still digital camera

[MakeItHappen 15]

I'm looking for a still digital camera that is easy on the battery use and easy on the upload to a computer.
Photos will be used on a web site, so 72 dpi per photo is ok, but I'd probably take the pics at a higher res and crop.
Photos will also be 'staged' so timing with button press is not that critical.

This does not have to be the latest greatest model.

Any ideas or suggestions, old cameras? whatever...

Please let me know. Thanks.

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Make It Happen
Parachute History
DiveMaker

[DSE 5]

Jan, if you won't be flying the camera, then virtually any digital cam can do this. FWIW, DPI isn't how we measure cameras; we measure by resolution ie; 2000 x 1800, etc. DPI is a print/paper reference.
For fast ground work, I use an Oly 5050, available for a couple hundred bucks at any store or Ebay.
Taking images at a high rez and then down converting size for the web is a common way to work, and a better way to work. Starting with high resolution and moving your way down is better than shooting at the final delivery resolution when the target for output is low quality.
if you want to fly the camera, I'm not aware of any cheapies that can be easily modified for a tongue/bite switch. This means you're looking at a DSLR, or modifying an Elph or something along those lines.
Most of the cheap cams can be timed/have intervalometers on them.

[jtval 0]

Talk to Lazlo.

(wasn't it Lazlo who just mod'd his 4oz camera?)

Yep, Lazlo see post # 16

If you are not flying it then as DSE said, any cam will do the trick. For the point and clicks I used to love kodak. they were very simple but I think they got more complicated lately.

the digi elphs are pretty decent for basic shots.

My photos

My Videos

[MakeItHappen 15]

Thanks.

This camera will be used to take team pics at events for the OmniSkore web site.

What about batteries? and how fast you burn through them.
Roy was always replacing batteries (AA) at Nats last year.
I have this old Kodak DC4800 (3.1 MP) that came with the equipment Ted gave me last year.
It has a recharable LI-ion battery, but I don't have a charger for it.
It also needs a memory stick. That should be a no-brainer. That camera is apparently dead.

What about dubbing pal to a computer? Does it work the same way ntsc does?
Do I need converters for that?

thanks

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Make It Happen
Parachute History
DiveMaker

[jtval 0]

If YOu have a cam that takes Dubl A's you can get rechargeable ones.
the intial cost may be expensive but in the long run it'll save you $$.

you can also slow the rate of the battery drainage if you don't use the LCD screen. I.E. Don't show everyone the pics on the camera. Download them first then show them. The LCD will eat through batteries like candy.

If you are talking about STILL camera, PAL/NTSC isn't an issue that I know of. they should download as JPEGs or some other similar file.

My photos

My Videos

[pilotdave 0]

Stay FAAAAR away from cameras that can take AA batteries. You'll be lucky to get more than 20 pictures on a set/charge.

If you want nice pictures and don't mind the size, the Rebel XT would be great. Overkill for your needs, but it takes great pictures and is so much less annoying to use than a lot of point and shoot type cameras I've used before. Can get them refurbished for not a lot more than a good point and shoot. Only problem is size... can't just stick it in your pocket. Battery life is great... probably 500+ pictures on a charge. Not sure what you mean about dubbing to a computer. But if you need to plug the still camera into a TV or DVD recorder or whatever, the Rebel XT comes with the A/V cable and can do NTSC and PAL.

I had (until I gave it to my parents) a great Casio Exilim. Tiny little thing... I bought it so I could stick it in my jumpsuit pocket to take pics on the plane. Mine was the old 4 MP version... the newer ones are about half as thick as mine which is pretty crazy. Very convenient, takes nice pictures, and great battery life. Needs a docking station to download pictures and charge, which is annoying though.

Whatever you get for a camera, get a memory card reader for your computer. Much easier to pull the memory out of the camera than deal with plugging in the camera to the computer every time. I find that my memory card reader is a lot faster than USB straight from the camera too.

Dave

[DSE 5]

Quote

Thanks.

This camera will be used to take team pics at events for the OmniSkore web site.

What about batteries? and how fast you burn through them.
Roy was always replacing batteries (AA) at Nats last year.
I have this old Kodak DC4800 (3.1 MP) that came with the equipment Ted gave me last year.
It has a recharable LI-ion battery, but I don't have a charger for it.
It also needs a memory stick. That should be a no-brainer. That camera is apparently dead.

What about dubbing pal to a computer? Does it work the same way ntsc does?
Do I need converters for that?

thanks

.

There is no PAL/NTSC for still images, this designation is for video only.
That said, a computer doesn't know the difference between NTSC and PAL for playback, although some DVD playback software does. PAL/NTSC are display related.
As mentioned, avoid cams that use AA batteries, you'll chew through them fast, especially if the cam displays the picture after taking it.
A USB card reader will cost you around 15.00, and most of them read multiple card formats. USB2 connection, and you're ready to fly.

One option

Yet another option

All three of these are very suitable for web photos and small (4x6) prints. Cheap, don't use AA, well known models. All use standard memory cards, so compatibility is no issue.
None of these can be set up for flying, however.

[MakeItHappen 15]

Quote

There is no PAL/NTSC for still images, this designation is for video only.
That said, a computer doesn't know the difference between NTSC and PAL for playback, although some DVD playback software does. PAL/NTSC are display related.
As mentioned, avoid cams that use AA batteries, you'll chew through them fast, especially if the cam displays the picture after taking it.
A USB card reader will cost you around 15.00, and most of them read multiple card formats. USB2 connection, and you're ready to fly.

One option

Yet another option

All three of these are very suitable for web photos and small (4x6) prints. Cheap, don't use AA, well known models. All use standard memory cards, so compatibility is no issue.
None of these can be set up for flying, however.

Thanks for the good tips. I'll stay away from the AA battery type cameras.
I already have a memory stick reader that supposedly readers 52 different types of cards.

The video question was about video dubbing to my lappy, not copying stills over. (Sorry I wasn't clear on that.)

I have firewire ports (4 and 6 pin) on the lappy. I'm just wondering if a firewire dub from a PAL video camera works the same way my ntsc video camera does.
(I am not sure if I'll have enough room to bring my video camera and the pal-ntsc converter)
The converter is a ComWorld 850. (I also need a PS for that in case anyone has an extra one lying around.)
The converter has s-video or composite input/output, not firewire.
So I am trying to determine that a firewire dub will work on the lappy coming from a PAL camera.

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Make It Happen
Parachute History
DiveMaker

[DSE 5]

A firewire protocol is just that, a protocol. PAL or NTSC, or even NTSC-J, it's all carried in the same data stream.
That said, you *cannot* capture PAL and display it on an NTSC television (television being different than a computer display). PAL is 50MHz, NTSC is 60MHz. Many video editing applications today can convert PAL to NTSC and vice-versa.
If you're outputting to DVD, most applications allow you to capture PAL and output an NTSC DVD or vice-versa. If you're transferring from a PAL camcorder to an NTSC camcorder via firewire, you'll either need a hardware converter (sounds like you have one) or you'll need to convert it in your computer and then print to tape as PAL/NTSC.
Hopefully this didn't make the subject more confusing.