beowolf

Lyle said:


> Thanks for mentioning that Twitcho...keep in mind that I only have extensive experience with brands that Best Buy carries, so that knocks out Minolta and Panasonic, Samsung, lots of others.
> 
> On the Gateway though, we sold Gateway cameras for 4 months...more than 60% of them came back defective within 2 weeks. Many more were exchanged for something else...just something to think about.


 Thanks for the information, it really helped.

Thats why i choose SONY, at least you dont have to return back to the shop and change for something else...









anyway I should stop talking about DSC and focus on our fishes~


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## Gordeez

If I were to get another camera, id Probably go with Another Sony.
If I was able to afford an DSLR, Id go with the Dreble, But not in my reach, Glass is pretty pricey


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## stingray

Damned , this is a good topic
















I have done a lot research before i buy a new camera , i have read so much reviews on the net that my eyes beginning to spin

At last the best choice for me with the best reviews is "Olympus C-8080 WZ"

I have this camera about a week now , must learn how to take good pictures , this topic helping me allot , good tips in here for schutter-time and the F-stop

Thank you guys


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## rbp 4 135

verry helpful


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## Lyle

Ok, if you haven't noticed, a photography section went up the the information section for your enjoyment. Please feel free to continue to use this thread for asking questions, discussion, etc. Hope you guys (and gals) find it useful!

Lyle


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## jamesdelanoche

Hey, me and my girlfriend are wanting to get a new camera, well, two actually. She is really into photography and wants a 35mm because she likes the picture quality. We also want to get a digital camera for ease of use, you know, sending pictures to family and taking quick pictures. I've done some research and I don't know why but I feel like canon is the best bet for us. My question is, what one should we get first? and also...are these good cameras in your own opinion? The 35mm we like is the canon rebel t2. We can get it new with warranty with some accessories on ebay for 260. The digital we like is the canon s1 IS. Its more expensive. I guess i'm asking what is your personal opinion on these cameras?


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## Lyle

Both are good choices, although it has reached the point that digital looks just as good (if not better) than film when it comes time to print. The S1 IS is a nice camera as well, nice 10x optical zoom, flip out lcd, resolution is a little low at 3.2. The newish Kodak DX7590 isn't a bad choice either if you want a big zoom. It's 5 mp, 10x optical, with a 2" screen and a nice lens on it. It also comes with a dock for transferring your pics and charging. I generally don't like Kodak, but it's my favorite of the bunch and gets decent reviews. It runs $499 at Best Buy, cheaper online.

Have you thought about buying a digital rebel body and a film rebel body and then sharing lenses? A little bit more expensive, but makes god sense...


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## Lyle

removed old camera info...


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## Lyle

removed old info


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## Lyle

removed more outdated info


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## Lyle

Removed more old info

Oh, some interesting info for all you tank shooters....the Canon G6 (7mp, 4x optical, flip out lcd, $599) can use the Canon Speedlight flashes externally with a sensor mounted on the camera. This means you can use the flash on the side or top of the tank instead of from the front on the camera. This of course can be done with any Canon SLR as well, but the G6 is the cheapest way to get 'er done. This can NOT be done with the Sony V3, so if you are comparing the 2, got to get the G6. Sony's online live chat help people are REALLY DUMB, btw. I had a bad experience.


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## Lyle

removed


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## Lyle

removed old pricing info

As usual, feel free to pm me with any questions or if you want more info. Hope someone is reading :rasp:


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## Gordeez

Lyle said:


> Ok, so we got a slew of entry level Sony's in. The good news is even their $199 S40 is a 4 megapixel with the Carl Zeiss lens. Feels shitty though. Im just glad they replaced their dated P series.
> 
> New Canon's in...the SD400 and SD500, both very very nice small cameras...5 and 7mp respectively, 3x optical, 2" screen, uses sd memory and a lithium ion battery.
> 
> We also got the new 8mp rebel in, nice camera....I just bought one. Smaller, lighter, faster, much better build quality than the old one. A steal at $999 with the 18-55 lens.
> 
> Nikons new coolpix line seems to be going over like a lead balloon...very plasticky.
> 
> My vote for an entry level (sub $200) camera is the Canon A510. 3mp, 4x optical, sd memory, 2 aa's. Solid choice.
> 
> My previous mention of the G6 being replaced seems to be a bit premature...will happen, just not immediately.
> 
> Oh, I thought the Sony DSC-W7 was going to be $399 retail, it's $449...nice camera though...I've played with both the W5 and W7 and they are definately faster focusing than my W1.
> 
> *As usual, feel free to pm me with any questions or if you want more info. Hope someone is reading*:rasp:
> [snapback]960273[/snapback]​


I check'd out. I myself am trying to save u for the new Rebel 350 XT.
Yorkie Boy got one, the pictures are smoooooooooth!


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## Lyle

Yeah I bought one too....I can't say enough good things about it


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## WorldBelow07

my bro found a sony cybershot dsc-p41 4.1 megapixel camera the other day. its not that great for fish photos tho cuz they dont come out that great. i like my sisters' camera better


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## Lyle

The biggest problem with the DSC-P41 is the lack of optical zoom....it's purely digital...tell your brother to use the zoom VERY sparingly...


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## WorldBelow07

i dont like it. i got a cannon powershot s500 from my sister


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## yorkshire

Lyle said:


> Yeah I bought one too....I can't say enough good things about it
> [snapback]966592[/snapback]​










i am sooooo glad i decided to go the SLR way. still love my G5, but i doubt i'll use it now i got the 350


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## Lyle

Hey York, I just got my 75-300 IS USM lens today and tried it out on the tank...works great...I had it zoomed all the way in, could fill the frame with a single P, focused no problem. And I was sitting 10 feet or so from the tank...Once I get that transmitter I'll be a happy camper.

S500 is a very solid camera, discontinued model, but a great camera nonetheless...


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## yorkshire

Lyle, which macro lens would you recommend?
I'd like to pull off some good macro insect pics


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## WorldBelow07

wow i got a decent pic off the sony cybershot


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## Scrap5000

Awesome info, thanks


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## Lyle

I'm going to pick up the 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro lens:

here

It has a 1:1 repro...

It's a little long for my tastes, but I actually think it will coem in handy for the tank, Ill be able to sit back a bit from the tank...


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## yorkshire

Thanks Lyle








I'm considering either the canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 macro usm lens, or the sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 APO macro super2 lens. I think i'd probably get more use out of the sigma lens. Not made my mind up yet.
canon lens here-
http://www.cameramarts.co.uk/index.php?rm=...&category_id=36

sigma here-
http://www.parkcameras.com/cameras/slrcameras/canon.htm

what ya think?


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## Lyle

I've heard that Sigma lenses can cause an 'error 99' message on Canon DSLR's...and I always personally stick with the same brand...Canon glass is better IMO (although there are lots of Sigma supprters out there....but they basically just reverse engineer Canon stuff)...


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## jeddy hao

hey guys i'm pretty new to this site and i would really like a digital camera that's around 100$

the cheaper the better xP

i want something good for taking pics of my fish,fish tank, outside pics, and etc.

what would you guys recommend ?
remember i don't have so much money so around 100$ with good pics would be great =]


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## Lyle

It's really tough to get a decent camera for that price range...I'd say maybe look at the Fjuifilm A330 and A340 if you can find them...I saw them at Target today in my area...they are a last years model, but you should be able to get right around your price range. Maybe check Ebay?

The problem is that the memory is more expensive since they take xD...


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## hiphopn

jeddy hao said:


> hey guys i'm pretty new to this site and i would really like a digital camera that's around 100$
> 
> the cheaper the better xP
> 
> i want something good for taking pics of my fish,fish tank, outside pics, and etc.
> 
> what would you guys recommend ?
> remember i don't have so much money so around 100$ with good pics would be great =]
> [snapback]983234[/snapback]​


well i have a hp320 which has turned out to be a good little camera i will sell you for 40 bux plus shipping. it is 2.1mp and has a video option. sd card included.


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## Amfodraminos

piraya teeth


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## Lyle

nice shot, pretty shallow depth of field though...what was it taken with?


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## anthongy817

i just bought a Sony H1 digital camera for $475. It's pretty nice and a bunch of features, and you have the choices of it being auto or manual. But i was wondering was it worth it since its just a sony lense?


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## eriesteelheader

I have a Fuji FinePix 550 and the pics I'm getting out of it are way too bright - almost to a point of being white. I know it has adjustable ISO. But I don't know what to attribute this too? Too much light is getting in somehow. Any advice on how to adjust this? Thanks!


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## Lyle

Old posts, but...

The H1 uses a Zeiss lens...high quality...good camera...

As for the 550...check the settings, that isn't a common problem for that model...I would recommend dropping the sharpness and contrast just a bit, it overdoes it a little. Does it do that on auto or are you on a manual setting? Not sure on that one...


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## patriotsfan

i just got a Nikon Coolpix 4600. is this anygood or should i change it for another camera. it was about $179 at best buy.


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## Lyle

The 4600 is great for shooting people...has red eye removal software built in that actually works...overall I'm not a huge fan but that feature is really nice to have.


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## golfer931

Im not a very experienced digital camera guy so please help... Whenever i try to take a picture of my p's they always show up as blurs because they arent perfectly still. even if they are barely moving it blurs so much it is hard to tell what the picture is of. is there a setting for this or something? i just use the "auto" setting.


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## Lyle

Yeah, you need to take it off auto if possible...if your camera has manual settings you'll want to explore those. Check out the photography article on the site, they'll help.


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## odyssey

does anyone still use manual slr's? i think they are great to use before you move onto a digital slr. i love my om40. i use it mostly at college but its a great thing to have to learn from. this is a great thread .


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## raymond999

any good websites or place where i can buy some p200 lens?? sonystyle dont carry them no more, digital cams evlove quick, only had my camera for a year


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## C0Rey

any experience with the Olympus 700.

it has some underwater options, but im not getting any good shots.

any help would be apreciated


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## gimmemyshit

First few pics I've taken with my new "Minolta Dimage A1"


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## Gordeez

Gimmemyshit: Check your color balance. I dont think your cat is that orange.
See whats it's set to, if its not set on auto,switch to auto.
That way your pictures wont come out looking warm.


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## gimmemyshit

Gordeez said:


> Gimmemyshit: Check your color balance. I dont think your cat is that orange.
> See whats it's set to, if its not set on auto,switch to auto.
> That way your pictures wont come out looking warm.


I had a skylight filter on just to protect the lens as my safety filter broke......plus this is under flouresents. The skylight filter tends to do that...after all that is what it's for.


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## piranhapat

test


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## Dr. Giggles

Topic moved from Piranha Pics To here.


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