Choosing A Digital Camera (Part 2) Shop Smart, Shop Used-Mart

Posted by admin | Monday 29 June 2009

Alrighty. Now that we pretty much have an idea why we want a camera and what we’re going to do with it, let’s get to the next steps.

Shop Smart, Shop Used-Mart

This is the secret many of us photographers don’t like to admit to each other but we do it anyway. You would be surprised how many cameras and electronic gadgets sell on the most popular auction sites, which are basically new, and are only a few months old. Why is this? Well, it goes back to the What Are Your Plans question. Many don’t ask themselves this question, and after a few months, come to discover the camera they purchased is just not for them, and they might as well sell it, and get something else that takes their fancy.

If you buy used, you may even find yourself a DSLR with a lens or two, for the same price as a DSLR-Type camera. Camera manufacturers are producing more DSLRs than ever before, and more camera owners are selling their DSLRs in a short period of time, more than ever before. If you have doubts, check eBay and other auction websites. There are virtually endless lists of sellers.

Another reason why you should buy used, is many photographers are upgrading quicker than ever before. Technology is evolving so fast, a new DSLR is announced almost every 3-6 months, and compact digitals and DSLR-Type cameras are introduced almost every 3 months. This is another subject for another article altogether, but the reason for this, is the purposeful actions of manufacturers to flood the market with their own particular brand for recognition. Some say it’s technology working its way into the market replacing the old–some say it’s a plan to overwhelm a particular sector with a particular brand due to marketing behavior. I think it’s a combination of the two. In any case, we have photographers who are upgrading their barely-used models for the latest and greatest Techno Shooter.

A Few Things To Consider When Buying Used

I won’t go into extreme detail when purchasing a used camera, but let’s take a look at a few factors and options.

eBay Protocol

My advice when searching for used cameras on eBay, is to look for a few distinguishing factors that I have found attribute to a legitimate seller:

  • Positive Rating of 25+
  • Has no consistent negative ratings
  • Several images of the product being sold
  • Responds to inquiries with direct anwswers, not vague generalities
  • Has knowledge of the equipment they are selling

Yes, a seller can have negative ratings. Some people who give eBay advice say never buy from a person who has even one negative rating. That’s just unrealistic, and is very uninformed about the buying and selling sector. As an example, I will use myself. I purchased a vehicle on eBay for $5000. The seller had negatives. However, when I corresponded with the seller, he responded within 24hrs. We sent several emails back and forth, and I even talked with him on the phone a few times. It’s been over 18 months since I purchased the vehicle and it hasn’t given me any problems other than having a very small coolant leak which only does this in the winter months.

When you’re thinking of dealing with a seller, be sure to read the comments. Most of them if you can. This will give you an idea of the overall profile of the seller.

Buying From Outside The US

This is risky. I won’t deny it. In fact, since you’re reading this article, you probably are looking for a first-time digital camera, so I recommend avoiding this option altogether. Personally, I’ve conducted transactions outside the US, which include Germany, the UK, France, Belgium, New Zealand, Japan, and others. In time, you may do the same. However, the key in dealing with anyone anywhere, is knowing the equipment you want.

eBay Is Not The Only Place For A Deal

Believe it or not, you can find some good deals online besides eBay. For example, one of my favorite used camera stores is KEH–a new and used camera equipment dealer out of Atlanta, GA. They have a very strict grading system, and you can be confident when they mark a camera as “Like New”, it will be like new.

There are other shops like this located throughout the United States, and conducting a simple Google search should give you a used shop that is within driving distance. If you live in the Pacific Northwest, you might be limited to online purchasing, as camera shops and cities are not as closely populated farther East.

Ma & Pa Shops

It is true that many “Ma & Pa” shops charge much more than what you would find online. However, there are a few deals you may discover when you’re browsing. Also, start to forge a relationship at the camera shop. If you like the owners, and the only thing preventing you from buying from them is the higher prices, commit yourself to buying from them exclusively, and they will more than likely give you a nice discount which would almost be similar to buying online. Remember these shops are physical buildings, located in a business district, and they have many more overhead costs than your typical online store. Thousands, and I do mean thousands, of online “stores” could actually be storefronts, who merely go through a larger distributor. This is fine, and there’s nothing really wrong with this method of selling, but the seller is mostly someone who’s looking to make a fast buck, and may not be concerned when and if your camera equipment is defective. In addition, the store may actually close and then your hung out to dry altogether. Your only recourse is going through the manufacturer, which can take several weeks, and even months, to get a replacement.

So, don’t give local Ma & Pa shops the cold shoulder automatically. Give yourself a little time to initiate a relationship, purchase a few items here and there, and see if the store owners pick up on it and reward you with your committed purchases.

In the next part of Choosing A Digital Camera, we will discuss even more alternatives to buying new.

©2005 by Jason Busch (DigitalDingus)

Choosing A Digital Camera (Part 2): Shop Smart, Shop Used-Mart

A part of The DigitalDingus Guide To Photography series.

A Digital Camera - The Bottom Line

Posted by admin | Sunday 21 June 2009

When digital cameras first hit the news, I thought, “Wow! Never to have to buy film again!” This much has remained true, but it took ten years for digital cameras to come up to the quality performed by film cameras. At first, the pixels were too few to enlarge to 3 by 5 much less an 8 by 10 with any quality. Today, pixels are not a problem and every feature adorning the film camera is now available on a digital camera.

I spent many months researching the available models and weighing the cost versus the features until I came up with a digital camera that pleased me. The camera is the Konica Minolta Dimage A200. While some functions are not as sophisticated as their film cousins, the advantages far outweigh its short comings.

In 2004 a decent SLR costs from $900 to $1500. I use an SLR as a comparison because they are the only type camera that shows exactly what the lens sees. The K/M A200 sells for about $600. Its 8 megapixels allows enlargements up to 13 by 19 inches with a sharpness equal to a fine 35mm photo from an SLR. The features I like best are the manual zoom ring (motorized zoom controls are slow and cumbersome), the stabilization chip (which produces sharp images even with slow shutter speeds) and the control over white balance (even custom balances). Another terrific advancement is the flip out rotating LCD viewer. Never again will I be held to an eye level view. With computer enhanced perspective control, all angles are possible.

To be fair, there are a couple of areas that can be improved, but can be lived with.
One is the delay after pressing the button to take the picture while the camera focuses and sets aperture and speed. It’s only a tenth of a second, but you’d better get used to it or you will miss your shot. A remedy is to take a series of pictures and pick the best one. Another is inherent in all digital cameras and that is the artifacts that appear in the image at higher ISO settings. Artifacts are like the grain in fast film that appears like little dots in the picture. If you use the slower ISO settings like 50 or 100 ISO, then the artifacts are practically invisible. If ISO 200, 400, or 800 are needed to get the picture, then additional processing through PureImage or similar software will solve the problem nicely.

A word about the lens is in order. A zoom range of 28mm to 200mm (35mm equivalent) covers just about any focal length an advanced amateur could need. No
other 8MP EVF (electronic view finder) has this wide an angle. The lens is custom made for a digital camera and is very sharp edge to edge. Only a very slight barrel distortion (1%) is visible at the 28mm focal length. Some software can correct this if perfection is demanded. You never have to worry about dust getting on the CCD sensor since the lens is not detachable. If wider or more telephoto effects are needed, there are accessory lenses that will make the wide end 50% wider and the telephoto twice as long. The A200 also has a 4x digital zoom but I recommend that this only be used as a last resort since the number of pixels are halved when you double the zoom. The auto focus works very quickly except in extreme low light.
A manual focus is available with a nice auto 4x enlargement of the center for critical focusing.

No Compact Flash card is included in the package, so I bought a 512 80x CF card for $69.00. The 80x refers to the fact that it unloads to your computer in a jiffy and the 512 Megabytes allows 81 pictures of the extra fine quality JPEG that I always use. The pop up flash lights up subjects at 12 feet away at 100 ISO. For more versatility I bought the Vivitar DF 200 slave flash ($69.00) that works to 50 feet at night.

This camera is a joy to use and has everything I could ever want in the way of features. In the six months I have owned it, I have created dozens of 13 by 19 images for the two Digital Art Shows I have had. Viva la digital generation!

I have been a professional photographer for 36 years and retired for three.

Change Your Life with Your Digital Camera

Posted by admin | Saturday 13 June 2009

I know, I know. That headline sounds a little exaggerated. After all, cameras are for vacations, parties, family and friends, right? What do I mean by change your life? I’ll tell you, exactly that.

Anything in this world is just a “thing.” Power comes from how we use it. Here are some uses for your digital camera that can bring transforming results. Let’s start with the obvious.

Find Romance

The obvious part of this obvious idea is to post a picture with your profile on a dating site. As we know, profiles with photos get viewed and responded to much more often. The problem with many dating sites is that you don’t really know who you’re talking to. Are they compatible? Are they real? Are they a psychopath?

So let us enter a forum. Web forums are discussion boards centered around a specific topic. On a web forum you’ll find people who share your interests.

And here’s where the digital camera comes in. Registered users have a profile page where they can describe themselves. You can post a photo and make casual mention of your available status. Your photo can also be your posting signature, which will then appear with every post you make. Someone special might just send you a private message, a standard feature on most forums, as a result of your comments and picture.

One caution. Only do this in a moderated forum. Unmoderated forums are wild, wild places. Avoid.

Gain Personal Power

The more people remember you, the more power you have. Using photos of yourself from your digital camera, you can make photo business cards, put your picture on mugs, T-shirts, you name it. You can become your own brand, you can become an icon.

Personal power also comes from the goodwill of humanity. For example, people love seeing pictures of themselves. When you pull out that camera at a party, make sure you get good smiley pictures of all those important people. Then, e-mail them with those (flattering only, need I say?) pictures.

Beyond e-mail, you can post pictures to an online gallery and share them that way. There are many such services out there. Your friends, present and future, will be touched by your consideration. It will strengthen the bonds. Friendship, my friends, is certainly life transforming.

Lose Weight

Yes. If you aren’t happy with the way your scale and pants greet you, you can use your digital camera to change. Try the following:

Take a “before” picture. Don’t be afraid if you think it is going to be horrible. Embrace that, do it in a bathing suit if you must. Then compare that picture with one of a person, celebrity or otherwise, whose body is what you realistically want to emulate. We are after motivation here, so don’t hold back. Make that comparison, no matter how painful. Now that you see the facts, what are you going to do to change them?

What ever it is, do it now. Diet, exercise, hypnosis, whatever. In two weeks, take the same picture, same pose. Any improvement? If so, great. If not, improve your plan. Keep this up for as long as it takes. When you see yourself looking better and better, and compare that to the “before” picture, you are empowered. And if it is not happening, then it is a challenge to you. Meet it.

Conquer the World

For Rocky, it was the steps of the Philadelphia library. For some soldiers, it’s a picture of a special someone. For me, it’s a mountaintop near Santa Barbara. These are what have been called “anchors.” Thinking of them, even without being there, calls up feelings of “I can do it. I know it!”. How does this work?

Our moods and emotions have a critical impact on our performance. Pessimistic feelings, feelings of low zeal, hurt us. But we do not need to be at their mercy. Using anchors, we can change our emotional state to one of energy and motivation. Empowered emotional states dramatically improve our performance. So what are anchors?

Anchors are visual, audio, or kinetic reminders of a moment when we felt intense emotion. Rocky felt the thrill of victory when he reached the top of those stairs, and every time he went back up there he raised his hands and felt it again. When the soldier saw the picture of his sweetheart, his love returned and he swore he’d get back to her safely. And whenever I think of getting to that mountaintop just in time to catch a glorious sunset, I literally feel the optimism and confidence that made me so full then.

Use your digital camera to photograph the person, place, or thing that makes you feel you can conquer the world. Put that picture where you need it to be. It might be on your computer desktop, or you can have a custom poster printed to hang in your room. Anchor yourself to success, to confidence, to joy.

There are other great ways to change your life with a camera. These are just a few to get you started. If you want to write a sequel to this article and e-mail it to me, I’ll be thrilled. Oh, and send your picture!

Seth Lutnick is an avid scenic photographer who has worked for the I Love New York Travel Guide. Read his detailed guides to what to look for when buying a digital camera and travel photography techniques at his web site, http://www.photography.getitdone.biz.

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