[AT] OT- Digital Cameras

[Cecil E Monson]

> Hi All,
> I am going to take the plunge and buy a digital camera. When I began
> looking on the web however, my head started to spin. There seems to be so
> many kinds and styles that I don't know where to start. 


	Mike, there are so many digital cameras out there right now it
would make anyone's head spin. I have two of them. Both take decent
photos but both leave something to be desired.

	I have had a Sony Mavica for 3 or 4 years and it has given me
great service. Great picture quality and easy to use. Drawbacks are it
is large and bulky, uses floppy discs so number of photos are limited
and the battery doesn't last too long. Great photo quality however.

	The latest one is an Olympus Stylus 400 - shirt pocket size
and so easy to carry you don't even know it is there. Has a built-in
sliding cover that covers the lens too. Drawbacks are the lens is so
small that the slightest movement when taking a photo creates a fuzzy
image. The sliding lens cover does not keep the lens from getting
dusty in the pocket. Good things are the battery lasts a long time -
thru taking literally hundreds of photos, easy to use and very compact.
Comes with a mini USB cable that I leave hooked to my PC all the time.
When I plug it into the port in the camera, it automatically brings
up all the photos in the camera and gives the option of selecting only
those I wish to download. I would not buy another one of these cameras,
however, and think you can do better.

	One of the most important things to remember when looking at
digital cameras is that optical zoom is a lot more important than
digital zoom There is a lot of difference. When using optical zoom, the
image stays sharp all the way. All digital zoom does, basically, is
select a smaller area on the screen and make it look larger. There is
a helluva lot of difference in the final product.

	Here is a good web site where a lot of fine cameras have been
evaluated that is worth taking the time to look at. Any camera you are
interested in will likely have a detailed evaluation here.

	http://www.steves-digicams.com/hardware_reviews.html

	Good luck. You do not have an easy task ahead of you.

Cecil
-- 
The nicest thing about telling the truth is you never have to wonder
what you said.

Cecil E Monson
Lucille Hand-Monson
Mountainville, New York   Just a little east of the North Pole

Allis Chalmers tractors and equipment

Free advice