I've since discovered what he meant. He
was talking about a card that flips open
to reveal a USB plug that goes right
into the PC port -- or the end of a
cable if you don't have a USB socket on
the front of the PC. I've also been told
that the *ist D uses Compact Flash cards
and not SDs. Great! All I have to do now
is go to the city with my Visa Card and
get a Sandisk Type II CF card.
As far as the microscope goes,
preliminary pictures will be probably
taken as TIF or maybe even JPG before a
final RAW image when all is ready. There
is a PC screen next to the microscope
which will be used as a 'viewfinder'
rather than the binocular, or the camera
viewfinder (impossible). It's much
easier to follow motion on a 12"
monitor, leaning back in a relaxed
position, than crouching over the
binoculars -- and moving the stage in
the wrong direction quite often. I've
been doing this for decades and still
make that mistake sometimes.
Don
Lasse Karlsson wrote:
Yes, you will have to get a card where the camera writes the picture files.
The dealer simply meant that, when transfering image files from the card
to the computer, you will do so through the USB port on your computer.
The way I do it, is simply using a cable supplied with the camera
(Canon). One end of the cable is always plugged in to my USB port, the
other end I will plug into the camera whenever I want to transfer images
to the computer and my Canon software will tell that the camera is
connected and open a window where I click to get the images transferred
from the card (still in the camera) to a folder of choice on my hard drive.
(You will also get some Pentax software that you need to uinstall, which
will then take care of the transferring as well as processing for you.
Others will give you good advice on using it and on alternatives to the
Pentax software.)
Now, you can also get a card reader, which means that you will take the
card out of the camera, plug it into the reader (connected by a cable to
a USB port), which then will read the files off the card and transfer
them to your computer.
Cards have different writing speeds. However there is a limit to the
speed that the camera can use, why it would be a waste of money to buy
the fastest cards available. (Someone else will fill you in on what the
D can use.)
I use a 2 gig (CF - not SD) card (and a 256 back up). However some
people prefer using smaller cards just in case something goes wrong and
they won't lose too many images.
I understand you are doing a lot of macro through a microscope, where
everything is very delicate and you will always need the absolute best
quality, which would be shooting RAW files instead of Jpegs. RAW files
are bigger than jpegs why you may want a card of some capacity not to
having to interrupt your shooting.
Btw. after transferring your files to the computer, you will erase the
images on your card, unless you want to save some of them on your card
as well.)
Good luck,
Lasse
----- Original Message ----- From: "Don Williams" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, October 20, 2005 1:58 PM
Subject: More ignorance -- help needed again
The *ist D is on the way, but without a card. What do I get? I'm quite
sure any number of SD cards will work, but what's the best value for
money? I've just been talking to a dealer who offered me a Sandisk 512
Type II card but I'm not sure I know what he meant when he said it
would go into my USB port? Does Sandisk sell cards with readers? Or
some kind of an adapter? Anyway I'd like to know what the recommended
cards are so I can get one before the camera gets here. Does the
camera have any internal memory? I know there's a buffer, of course,
but cannot find out if the camera will work at all without a card.
Don
--
Dr E D F Williams
_______________________________
http://personal.inet.fi/cool/don.williams
See feature: The Cement Company from Hell
Updated: Photomicro Link -- 18 05 2005
--
Dr E D F Williams
_______________________________
http://personal.inet.fi/cool/don.williams
See feature: The Cement Company from Hell
Updated: Photomicro Link -- 18 05 2005
