Jan 16, 2002 11:41 PM
4574 Views
(Updated Jun 25, 2002 02:29 PM)
Frankly I feel one should not take a camera or a camcorder when on a sightseeing tour. The whole purpose of the tour is lost if you go with any of these. To capture as many pictures as possible becomes the primary aim and you do not mentally observe the beauty of the place you are in. Your camcorder or camera records everything on film but then there is a much better thing to do --- to record that in your mind.
Anyways, I prefer a digital camera compared to a camcorder else your eye is never on the real thing but on image formed at the camcorder's screen. It is very easy to share all the snaps through the internet and you can make as many copies as you want (no extra charge). Prices of digital cameras are very high. So the moment I found one priced at 248 Euros(approximately 10.5K rupees), I pounced on it. And guess what - even after a year I am very happy to have bought the same.
When buying a digital camera, here are a few points which one should keep in mind:
Mega Pixels (They generally vary from 1 to 3.3+ MegaPixels) - Well, my Kodak DC3200 has a resolution of 1 Mega Pixel but it takes wonderful pictures. I am still confused about this resolution factor but I can see no difference in the digital images taken from a digital camera with 1MegaPixel and that of a 3.3 MegaPixel (atleast not visible to the naked eye)
This one has a zoom as well (2X) but beware there are 2 types zooms that one can refer to - software and mechanical. The Kodak DC3200 has a software zoom.
Flash - The inbuilt flash captures the pictures even in the darkest of the night. Compared with a film camera, the night photos comes out better in this one. You get still cheaper digital cameras without the flash. It has an auto-flash but if you want you can switch it off.
The camera that I purchased had a 8MB compact Flash card as well.(So if Kishore got the deal for 100 US$, he did not gain much as the 8MB card was missing in his kit). The camera has an internal memory of 2MB. So a total of 10 MB. Depending on the quality of pictures you can take from 45(best quality) to more than 200 pictures (good quality - picture size is less). Its much handy. You can adjust the quality anytime you want. So for example, you can have a combination of 30 best quality(very good clarity, large size) pictures and 100 good quality pictures (smaller in size). If you want to take a lot of pictures in the best quality, then it would be advisable that you carry a few extra compact Flash cards (which is one time investment).It's better than taking care of film roles.
Batteries - Though it uses 4 pencil batteries, one can try to make the maximum use of it. Do not leave your LCD display ON for a long time. First get the image focussed and then switch on the camera. A very important point I have noticed is that the more flash you use, the more batteries you waste. It is a minus point but still I somehow manage with it.
Software - I do not agree with Kishore that the CD does not contain the software for Windows NT. I am using the software on Windows NT.
Serial Port - This is the best thing at the same time the worst thing (this is where your battery gets all used up). You can transfer the pictures to your computer through the COM port (like the one you use for the mouse). Every computer will have a COM port. Most of the new Digital Cameras come with the option of transferring pictures through the USB port. The USB port is faster as compared to Serial port but then USB ports are not available on all computers - they can be found on the new laptops and for a Home PC, you will need to install one. But USB has its advantages - it's faster and eats lesser amount of battery.
Whatever be the plus points and minus, it is a very simple camera and compared to the hi-fi digital cameras that my other friends have , I think I am still able to generate the same quality pictures with DC3200 if not better. BTW, they all envy my KODAK DC3200 :-).
For more details, you can check the webpage :
https://kodak.com/global/en/service/products/ekn006601.jhtml
For some results, please contact me, I will be glad to pass on some pictures to show you the differences in quality (good vs best/ with flash/without flash etc.)
