Digital Camera
I am going to start saving up for a digital camera (tired of using disposables). I was wondering if any of you coasterbuzzers who have a digital camera would be able to give me tips on what I should look for, whats best to take to an amusement park, and where is a good place to buy one. I don't have much of a job so I'm really limited on money. So the cheaper the better.
Thanks
-corey
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Six Flags, the only chain of parks that can manage to have stacking with a one train operation.
I don't know a lot about cameras, but have a HP 612 and am very happy with it. It takes great pics and is easy to use. Digital's go through the batteries, so it would be worth investing in rechargeables. You have to buy extra memory with most cameras. My camera will only take 7 pics on the highest quality, 15 on middle quality and 110 on low quality with the 8MB internal memory. My HP uses compact flash cards, which is the same memory used in a mp3 player that I have. So if you have any other device that uses memory cards, you could look for a camera that uses the same type. Compact flash cards come as large as 1Gig, but are expensive. I got some 64MB cards for $19.99 after rebate, so watch for sales. I have a 256MB card that can hold well over 200 pics on the highest quality
Your best bet is to go to Best Buy or Circuit City or another electronics store and look at what there is and decide what you want and what you can afford. Christmas is coming, maybe you could ask for one as a gift.
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The worst day at Cedar Point is better than the best day at work.
*** This post was edited by CP ismyhome on 9/25/2002. ***
I suggest going to Best Buy after Christmas.. I got mine for a discount, due to the fact that it had been returned. I love open box discounts. :)
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AIM: Pritti Kittie
Toboggan: Bone jarring, head banging, thigh squishin' TORTURE.
As far as brands go, most of the name brand models out there are good, but I wouldn't buy a camera made by a brand named 'Cool Shots' (dont even know if it is an actual brand or not) or something like that.
In reguards to what Jim Fisher said:
Technology changes constantly and what was good then isn't necessarily good now. Just my opinion though
-Kaldaim
*** This post was edited by Kaldaim on 9/25/2002. ***
I have a Sony DSC-P50.
I bought it last summer for 400$. last i have seen, it costs about 200 - 300$ now.
It has a nice LCD monitor in the back, takes videos, and some good pics. it has 2.1 megapixel resolution, and at highest quality, the pics make for nice desktop wallpapers.
it came with a 4MB memory stick, which didnt hold much. When i ordered it, i purchased a 64MB memory stick along with it for around 100$. I can take between 100 - 200 pics at lowest quality with it, and around 20-30 at highest quality. my 64MB stick will hold about 45 mins of video(*note my camera does not record sound).
Its about 3 1/2 inches long, and about 2 - 2 1/2 inches tall. small and light weight.
good luck in making a good selection. you can most likely find it at best buy if you are interested.
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#1-MF #2-Apollo's Chariot #3-S:RoS
-Why a car if i could have a coaster train on wheels??
Actually i was planning on seeing if i could get my parents to pay for part of it as a X-mas gift. But I never thought about the sales after X-mas, i could have my parents give me money or something and then buy it afterwards.
Thanks for the help guys.
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Six Flags, the only chain of parks that can manage to have stacking with a one train operation.
I just bought the Sony P9 4 Megapixel Digital Camera. Its amazing!! Ive taken some of my best pics with it. Plus it allows you to also record video. And it uses an InfoLithium battery which is great because you get so much out of it. I took over 200 pictures w/the flash, and also recorded some video and have yet to charge the battery.its a nice small camera that fits perfect in your pocket.
only downside to this camera is the price. its currently $599. But if you want something thats going to take great pics, record video, have great battery life and is small then this is the camera id go with.
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John
Albany Entertainment:
http://home.nycap.rr.com/albanyent
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Why does Riddler's line move so slow?
It's sponsored by AOL.
*** This post was edited by I Burn Churro Carts on 9/25/2002. ***
I paid $200 for the camera, $45 for a 64mb flash card, and $40 for a very nice set on rechargeable batteries (monster power). I highly recommend these items as a great introduction to digital photography. You will be pleasantly surprised.
More info on the camera:
http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/cpg_product_lobbypage.asp?l=1&p=16&bc=1&product=856
Photos I took with the camera:
http://groups.msn.com/AmusementParkPhotography
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signature withheld for no apparent reason
I avoid Sony like the plague. The cameras themselves aren't bad but they use proprietary memory sticks and I just can't stand that. I only consider cameras that use Compact Flash cards. More flexibility that way.
2 megapixels at a minimum is needed. You should be able to get one pretty inexpensive for that price. Check out dpreview.com for some reviews. CNet also has product reviews on a lot of cameras. I find it through their pricing section. Your best bet for bargains is to check out CNet and MySimon to do some price checks. Check out techbargains.com as well. You're usually better off not going to a retail store. My camcorder would have cost me $1300 + tax at best from Best Buy, Fry's or whatever. Got it for $1107 with shipping online. Don't get your accessories from them, though. They will completely rip you off. That's where they make their money.
For your memory card, whatever type you chose, check out pricewatch.com. They can usually find some great prices on memory.
Good luck! I'll be going through this sometime next year.
I've heard only GREAT things about Canon's Powershot G2. (Read CNet for a review of this thing.)
I use a Kodak DC3400, which is about 2 years old (or so), 2 MP, and it came with an 8 MB card. I upgraded to a 128 MB SmartMedia card for about $70 (reader was free w/ mail in rebate) which gives me 350 or so pictures on the best quality. (Depends on intricacy of shots.)
You probably won't find the Kodak around anymore, but they have come out with some new ones. I'd reccommend it, but the model I have is a bit large (I can fit it in my pockets on all rides, but B&M hypers are getting a bit uncomfortable w/ it), and I don't like to store the camera in a locker or at the ride exit (queue shots...)
I swear by Cnet for reviews, and if you want to see a Kodak, you can just hop on over to my site. (The pictures are scaled down quite a bit though.)
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"Well, I'm sure I'd feel much worse if I weren't under such heavy sedation." - David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap
http://www.loopscrew.com
http://dpreview.com - Do not buy a camera without doing research on that site.
My personal recommendations are:
2 mp: Canon Powershot A40
3 mp: Canon Powershot S30
4 mp: Canon G2, Minolta S404, or Sony 4.1 (forgot the model)
Also, a lot of new cameras have recently been announced at Phototonica.
-Jeff
coasterdude04 said:
I have a Sony DSC-P50.
I bought it last summer for 400$. last i have seen, it costs about 200 - 300$ now.
It has a nice LCD monitor in the back, takes videos, and some good pics. it has 2.1 megapixel resolution, and at highest quality, the pics make for nice desktop wallpapers.
it came with a 4MB memory stick, which didnt hold much. When i ordered it, i purchased a 64MB memory stick along with it for around 100$. I can take between 100 - 200 pics at lowest quality with it, and around 20-30 at highest quality. my 64MB stick will hold about 45 mins of video(*note my camera does not record sound).
Its about 3 1/2 inches long, and about 2 - 2 1/2 inches tall. small and light weight.
good luck in making a good selection. you can most likely find it at best buy if you are interested.
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Great camera. that's what I have now. It takes some great pics for the amount of megapixels that it has. I don't understand why you get such a low # of pics, though. I can take almost 90 pics on 1600x1200 and fine resolution. Some of the pics I take seem to look better on my camera than ones with larger Megapixel ratings. Watch out for Digital Zoom, though, you wanna stay away from that. Can we say..grainy?
--Josh
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Deja Vu Count = 30
SFGAm CoasterWorld
Also, you might want to check out http://pricegrabber.com if you plan on buying over the internet. You can end up saving about $100-$200 off of the price in local retail stores.
I know I got my S30 for $450 including shipping and no tax, compared to $499 in stores + plus. Usually, if the store you buy from is not located in the state you live in, tax will not be charged.
-Jeff
Fuji. Great prices, Great quality, very user friendly. I promise you won't be disappointed with ANY model they make. Get the best you can afford from their range. Their low price ones are an excellent value, more so than other brands.
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Current favorite coasters:
Wooden: 1) Beast 2) Raven 3) Son of Beast 4) The Boss 5) Timber Wolf
Steel: 1) Raging Bull 2) Millennium Force 3) V2 4) Wild Thing 5) Deja Vu / Mr. Freeze (tie)
Visit: http://www.dynamicgroove.com
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The worst day at Cedar Point is better than the best day at work.
I personally recommend something like the Olympus 30x0 line. I have the 3040Z, but even the 3000 should be good, if you find it. They use SmartMedia, not Compact Flash, but at least that's still not a proprietary media like Sony's memory stick.
One of the features I love about the Olympus cameras is that they use standard AA batteries. Now, they can suck them down like there's no tomorrow, but if you get a good set of high-capacity NiMH rechargables (the 1800's), they'll last a good long time (I can get a good 200 shots from one full charge, depending on flash and LCD use). The advantage of them over proprietary battery packs is that if you DO run them down, you can easily find backups...
I always take digital pictures in the highest resolution the camera provides me -- you get less pictures per memory card that way, but the potential quality is worth it. The higher the resolution the better the prints (if you choose to do so -- I've gotten 8x10's made that most people would never even guess was digital, and even 20x30's that you'd be hard-pressed to tell unless you look closely), and the more leeway you have for resizing, cropping, etc even if you DO just want them for a web page. You can always remove extra information, but you can never really add it.
Definitely do research before getting a digital camera. What works for one person won't work for someone else (such as my LIKING a camera that uses AA's), so always keep what YOU want in mind when looking at reviews. In addition to the sites mentioned previously, I also like DCResource.
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--Greg
"Now all I want is to find a way home, to warn Earth -- look upward, and share the wonders I see..."
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