Re: [photo-3d] Digital camera recommendations?

[Brian Reynolds <reynolds@xxxxxxxxx>]

Peter Davis wrote:
> All this talk of digital cameras is making me curious.  I'm thinking of 
> trying out a mid-range consumer camera to see how easy it is to work 
> with.  Do people have recommendations for cameras in the $500 - $600 
> range?  I was looking at the Nikon Coolpix 800 on the B&H site yesterday, 
> and that one looks interesting.  One nice feature is that it has filter 
> threads, so I might be able to find or make an adapter to let me use a 
> Tri-Delta Prism splitter on it.
> 

My brother-in-law gave my wife and I a Nikon Cool Pix 800 for this
past Christmas.  I've played with it a bit, and here are some random
thoughts.

1) Get a set of NiMH batteries and a good charger.  I got mine from
   Thomas Distributing <URL:http://www.thomas-distributing.com/>.  I
   got a couple of sets of 1600mAH AA cells and the MAHA MH-204F
   charger.  Make sure you mark your sets so that all the batteries in
   the same set are charged together.  Do not randomly mix the
   individual cells together when charging or using them.

2) You'll want a large Compact Flash card.  I got a 128MB card from
   J&R, but there are probably better places to deal with.  It would
   be really nice if the camera had a CF type II slot so that you
   could use a microdrive.

3) The onboard flash is pathetic, and there is no flash sync connector
   for external flash.  When using the flash make sure you set the
   white balance to flash.

4) There is no manual control for exposure.  The only exposure mode is
   Programmed Auto.

5) The Nikon CP 800 shares the same internals as the Nikon CP 950.

6) Focussing on a LCD display is not a replacement for using an
   optical finder that looks through the taking lens.

Due to items 3 and 4 I would not recommend a new purchase of the Nikon
CP 800.  The new 880 addresses the manual exposure, but still does not
allow for external flash.  I don't think the swivel lens is that
useful, but otherwise the CP 9x0 fix both the manual control and
external flash problems.

Adding the batteries, charger and CF card (and possibly a card reader)
will add another $200 (or there abouts) to the price of the camera.

-- 
Brian Reynolds                  | "Dee Dee!  Don't touch that button!"
reynolds@xxxxxxxxx              | "Oooh!"
http://www.panix.com/~reynolds  |    -- Dexter and Dee Dee
NAR# 54438                      |       "Dexter's Laboratory"

 

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