My two cents on digital cameras

[NJDisneymom]

I want to chime in on this as well.

NJDisneymom-The Canon G6 that you have is one heck of a camera. The pictures that come out of that camera are amazing.

Ron

That is what I had heard (and read in a gazillion reviews before deciding on this model) but unfortunately the user isn't so amazing and my pictures are coming out lousy. I get average pics on Auto settings and when I try to play with manual settings I get yellow pics, blurs or dark pics. And I have to say I am less than thrilled with the flash. Tons of red eye (yes, the red eye reduction is on) and when I don't use the flash I get all kinds of blurs in the picture. I'm really hoping to learn more about the camera in the next few weeks!

 

[MinniMama]

DH bought me a Nicon D70 for Christmas and I use it on auto most of the time my attempts to get off auto have been awful the guy at Ritz says I am driving a ferarri in cruise control but the other guy in the store says I haven't left the parking lot helP what should I try before my trip in late June I'd love to take 4th of July fireworks pictures but I'm sure that's just a dream Thanks in advance for the tips!

 

[Disnurse2B]

I am no professional, but I have taken a few classes. So my advice is:

1. remember your flash only illuminates about 6-8 feet. I see so many people trying to take a flash pic at night of the castle or fireworks. The flash won't help you here. Just turn off the flash, steady your hand the best way possible, and use the available light.

2.Take lots and lots of pics of the same thing from different angles, at different zooms. Look at them all and save the ones you like the best. I was amazed at how many pictures professional photographers take just to get one good shot.

3. If possible, don't take pics between the hours of 11:00 and 1:00 pm. The sun is right overhead and not flattering to anyone. The light is much more interesting early morning or late afternoon. Also, don't think the only good pics are the ones where the light is shining right in the face of your subject. The most beautiful pics I have taken are when the light is coming in at an angle.

Happy shooting eveyone!

 

[WillCAD]

Just a side note:
I would not use a bunch of little memory cards, but instead one or two larger cards. This is more a matter of preference, not sound advice for being a smarter digital user.....imo, it is much easier to place one card in the camera, take your pictures and remove it when you get home. Can't lose a memory card if you don't take it out of the camera. Cannot "accidentally" delete the pictures if you do not select "delete" and "yes."

I disagree!

Sure, having 2 or 3 or 4 memory cards to keep track of makes it more likely that you will lose one than if you have only one and keep it in the camera at all times, but having multiple cards is insurance against:

-Dropping the camera
-Losing the camera
-Having the camera stolen
-Having the camera itself delete your pics without you pressing the delete buttons
-Having the camera short out due to rain or water rides and scramble the pics
-Finding out your memory card has developed bad sectors

These things happen. Some people may never have any of them happen, some people may have all of them happen; it's impossible to predict, which means it's only prudent to take some reasonable precautions to protect your pics in case one or more of these things does happen to you. Having multiple memory cards simply means that if one of those disasters does befall you, you will only lose part of your pics, not all.

And frankly, despite the small size of a memory card, I am no more likely to lose one than I am likely to lose a $50 bill. Sure, it could happen, but since my memory cards each cost $50, I treat them like $50 bills - VERY carefully!

 

[pumba2005]

Where on WDw can you get your photos put onto a cd? Am on holidays and will want to take them off my cards for more space.

cheers,

Vicki

 

[Steamboat_willie_2]

I travel with several memory cards of varying size. I keep them in a small padded memory card case that holds 4 cards securley in a light metal case.

Besides protecting the card, it eliminates the problem of hunting for an individual case that gets misplace easily.

 

[wilwij104]

That is what I had heard (and read in a gazillion reviews before deciding on this model) but unfortunately the user isn't so amazing and my pictures are coming out lousy. I get average pics on Auto settings and when I try to play with manual settings I get yellow pics, blurs or dark pics. And I have to say I am less than thrilled with the flash. Tons of red eye (yes, the red eye reduction is on) and when I don't use the flash I get all kinds of blurs in the picture. I'm really hoping to learn more about the camera in the next few weeks!

NJDisneymom,

Hang in there, I assure you that you will get much better results once you learn the ins and outs of the G6.

I actually just came across a macro shot (cannot remember the link) of a womans high heel shoe and the detail was amazing from the G6 (no jaggies). I have a really nice camera (several actually), and I am envyous every time I see a G6 shot posted at the DPReview website.

Ron

 

[wilwij104]

I disagree!

Sure, having 2 or 3 or 4 memory cards to keep track of makes it more likely that you will lose one than if you have only one and keep it in the camera at all times, but having multiple cards is insurance against:

-Dropping the camera
-Losing the camera
-Having the camera stolen
-Having the camera itself delete your pics without you pressing the delete buttons
-Having the camera short out due to rain or water rides and scramble the pics
-Finding out your memory card has developed bad sectors

These things happen. Some people may never have any of them happen, some people may have all of them happen; it's impossible to predict, which means it's only prudent to take some reasonable precautions to protect your pics in case one or more of these things does happen to you. Having multiple memory cards simply means that if one of those disasters does befall you, you will only lose part of your pics, not all.

And frankly, despite the small size of a memory card, I am no more likely to lose one than I am likely to lose a $50 bill. Sure, it could happen, but since my memory cards each cost $50, I treat them like $50 bills - VERY carefully!

I agree with WillCad on this one.

I have had memory cards go bad on me, and I have lost one, I even sent one through the washer by mistake (that one came out fine and is still operational today-go figure!). To make matters worse, one that went bad on me had several of my wedding day pics on it. Fortunately, I used 3-256MB cards that day and did not lose all the pictures. Imagine if I had used a single 1GB card, I would have been out all my pics, not just the 120 I actually did lose.

Ron

 

[WillCAD]

Where on WDw can you get your photos put onto a cd? Am on holidays and will want to take them off my cards for more space.

cheers,

Vicki

I haven't used this service yet, since it just started in January, but the machines for this are in the camera shops in each of the 4 parks. The camera shops are easy to find and are marked on your park maps; they are at the fronts of the parks.

 

[Ronda93]

How much does Disney charge for the photo/file transfer to CD? Unless I could confirm the files on the CD away from the store this would make me nervous.

Buy more cards. I came across a receipt the other day where I paid $38 for a 64 MB CF card. They hardly make them that small anymore. For the same money today I can get a 256. I shudder to think what I paid for my 256's... seriously, it was over $80.

Keep the cards in a case meant for that purpose. CF cards in particular. If something gets in the tiny holes and bends the tiny pins you're sunk.

 

[dBugged]

This is a great thread. We just bought a Canon 20D and I have no idea how to use everything on the camera. Is there a good book that will teach me all about ISO and everything else you need to know to use the camera in manual mode? My dh knows all about it but I still don't get it. I guess I am really slow. We are planning on using it at my dd's next gymnastics meet where there is no flash allowed. I would love to learn in the next few weeks and take some really great pictures.

Do a search on Amazon for a book called "Understanding Exposure". Great book for people who want to know more about how all of the features of the higher end digital/film cameras play into taking good pictures. They also just updated this book for digital photography. It would be a good compliment to your 20D. The 20D can take some amazing pictures if you know how to mess with the manual mode (I rarely use automatic mode on mine and I own numerous lenses and have owned the older 10D and several other canon cameras).

 

[dBugged]

That is what I had heard (and read in a gazillion reviews before deciding on this model) but unfortunately the user isn't so amazing and my pictures are coming out lousy. I get average pics on Auto settings and when I try to play with manual settings I get yellow pics, blurs or dark pics. And I have to say I am less than thrilled with the flash. Tons of red eye (yes, the red eye reduction is on) and when I don't use the flash I get all kinds of blurs in the picture. I'm really hoping to learn more about the camera in the next few weeks!

Keep with it. The G6 is an excellent camera. I have owned earlier versions of it (G2/G3) and they always took excellent pictures. Once you get the hang of the flash and the manual mode, it can pump out some wonderful pictures. The best advice I can offer is to read the manual, you'll find lots of good information in there and it is generally fairly easy to follow.

 

[jenelope]

My biggest piece of advice regarding digital cameras: read the manual. Then again, I'm a technical writer, so I suppose I'm biased.

Seriously, the three things I always have to keep in mind with my camera (an older Canon Powershot A20) are battery life, the macro button, and other people's unfamiliarity with my camera. The first one is important because I can never seem to anticipate how many batteries I'll go through. I'd rather pack extra batteries than buy them in the park! The macro button is something to keep in mind because you can't easily see detail in the LCD. I don't know how many times I've gotten home and discovered that my pictures were blurry because I took them close-up without setting the macro. And finally, if a CM or a passer-by takes your picture with your camera, make sure you let them know if it has any odd habits. For instance, with mine, you have to press and hold the button until the orange light flashes. During Star Wars Weekends two years ago, I waited in two different lines to meet Anthony Daniels and get my picture taken with him. As I was walking away I realized that the CM hadn't held the button long enough. I still got to meet "C3P0," but there's no picture to tell the tale!

Also, I agree with WillCAD about carrying a few smaller cards rather than one big one. You know the old phrase, "Don't put all of your eggs in one basket?" It applies here.

 

[cutienibbler]

I have the old Canon Powershot G2, its a nice camera,but I have to admit that I haven't "learned" to use the full potential yet. I need to take a class. I usually have it on AUTO . We also carry around a few memory cards "just in case".

 

[cocowum]

I was wondering if and what the difference is between a Sandisk memory card(512mb) and a Kodak memory card(512mb)??

 

[NewEnglandDisney]

My PC has a 6-in-1 built in reader, makes no difference. The PC gives me the option to delete or not. I have never used a computer that has not provided me that option. In addition, I back-up, trash and reinstall my PC every 4 - 5 months, never have to reformat anything (other than the PC of course ). Maybe these suggestions are geared more for people who are not computer savvy or people who are not using newer technology!

Not exactly. The point is, formatting in some PC's renders some cards useless in some cameras. You apparently don't have any problems - but some people have. It's just best to do it in your camera the same way it's best to keep something in it's native enviornment whenever it comes to technolgy cross-platform. I can use my Mac to format a floppy for Windows, but it may not work as well as a native windows floppy formatted on a Windows system. Your personal savvy and/or pretty new computer are irrelevant - some day you could get two brands that don't mix and you will see what we mean.

I would not use a bunch of little memory cards, but instead one or two larger cards. This is more a matter of preference, not sound advice for being a smarter digital user.....imo, it is much easier to place one card in the camera, take your pictures and remove it when you get home. Can't lose a memory card if you don't take it out of the camera. Cannot "accidentally" delete the pictures if you do not select "delete" and "yes."

Well, I'll disagree that it's not easy to delete pictures by accident. Cameras get moved around, they get fiddled with in the dark, etc. Regardless, you are risking an awful lot if you take one big card with you.

Although virtually all card formats feature no movable parts, they still can fail. It does happen. It can be a manufacturing error, a bit sent from the camera when it expected a byte. No technology is perfect - and advanced technology even more so. The bigger they are, the harder they fall - if you look into such things, you will find that larger cards fail more often than smaller ones as well.

Or, what if you loose your camera? I know if on my last day of my WDW vacation I'd be much more bummed if I lost (or, it was stolen) my camera and every one of my pics - I'd feel better (not great, but a lot less upset) if I had some of the pics still on other cards.

Spreading your pics among several discs, perhaps changing once per day and keeping the spares securely in a room safe, is best for reliability and security. If something does go wrong in any step in the process, you are protected at least somewhat.

But, as I said in an earlier post, my soloution is to just break down and buy several larger cards. I have 4-5 512MB cards that I use interchangably, and they are enough to take excellent quality pictures and plenty of them. On the rare occasion I've had a card go bad (twice in the time I've been using digital cameras, about six or seven years) I've always been happy I didn't loose everything.

N.E.D.

 

[NewEnglandDisney]

How much does Disney charge for the photo/file transfer to CD? Unless I could confirm the files on the CD away from the store this would make me nervous.

Buy more cards. I came across a receipt the other day where I paid $38 for a 64 MB CF card. They hardly make them that small anymore. For the same money today I can get a 256. I shudder to think what I paid for my 256's... seriously, it was over $80.

Keep the cards in a case meant for that purpose. CF cards in particular. If something gets in the tiny holes and bends the tiny pins you're sunk.

It bears repeating, even though many of us already have a few times, hehe.

I haven't used the Disney service, and right now I'm hunting for the flyer they handed me last time I was there advertising it. I can't remember the cost, but it was high - not so bad for small quantities but if you want to transfer hundreds of pictures it looked quite expensive. Perhaps someone who has used it can enlighten us.

However, even if it was "cheap", you've still got a CD to lug around and protect, and, as someone pointed out above, you have to trust their system is transfering them in the right formats and with accuracy. I just checked compactflash media at Dell.com - a 512MB card is $40. Unless that's really out the ballpark financially for you, it's almost silly to pay someone to pay Disney to transfer them for you.

I see it as an investment - especially when I think about how much it used to cost when I'd take 10-15 rolls of film on a trip between film and processing. Now, I get them put in pretty books (which is surprisingly cheap, see my post earlier mentioning MyPublisher.com) and can print out pretty stunning photo-quality prints on my $80 Dell printer, I feel like - finally - technology IMPROVING the experience instead of getting in the way of it.

Digital photos can be used to make such painless memories - even if it's just that you don't have to squint and watch your vacation throguh a little peep hole. It's so cool that now we get to concentrate on our pictures and fun things to do with them, and not simply getting the images themselves safely in our hands. I bet I'm not the only one who doesn't miss developing a roll and finding 1/2 the pictures not what I had hoped (if they were there at all!).

N.E.D.

 

[dBugged]

A few more recommendations:

= Learn how to turn off the flash on your camera =
I can't tell ya how many times I see people taking flash pictures through glass. Most of the time these people will discover that they ended up taking an nice picture of a big white spot. Glass and flash do not mix.

= Take lots of pictures =
It's digital and nearly free unless you plan on printing every single picture. On our last trip to Disney I took several thousand photographs. Some people might think this is a little crazy, but I always want to make sure I get the shot and also take it with a few different settings. My goal is always to get deep blue skies and vibrant color for my photos. And, with modern digital cameras it doesn't really take a lot of time to take several photos. I can manually pop off 30 in just a minute of adjusting and repositing the camera. Just one fireworks show at MK took up a 1GB flash card and loaded it with over 400 6MP photographs. The more pictures you take, the more likely you are to get the perfect shot.

= The small preview screen on your camera might be lying to you =
If you are taking night shots, keep in mind that if you aren't using a tripod there is a chance you could blur your photographs. The small screen on the camera will not always show you that is the case. If your screen has a zoom feature, zoom in on the photo and look closely at any lights or neon fixtures in the image -- this will usually give away a good photograph or a really blurred one.

= Turn off the digital zoom =
Don't bother with using any digital zoom. You usually will get better results using the best optical zoom on your camera and then using descent photo editing software to do the zooming. Most of the time a computer can zoom better and clearer than a digital camera can. And, you have more tweaking options in desktop software. If you use the digital zoom in the camera and you don't like the end result, you are usually stuck with it once you return home. At least with an optical zoom shot, you can mess around with it on your PC and tweak it to perfection.

= Don't be afraid of the manual controls =
Yes, the auto features are your friend, but you can actually get some pretty creative shots with the manual features of most point and shoot cameras. Take our your camera and home and just mess around with the manual features on your camera and take pictures in a variety of situations -- daytime, night, low light. You might be surprised at some of the things you'll discover after reading your manual a little bit and some creative horseplay. The automatic features are always there if you chicken out.

= Don't use the frilly features of your camera =
Some point and shoot cameras come with features that shoot photos in black and white, sepia or with other effects. These features will make permanent changes to your photos that you can not get rid of later. If you really really want a sepia or effect laden photograph, shoot it normally and then use photo editing software to do it after the fact. This way you have the original color image and have the power to change it later on.

= Try looking through the eyepiece instead of using the screen =
This applies to video cameras and digital cameras. Don't be afraid to use the eyepiece instead of the built-in screen. You may find that you can actually hold the camera a lot more steady and not have to do the "gotta watch the screen and get the right shot" balancing act. This is especially true for video cameras. Also, it has an added bonus of conserving your batteries... which translates to more photographs and fewer battery changes. My advice is to turn off the screen on the back of your camera and try taking pictures with the eyepiece. Most cameras have a feature that will allow you to hold the shutter down to see the image right after you take it, so if you really want to see the fruits of your labor, you can see an "after the shot" preview. I do this all the time on my 10D and 20D.

Hope these help. I plan to take thousands new pictures on our upcoming April 29th trip. You might see me and my family... just look for a 10mo. old wearing a small baseball cap with the "wdwpix.com" URL on it. Be sure to smile, you might end up on one of our videos.

 

[Synonymous]

Slight change of focus- I've been using digital cameras for a long time and I'm relatively happy with my photos. But I've never found a software program that I like for organizing and printing them. Photoshop is too complicated- I just want to do a little cropping, slight adjustments, and print and album. Other, more "user-friendly" programs like Microsoft Picture It limit my options too much for how I want to print pictures.

What programs do you folks use, what have you found to be the best? I really don't want to send anything out to a commercial service when I've got all the equipment I need at home.

Thanks!

 

[Karibeth19]

Slight change of focus- I've been using digital cameras for a long time and I'm relatively happy with my photos. But I've never found a software program that I like for organizing and printing them. Photoshop is too complicated- I just want to do a little cropping, slight adjustments, and print and album. Other, more "user-friendly" programs like Microsoft Picture It limit my options too much for how I want to print pictures.

What programs do you folks use, what have you found to be the best? I really don't want to send anything out to a commercial service when I've got all the equipment I need at home.

Thanks!

I love Microsoft Digital Image Pro, which has more functions and printing options than Picture It. I have version 7 and I think version 10 is what is out now, and I'm sure it has even more features than my version, but DH isn't willing to shell out another $80 so that I can add more effects to our photos!

However, I must say, considering the cost of ink and photo paper, if you are going to need a large number of photos printed, it is more cost (and time!) effective to use a commercial service. Wal-Mart.com offers prints for 19 cents a print, and last year I ordered 100 prints for my scrapbook. Since I had them delivered to my Wal-Mart store for pick-up, there was no shipping cost, so it was only $19.00 + tax. I only print smaller quantities at home, or pictures that I want do on canvas, or print in some other special way. And of course, you can use your program to edit your photos before you upload them to a service, so they will look the way you want. (I've covered up many people in the backgrounds of my Disney photos, so we look like we're there alone!)