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Archiver > NYFingerLakes > 2004-08 > 1092236895


From: "MScheffler" <>
Subject: Re: [NYFL] OFF TOPIC (sorta!) Digital Camera/Image help!!
Date: Wed, 11 Aug 2004 11:08:15 -0400
References: <1d1.28367540.2e4b5754@aol.com>


About 4 years ago I bought an Olympus D 490 zoom 2 megapixal digital
camera with a 3X optical zoom. With it I have taken hundreds of excellent
pictures of people, scenery, tombstones, copied pages of books in the
library. Using a copy stand, I got excellent pictures of the pages of an
old family Bible. It makes good prints up to 5 x 7 and occasionally larger
ones. I had taken pictures with a 35 mm camera for years and was worried
about quality, but generally have been pleased with the quality and ease of
use of this camera.

Before that I had an Olympus 1.3 megapixal which my daughter-in-law
still uses to take pictures of the kids. It makes excellent pictures 4 x 6
sized and pictures for email of both kids and scenery. I have some very
usable cemetery pictures with the number of mega pixels this camera gets. .

The major problem in the library is to take the pictures of book pages
while holding the camera perfectly still and level. That will remain a
problem no matter how many megapixels unless you have a copy stand or other
method to hold the camera perfectly level and still. That being said I
copied a whole genealogy book just holding the camera above the book with
the 2 megapixal and when printed, the pages are all easily readable. I had
to go back and redo a few pages where I was not steady enough.

I guess what you buy depends on your needs and pocket book. I would get
one with a 3X OPTICAL zoom as that will allow you to enlarge those
obituaries a bit. I would also want to have a macro mode. Check the focus
distances of both macro and regular mode to see the minimum distance you can
be from a page or other small object such as a small photo. On the price
versus quality issue, right now I believe a 3 megapixal would be more than
adequate unless one makes large prints -- 11 x 14 and above..

My newest digital is a very small 4 megapixal Olympus 400 Stylus with a
3X optical zoom and macro. I took my first pictures with it on vacation and
have been pleased. There are some specials on the camera in several stores
right now. The XD cards are pricey, but the camera and 2 cards are still
less than what I paid for my first 2 digital cameras 4 and 5 years ago. The
camera is small enough to carry in my purse all the time, which should make
for having a camera whenever I need it or come across something interesting.
This camera should make good 8 x 10 and perhaps 11 x 14 enlargements,
although I have no printer to test out that larger size. More megapixels
would be good for very large prints which most of us will never make.

To answer your question I would think a camera between 2 & 4 megapixels
would do what you mention in your email. If you go to too many megapixels,
the file sizes will be larger than you need and take up lots of unnecessary
computer space. Electronic items change so much, I tend to buy moderately
priced items that slightly exceed my current needs, and look in a couple
years for the improvements which then will likely be a reasonable price.

Margaret Scheffler

----- Original Message -----
From: <>
To: <>
Sent: Wednesday, August 11, 2004 7:04 AM
Subject: [NYFL] OFF TOPIC (sorta!) Digital Camera/Image help!!


> Hi All,
>
> Since this has always been my list for getting great answers to "off the
> wall" questions, I have another!! I have a 1.3 MP digital camera, with
which I
> CAN take pics of documents; while I can USUALLY make everything out in the
> pic, I can't always!! I was looking into getting a higher quality camera,
and
> was shocked to see that they now have them at least up to 6 MPs!! SO, my
> question is this.....how many MPs is ENOUGH?!!! Isn't there a point where
the
> picture quality and/or size of the pic just can't get a whole lot
better????? I
> would LOVE to be able to take pictures of obits from the old newspapers,
and
> would REALLY love to be able to take pics off the microfilm reader....and
not
> only be able to READ them when I get home, but even print them at at least
their
> original size!
> ANY and all thoughts on how "big" a camera is big enough, would be
GREATLY
> appreciated!!! And just another tid bit...I take LOADS of cemetery pics,
so I
> guess I'm looking for a camera that is going to take great pics of
documents
> and headstones.... I guess I can't leave out those family members who are
> still alive though, so I need to take LIVING people pics too!!!
>
> THANKS in advance!!!
> Joan
>


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