View Full Version : Cameras



Foxgloves
02-02-2007, 01:12 PM
There are some very talented geocachers in Maine and I was curious what everyone uses for cameras.

Digital?
the old SLR?

Hardware isn't everything I know, and the person behind the lens has everything to do with the quality of the photo but I was wondering if you are all just amateurs or are there some professional photograhers amongst you?

I enjoy looking at the photos....its like geocaching through someone elses eyes...there is so much beauty out there to capture...
I really like firefighterjake's avatar...its creepy and yet its beautiful at the same time..

tat
02-02-2007, 02:01 PM
I use a Canon G5, but want to trade up to a digital SLR.

Ye Olde Prospector
02-02-2007, 02:03 PM
I have a SONY MAVICA CD-1000 only 2.1 mpx, Fast becoming an obsolete model. Bought it in 2002, Records directly onto 3 1/2 in CDR's. The discs are non rewritable and already getting hard to find. I have taken well over 15000 pics so far and no probs at all. I like the idea of having a permanent file of all original pics on disc instead of having to copy them to disc or hoping your computer never crashes. I grabbed another 500 discs recently. Hopefully I will have a new digital camera by the time those are gone. I also have the full version of adobe photoshop that alows you to rescue about any pic you take. Still have all 35 mm cameras and lenses collecting dust at the moment. Some time I may go digital SLR and be able to use a lot of my lenses with adapters. You can do so much more with digital I think that is the best way to go. Newer digital cameras are getting to 8 to 16 mpx but those are not real practical unless you are planning to print detailed poster size prints and have huge storage space on your computer. I am sure there are still lots of people who debate the Film/Digital issue.

YOP

pjpreb
02-02-2007, 02:04 PM
We use a cannon powershot A620 digital. We've been happy with it.

Haffy
02-02-2007, 02:32 PM
I bought my first digital camera just about the same time that I started geocaching and they have gone hand in hand with one another. I use an Olympus 5050 and my hardrive has almost 10 gigs of photos on it now. My next investment will be a DSLR for sure but the 5050 has great capabilites for now and I like the fast 1.8 lens for low light and it has great macro capabilities as well.

firefighterjake
02-02-2007, 04:01 PM
I still have my trusty Minolta 35 mm SLRs . . . but to be honest I haven't used them in some time since I've been favoring the Fujipix S9000. For a long time I didn't like digital cameras, but now I must grudingly admit that the quality has improved a lot (my camera is a 9 megapixel camera) and the ability to quickly determine if your photo is a fantastic sunset or a picture of your fat thumb is hard to beat.

As for some of your other comments and questions . . . I am an amateur, but I take photos for a weekly newspaper on occasion and have shot a few weddings on the side and have done a few book covers in the past for Thorndike Press/GK Hall which takes books and converts them into large print -- I haven't done any for some time though.

Finally . . . as for my avatar photo . . . "creepy and yet beautiful at the same time" . . . hmm, words that some folks often use to describe me. :) ;)

Hiram357
02-02-2007, 04:29 PM
words that some folks often use to describe me. :) ;)

10-66 is also used in reference to Jake often... :rolleyes: :p

the wife and I usually carry a digital camera (and use it to take pics when it has good batteries) We had a 35 mm camera, that was just too much of a hassle (we have about 3 baskets full of photos, quite a few of thumbs and strange lights) I like the digital because if it's a crappy pic, you can delete it and not have to pay for a print, and the pics take up a lot less room when they're all on the hard drive. :D

d’76
02-02-2007, 06:52 PM
I use a sony cybershot 5.1 megapix with a 12 power zoom. I like it alot and have even dropped it and had to have it repair and it still takes great shots.
:)

hollora
02-02-2007, 07:58 PM
Most of the photos I post I have taken with a Kodak DX6490. I started with a Sony Mavica years ago and mine used the old discs. I like the Kodak as it uses a chip and has a lot more options. (Still learning and this is not a state of the art camera today.)

The Mavica was much better for smaller close up things but it is perhaps I was not using the right adjustment with the Kodak camera. The Kodak does have the ability to do videos. When my hubby and I were in Alaska, there was a retired Kodak employee on the train with us who stated he wished he had gotten that model when he worked there as it was the best on they had made.

Jake's Avatar creepy photo was taken the night of the Masonic Hall fire in Bangor ME a few years ago. He took many more photos that night and the next day! It is a real reminder to me of what can be.....as I was there the night it started with the Red Cross as a volunteer and stayed on to work til the end.

A camera to me needs to be simple, produce quality with a horrid operator and be rugged. I am now looking for one a bit smaller than the Kodak as that is a tad large for a pack - but I do bring it.

Your question is a good one which will probably will bring good discussion.

Foxgloves
02-02-2007, 09:57 PM
Jake's Avatar creepy photo was taken the night of the Masonic Hall fire in Bangor ME a few years ago. He took many more photos that night and the next day! It is a real reminder to me of what can be.....as I was there the night it started with the Red Cross as a volunteer and stayed on to work til the end.

Your question is a good one which will probably will bring good discussion.

That was going to be my next question...what firefighterjakes avatar was.. Thats what I thought it was..a charred burning building. My eyes can't focus in on it too well.

Its a beautiful picture and haunting at the same time...

Hiram357
02-02-2007, 10:56 PM
Jake's Avatar creepy photo was taken the night of the Masonic Hall fire in Bangor ME a few years ago.

That was the masonic building????

I starred at it for quite a while, I thought it was one of those fake buildings that firefighters used for training.

number seven
02-02-2007, 11:09 PM
http://www.geocachingmaine.org/forum/barren%20mt. I use a kodak850 set at 3.1 and on manual setting's. I'm a hack ,but love taking picture's. The camera has been good to me. Welcome to Maine{when you get here} Number seven- -ps I checked out your gallery NICE : )

brdad
02-03-2007, 01:15 AM
I use a FUJI Finepix S5000 Digital. Once of the reasons I bought it was it had 10X optical zoom, which is very handy. Digital is great for multis where you haev several stages with plaques you have to count words - take a picture of each stage and you can just look at the pic if you're afraid you miscounted!

Before this camera, I used disposable camers, so it was quite a step up for me.

hollora
02-03-2007, 10:34 AM
brdad thanks for the tip on multis!

firefighterjake
02-05-2007, 07:01 AM
. . .

Jake's Avatar creepy photo was taken the night of the Masonic Hall fire in Bangor ME a few years ago. He took many more photos that night and the next day! It is a real reminder to me of what can be.....as I was there the night it started with the Red Cross as a volunteer and stayed on to work til the end . . .

Just a point of clarification . . . while I was there the following morning and well into the evening of Day 2 of this fire taking photos, I actually can't take credit for this stunning photo. This photo was submitted to the FD by another photographer (whose name eludes me right now.)