Need suggestion for digital camera

[Chris T]

Can somebody suggest a camera that gets high milage from a set of batteries? I currently have a HP 215 camera that I use NiMh AA batts. with. The camera refuses to work when I still have half a charge left. Is there anything better?

Chris /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[keithhr]

I have an olympus D-520 that is selling for about $200 that uses two AA nimh or lithiums. I carry two backup batteries with the small camera bag but very rarely have to use them. The camera takes nice pictures and is easey to operate.

 

[Marty Weiner]

Chris

I can tell you what not to get. Don't get a Kodak DX4900. I've had to replace it twice because of defects and it still doesn't work correctly.

The docking station idea is very good since you don't have to constantly connect cables to your PC but the camera is very poorly made.

Marty

 

[UnknownVT]

One can check digicam battery life comparisons at dpreview.com where they show comparisons in every review with similar types of digicams -
eg: the latest of the Pentax Optio 550 (pro-sumer) and Olympus C-50 (compact)-

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/pentaxoptio550/page9.asp

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/olympusc50z/page9.asp

toward the bottom of the page.


However these tend to be "higher-end" digicams of the 4-6Mp variety - for most people this may be overkill (see later) - but hopefully it may give some indication of the typical range of battery life.

I posted this a little while back - which might be useful:

Some General Digital Camera Advice

 

[itsme1234]

To make a long story short: I would not even consider a Kodak (or worse: HP) camera between 40$ and 4000$. And I'm talking about both digital and 35 mm (APS is a joke, this is another story). Yes, they have some cheap 35 mm cameras, some cheap digital cameras (and good for the price, way under 100$). And some kick-*** multi-1000$ cameras (with something like 14 Mpixels). But nothing decent in between.

Only my 2 (euro)cents.

 

[Marty Weiner]

Along the same lines, what >4 Mpixel camera would anyone recommend for closeup product photos. I need something that will show the face of a watch with good clarity.

BTW, Kodak called me back today to give me a RA #. Pretty good service for a crappy camera.

Marty

 

[Pellidon]

I have some good results with the Canon S230 which is 3.2 MPixel. It is good for close ups. The new S400 is 4MP and seems to act the same as the "older" (2-4 months) model. Casio has a Pentax lensed QV-R4 that is 4MP and is decent for close ups plus has manual focus. Both are good battery users even though they are special proprietary batteries.

My favorite close up work is to use the self timer and use two Luxeon lights for light sources (Arc LS and Mad Max). It can do some good things without getting all my large stuff out. I have found that the flash on these units is not good for close ups. If it doesn't cover the exact area, it blows away the image.

My "self portrait" was shot with one of these above cameras.

 

[Marty Weiner]

Thanks for the input, Pellidon.

 

[UnknownVT]

[ QUOTE ]
Marty Weiner said:
Along the same lines, what >4 Mpixel camera would anyone recommend for closeup product photos. I need something that will show the face of a watch with good clarity.

[/ QUOTE ]

Not to discourage you from buying a digicam -

But have you considered Scanning small objects like watches and knives?

Sometimes a Flatbed Scanner is much cheaper - quicker and more conveneient than using a digicam, and for displaying on a computer screen via the web or e-mail almost any scanner will be more than adequate (typically <$50)

Here's a post I wrote just a little while ago that might be useful:

some general flatbed Scanner advice

 

[Marty Weiner]

Vincent

The images in your example are terrific. My first thought before seeing them was how to get 2 dimensional images but it appears that that is not a problem.

I am getting a new HP 6000 (6110?) Series all in one printer with a flatbed scanner and I will try that before diving into yet another camera.

Marty