I think it's time for me to step into the digital camera world; I love my 35mm SLR, but with the developing, etc, it has lost its appeal. I've briefly looked at various offerings, and it all makes my head hurt with all of the different megapixel, memory, and zoom options.

This new camera will be used mainly for hunting/hiking activities - something that will be thrown in a pack (in a nicely padded case) and experience the elements. So, nothing "fragile" will do, and smaller than a standard 35mm SLR would be nice. I guess I could see where a 5-second video capability would be nice, but not necessary. And when it's turned on, I'd prefer to not have to wait 10 seconds for it to be picture-ready. And - important - simply plugging into a USB port (or whatever) to download pics.

Do any of you have any favorites to recommend? What other features should I consider? I'm thinking something up to $400 or so, so if you have a good recommendation cheaper than this, it would just be sausage gravy. Thx.

Hello Sawn Crea,

Check out the Olympus Stylus 720 SW. 7.1 mega pixel. Waterproof to 10ft., shock proof 5ft drop. Video capability and it is small.No view finder but has a large LCD screen for taking pics and viewing and usb cables included for download. Plus the same features as most the other cameras. I think I paid 315. for mine from beachcamera.com and that was with tax and shipping. Your friends will freak when standing in water or pool and you toss them your digital camera to take a picture.

Thanks,

Jason

Shawn I spent a bunch of years using camaras, four for the Lewiston Tribune and five in the army as a photographer. When I dedcided to go digatal I wanted something that was both easy to use for the grandkids and shot pix that would give me the professional results that I could market if I wanted to.

I looked at a lot of cameras and decided right off I couldn't afford the interchangeable lens single lens reflex system like my Canon EOS 35 mm systems. I also decided that I needed at least five megapixel's to give me at least excellent 8 by 10 enlargements.

Also I felt that because I take wildlife photos I wanted as high as magnification as I could get and still stay under that $400 limit.

I spent a bunch of time exploring camara options and finally settled on Kodaks Easy share system camera Z740.

This compact five megapixel zoom camara has an extended zoom that goes from 38 to 380 mm. This means that it has an effective 50 x zoom. This is great for wildlife.

Another consideration I felt important was that it used standard batteries instead of a battery pack designed just for that camera. The camera I bought uses double AA battteries. I use common rechargable ones and am never requried to buy expensive battery packs.

This camera is now two years old so you might want to look at the newer models. I bought this at Costco for just under 400 bucks and that included a one gigabite SD card that is good for 500 to 800 pix. The software and camara dock to download the photos came with the camera.

The Z740 was rated one of the easiest cameras to use and the controls are intuitive. It will also do movie clips.

I'll ditto faucettb's recommendation by the fact I have a Kodak DX7630 digital that uses the Kodak Easyshare program. Comes complete with rechargable cord and USB cable. I forked over a couple extra bucks and got the Camera Dock 6000 to assist in recharging and downloading to the computer.

Bought my daughter a Cannon (forgot which model) which also provides pretty good pictures.

To tell the truth, I suspect all digitals today are great picture takers - some just come with more bells and whistles. You should be able to get a good camera and accessories for under the $500 mark, no matter what brand you buy.

Thx, I'll take a look at the Olympus and Kodak's.

Just FYI, we got the daughter a Kodak Easyshare C340 for Christmas last year, with docking station, etc. Worked great, until she dropped it (dang, they didn't design for this?!!), which broke the little locking mechanism on the battery gate. And when we took it in to get it repaired, they said we might as well buy a new camera for what it would cost to repair it (and if I remember, the camera wasn't all that expensive - maybe $150 or so). So, I'll take a look at the Kodak models you mention, and I'm hoping they have a bit more robust battery gate.

My little Kodak digital does not only great telephoto work but also nice macro stuff for those into flowers, bugs and elk poop. Elk were at 40X magnification, shot off the window ledge of my four wheel drive, not tripod.

Bob,
You do nice camera work! Must be a good combo of skill and equipment. I'll surely take a look at that model.

I'm afraid my photography skills are sorely lacking compared to Bob's, but the little Sony S-60 I took to Africa and have used around here is a good compromise of picture quality and compactness. It's easy to slip in your shirt pocket or cargo pants pockety and not worry about it until you need it. I don't think it takes magazine quality pictures, but for times when your camera is secondary to what you are doing, it's very close to being ideal.

I tried carrying my 35mm Nikon while in the field but its bulk and heft made it a nuisance. The little S60 was all but forgotten about until I needed it. I wouldn't carry the S-60 on a photo safari as my main camera, but was just right while I was hunting.

As digital camera technology develops, I'm sure we'll see lighter and more compact cameras that offer better lenses and higher resolution, so that is something to keep an eye on.

I took a look at some of the prices of the cameras mentioned here, on www.hotbuyselectronics.com.

Kodak Z740 - $212
Olympus Stylus 720 - $289
Sony DSCS60 - $64.98
Couldn't find kdub's Kodak DX7630 on this site. These prices are just the camera with basic cables, memory, and software, with docking stations & printers extra, of course, but not bad prices in my opinion. A dizzying number of choices out there, so thanks for the suggestions that will help narrow the search.

Shawn,
Whatever you buy, don't forget to budget for the memory sticks/memory cards. Those things can be expensive, but are sorely needed to take a lot of high resolution pics. I bought quite a few of those for the Africa trip and they were probably the most expensive incidental costs I had. I would have certainly ran out of memory without them though.

One of the most important aspects of a camera to me is the ability to reach out and do wildlife pics. So I looked for a long zoom range.

This will give you an idea of what I'm talking about. One thing for sure is alyeska338 is right about portability. My Z740 is small compared to a 35 mm single lens reflex, but a shirt pocket camera like his little sony is surly handy.

My camera uses SD cards. They are small and a one gigabite card is around 70 bucks and will hold 400 to 800 pix.

The first pix of Little Canyon is at 1X magnafication the second at 50X same with the Church.

To get this kind of zoom range requires a slightly bigger camera, but the little camera I'm shooting is really small compared to most SLR's and even to a lot of small rangefinders 35 mm cameras. Another plus of a slightly bigger camera, than a shirt pocket model is lots of more features and both an slr eyepiece and a screen on the back.

It depends on the type of shooting you do. Some of the high resolution shirt pocket models deliver exceptional pix especially if you stay above five mega pixels, though you do loose a bunch of zoom (telephoto) range. The resolution on all of these has been reduced a bunch to let the pix fit on the forum.

Wife likes her Cannon Digital Rebel...maily becasue she had several good lens for her film Rebel that work with it.

Me...I'm a point and shoot kind of guy.

I haven't looked at cameras since I bought one 2 or 3 years ago. It is a Konica Minolta Dimage Z2. I am very happy with it, but it is way too large to go in a shirt pocket. It has 4 megapixels and a 10x zoom and uses 4 AA batteries. The 10x zoom is the main reason I bought it. It has been a very good camera that takes very good pictures if I do my part. A smaller camera with a 10x Zoom is a Panasonic DMZ-T1 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16830134049). Panasonic cameras have been getting good reviews for several years. This one is 5 megapixels so is should do you very well. It is $240 at Newegg (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16830134049)until Dec. 22nd with a 1 gb memory card. The one thing I do not like about what I have read about it is that it takes a battery pack instead of AA batteries.

It seems as far as memory cards go, SD seems to be the most common type being used any more. That is what my Konica Minolta and mom's Kodak use. Older Canons, especially the upper end models used to use Compact Flash memory which is physically the largest size, but this Canon PowerShot A710 IS (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16830120067) uses the SD cards and this one also comes with a free 1 GB card from Newegg also until Dec. 22.

Another thing I might suggest is look at http://www.dpreview.com/ and read the reviews up there.

Hope I muddied the waters for ya just a little more! :D

Edit to add that Newegg has SD memory cards at 512 mb starting at $10, 1 gb starting at $12.50, 2gb starting at $25, 4gb starting at $70, and 8 gb starting at $134! Boy! prices have really changed. I looked and I paid about $100 for my 512mb card when I got my camera!

10-4 on the extra memory alyeska & Bob, I'll definitely be getting extra cards or sticks for whatever camera I end up with.

I looked at the Cannon Rebel ribbonstone, and that's a nice camera, and something like that would be appealing in Minolta so I could use my slr lens from the 35mm, but I think I'll make a clean break from it. I prefer the point-and-shoot mode myself.

Shawn,

I too would like to have a Cannon Rebel since I have lenses that would fit it, but with the Konica with the 10x zoom weighing in at what just the camera body would and taking excellent pictures, I just do not have the need!

The only problem with the Cannon Rebel is that the lenses from your slr though they will fit the camera they do not give you the same focal length as they do on the 35 mm. It's because the actual picture size on the digital camera is smaller than on a 35mm.

This causes a lens such as a 50 mm for example to become a 70 or 80 mm lens. To get opticaly the same focal lengths as a 35mm film camera you really need to buy lenses designed for the digital camera.

I thought much the same thing when I started looking for a digital camera and was going to buy the rebel. I have 9 Cannon EOS lenses and three EOS bodies along with a complete darkroom with two enlargers. All this equipment, close to 5000 dollars worth is now worth almost nothing. I'd love to recoup my lens investment, but all the lenses combined are actually not better than the zoom range on the little Kodak Z740.

Talk about being griped. Anyone like to get into film for a great price? Anyway the little Kodak has a 10X optical and a five X digital giving a total of 50X of zoom. The cost for optical lenses to duplicate that would be enormous.

There are other digital cameras out there as good, but I could find none in the price range. I also liked the camara dock and accessories that came with the Kodak.

The really sad part is when I go to the Goodwill store or other thrift shops I'm finding single lens reflex cameras that cost hundreds and hundreds of dollars selling for 39.99 and 29.99 leaves me a little sick considering the investment in equipment I sitting in my darkroom.

I'm not sure if the local college would even take the film cameras as a donation for there photography class as everything is turning to digital.

Another point is the programs to work with digital photography makes what took years of learning darkroom technique a matter of days and a few mouse clicks. With inexpensive programs like Adobe Photoshop Elements photo manipulation is such a dream.

This is all done with one camera and one lens. The picture of the old barn with the beautiful clouds in the background is actually two pix put togather with photoshop, a job that would be really hard in a darkroom.

Another point I forgot to mention. I do not look at digital zoom because all that does is cut the outside edges off so to speak so you really have a lower resolution picture. The photo editing software that is available can do a better job of digitally zooming than your camera can do. The zoom ranges that I mentioned in my first post are all optical zoom.

Kansas brings up a good point...

Digital zoom reduces your mega pixals

Kansas,
Couldn't find a DMZ-T1 listed, but there was a DMC-T21K for $229. The Cannon Powershot A710 was $279. Haven't waded through the reviews yet, but will need to do so, and thanks.

Bob,
I handled a Kodak Z710 today and wondered if you looked at that particular model? Only thing different thus far that I can tell is the 710 is 7 mpixels and the 740 is 5 mpixels, but I haven't really dug into side-by-side comparison yet. Both are within $5 of each other in price. Nice camera...how long do the two batteries last for you typically? It's not a shirt pocket camera, but it's fairly handy.

Thx all, for the suggestions.

Kansas,
Couldn't find a DMZ-T1 listed, but there was a DMC-T21K for $229. The Cannon Powershot A710 was $279. Haven't waded through the reviews yet, but will need to do so, and thanks.

Bob,
I handled a Kodak Z710 today and wondered if you looked at that particular model? Only thing different thus far that I can tell is the 710 is 7 mpixels and the 740 is 5 mpixels, but I haven't really dug into side-by-side comparison yet. Both are within $5 of each other in price. Nice camera...how long do the two batteries last for you typically? It's not a shirt pocket camera, but it's fairly handy.

Thx all, for the suggestions.

As far as resolution is concerned more megapixils is better, but a five megapixil photo will make a dandy 16 by 20 enlargement. Even then if you send pix to other folks you've got to size them down to do any emails.

Some of the folks were talking about resolution of pix that digital zoom does. From my point of view a 10X optical zoom is about as small as you want to go. Then any digital zoom is just gravy. I've shot a bunch of wildlife with the digital and optical combined and am pretty happy with the results.

for most us us that's a lot of magnafication and unless you were planning to sell the photos plenty sharp for almost all uses.

I've spent a bunch of years doing photography for money and am pretty particular when I look at photos and got to say I'm pleased with the equipment I'm using now.

The really big difference in performance when shooting long zoom (telephoto) lens is how steady the camera is and it does not matter if it's film or digital the more solid it is for longer focal lengths the sharper the pix is going to be. I pack a small folding tripod thats only about 8 inchs long folded in a small camara bag with extra batteries, a couple extra storage chips and a bunch of filters.

I like to use things like window frames, trees, stumps or anything I can to steady a camera once I get much over 3X zoom.

I also like to do macro work and a camera that does that is important to me. this and the ability to take standard camera filters also makes a digital good. The Z series Kodaks come with a lens shade that will take standard 50 and 55 mm camera filters and I use them a bunch. It's a holdover from my 35mm camera days.

I also use a small velcro mount on the dash of my four wheel drive to fasten the camera when I'm on the backroads to take pix as I'm traveling. If I used a four wheeler I would put a handle bar mount with a tripod screw on it so I could put the camera on it also.

Bottom line is going digital is a great way to do with today's photography. With even the simple editing program that came with my camera you can do so much to your photos that it's hard to believe. From simple cropping to making black and white photos to made in the computer Christmas cards it's all just a few clicks of the mouse away.

Kansas,
Couldn't find a DMZ-T1 listed, but there was a DMC-T21K for $229. The Cannon Powershot A710 was $279. Haven't waded through the reviews yet, but will need to do so, and thanks.

My bad Shawn. It is a DMC-TZ1 that I was talking about if you followed the link to Newegg. Here (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Panasonic/panasonic_dmctz1.asp) is a link to it over at dpreview. I think if I was going to buy a new camera today, that would be the one.

I noticed I was not finding any Konica Minolta cameras at Newegg's website :(so I went to Konica Minolta's site and was disappointed to read that they sold out to Sony and Sony basically killed the Konica Minolta line :mad: and made them Sonys and changed the memory over to their proprietary Memory stick memory which is more expensive than the more common Secure Digital memory sticks. I think Sony is a good product; at least the camcorder I have made by them is, but I do not like the idea of investing in memory sticks that are only used in products made by 1 company (that I know of).

... I have 9 Cannon EOS lenses and three EOS bodies ...
I'd love to recoup my lens investment...


If you're interested in selling those, let me know what you have and how much you want.

I think it's time for me to step into the digital camera world; I love my 35mm SLR, but with the developing, etc, it has lost its appeal. I've briefly looked at various offerings, and it all makes my head hurt with all of the different megapixel, memory, and zoom options.

This new camera will be used mainly for hunting/hiking activities - something that will be thrown in a pack (in a nicely padded case) and experience the elements. So, nothing "fragile" will do, and smaller than a standard 35mm SLR would be nice. I guess I could see where a 5-second video capability would be nice, but not necessary. And when it's turned on, I'd prefer to not have to wait 10 seconds for it to be picture-ready. And - important - simply plugging into a USB port (or whatever) to download pics.

Do any of you have any favorites to recommend? What other features should I consider? I'm thinking something up to $400 or so, so if you have a good recommendation cheaper than this, it would just be sausage gravy. Thx.

Good morning,
I have used several different brands and models and currently use the Kodak 5.1 megapix camera. It came with a docking port but I always pull out the smart card, put it in a memory stick and can download anywhere.

All of the digital cameras that I have used do a bad job in low light conditions when game is on the move. Also as wildlife moves the pictures can get blurry real fast.
Get one with a large optical zoom, because the digital zoom on the ones I've used are not nearly as clear.

Size is important if you are hiking around but most importantly, does it take good pictures. A friend of mine bought a new digital single reflex camera for around $650.00. The pictures he takes of ( moving) wildlife are great.I cannot get the same quality with any of my digital cameras. As long as you have plenty of light and don't zoom out too much, any digital camera will do what you want.

I admit, I dont know that much about it, but the single reflex digital is such a step up from regular digital that it would be worth the cost if you are going to get serious.
The first two pics were taken with the single reflex during low light conditions, deer were about 100 yards away. I couldn't get these pics with my regular camera.
The daylight buck was about 160 yards away with a regular camera digitally zoomed out all the way. Not near as good quality. Any movement hurts the picture and the deer don't really like to pose. I don't know why?
Good Luck

I love my Nikon D70. A lot of my film accessories work on it, and it takes very good pictures. Its becoming old technology, but its still very light for an SLR. I too have film cameras like the F3 and FM2N, and hate to see such good quality cameras going for little or nothing. Oh well....

Thx Kansas, I looked at the link. It's a camera with a lot of attractive features. A little smaller than the Kodak Z-series, although not quite a shirt pocket size either.

tpv, I was wondering about moving shot and low light capabilities. Can't see myself going to the digital slr format though with the higher cost and what seems like added complication.

The small compact models are attractive, but are limited in their capabilities and features (and I'd probably drop one out of my shirt pocket and loose it for good!). I'm leaning towards something like Bob's Kodak Z-series cameras. Surprisingly affordable with a lot of capability, and still smaller than the 35 slr I'm used to. Probably biased by the fact I was able to handle one, not just look on a screen at one, but that's how most of us treat gun purchases, eh?!!

I appreciate all the input.

One other comment. Don't recall if anyone mentioned this.....

If the camera you choose doesn't have an optical viewfinder expect to eat a lot of batteries. The LCD viewfinder consumes a lot of battery power. Choosing a camera with a traditional viewfinder will save battery life.

I just got a Sony Cybershot 7.1 megapixel as a gift and really like the pictures it produces. I will vouch for difficulties in low light and moving conditions. I tried to use mine at my sons basketball game and had trouble getting decent shots between the movement and lighting.

MikeW

Well, I pulled the trigger on the purchase today - got the Kodak Z-710. Probably more camera than I need as my first digital, but should serve me well for anything I want to do. Thanks all for your info and suggestions.

Congrats on the purchase, Shawn. Don't forget to share your pics with your friends here at Beartooth!

You won't regret getting more camera than you need!

Congrats on the purchase, Shawn. Don't forget to share your pics with your friends here at Beartooth!

I will certainly do that, if I can manage to take a good pic!

I "redneck fixed" the broken battery door with a screw on the stepdaughter's smaller Kodak C340 so I may use it for the death march hike/hunts and use the "good" camera for all other uses, when I might have a tripod handy.

I'm certain you'll enjoy the camera, Shawn.

I've owned 3 Kodak digitals and gave the first two to the daughters as the newer, more whistles and bells models came out. The present 6.1 MP does everything I want and I did swap out the 64 MB chip for a 125 for more pictures ability. Sometimes think they should give you the camera and sell you the chips!

I'm certain you'll enjoy the camera, Shawn.

I've owned 3 Kodak digitals and gave the first two to the daughters as the newer, more whistles and bells models came out. The present 6.1 MP does everything I want and I did swap out the 64 MB chip for a 125 for more pictures ability. Sometimes think they should give you the camera and sell you the chips!

They may have invented the SD's and then the products around them to sell them! I just wish I could buy memory like this as I loose it with each passing year. :p

Newegg has SD memory cards at 512 mb starting at $10, 1 gb starting at $12.50, 2gb starting at $25, 4gb starting at $70. Pretty good considering I looked and I paid about $100 for my 512mb card when I got my camera just a couple years ago!

Thanks Kansas, those are good prices. I'll check them out.

The key to digital camera's is the amount of Megapixels and the Optical zoom...Digital zoom is the same as zooming in and out in the photo programs on your computer. It really doesn't change the picture. Most have a marker in the viewfinder telling you where the optical stops & the softwear takes over...

I was drooling over a konica Minolta when they disapeared. too bad 'cause it had the features I wanted. I learned alot by using my daughter's Fuji/

I only want a camera w/ a view finder and (4) AA batteries. It has to have shutter speeds and rapid fire capabilities.

All the early digitals I've used seem to be cycling at the point where I'd be grabbing another picture w/ my 35mm.

I'm glad I never bought more lenses for the 2.25" X 2.26" Mamya SLR I inherited from my father in law...I still dust off my 35mm glass once in a while.

Used to do Wedings w/ the father in law...

Talk about memory, I spoke w/ a Pro at a motorcycle race. She had a Nikon SLR and shot all day w/ out changing memory...Worth it if you are making your living w/ it!

Well, I pulled the trigger on the purchase today - got the Kodak Z-710. Probably more camera than I need as my first digital, but should serve me well for anything I want to do. Thanks all for your info and suggestions.

Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner Shawn, I spent four days in the hospital taking care of an infection that kinda got away from me.

The Z-710 is a newer version of my 740. Lots of bells and whistles and with both an slr view and a screen on the back it's a dandy. Having shot SLR 35 mm cameras for eons the little Kodak just seemed so natural to me. I like to use filters and mine came with a lens shade that was threaded for 55 mm camera filters so all my existing stuff just goes right on. I bought a small camera bag at Walmart that holds everything including a small tripod, all the filters, batterys, lens cleaning stuff and it's only about 8 inchs by 8 inchs by 6 inchs thick.

The software that comes with the camera is a pretty good editing tool, but would suggest getting Adobe Photoshop Elements at Costco or one of the discount stores. The things you can do with your photos with this inexpensive program is amazing. It also allows you to resize easily such as when you want to post pix on the forum. Most email programs will ask you when you attach photos if you want to make them smaller to email faster.

I simply can't believe where the digital systems have gone. I'm sitting here with well over five grand in photo equipment that's now worth next to nothing and using a 300 buck camera with 75 bucks worth of software that just simply blows away anything I could do in a full blown color darkroom.

As far as processing your pix I put them on a disk after editing and take them to Wallmart. Walmarts machine can make standard prints of my edited photos for as little as 20 cents apiece. It's far cheaper than buying a printer and the ink to keep it running to do your own prints.

Good luck with your new camera and start posting some of the pix your shooting with it. I know that being able to show photo's with my posts sure helps.

Bob, your experience with the Z740 and the nice features of the camera clinched getting the Z710. I have yet to read up on how to do all of the gee-whiz stuff it can do, and to just plain get out and use it. I was kind of set on getting one of the little printers and the guy at the store actually talked me out of it - said they're kind of "gimicky" and I'd be better off doing just as you do, which is taking them into a one of the printing stations. So, glad I saved that money!

I plan to post pics, should I remember to take the camera with me! Went for a Christmas Eve chukar hunt (my Christmas present for the 3 dumb dogs) and forgot to take the camera. Was packing a sweet little Browning Auto 5 20 gauge and hadn't chambered a round yet and the dogs exploded a few (they're not trained and we just go out to have fun). After hurrying to get one in the chamber, I made a poor shot on one, and as chukars do, it glided several hundred yards down and around the next ridge. The hunt was on, and the dogs found it and I was able to get it before it was totally destroyed! Just fried it up; just like chicken, but better! Anyway, wish I would have had the camera as there was some good scenery.

Bob, your experience with the Z740 and the nice features of the camera clinched getting the Z710. I have yet to read up on how to do all of the gee-whiz stuff it can do, and to just plain get out and use it. I was kind of set on getting one of the little printers and the guy at the store actually talked me out of it - said they're kind of "gimicky" and I'd be better off doing just as you do, which is taking them into a one of the printing stations. So, glad I saved that money!

I plan to post pics, should I remember to take the camera with me! Went for a Christmas Eve chukar hunt (my Christmas present for the 3 dumb dogs) and forgot to take the camera. Was packing a sweet little Browning Auto 5 20 gauge and hadn't chambered a round yet and the dogs exploded a few (they're not trained and we just go out to have fun). After hurrying to get one in the chamber, I made a poor shot on one, and as chukars do, it glided several hundred yards down and around the next ridge. The hunt was on, and the dogs found it and I was able to get it before it was totally destroyed! Just fried it up; just like chicken, but better! Anyway, wish I would have had the camera as there was some good scenery.

I have a file labeled reduced photos in that file I have folders labeled guns, reloading, animals etc. and after I download my pix if I have any that I might want to share with the forum I open the Adobe Elements and make them a size that will fit and store them in this file. I've found about 775 K works well that gives about 5 by 8 inch size photos at 72 resolution.

Printing is a PITA at home. By the time you buy printing paper, the right inks and spend the time doing it your prints cost way more than just dropping by the Walmart and getting it done plus you can do all the editing, put the photos you want on a disk and just have them printed.

One nice thing about the little Kodak and lots of others now on the market is you can start out with the auto settings and start right out taking excellent photos. As you go along just play with more individual settings. I especially like the movie feature and use it often when out hunting or just taking photos. My grandbabies use this little camera all the time with excellent results.

Here are some more pix shot with the little 740. I just can't resist flowers.

I would recommend you check out the new canon A710 IS. This is a feature rich camera that is still pocket size and 7.1 mp. It has a larger than standard zoom lens and uses easy to find AA alkaline or rechargeable batteries. It also has a feature that I will never buy another digital camera without, optical image stabilization. This is a "must" IMHO for wildlife or outdoor photography, especially when utilizing the zoom lens.
It can be purchaed through various wholesale outlets for under $300. You can check it out on the canon website or read a test review at... Stevesdigicams.com
Good luck with whatever you choose. Digital photography is really fun.

Hello
I just received a Cannon A620 digital camera for Christmas.
I know fromnothing about digital cameras.My Granddaughter is coming to instruct me about it.
Can anyone here give me a rundown on how it compares,or don't compare,to the cameras mentioned on this site?
Frank

Hello
I just received a Cannon A620 digital camera for Christmas.
I know fromnothing about digital cameras.My Granddaughter is coming to instruct me about it.
Can anyone here give me a rundown on how it compares,or don't compare,to the cameras mentioned on this site?
Frank

Frank,
I think you did well with the Powershot A620. 7.1 mpixels, 60s movie capability, 4x optical zoom, bunches of shooting modes, and it will take 4xAA batteries for lots of power. Nice Christmas present!

Here is a link to Canon's spec page on it (http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelTechSpecsSupportAct&fcategoryid=221&modelid=12072). Nice gift! If I was buying one myself, I would go for more optical zoom, but 4X is not bad. Your daughter must love you, man! You will definitely want to get rechargable batteries and charger. You can pick them up a Wal-mart or cheaper if you shop around. The rechargeable batteries seem to last longer in digital cameras than regular batteries...plus you can recharge them! I also like the fact that the camera takes the SD flash cards (most common). It should have a cable to allow you to plug it in to your computer to allow you to copy your pictures over with that if you do not have/do not want to buy a card reader, but they can also be gotten fairly cheap if you look around. They will save you a little wear on batteries. Congrats on the gift!

Thanks or your replies
The gift isactually from two of my girls,,and includes a printer with extra paper and ink cartridges,as well as an extra memory card.
All this is collecting dust in my den,while I waitfor my Granddaughter to teach me how.
Frank

Kragman,
A lot of cameras will have a brief "getting started" set of instructions. Get it out and read up. You can figure it out without your granddaughter. I have only used Olympus digitals so I don't know that I can help any.

If you keep in mind that no part of the operation requires wrenches or hammers, you can't hurt it. Take a picture, open an account at photobucket and post us a picture of a Krag rifle.

Kragman,
A lot of cameras will have a brief "getting started" set of instructions. Get it out and read up. You can figure it out without your granddaughter. I have only used Olympus digitals so I don't know that I can help any.

If you keep in mind that no part of the operation requires wrenches or hammers, you can't hurt it. Take a picture, open an account at photobucket and post us a picture of a Krag rifle.

I think that I'll have to take your advise.She came over to do her thing but I was having one of my semi blackouts that is a carryover froma nerve problem a year ago.She has.nt come back.
Frank

Sorry to hear about your health problems, Frank. Ken is right, though. It is not very hard to get started taking pictures. Put the batteries and memory card in, find the power button or turn a dial to Auto, find the zoom bottons and the shutter button, you should be pleasantly surprised. Push the shutter button just like you pull a trigger and you should get some excellent pictures with that camera.

The hard part will probably be getting the pictures to your computer. I am not sure if you will have to install a driver for your camera on your computer before connecting them with the included USB cable. The manual will be able to answer that question. You will want to install the driver before you connect the camera the first time or it can be a headache to fix sometimes so read the manual. Once you have the computer recognizing the camera correctly, the memory card should just appear as another drive on your computer. I just use the copy and paste method to download my pictures to my computer instead of cut and past in case something happens in the process (like your batteries die or the electricity goes out) After I have them on my hard drive, then I go to the memory card and delete them.

Good Luck and have fun with the new toy!

Hey!I ran into a snag way before I thought about the computer.
I shot my poor Krag three times.I don''t know if I captured any pictures.How can I tell.I have two books(Plain and Fancy)and two discs,but nowhere does it say how toreview the picture.
Frank

I'm looking at page 11 of your instructions (Basic camera user guide). Looking at the back of the camera there is a button at the top right that slides left to right. There is an arrow to the left and a little camera icon to the right. Slide that swith to the left and your picture should show up on the screen. You have to have the button to the right to take pictures.

Use the left / right buttons right below that switch to scroll through the pictures in the camera.

P.S. turn the camera on first. And apparently your camera has a folding lcd screen. Do you see how to work that.

I will be happy to work with you on this as much as you can stand. Just ask.

I'm looking at page 11 of your instructions (Basic camera user guide). Looking at the back of the camera there is a button at the top right that slides left to right. There is an arrow to the left and a little camera icon to the right. Slide that swith to the left and your picture should show up on the screen. You have to have the button to the right to take pictures.

Use the left / right buttons right below that switch to scroll through the pictures in the camera.

P.S. turn the camera on first. And apparently your camera has a folding lcd screen. Do you see how to work that.

I will be happy to work with you on this as much as you can stand. Just ask.

Kenk
By Jove;I tried it and it really works.I see the last picture that I took.Now,how can I see the first two pictures?
wait;I'll look at page 11
Frank

Kenk
By Jove;I tried it and it really works.I see the last picture that I took.Now,how can I see the first two pictures?
wait;I'll look at page 11
Frank

Hello,Kenk
I saw that "playback" page but thought that it was about videos.
I had 5 pictures on the camera,I deleted 3 and kept 2.Ther'e not very good but my first pictures with the camera.
Tomorrow,I'll take some better ones and maybe you can help me post some for the Forum
Frank

Good deal Frank. Your next step is going to be installing the software and downloading pictures to your computer. Look on pages 18-19. I'll check in tommorow after work.

Good deal Frank. Your next step is going to be installing the software and downloading pictures to your computer. Look on pages 18-19. I'll check in tommorow after work.

Kenk
I went to the range today,and got some really nice(for me)pictures.A Clubmember/Shooter,who happensto be a professional photographer;or was,Shot meand my Krag.I shotthe krag fromboth sides,myself.
I have some photos to share.
However,my computer is a Windows XP,so I don't needto install any software.My problem,now,is that the computer is in a desk,against the wall.I can't move it alone.
Can you tell me if there is a way to identify the terminal that I plug the Camera into?
Frank

Look at page 19. What you are looking for on your computer is a USB port, the male plug on your cord is about 1/8"x1/2", it's the only female socket that size on your computer. A lot of newer computers have one or two on the front, Otherwise, you are going to have to get the machine away from the wall and hunt it. Have you ever used a Thumb Drive? You camera cord goes in the same hole.

I fear it isn't going to work if you don't install the Kodak software. I may be wrong though.

If you've got a thumb or flash drive with an extention cord, so the drive sits on top of your desk, plug your camera into the extension cord. You may have to restart your computer.

Bye
Jack

Look at page 19. What you are looking for on your computer is a USB port, the male plug on your cord is about 1/8"x1/2", it's the only female socket that size on your computer. A lot of newer computers have one or two on the front, Otherwise, you are going to have to get the machine away from the wall and hunt it. Have you ever used a Thumb Drive? You camera cord goes in the same hole.

I fear it isn't going to work if you don't install the Kodak software. I may be wrong though.

KenK
I have aseperate paper(not in a book) that saysmy camea has a PTP standard.If using Windows XP this protocol enablesyou to download imiges without installing the software.
If you have any trouble,then install the software.
I wanted to know what that terminal looked like because I don't want to move the computer any more then necessar.
I'm all ready to go;just need help in moving the computer.
Stay tuned,it might take a couple of days to nab some help.
Frank

Jack
Thanks for the help.I'lllookinto it.
Frank

Frank,

If your camera does not have any USB ports on the front, you may want to go ahead and either get a USB hub (most have 4 ports to allow you to plug extra devices in to your computer) or get a USB A male-female extension cable to leave plugged in the back. You can get them in 6 or 10 ft. lengths and that way you will have a place to plug anything else in you may get down the road. (Next you will want a scanner, a camcorder, then an external hard drive to store all those pictures and videos and...)

In other words, it is as bad as catching marlinitus!

Kansas
Thanks for your input;and also for your regards about my health.It's not good,but I'm old enough to not have any complaints.
I have no problem with the terminal on my camera.It's well identiied.The problem is with the computer terminal.
I got some dowells and a prybar,and managed to insert the dowells under the desk,and use them as rollers.The dessk is out far enough for me to see that there are TWO terminals together that are the same size as the one on the camera cable.One of them has a 3 headed insignia that is the same as the insignia on the camera cabel,so i tried hooking it up.
I got no reaction,at all,so I disconnected it.I considered turning on the camera,but it seems to me that it would only be necessary if I went directly to the printer.
The directions were to go through the Start program on the computer,if it did'nt respond.I tried that to no avail.
I'm sitting here in Limbo.
Frank

The 3 headed USB symbol is the right one, although it reminds me of an old pitchfork. Usually there's a pair of USB ports side by side, so you can run two devices, like a printer and your camera. I'd think you'd need the camera turned on as well as the computer. Try plugging everything in, then turn on your camera and the computer in that order. I had to do it that way to get my computer to recognise my printer for the initial installation. If that doesn't wake it up, go into control panel and click on "Add New Hardware".

Bye
Jack

The 3 headed USB symbol is the right one, although it reminds me of an old pitchfork. Usually there's a pair of USB ports side by side, so you can run two devices, like a printer and your camera. I'd think you'd need the camera turned on as well as the computer. Try plugging everything in, then turn on your camera and the computer in that order. I had to do it that way to get my computer to recognise my printer for the initial installation. If that doesn't wake it up, go into control panel and click on "Add New Hardware".

Bye
Jack


Jack
Thanks a bunch.
There is 2 similar terminals;alongsideeach other,with that insignia.
I will try again;this time with the camera turned on,also.
Frank

It definitely has to be turned on to be recognized.

Kragman, I still think you would be better off installing the software that came with your camera. Even if you can get the pictures to download without it you will still want to have some photo editing software.

If you won't do that, try connecting your camera to the computer with the cord and then turn on the camera. See if the camera display gives a message. Click on "My Computer" on your computer and see if the computer is recognizing the camera, you should see a new drive. It may say "Cannon Camera" or it may just say "removable USB device"

Wow!
I never seen such great pictures.A goodlooking Guy and a Gorgeous Gun.
I really appreciate your collective efforts on my behalf.I would have never been able to do it alone.
Now,I wonder if you can help me post them here?
I don't need an extension or a junction.The cable end is a foot above the tabletop and there is another terminal if I go ballistic,and addanything.
Frank

Way to go Frank!

There are two ways to post pictures here: you can download it onto Marshalls server or you can put it on a hosting site like photobucket.com.

To load it on the Beartooth server you will start a new post, now scroll down to the bottom of the page and you will see a place to click "manage attachments" click that and you will be able to "browse" to wherever you have the picture saved on your computer. Select the picture and click on "add this attachment". I can just about guarantee it will not take it, you are going to get a message saying the file is to big. Going to have to figure out a way to resize it.

To me the easiest and best way to do it is to open an account at Photbucket.com and save your picture there. It is about like registering on a forum. A bonus of this is that it will resize your pictures for you. You could also give friends and family the link and they could see your pictures there without you having to email them.

Anyway, try and download a pictue onto this server with the "manage attachments" procedure and if that doesn't work we either have to figure out how you are going to resize them or you will have to open a photobucket account.

There are others but photobucket has been working well for me and it is free.

Get Nick's instructions for posting pictures at post #26 of this thread.
http://www.shootersforum.com/showthread.htm?t=34239&page=2

They're in an Adobe PDF file. If you don't have Adobe Acrobat Reader, get Foxit Reader which is smaller, faster and free.
http://www.foxitsoftware.com/downloads/


Your camera's pictures are likely too big to upload to Beartooth. Irfanview is a great photo editor.
http://www.irfanview.com/

Load the picture into Irfanview and resize it to 640X480 for a start. Select "Image" then "Resize/Resample", select 640X480, then click OK. Save if with a different file name, so select "File", then "Save As", then Save as type JPG - JPEG files. Give it a new name. That can be as simple as typing an 's' for small on the end. Click "Save".

If you have problems, just holler.

Bye
Jack

Jack
My Canon software will shrink my pictures to 800 X 600 pixies.
I need an email address to send it to.
I also have another querstion. I have some ink cartridger for my printer.Can a Fine 41 cartridge replace a Fine 51 cartridge?
I have several Photo 52's,but the Fines ar 51 and 41.
Frank

Hi, Frank:
Email sent.

Bye
Jack

Jack
I got no email;it must have misfired.
I'll try to include a photo with this post
Frank

OK, try this:



Bye
Jack

OK, here it is. I'll get into the details after the football game.

Bye
Jack

The main problem is that those pictures are too big to upload to Beartooth with the 100 KB limit. The smaller one was 455 KB, so I resized it with Irfanview to 640X480. "Saving As" at Quality = 100 got me down to 271KB. Note: If you can't see the second box with the Quality slider when you click on "Save As", click the Show options dialog box at the bottom of the "Save Picture As" box.

So I moved the Quality slider down to the default 79. This made the file small enough. Most pictures can use a little sharpening after resizing, so I hit the Sharpen button once. Sharpen is on the Image list, same as Resize/Resample. Sharpening more than once often leads to some distortion, so don't overdo it.

You can undo one change by clicking Edit, then Undo, or clicking the counterclockwise arrow on the lower bar at the top of the screen. This is a bit of a weak point of Irfanview as some other programs let you make multiple undos.

Remember to save a changed picture with a new name, as you rarely want to overwrite the original. Say like Krag01, Krag02, etc. IrfanView has a lot of neat features. Play around with it a while and you'll get the hang of it quick enough.

BTW, running WinZip on a JPG file doesn't help, as JPEGs are already highly compressed and WinZip often makes a ZIP file that's bigger. Computers!

Bye
Jack

The other picture, actually the first. It didn't need resizing, just a setting of Quality to 79.

Bye
Jack

Thanks a lot,Jack
The program that I used,came with the camera/printerkit,and is called Zoom Browzer EX.It only provides for emails,not moving to other websites.
I emailed those 2 pitchers to myself,in order to get a zipped folder to send to this website,but am,so far,unable to doso.
That's whenI asked for an email address.
The firsst pcturewas trimmed in 2 stages,tto 800 px long and 600px short dimrnsions.On the second picture,for some reason,only 1 dimension could be trimmed.When I selected one,the other would be negated.However bth were sent.
I am really pleased with the quality of the pictures.The camera is great.
Could the first picturebe trimmed to "avatar" size?
Frank

Think I'd select the 2nd one with you at the bench, Kragman - that dome cover is the gnat's eyebrows!! :D

Think I'd select the 2nd one with you at the bench, Kragman - that dome cover is the gnat's eyebrows!! :D

KDUB
Yeah,it's kinda stylish.And it is the only hat that I have that really fits under my ear muffs.
Frank

Take your pick. I cropped them to rectangular but 50x50 is awfully small. That still beats some other sites that compress the avatars and make you wait on dialup while some egomaniac's 375 KB avatar downloads.

There should be a way to get your pictures to Beartooth. Beartooth can't use zipped pictures, so you need a way to send them as straight JPEGs. Windows usually has a way, but you can waste hours finding the sub-sub-sub menu that lets you do it.

Bye
Jack

Thanks, Jack
I copied both of them to my pictures.
Both of them seem a little cluttered for an avatar,though.
I'lltake a picture of the Krag,on a plain background.
Frank

What do you think of this?

Bye
Jack

What do you think of this?

Bye
Jack

Jack,
I think that it'smighty fine.
I could live with it.
Frank

All,
Just wanted to let you know, I've been using my camera - Kodak Z710 - and I've been very happy with it. I took a scouting hike today in my elk unit where I drew a bull tag.

First pic is with no zoom. If you look below the upper left peak, a little to the right, you might be able to see a small patch of snow.

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z210/shwncrea/000_0033.jpg

Second photo is at max zoom for the same spot, 10x optical, 5x digital. Just to the right of the snow patch, in the bottom of the green are at least 6 goats (maybe more), they looked like nannies and kids in the 12x binocs.

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z210/shwncrea/000_0034.jpg

Here's a photo of a little pika (pica?), a high mountain little rodent. When you watch them run, they look like an experiment gone bad in crossing a hamster and a rabbit.

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z210/shwncrea/000_0031.jpg

Anyway, I sure like this little camera so far. I even mistakenly took a video clip of a little two-point muley laying under a tree today. Still learning the features....