What digital camera do you guys take pictures with?
01-17-2003, 08:17 AM
#131
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The new Olympus C5050 is a must.
At 5MP, faster F1.8 - 2.4 lens and twice the on board SDRAM on any Nikon or Canon, it fires faster on THREE types of Media.
Compact flash, Smart Media and the new XD Cards... they WRITE at a whopping 3MB per sec and read at 5MP per sec.
Plus the whole Olympus line in the #1 leader and takes all the lenses, others are playing catch-up to the Olympus.
Olympus has long since had better overall color and contrast and the optics are for digital, not film...like some manufacturers use. A CCD (or CMOS) ship is not flat and the film lenses on the wide end suffer from the light angle....this must be straightened out BEFORE it gets to the film plane (in Digital's case, the CCD)
It is by far a better mouse-trap. If you read DP review (despite the fact that both Canon and Nikon bias by advertising there and Steve's Digicams) they to give the unit a 9 of 10. And the C5050 has a hot shoe, something the Canon (to their credit) has had.... Now that is no longer a "Canon" advantage. Plus I love my C5050, FULL METAL BODY and "AA" batteries, so I can always keep shooting! On the Dragon, I can go to the gas station and get 4 "AA's" and keep on going. If your lith batts are not recharged, your dead as a photographer!
In addition, Olympus has some WEATHERPROOF cameras coming this spring (Stylus 300 and 400) and they are awesome. Built on the Stylus film cameras success but GROUND-UP DIGITAL'S with no film-lens technology applied. Think about it, a cameras you can get wet and never worry about a rain store, dew in the morning hours, humidity or even going to the beach (closed from sand, etc.) Spill a drink on it and still you are OK! These are point-n-shoots with FULL MANUAL control. check out Olympus.com for more details, they are not here yet but on the way!
(These run on lith batts due to the size (palm of hand)
More info on C5050.
C-5050Z review is up on dpreview.com
Basic rating 9 out of 10.
Go directly to the conclusion page to read Pros and Cons:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/olympusc5050z/
Just posted! Olympus C-5050 Zoom review
"...As a photographers tool the C-5050 Zoom is a shutterbug's dream, there are a huge number of manual controls, lots of access to controls on the outside of the camera, lots of control over image processing, a customizable button and up to eight user memories for your favorite group of settings. Olympus have obviously spent a long time considering the design and ergonomics of the camera, and I see plenty of owner suggestions going into the C-5050 Zoom..."
At 5MP, faster F1.8 - 2.4 lens and twice the on board SDRAM on any Nikon or Canon, it fires faster on THREE types of Media.
Compact flash, Smart Media and the new XD Cards... they WRITE at a whopping 3MB per sec and read at 5MP per sec.
Plus the whole Olympus line in the #1 leader and takes all the lenses, others are playing catch-up to the Olympus.
Olympus has long since had better overall color and contrast and the optics are for digital, not film...like some manufacturers use. A CCD (or CMOS) ship is not flat and the film lenses on the wide end suffer from the light angle....this must be straightened out BEFORE it gets to the film plane (in Digital's case, the CCD)
It is by far a better mouse-trap. If you read DP review (despite the fact that both Canon and Nikon bias by advertising there and Steve's Digicams) they to give the unit a 9 of 10. And the C5050 has a hot shoe, something the Canon (to their credit) has had.... Now that is no longer a "Canon" advantage. Plus I love my C5050, FULL METAL BODY and "AA" batteries, so I can always keep shooting! On the Dragon, I can go to the gas station and get 4 "AA's" and keep on going. If your lith batts are not recharged, your dead as a photographer!
In addition, Olympus has some WEATHERPROOF cameras coming this spring (Stylus 300 and 400) and they are awesome. Built on the Stylus film cameras success but GROUND-UP DIGITAL'S with no film-lens technology applied. Think about it, a cameras you can get wet and never worry about a rain store, dew in the morning hours, humidity or even going to the beach (closed from sand, etc.) Spill a drink on it and still you are OK! These are point-n-shoots with FULL MANUAL control. check out Olympus.com for more details, they are not here yet but on the way!
(These run on lith batts due to the size (palm of hand)
More info on C5050.
C-5050Z review is up on dpreview.com
Basic rating 9 out of 10.
Go directly to the conclusion page to read Pros and Cons:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/olympusc5050z/
Just posted! Olympus C-5050 Zoom review
"...As a photographers tool the C-5050 Zoom is a shutterbug's dream, there are a huge number of manual controls, lots of access to controls on the outside of the camera, lots of control over image processing, a customizable button and up to eight user memories for your favorite group of settings. Olympus have obviously spent a long time considering the design and ergonomics of the camera, and I see plenty of owner suggestions going into the C-5050 Zoom..."
01-18-2003, 10:03 AM
#133
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Don't ever buy from www.executivecameras.com 
I received the Olympus C-50 Zoom on Monday along w/a Fuji xD 128mb mem. card. They were suppose to ship me the Olympus version & they never sent me the Olympus cf adapter. I've emailed them twice w/no response. I'll be contacting the credit card company on Monday if I don't get a satisfactory response.
On the plus side, I really like the camera. It's small & compact, which's just what I wanted, plus it's a 5.0 mp dig cam.
I received the Olympus C-50 Zoom on Monday along w/a Fuji xD 128mb mem. card. They were suppose to ship me the Olympus version & they never sent me the Olympus cf adapter. I've emailed them twice w/no response. I'll be contacting the credit card company on Monday if I don't get a satisfactory response.
On the plus side, I really like the camera. It's small & compact, which's just what I wanted, plus it's a 5.0 mp dig cam.
01-19-2003, 02:48 AM
#135
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Originally posted by Cedric Tomkinson
...Anyone who reads through this thread now should have all the info they need to make a choice based on their individual needs. Also anyone who has any operational difficulties with the new toy or who wants to to get a little more adventurous with their digital photography should be able to get some advice here!
...Anyone who reads through this thread now should have all the info they need to make a choice based on their individual needs. Also anyone who has any operational difficulties with the new toy or who wants to to get a little more adventurous with their digital photography should be able to get some advice here!
01-19-2003, 12:56 PM
#136
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[QUOTE]Originally posted by HondaGuy
[B]Don't ever buy from www.executivecameras.com
I received the Olympus C-50 Zoom on Monday along w/a Fuji xD 128mb mem. card.
[B]Don't ever buy from www.executivecameras.com
I received the Olympus C-50 Zoom on Monday along w/a Fuji xD 128mb mem. card.
01-19-2003, 01:26 PM
#137
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Even tbough I didn't get the cf adapter (Sold seperately), it's still cheaper then buying local. I also got the full retail package. Either way, they haven't responded back to my emails so I'm calling my credit card company tomorrow.
01-19-2003, 01:34 PM
#138
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Scarey!!
Over here in the UK I've dealt with a dealer who supplies many pro Nikon users, for many years. They tell me there's a school of thought that says 'Well if the manufactures warranty expires after a year you're on your own anyway, so why not take the chance and buy the grey import making a huge saving.'
As I understand the situation, Nikon have had to accept that they have an obligation to undertake repairs to products bearing their name regardless of where the customers sourced them. However they are invariably returning gey import items to a service facility in the country of origin. It goes without saying that the delays , not to mention the expense can be considerable! In short expect maximum hassle and aggro if your camera is a grey import.
Over here in the UK I've dealt with a dealer who supplies many pro Nikon users, for many years. They tell me there's a school of thought that says 'Well if the manufactures warranty expires after a year you're on your own anyway, so why not take the chance and buy the grey import making a huge saving.'
As I understand the situation, Nikon have had to accept that they have an obligation to undertake repairs to products bearing their name regardless of where the customers sourced them. However they are invariably returning gey import items to a service facility in the country of origin. It goes without saying that the delays , not to mention the expense can be considerable! In short expect maximum hassle and aggro if your camera is a grey import.
01-19-2003, 02:52 PM
#139
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Cedric, I assume you are quite happy with the Nikon 5000, yes? I was thinking of getting a prosumer digicam and the Nikon name will probably hold it's value. I've found it as low as $600 (with the Nikon rebate of $100, making it about $500). Seems like a good deal but I'm wary of those deals having once been burnt by a similar situation where a VCR showed up b-stock and broken and I had no recourse but to eat the cost of repair. The store I found it at is www.bwayphoto.com. Anyone have any experience with this retailer? They supposedly have a brick and mortar store as well, and claim everything is brand new and in sealed boxes. They also have the Olympus C5050 for the same price (albeit without a rebate).
01-19-2003, 02:56 PM
#140
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I have had nothing but good luck with dealing with on-line camera suppliers. The really big companies have physical stores and don't sell for the absolute lowest price. If the price is too good to be true it generally is. The real low prices are often grey market stuff without US waranty or kits that have been broken up. I like to buy online because on an expensive item you save a considerable amount on the sales tax.
On the other hand, living in New York I have seen all types of scams with camera dealers, everything from bait and switch to grey market sales. One truly amazing technique I witnessed years ago was perfected by this one company that was (is) run by a Hasidic Jew Sect. THEY WOULD SELL CAMERAS FOR BELOW OR AT THEIR OWN COST. I for the life of me could not figure out how they could do this. It was not grey market and you got everything you expected to get. They did not sell you re-packs. I was at a loss to understand how they could stay in business until someone explained it to me.
This camera store (actually there was more than one back then) would order very large quantities of product from all the major manufacturers. Because they sold stuff below cost they moved a tremendous amount of product. This gave them leverage to establish a great price PLUS GREAT CREDIT TERMS. They would sell the product almost the minute it hit the stores BUT THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO PAY FOR IT UNTIL 90-120 DAYS LATER. This gave them a tremendous amount of quick interest free cash to play with. What this Hasidic Sect then did was LOAN this money out to other Hasidic Jews in their neighborhood. They would then collect an interest rate from their neighbors (most of whom would not or could not deal with a conventional bank) that covered what they lost on selling cameras below cost and also make them a profit. I don't even think there was anything illegal about it either.
I don't know if it is still being done, I don't think so. I believe it was the other dealers complaining to the manufacturers and then the manufacturers clamping down more tightly on the amount of credit they extended on their product that may have stopped this practice.
There are a million stories in the naked city.
A little bit of camera trivia for you guys.
On the other hand, living in New York I have seen all types of scams with camera dealers, everything from bait and switch to grey market sales. One truly amazing technique I witnessed years ago was perfected by this one company that was (is) run by a Hasidic Jew Sect. THEY WOULD SELL CAMERAS FOR BELOW OR AT THEIR OWN COST. I for the life of me could not figure out how they could do this. It was not grey market and you got everything you expected to get. They did not sell you re-packs. I was at a loss to understand how they could stay in business until someone explained it to me.
This camera store (actually there was more than one back then) would order very large quantities of product from all the major manufacturers. Because they sold stuff below cost they moved a tremendous amount of product. This gave them leverage to establish a great price PLUS GREAT CREDIT TERMS. They would sell the product almost the minute it hit the stores BUT THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO PAY FOR IT UNTIL 90-120 DAYS LATER. This gave them a tremendous amount of quick interest free cash to play with. What this Hasidic Sect then did was LOAN this money out to other Hasidic Jews in their neighborhood. They would then collect an interest rate from their neighbors (most of whom would not or could not deal with a conventional bank) that covered what they lost on selling cameras below cost and also make them a profit. I don't even think there was anything illegal about it either.
I don't know if it is still being done, I don't think so. I believe it was the other dealers complaining to the manufacturers and then the manufacturers clamping down more tightly on the amount of credit they extended on their product that may have stopped this practice.
There are a million stories in the naked city.
A little bit of camera trivia for you guys.