Views & Reviews |
Preface.
Digital cameras have rushed to market the past two years. We’ve seen significant developments, technological changes, and price reductions in that time. However, average street prices still tend to hover around $460 plus accessories. If you are looking f or high quality pictures, go elsewhere. Although these are good, solid cameras, none will produce the results of either a Nikon or $15 disposable. Frankly, print or slide quality is not the real purpose of these cameras. Use them for the intended purpos e and you’ll generally be satisfied. They are DIGITAL cameras that produce digital images for your PC presentation, a greeting card, family picture album, or illustrations for your web site. You can produce, for instance, overhead slides, but not of the same quality as other means. Look at various cameras, models, etc. and compare each one’s specifications. Handle the camera and take pictures in the store to see how it “fits”.
For a broader range of digital application software, please read the associated review, Digital Picture Software.
Editor
Ricoh RDC-300 Camera
This model is a pre-production model, but there were no “glitches” that would suggest a “beta” version. It works like a charm. It is compact, well-designed with a very nice, tilt-up LED screen - an excellent way to protect a vulnerable part of the camera . There is a convenient brightness adjustment for the display. The camera automatically comes on when the LED is lifted into the user position. You have three different resolution modes: Fine, 640x480, 25 images; Normal, 320x240, 50 images; and, Economy, 160x120 “thumbnail”, 100 images. Be cautioned about the batteries. One, the LED can use them quickly and two, this system is voltage-level sensitive. The documentation is extensive, and I could quickly find info on any topic and it was comprehensive. Th e package includes a carrying case and strap, four AA and one lithium batteries. The final model will have a 4 mm, f1:3.8 lens.
The overall handling qualities are very nice and the controls are well placed. The RECord and PLAY function is a simple slide switch as is the resolution mode selection. As in digital watches, the other function switches are dual-use. You can set the dat e for each photo session. Although I’ll cover software later, you can easily download to your PC in any of several formats. The preferred format is a .JPG file for color images and use on your web page or presentation. There is a convenient, covered area that houses the serial cable outlet to download to your computer (the computer cable is an extra cost item - don’t know why this important accessory is not standard!) or to your TV - accessory cable included. There’s a separate outlet for an A/C adapter , extra cost, but probably a real convenience.
There’s also a simple switch from “normal” lens operation to a “macro” in which you can be as close as 6” to the subject. This adds a simple, but effective range of usefulness to the camera. The final release of the camera will have an f1:3.8, 4mm lens. Lighting sources are different. Ricoh has provided a simple, easy-to-use exposure compensation control - just a switch labeled “+/-”. (For technical folk: this adjustment is +/- .5EV per step - not bad.) To use the flash mode, simply (there’s that “s” wo rd again) press the flash button and you are in the flash mode. However, I’d use it to illuminate relatively small areas only.
There are two other handy features. One is a whiteness balance control that will help compensate for various light sources: fluorescent, regular light bulbs and daylight. The “Auto” mode is the best default selection. The other is self-timer, which could n’t be simpler.
Now how do you use the images? You can send to your TV in the PLAY mode or to another camera or, most likely, download to your PC. The three-disk package of software was sufficient and provided a handy, easily understood interface. I simply plugged the s pecial PC serial cable (extra cost) into COM port 1 and clicked on “Download Ricoh Files”. The menu is a bit too basic in this case. I could only download all my images or one-at-a-time. I saved them into an “album”. The PhotoSuite (limited version) by ArcSoft is very nice and versatile. That is, there are a number of templates and many different backgrounds, etc. The edit tools are sufficient to make more than just basic changes to your pictures. You really can create your own photo album and decorate it to your heart’s content. But don’t let this suggest you can’t use it for business presentations, etc. I did find it difficult to find out how to bring my .JPG pictures into the program. I quickly made a birthday card and sent it off via e-mail. This camera is a good, basic, easily operated camera with software that can also help develop your web page. This camera has enough features and is easy enough to use, I’d call it a keeper! For more info go to http://www.ricoh.com .
Ann Tornay is a HAL-PC member and international travel photographer. She can be contacted at atornay@aol.com or clan1225@hal-pc.org .
Casio QV-120 Digital Camera
The Casio QV-120 is a great camera for digital imaging for direct downloading to TV, Internet, general purpose photos where quality is a prime consideration. LCD screens “eat” batteries, so do not spend too much time previewing your photos using the camera unless you have the AC adapter…a must have, optional accessory. Viewing your pictures direct from the camera to the TV is a lot of fun. If you don’t like a particular shot, delete it. The low battery light will also show up on your LCD.
When composing your picture, be sure to center your subject. In using the Zoom mode, if not centered you’ll lose some of the picture of your subject. I found this to be very annoying. The camera needs more control in framing the picture. In my estimation, the macro feature did not pay off. The Casio QV-120 has no flash for indoor shots. Use plenty of light behind you and be careful of reflections. There is little control between the two f. stops, f.2.8 and f.8, even when using the exposure control button.
If you’re camera trained, especially on SLRs, you’re trained to hold the camera with both hands with elbows touching your body. If you do that with this camera, you’ll partially cover the lens since the lens can rotate through 280 degrees. This is great for overhead shots, rotating the lens in relation to the camera. The controls on the Casio QV-120 are too small to change on-the-fly and not particularly convenient. There are two serial cables. One can connect to your PC’s PS/2 port and the other, and a dapter, to a regular 9-pin - COM ports 1 or 2. The two file formats available were .BMP and .JPG in three resolutions: 320x240 and 640x480 and thumbnail.
The on-line manual which was 187 pages long did not match the software so was virtually useless; however, the printed manuals - one for camera operations and one for the TWAIN software - were complete and easily understood. I would have preferred a perma nent cover for the screen - it is vulnerable to hand prints and damage when not in use.
The camera has a basic exposure indicator via a dot at the bottom of the screen. For pictures to import into your computer, send over the Net or for short term use like real estate MLS listings or insurance appraisers or PC presentations. Other features you might find useful include multiple pictures per page and two ways to electronically protect any of the pictures: “Protect” from deletion and “Hide” from view. Don’t look for high color quality, details, or high speed photography because this camera w as not intended for that use.
Now that I’ve taken pictures, how do I view and use them? The software is a snap to install and you don’t need to install all the programs or features. The brief setup menu contains a list of Casio cameras, but not this version - I selected the QV100 mod el and encountered no problems. The software will allow you to download from the camera all the photos or selective ones. Also, you can download into one of several standard formats - I used the .JPG format. You can create electronic photo albums, busine ss presentations, Internet web pages! Ixlaphoto software CD comes complete with drag-and-drop photo frames, photo stencils, and tiled backgrounds.
The software also contains dozens of templates into which you can easily insert your photo(s) - birthday cards, provisions for a travelogue, etc. Very nice touch. You can export into a standard format and send by e-mail to friends, relatives, or for busi ness purposes. As an alternative, there is a TWAIN compliant mode so you can bring a photo directly into any TWAIN capable program.
For more info go to http://www.casio.com . You’ll also find some nice special offers and additional template offers in the package.
Jean Smoorenburg is a HAL-PC member and active in the Genealogy SIG and can be contacted at jeans@hal-pc.org. Anthony Smoorenburg assisted in this review. He worked, as a boy, in his father’s print shop in the Netherlands and helped his Dad with the photography. Today, Anthony is owner of A.S.H. Automotive Service Equipment in Conroe, Texas and dabbles in phot ography as well as video capture and digital cameras as a hobby.
Epson PhotoPC and Epson PhotoPC500
The Epson PhotoPC looks and feels like a point-and-shoot film camera, with a viewfinder and a control panel mounted on top to provide a quick overview of the camera’s settings, number of shots taken, and battery status. It delivers pictures with bold, bright colors, and not too much contrast, both indoors and out. It features autofocus from 2 feet to infinity, an auto shut-off to conserve power, and built-in automatic flash with red-eye reduction (range 3 to 10 feet). With the combination of a minimum shutter speed of 1 /30 second and a maximum aperture of f/5.6, you’ll find yourself using the flash more often than not.
The camera comes with four AA alkaline batteries, but you can substitute longer life lithium or rechargeable NiCad batteries, or purchase the optional AC adapter ($99).
With 1MB of internal memory, the $399 original PhotoPC holds 16 shots at 640 by 480 resolution, or 32 if you go down to 320 by 240. If you need to shoot lots of pictures, you can capture between 40 and 80 images by upgrading the storage capacity with 2MB ($199) or 4MB ($299) memory modules. The $499 Epson PhotoPC 500 is an inch less wide than its predecessor, holds 30 images at 640 by 480, and has a port for an optional 1.8-inch color LCD screen ($199). The camera weighs about a pound without the LCD.
After taking the pictures, you simply connect the digital camera to your computer with the serial cable provided and then pick the images you want to transfer to your hard drive, taking about 20 seconds to upload each picture. From a thumbnail gallery of your images, you can select the ones you want to keep. The EasyPhoto software is a snap to install either on a Macintosh or PC running Windows 3.1 or 95. Images are saved in the camera as 35- 65K .JPG files, but can be converted to larger .BMP files whi ch approach a megabyte in size. Images captured at 640 by 480 have more detail, and “snapshot size” photos can be printed. Pictures can be transferred and edited using the EasyPhoto software or any TWAIN-compliant program. The Epson digital camera accept s 37 mm videocamcorder accessory lenses and filters, as well as a wide angle lens. A set of three lenses that can be used singly or together is available for $79-$99, as well as a tripod to steady the camera for close-up shots ($22).
If you take pictures from your computer, you will see a “live preview” of each image before you capture it, a helpful feature if you are using a close-up lens.
However, taking pictures using the “live preview” or the color LCD screen uses a lot of battery power. In addition, the viewfinder is prone to annoying glare, so images seem far less lit than they will appear in the captured images. This camera is a good value for the casual user who wants to quickly post simple photos on a Web page or paste them into a newsletter, database record, or presentation. We imported some of our digital images into PowerPoint and printed them through a Polaroid Palette film re corder to quickly produce good quality slides cheaply.
However, the savings in time, film, and processing charges still cannot replace the image quality of film to produce a high-quality glossy ad campaign.
The digital camera images look pretty good on a monitor, but if you print a 640-by-480 image, you’ll only get a baseball card-size printout of decent quality that cannot be enlarged.
The documentation is excellent, but the camera is so easy to use that you can figure out most of the controls without ever opening the User’s Guide.
More information is available at Epson America, Inc., Torrance, CA 800/289-3776, http://www.epson-usa.com, or CompuServe: GO EPSON. Accessories can be ordered from Epson at 800/873-7766 or DC-Pro at 800/522-7835.
Beverly Rosenbaum is a HAL-PC member.
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Last modified: 1997:09:30