I'd like to respond to some of the issues raised during the interesting discussion of digital cameras. I had trouble posting during the discussion, but I'll try again.
First, available light, which means low light photography. I find my Canon Powershot s50, 5 megapixels, is amazingly good shooting indoors without flash. I see excellent color and reasonable "grain." I shoot a lot of pictures in this mode. One of the unrecognized advantages of a lot of megapixels is that the "digital noise" that develops when the signal must be amplified from the sensor in low light is actually reduced on a high resoluton camera. Digital noise is very similar to grain in chemical photography. It even looks similar. In film photography, using a larger format camera reduces that apparent grain size in an image: compare a shot on 35mm using TriX to a photo on the same film using a 2 1/4 camera. So it is in digital photography. Some list members comment that they get poor results in low light. Maybe one reason is that I think you need to set the camera at a higher "film speed" to get good results. Counting on the automatic exposure feature to choose higher speed doesn't always work well. The photos I take with my Canon set at 400 film speed closely resemble the shots I used to print in the darkroom from the Kodak 1000 speed color negative film I loved so well. It is very satisfying. In fact, it is amazing to me that a little camera in my pocket can do so many things so well, from grainy low light work to smooth, elegant scenics to pretty darn good videos. Ten years ago it would have take a shoulder braking bag full of cameras to do the same work. Batteries. I used to agree that cameras using AA batteries was the way to go since you could get power in a pinch at any drug store. I found excellent aftermarket batteries for my Canon for about $12 each so now I have three. I have never run out of juice. And they are much smaller than AAs. So look on the web for the availability of cheap backup batteries before you decide which camera to buy. Video. The newer cameras, including my Canon, actually do a pretty good job with video. Mine can shoot 3 minutes continuously. Ten seconds after it shuts down, it's ready for another 3 minutes. It's great to have a capable video camera in my pocket when my 5 year old does something cute and I fill DVDs with these video snapshots. They must be scaled 225% in Final Cut to fill the screen, but I think they look better than when displayed on the computer enlarged on the fly with Quicktime. I think they look as good as the 8mm movies my parents took and they have good sound. I don't use my DV video camera much anymore. Hope this helps. Rich -- G-List is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | -- We have Apple Refurbished Monitors in stock! | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> G-List list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/g-list.shtml> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/g-list%40mail.maclaunch.com/> iPod Accessories for Less at 1-800-iPOD.COM Fast Delivery, Low Price, Good Deal www.1800ipod.com
