i want a good digital camera that accepts smart media cards

Also, remember that as you cannot violate the basic laws of physics and get low bass from a "small" speaker, a lens needs to be larger than a postage stamp to deliver an accurate image.

JMO.

Is that Photokina? Can the Public attend/purchase?, posted on February 2, 2005 at 06:48:46
howard	nt

Highly recommend Canon PowerShot A85..., posted on February 1, 2005 at 20:49:11

AbeCollins

I own three Olympus digital cameras. Only one of them is top notch (~$800 8-megapixel). The other two Olympus are only so so compared to the Canon PowerShot A85. I got the Canon for my Dad and will highly recommend it to friends and other family members. The menu system on the Canon is much better than the Olympus and frankly the picture quality, color saturation, and sharpness are also better right out of the box (w/o making any fine adjustments from the default settings). The PowerShot A85 is a 4 megapixel camera but I wouldn't get too hung up on that either because it does a better job than my 5 megapixel Olympus. The A85 was selling for about $250 before Christmas but the prices have probably come down quite a bit since then.

Also, don't get too hung up on SmartMedia cards as they've gone out of style and CompactFlash and other types have come down in price significantly. In other words, don't base your new camera buying decision on some old SmartMedia cards you may presently own. And one more note... don't buy your CompactFlash, XD, or other media cards from the retailer who sells you the camera. They're typically priced about twice what you can find them for online even at Amazon.com. Shop around for best pricing on CompactFlash but also be aware that some are faster than others so you may pay a slight premium for the faster card.... but you'll often pay too much if you buy them from most retailers.

There may be a recplacement in the works for the A85 but that will just make the current price on this model even more attractive. It's a fine camera.

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Canon PowerShot A85

I bought the SD 300, posted on February 1, 2005 at 22:30:39

RGA

I was debating on the A95/A85 and SD 300.

I was lucky with the SD 300 because I recently bought a laptop that takes the SD cards but not the compact flash cards - so I ended up with the right camera.

I don't think you can go too wrong with Canon - I chose the SD 300 because it's very small and even in the case can fit in my inside coat pocket. Basically, I figured I would use it much more if it were very small. The body is built very well and the LCD is large and very pleasing. It's also very fast and very easy to use. It also has a better video mode than the A95 and a newer digic processor downside is it's a rechargeable battery so you need a back-up and you have to get it from Canon.

It has less manual control and you pay for the compact size but so far it's got that cool James Bond aspect to it. Cool. Takes very good pictures better than I would expect from a very small camera.

Re: I bought the SD 300, posted on February 2, 2005 at 04:16:27

hifi heretic

..I bought the SD 300 for my wife for Christmas for precisely the same reason. It's so small it easily fits into her purse. I figured the easier it is to tote about, the more likely it is to be used. She has a big 35mm SLR rig that she uses for serious pictures.

Beautifully built! ..My only gripe is the battery/card door - a little on the flimsy side. But the all metal body is really quite impressive. The pics are fantastic.

Re: i want a good digital camera that accepts smart media cards, posted on February 1, 2005 at 19:58:46

Doc B.

There's not many brands besides Olympus that use the Smart cards anymore. Most of the less expensive cameras tend to use Secure Digital or XD and the fancy stuff uses Compact Flash. You might consider selling the cards with the Oly and starting fresh if you want to look at another brand.

To get short shutter lag you usually have to look at the higher end stuff, like DSLRs. However there are some fixed lens models that are getting known for being pretty quick. I think the Olympus E-10 is supposed to be pretty fast and takes smart cards too. But I have to ask - is the gear you are shooting moving? If not, shutter lag shouldn't be an issue ;^)> For great gear shots I would look for cameras with great lenses that can close down smaller than f8 and CCDs that have good dynamic range and color.

Bear in mind that great gear shots are part camera, and part lighting. A good light source away from the lens will help solve the hot spot problem, so figure a light source into the budget. It doesn't have to cost a lot, you can use $10 halogen work lamps and foam core board for reflectors. I did the one above with some fancy shmancy Nikon and Speedotron gear, but I've gotten good results with a $300 Oly D-460Z and halogens too.

link to a shot done with 1.3 MP Olympus and available light

Re: Fuji Is About The Only One Using Smart Media:, posted on February 1, 2005 at 21:09:38
Vinylly	Even now I think there dropping it and using XD. My Olympus Wide Angle 8080 has two slots, one for Compact Flash and the other XD. Better post at Shutterbug Strauss, you might get better advise if you can wake the dead.

Re: i want a good digital camera that accepts smart media cards, posted on February 1, 2005 at 19:53:56
The Rube	I run a couple small newspapers. We use Olympus digital cameras for quick snapshots because they are easy and have great lenses. You can move up to a used D-400 or D-450. They have zoom, easy controls and are fairly cheap on e-bay. I can't stress enough how dissappointed I have been with some other digital camera lenses.

Re: i want a good digital camera that accepts smart media cards, posted on February 1, 2005 at 18:56:11

Glen B

Check out the reviews at Steve's Digicams. The site has an excellent discussion forum.

Steve's Digicams

both are very good...., posted on February 2, 2005 at 10:38:46

AbeCollins
Audiophile

Posts: 46680
Location: USA
Joined: June 22, 2001
Contributor
Since: February 2, 2002

I got the A85 for my Dad 'cuz he would have a hard time working a smaller camera with his large hands.... and we like the fact that the A85 uses AA style batteries. In any case, it takes great pictures and for my next digital camera purchase (in a few years) I'll take a serious look at Canon.

My 'main' digital camera right now is the Olympus C8080 8-megapixel. While most cameras in this class have a broader zoom range, the C8080 has a faster lens, best battery life, and fastest 'boot up' time.

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Olympus C8080, posted on February 2, 2005 at 10:48:46

AbeCollins
Audiophile

Posts: 46680
Location: USA
Joined: June 22, 2001
Contributor
Since: February 2, 2002

I have an older Olympus C3030 that used SmartMedia but my most recent Olympus is the C8080. I have a 512mb XD and 512mb CompactFlash in it.

Do you know if this camera is compatible with the larger 1gb memory? When the C8080 first came out, 1gb memory wasn't available

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Re: I Don't Know, I'm Using The Same 512 mb., posted on February 2, 2005 at 17:25:51
Vinylly	.

Shutterbug Strasse

i want a good digital camera that accepts smart media cards

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