Skipper
10-28-2004, 05:45 PM
I thought I'd write some short pieces of advice on different aspects of selecting a digital camera. I've had several different ones over the last few years starting with a cheap Casio I bought in 97 and currently with a Canon Rebel D-SLR.
One of the first things you'll figure out about a digital cam is that they are hard on batteries. If you think your walkman can go through a set of Energizers like a hot knife through butter, you've not been around one of these cameras very much. Back in the days when I used Polaroids at work, one battery would do me for a couple of years. When I bought my first digital cam, I couldn't believe 3 hours into my day and 26 miles from the office, my batteries were already dead. I thought I just got a bad set at the store, so I went to the nearest quick sack and bought another set. Before the day was done, those had also kicked the bucket. The next morning, I bought a 12 pack at Wal Mart and by the end of day 2, I realized, the film cost may be zero, but at $8 in batteries a day, this thing is going to be expensive to use. I bought rechargeable batteries, but that didn't work out too well either. The batteries weren't that expensive neither was the charger, but it seemed every 10th or 12th charge 1 battery would bust and ruin the charger and more money would have to be spent. Then I got the first of the Sony's the company bought for us. This one had a "Trial Version" battery pack with it, and I sprung for an extra high capacity pack since I already knew the score on battery power. It turns out, the L-ion pack for the Sony was the greatest thing since sliced bread. I could charge my camera over the weekend and feel confident it would work all week on a single charge. Yes, Sony's batteries are expensive at about $80 each, but they last forever. I've had the ones for the older Mavica since 98, and have only had 2 go bad over that time.
When I began taking photos as a hobby, the amount of time I kept the cameras powered up drastically increased as did the number of shots taken. With that came more battery demands. Today when we go out to shoot photos I keep a charger in my truck and have a spare battery on it ready to go. The charger plugs into a AC converter that I plug into the cigarette lighter, and typically can charge the battery pack in about an hour. I just turn it on while I'm driving and when I park, I unplug it to keep from running the truck's battery down.
When you look at a point and shoot camera under $500, there's not a lot of difference in them from brand to brand. The photo chips are mostly made by 2 or 3 manufacturers and used in everyone's camera by the lowest bidder method. The processors are also fairly standard as they are with most computerize items. One of the ways that manufacturers turn a $500 camera into a $250 camera is to make it run off of AA batteries that way they do not have to include a battery pack and charger.
If you are in the market for a digital camera, bear in mind that the battery consumption you have experienced with film cameras has nothing to do with what you will experience with digital. Digital cams are closer to battery consumption of a video camera or a walkman cd player. Buying AA batteries, rechargeables, and or chargers gets expensive, and it's very possible that you are better off to put down a little more up front and get one with a battery pack that's up to the job.
Skipper
One of the first things you'll figure out about a digital cam is that they are hard on batteries. If you think your walkman can go through a set of Energizers like a hot knife through butter, you've not been around one of these cameras very much. Back in the days when I used Polaroids at work, one battery would do me for a couple of years. When I bought my first digital cam, I couldn't believe 3 hours into my day and 26 miles from the office, my batteries were already dead. I thought I just got a bad set at the store, so I went to the nearest quick sack and bought another set. Before the day was done, those had also kicked the bucket. The next morning, I bought a 12 pack at Wal Mart and by the end of day 2, I realized, the film cost may be zero, but at $8 in batteries a day, this thing is going to be expensive to use. I bought rechargeable batteries, but that didn't work out too well either. The batteries weren't that expensive neither was the charger, but it seemed every 10th or 12th charge 1 battery would bust and ruin the charger and more money would have to be spent. Then I got the first of the Sony's the company bought for us. This one had a "Trial Version" battery pack with it, and I sprung for an extra high capacity pack since I already knew the score on battery power. It turns out, the L-ion pack for the Sony was the greatest thing since sliced bread. I could charge my camera over the weekend and feel confident it would work all week on a single charge. Yes, Sony's batteries are expensive at about $80 each, but they last forever. I've had the ones for the older Mavica since 98, and have only had 2 go bad over that time.
When I began taking photos as a hobby, the amount of time I kept the cameras powered up drastically increased as did the number of shots taken. With that came more battery demands. Today when we go out to shoot photos I keep a charger in my truck and have a spare battery on it ready to go. The charger plugs into a AC converter that I plug into the cigarette lighter, and typically can charge the battery pack in about an hour. I just turn it on while I'm driving and when I park, I unplug it to keep from running the truck's battery down.
When you look at a point and shoot camera under $500, there's not a lot of difference in them from brand to brand. The photo chips are mostly made by 2 or 3 manufacturers and used in everyone's camera by the lowest bidder method. The processors are also fairly standard as they are with most computerize items. One of the ways that manufacturers turn a $500 camera into a $250 camera is to make it run off of AA batteries that way they do not have to include a battery pack and charger.
If you are in the market for a digital camera, bear in mind that the battery consumption you have experienced with film cameras has nothing to do with what you will experience with digital. Digital cams are closer to battery consumption of a video camera or a walkman cd player. Buying AA batteries, rechargeables, and or chargers gets expensive, and it's very possible that you are better off to put down a little more up front and get one with a battery pack that's up to the job.
Skipper