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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 19, 2010 2:47:43 GMT
They are the first pics from this little jewelthat I bought this afternoon ~~ I walked into the house & only turned on the kitchen light. Dropped my bag on the counter, pulled out the camera & snapped. It was quite dark in the adjacent room -- far too dark to read, for instance. Not bad focus and color for that, particularly since I didn't fool with any settings. I chose the camera reading reviews online. This also exposed me to the price in the US. Suffice to say that I almost threw up when I discovered what it cost here. Speaking of cost, the saleslady (who was excellent) is trying to get me to buy the extended warranty. It would be for two years, on top of the one-year warranty that comes from the manufacturer. It's 479 pesos, or almost 40 bucks US or CAD. That seems pricey, but I'm also skittish because of how much it cost me to get my (now totally non-functioning) Samsung, bought in the US, fixed here. Of course the Panasonic is supposedly a much better camera, so theoretically less likely to malfunction. I have until Saturday to make up my mind. Make it up for me, please!
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Post by fumobici on Nov 19, 2010 3:34:38 GMT
Nice camera. Don't ever buy an extended service agreement. Don't. Ever. The store has done the math better than you can and priced it to make themselves a tidy profit. This goes for all products from electronics to cars.
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 19, 2010 3:38:23 GMT
Thanks, Fumobici. That's always been my stance about those warranties. I would not consider it at all it it weren't for the fact that there is only one (1!) person in Oaxaca who fixes cameras. He charged me @60 dollars to make the lens work on the Samsung.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 19, 2010 5:56:55 GMT
That's the same camera I have, but mine is one step up in terms of zoom. I love the way they compensate for low light.
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 19, 2010 6:01:25 GMT
Do you use the settings when you go out and about, or rely on the "intelligent" setting?
I'm really encouraged knowing that you have the same one, as your night pictures are great.
The macro capacity seems awfully good for this level of camera. Can't wait to start experimenting with that.
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Post by myrt on Nov 19, 2010 7:22:19 GMT
Nice place, Bixa! I love a nosie at people's homes........ ;D I NEVER buy extended warranties either - total waste of time and money....but then I hardly ever buy anything brand new! Looks like a pretty good camera too - I look forward to loads of pics...
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Post by onlymark on Nov 19, 2010 7:38:06 GMT
Jeez, bixa, you've gone and bought a Panasonic. You've obviously not read the very recent report on them from the Campaign to Remove Awful Pictures in association with Camera Avoidance Magazine, Europe, Russia And Slovenia - (C.R.A.P. C.A.M.E.R.A.S. for short).
They clearly state that Panasonic cameras are only made first thing on a Monday morning and last thing on a Friday afternoon by sections of the prison population of Liechtenstein. The parts used to assemble the cameras are imported from derelict factories in Kazakhstan left over from when the USSR imploded. As regards the standard of materials used there is a generally accepted scale amongst the manufacturing world of quality ranging from 1 - (excellent) to 10 - (very poor). Apparently the stuff used for your camera is a momentous three hundred and forty seven - (rated as much use as a chocolate fire guard, a chocolate teapot, an ashtray on a motorbike, a pogo stick in quicksand, a windscreen wiper on a submarine, as useless as a one armed trapeze artist with an itchy arse).
Just thought I'd let you know.
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Post by onlymark on Nov 19, 2010 7:40:56 GMT
I walked into the house & only turned on the kitchen light. Dropped my bag on the counter, pulled out the camera & snapped. But only after spending the previous two hours tidying up, then walking out the house, closing the door and then going straight back in again.
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Post by onlymark on Nov 19, 2010 7:43:54 GMT
By the way, the far edge of the carpet isn't parallel with the small step in to the kitchen and archway. Don't you just find that annoying when that happens?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 19, 2010 8:01:49 GMT
Do you use the settings when you go out and about, or rely on the "intelligent" setting? I almost always leave it on "intelligent." That way at least one of us knows what to do.
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Post by hwinpp on Nov 19, 2010 10:06:45 GMT
Let me know how it shoots.
Oh, it doesn't have the Leica or Leitz lens anymore?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 19, 2010 10:22:45 GMT
Mine has a Leica lens.
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 19, 2010 17:18:09 GMT
Well, I can report that the fascinating macro feature so easily demonstrated in the store yesterday has completely eluded me so far.
Yikes, Myrt ~~ the house is a total work in progress right now. The stoopid painters left nails and screws in the wall. The picture in the photo was just hung on one of those to get it out of the way for the moment. When I whip the place into shape I'll send you a picture so you'll have a better impression of me.
Mark, you are the best! I should have checked with you before buying the damned thing. It's a moot point now, anyway. When I was reading the instruction manual, it directed me not to use the camera as a base for a candle.* As I'd already done that in order to have light to read by, the camera now needs to be replaced. I'll ask you before buying anther one! *I'm not making that up!
As for the tidying up ~~ ha! You never heard of cropping a picture?
HW, Kerouac's camera has the Leica lens, mine does not. This was addressed in the reviews I read, & I decided that for the moment, the FH20 was fine for my needs. Actually, I was lucky to get it, as apparently it's only now being introduced here. Kerouac, is yours the Panasonic Lumix ZR1?
Mine: The DMC-FH20 features a newly developed 28mm wide-angle* high quality LUMIX DC VARIO lens with powerful 8x optical zoom (35mm camera equivalent: 28-224mm) into a slim, compact body. Comprising 9 elements in 7 groups, including 3 aspherical lenses with 6 aspherical surfaces, this advanced lens unit realizes the outstandingly slim and compact body, yet achieving exceptional optical performance.
I have no idea what that means. I am slowly accepting that cameras might need to be replaced every couple of years. If I can learn to use the features on this one, and if I can become better at picture-taking, I guess I'll reward myself with a better camera next time around ........ or maybe I'll be happy enough with this one.
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 19, 2010 17:22:48 GMT
Oh -- question:
Does the type of memory card have any bearing on camera performance? I thought that it was only a matter of how much one wanted to store on the card, but apparently there's more to it than that.
Also, can I put my old memory card in the new camera, or is that a bad idea? (I've already purchased a new SD 2 GB Kodak memory card. Should I trade that in for something better?)
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Post by Deleted on Nov 19, 2010 20:09:48 GMT
Wow Bixa,nice!!! And ,are these your new digs? : Wow again...I'm impressed!!!! As for memory cards,I was told recently by a professional photographer that one should always use a card reader when loading pictures onto the computer,and, to always use a new memory card in a new camera. I'm sure there are many schools of thought on this but,I took his word for it,so paranoid am I of f'ing up my new camera. Congrats!!!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 19, 2010 20:34:49 GMT
My camera is the DMC-T27.
My only knowledge of memory cards is that the older readers can't read a 4MB card. I generally use a 2MB card.
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 19, 2010 21:55:23 GMT
Great feedback ~ thanks.
That is really good to know, Casimira, especially since I have a card reader already. Ditto about the new memory card. I wanted to start out with a new one, but was wondering if the old one could be used as back-up, or is there a danger of virus or something.
And thanks for the nice words about the house. I really love the place, but am lagging about whipping it into shape.
My thinking was that the amount stored on a 2MB would be ample, as I usually unload my pics promptly. I suppose if I were going out of town & wanted to take lots of photos, I could get another card. The one in my old camera is 1GB.
That's a hugely desirable camera, Kerouac! Your recent botanical pictures and night-time shots really show its worth. (& your talent)
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Post by hwinpp on Nov 26, 2010 10:18:53 GMT
Bix, there's also a bit of a speed issue. Some cards can get 'written' on faster, meaning they store much faster than normal ones.
Jack, good to hear you do have a Leica objective. I googled a photo and didn't see it.
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 26, 2010 15:24:29 GMT
HW, would a different card help me take better pictures, then?
When I read all the reviews before buying a camera, one thing that was always mentioned was recovery speed -- how quickly you can take the next picture. So some of that has to do with the camera itself, right?
So, same question as above: would a different kind of card be helpful?
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Post by imec on Nov 26, 2010 16:15:39 GMT
No. Higher speeds only really useful if you're taking "bursts" of pictures consisting of many shots - in which case the camera's buffer could become overloaded... oh, and they can be useful for video too. have a look here
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 26, 2010 16:28:08 GMT
Wow -- that is really helpful! Would you consider posting the link in the Equipment sub-board on Image Bank, please? anyportinastorm.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=fotoequipmentThat is the kind of information that will be referred to over and over. Since I just saw the link, I haven't really read it well yet. Can you tell me if it's safe to use a card from a previous camera in the new camera? There is simply not much choice in what to buy here. I bought a Kodak card with the Lumix, but the card in my old camera is a 1GB SanDisk. It would be so handy to take the big memory on vacation, for instance.
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Post by hwinpp on Nov 27, 2010 5:08:10 GMT
As Imec re the card writing speed.
Of course you can. I'd format it and push it into the new camera. No problems at all. I do that too.
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 27, 2010 5:13:54 GMT
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Post by thill25 on Mar 18, 2011 21:34:06 GMT
Nice camera! ;D I love my Panasonics...LX3 and G2. I used large SD cards (8 gb for the LX3 and 32 gb for the G2) mainly because I'll keep pictures on them for months before uploading them to the PC. [I'm just getting around to some of these older threads ]
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Post by Deleted on Mar 18, 2011 21:50:37 GMT
I am always afraid that something might happen if I do not upload pictures rapidly (what could happen?) -- so there are certain times of year where I upload photos every day, often 40 or 50 photos -- sometimes 200 or more if I have been at an "event."
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Post by thill25 on Mar 18, 2011 22:02:38 GMT
I guess worse case scenario would be that the memory card croaks. I wish I took 40 -50 pics a day! I really need to get out and about more. What site are you uploading pics to? I have my Flickr account but I didn't really want to clog that up with my random/crappy photos.
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 18, 2011 22:58:55 GMT
Thill, this thread covers a little bit about a couple of the hosting sites. Photobucket is hugely popular. It can make you crazy, but overall is a good photohoster. photobucket.com/You might want to check out Imgur, as well. It's pretty straightforward. So far, I only use it when uploading one or very few pics, but it has tools & add-ons I haven't tried yet. imgur.com/Thill, or anyone -- please make any tutorial or q&a threads you wish in the Image Bank sub-boards. Also anyone can ask & answer questions in the existing threads. Rikita (a contributor to the IB sub-boards) suggested that the "read this first" message made people think they could not. The message was just meant to discourage random chat in threads meant to be instructional.
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Post by thill25 on Mar 19, 2011 14:24:02 GMT
Thanks...Have you tried Picasa?
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 19, 2011 16:20:52 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2011 18:51:23 GMT
What site are you uploading pics to? I have my Flickr account but I didn't really want to clog that up with my random/crappy photos. Actually I meant download -- into the computer, obviously. Maybe about half of my photos later get uploaded, usually to Photobucket.
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