New Christmas Camera?

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Cpt Spike Mike
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New Christmas Camera?

Post by Cpt Spike Mike » 01-19-2005 02:14 AM

Hey, how many of you pirates got a new camera for Christmas? Post up & let's see your shots! They can be of you, your pets, whatever you got & you like.

And, if you're having some difficulties let us know. I'm not an expert or a professional photographer, but I'll do what I can to get you snapping. :cool:

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tiffany
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Post by tiffany » 01-19-2005 02:34 AM

Thanks Spike your camera does great stuff. I'm not sure exactly what mine can do yet. Have to read the tutorial. But certainly not as good as yours.

What kind is yours again and how much. Think you said Minolta something and was it around $500.?

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Post by Cpt Spike Mike » 01-19-2005 03:27 AM

Oh nooo, tiffany. My camera was $255 (plus $2O shipping) refurbished. And an extra $6O for a three-year warranty. Mine is the Minolta Dimage Z1.

What model number is your Kodak Easy Share?

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Dale O Sea
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Post by Dale O Sea » 01-19-2005 05:37 AM

Our old Sony Mavica, the one we found in the middle of an intersection about 4 years ago, finally quit completely so we picked up a Vivitar 3350 for about $20 right after xmas. Very crappy but fun to play with. I can't really use it as I can't see the tiny lcd screen. It's also hard for me to use the teeny viewfinder. It does work as a webcam, which seems to be it's best function. The wife wants a better one, at least 3Mp but we will wait. They are getting cheaper every day.

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Post by Cpt Spike Mike » 01-19-2005 11:49 AM

Dale, my first digital was a Vivitar 315O! Yes, not a great camera, (a very simple "point & shoot" type) but it was good when I was starting out. I quickly outgrew it and really needed something more, and that's when I stepped up to the Minolta. :)

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Dale O Sea
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Post by Dale O Sea » 01-19-2005 05:32 PM

Check this site out after you take a few pix and think their good enough to enter in a contest:
www.worth1000.com

Just heard about it but looks like much time can be wasted there. There's even a contest to create the best famous person screen/domain names:

Bob Dole -- [email protected]
Dan Quayle -- MrPotatoeHed
Jennifer Lopez -- [email protected]

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Laird
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Post by Laird » 01-19-2005 06:02 PM

I've been to sick to set mine up
"Speak softly and carry a big stick" Teddy Roosevelt

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tiffany
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Post by tiffany » 01-20-2005 01:08 PM

Cpt Spike Mike wrote: Oh nooo, tiffany. My camera was 5 (plus O shipping) refurbished. And an extra O for a three-year warranty. Mine is the Minolta Dimage Z1.

What model number is your Kodak Easy Share?


Oh....thought it was higher, wow you got a good camera for a good price.

Mine is a EasyShare DX 7440

Spike tell me how you get such close ups of the birdies?

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Post by Cpt Spike Mike » 01-20-2005 01:49 PM

Okay tiff', first let's get your camera in proper settings. You'll want to go into manual, and set your shutter speed very high. Your camera can go up to 1/2OOO of a second, and that will be plenty fast. Then, set your apeture low, to get the soft focus on any background object. And last, activate your close-up (or macro) setting; that's going to be the button on top, with the flower nect to it. Now, if you don't adjust your zoom, you'll be able to take pictures from 3.9 inches out to 23.6 inches. But, if you use any zoom that's going to back you up a bit; from 9.8 t o33.5 inches.But that's okay, because that should give you plenty of range. And also, don't forget to charge those batteries. Nothing more disappointing than depletion in the middle of a good shooting run.

Now that your "weapon" is ready ( :D ) let's set up your "duck blind". Hang your feeder (empty) outside a window where you can get a comfortable seat on the inside. Now comes your blind; this can be a blanket, a sheet, some poster board- anything can be made to work. Hang it over the window, with a thin section pulled back on the side. This wil leave you a tall slit to shoot through. Now, if you want, you can take some test shots of the empty feeder to see if it's going to be positioned right, enough light, etc.

Fill & hang the feeder, turn off the lights inside the room (the darker the better, so they won't see you) position yourself and wait for 'em to come in. Then bang out about forty shots and show your best three or four. :D

And as for my camera's price, I went to http://www.pricegrabber.com ;) :cool:

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tiffany
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Post by tiffany » 01-20-2005 09:37 PM

Thanks Mike, I'll get another feeder. Don't want to upset them by moving the original. They do get upset if I stand to close to the feeder. They like yell at me alot...hehehe

So thanks a lot for the great advice...

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Post by Cpt Spike Mike » 01-26-2005 01:41 AM

tiffany. go ahead and move the feeder. I'll bet you they find it within the hour. :)

A black-&-white shot of Pantera. I figured "a black cat, what the hell?" :D

With the light just right, I was abe to catch "black" and "white" whiskers. His are actually black, but will shine in the sunlight. :cool:

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tiffany
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Post by tiffany » 01-26-2005 02:38 PM

Nice picture of your kitty or should I say cat as he is quite manly looking...the light in the background is very nice.

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Post by Cpt Spike Mike » 01-26-2005 04:54 PM

Another bit of camera advice; get yourself a memory card with ample amount of storage. A 256Mb card would go great in a 4.O meg camera, but you could go with a 128Mb. This way you can take lots of shots (2 to 4 dozen) and keep your best ones. Not every shot is a winner, but every shot can be a teacher. ;)

A good place for memory cards; http://www.newegg.com $26 for a 256Mb shipping included! :eek: :cool:

Here's another from yesterday's shoot. Yes, since he's a dark subject, a light back ground is important. Also, having a subject that's a bit of a ham & doesn't move much helps out. And of course, it's good practice. :D

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tiffany
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Post by tiffany » 01-26-2005 09:05 PM

Your cat looks like he has such a calm disposition. So cool and calm...

I have a 128 card, thank you for the link...

I luv the light on the back of Pan's coat in the first one. It is really a great pic (as is the current one too);)

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Post by Cpt Spike Mike » 01-27-2005 12:00 AM

tiffany, that was shot with Pantera wlking toward me, about ten to fifteen feet away. I pushed in with about 5× optical zoom, and a low aperture of f/4.O with a high shutter speed of 1/1OOO second. Center the focus on his face and snap away. This gives the sharp focus on his whiskers, but leaves the background getting softer with distance. Even his tail is juat a little out of focus.

This is the soft focus effect used to its maximum. To achieve this, use the low f/stop number and higher shutter speeds. Get your subject in close and try to be somewhat aware of the aspects of the backgroud in color, detail & brightness.

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