Digital Cameras

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OK, thinking a new purchase for myself is in order as my 1 megapixel webcam just cannot cut it really!

£300 for a 3.3 mp camera sounds cool.

I am looking at either the Canon Powershot A70 or the popular Nikon Coolpix 3100.

My only question is why do these and none of the cameras similar to these models not take SmartMedia memory?

I have 128MB of Smart Media and find it annoying I have to shell out for an SD card straight away?
 
If the Nikon is like mine, I expect it takes CF....

....and CF is pretty good value ! Is there really much difference in price of the media these days ? I went for CF at the time as it was interchangeable with my iPAQ ... i.e. I could take photos with the camera.... pop the CF straight into my iPAQ and view / edit / email.

I think nikon, canon and kodak are about the only 3 still using CF - so seems to be a "standards" thing - you might have to consider another make if you want smartmedia.

S.
 
Originally posted by GrahamC230K
OK, thinking a new purchase for myself is in order as my 1 megapixel webcam just cannot cut it really!

£300 for a 3.3 mp camera sounds cool.

I am looking at either the Canon Powershot A70 or the popular Nikon Coolpix 3100.

My only question is why do these and none of the cameras similar to these models not take SmartMedia memory?

I have 128MB of Smart Media and find it annoying I have to shell out for an SD card straight away?
Click to expand...

Graham: Where did you get your smart media card for £13?
I need one by Tuesday and prices seem to vary greatly on the web. Cheapest I've found so far is £19:crazy:
 
Originally posted by GRAV888
Graham: Where did you get your smart media card for £13?
I need one by Tuesday and prices seem to vary greatly on the web. Cheapest I've found so far is £19:crazy:
Click to expand...


I got from www.ebuyer.com but having looked the cheapest tehy have now is £17.99.


Out of interest, what camera do you use SmartMedia in? Anything recent?
 
It is a Fuji Finepix 2600 zoom 2.0mp.
It's the camera I took to Germany.
I delivered a whole container of them to Greenford and because I got in the back with a pump truck, they let me have it for £75:D
Has only got the 16mb card in though.
I'm going to Rhodes for 2 weeks on Wednesday and the missus said I can't take the laptop.:crazy:
Hence the need for a bigger card.
 
Ok, anyone got anything bad to say about the

Olympus Camedia C4000 Zoom ?

olyc4000z.jpg


I am going past Jessops later :D
 
....only that with 4xAA batteries, it will probably eat them, like my old kodak did, and you will need to have plenty of rechargeables to avoid spending a fortune on them. (They also add to the weight!)

My Nikon has a very lightweight Li-Ion battery, which lasts ages (and was one of the pre-requisites for me upgrading!)

Apart from that, I don't think you will get a much better spec for that price (I paid that just over a year ago for my 2 megapixel !) - and it has the smartmedia which u want !! :bannana:
 
Originally posted by sym
....only that with 4xAA batteries, it will probably eat them, like my old kodak did, and you will need to have plenty of rechargeables to avoid spending a fortune on them. (They also add to the weight!)

My Nikon has a very lightweight Li-Ion battery, which lasts ages (and was one of the pre-requisites for me upgrading!)

Apart from that, I don't think you will get a much better spec for that price (I paid that just over a year ago for my 2 megapixel !) - and it has the smartmedia which u want !! :bannana:
Click to expand...


Main attractions over obvious spec is I am already equiped with Rechargable NiMh AA's and Smartmedia.

I like the AA or AAA idea as you can go armed with recharged abtteries but also buy Duracells if caught out away from home.
 
If you want cheap re-chargeables, go to B&Q.
They are the cheapest I've found.:bannana:
They are normally on a stand by the checkouts.
 
Originally posted by andy_k
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Olympus/oly_c4000z.asp

see what other people think of it :)

Andy
Click to expand...


Thanks for that Andy.

Hard to interpret though - 50 odd excellent reviews and a few complete slatings.

I do wonder if the 50 odd are just 1st time users and the two slatings are expert users who are worth listening to?

Or if 50 good opinions over two bad is good odds and they are expecting too much for £300 in VAT.
 
interesting site Andy ....

Have just read about 159 reviews of my own camera (Nikon 775), most of which completely slate it though :( :eek: :( :eek: ... (yet I have no complaints with it ... !!) so do take as with all reviews, and play with it / try it out for yourself if possible before you commit !
 
The only problem with smartmedia is that the technology is on its way out.

The way forward is definately CF & SD. 2Gb CF cards are being developed now + you most CF devices can now take Hitachi Microdrives.

Smartmedia is pretty much limited to 128Mb. A 128 CF card is only £20 so i'd forget about the fact that you already have a device with a smartmedia card.

Have a look at http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/listmfgr.asp?cat=Flash and compare, you'll see where I am coming from.

I have a friend who is a professional photographer, obviously he has some very high end kit both Digital and film...but the camera he carries everywhere for those shots you sometimes spot out of the blue is a Canon IXUS 400. I have seen the results and they are really impressive and the camera is so small that it fits in a shirt pocket. The body is magnesium alloy not plastic and it has a real quality feel with sturdy buttons etc.

You can get a good price & next day delivery HERE
 
Last edited:
it's nice to get an insight into other peoples opinions of cameras which is one of the reasons dpreview is so good but as wih all products a lot of people who post are upset for whatever reason so they have a reason to complain.

Usually that site has an in depth review of the camera as well, that one you are looking at seems to have slipped through the net.

My only experience with olympus digitals is that the ones I used were very slow, in starting up, focussing and writing files etc. The pictures were excellent so no complaints there.

If you've been offered a good deal, then take it, but try and get a few more goodies thrown in, it's no good leaving the salesman with any of his comission intact :) - Jessops will tell you their prices are "non negotiable" - they are lying, if they want the sale they'll drop the price.



Andy
 
Went to Jessops today and saw the Olympus C4000.

It's not what I would class as massive in size and would not put me off, but is certainly something you will know ou are carrying, certainly not any chance of it going in a pocket.

The salespersons opinion was similar to Sp!kes in thatthe cost of a SD card is so little I may as well not worry. He aslo said SmartMedia is older technology, assosiated with older cameras, so any camera that takes it will almost certainly be more than 6 months old and in the last 6 months shutter speed etc has sped up, so better to get a newer camera and benefit from the other features that have advanced lately.

They did not have a Nikon Coolpix 3100.

I may go to a larger Jessops store to try and see one.

If I can get the Nikon + a new 128 card for about £300 then I'll probably go for it.
 
I bought a Nikon Coolpix 775 about 14 months ago and like the other Coolpix owners I really like it, very small, user friendly and gives about 8 seconds of video as well . At 2.1 I find I still get really good prints.

yOnly and major thing wrong with it was that we went to Maui a few weeks ago and on arriviing home was dead. Betsbuys wanted a minimum $179 deposit to send it off for repair. Went to specialist shop who said the sand killed it and it was the 3rd he had seen that morning with the identical problem. Said throw it away.

Managed to get a refurbished one for about $150. Didn't feel the need to upgrade.

So watch out for that sand!!!!
:cool:
 
Originally posted by GrahamC230K
Went to Jessops today and saw the Olympus C4000.

It's not what I would class as massive in size and would not put me off, but is certainly something you will know ou are carrying, certainly not any chance of it going in a pocket.

The salespersons opinion was similar to Sp!kes in thatthe cost of a SD card is so little I may as well not worry. He aslo said SmartMedia is older technology, assosiated with older cameras, so any camera that takes it will almost certainly be more than 6 months old and in the last 6 months shutter speed etc has sped up, so better to get a newer camera and benefit from the other features that have advanced lately.

They did not have a Nikon Coolpix 3100.

I may go to a larger Jessops store to try and see one.

If I can get the Nikon + a new 128 card for about £300 then I'll probably go for it.
Click to expand...

If you can't get a hold of one .. ill have my 3100 at the gtg you can have a wee play with the cam there
 
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