Camera blues (and yellows)

I bought a new digital camera, a Kodak DX3500. Overall, it has solid usability: other cameras have annoyed and irritated me far more.

One thing drives me crazy, though. When you're scrolling through the pictures and pull up the delete function, sometimes, but not always, it jumps to the first picture, not the picture you're on. If you're going too fast, you end up deleting the wrong picture. No way of getting back.

Nice features:

  1. The preview mode is accurate, and avoids any parallax issues for close-up shots. It operates at 20 frames a second and is a nice looking screen. Does tend to nail the batteries though.
  2. You can turn the flash off.
  3. The focus and exposure are both automatic. No waiting for the focus to snap into place like with other cameras, which I hate.
  4. The menus make sense: have clear language.

Annoyances:

  1. The focus and exposure are both automatic. Since it's fixed focus, I don't see that changing, but I would like more control over the exposure.
  2. The aforementioned jumping around when you're trying to delete things.
  3. The digital zoom quality is only good enough for web resolution, and then not for bigger images or tight crops.
  4. You cannot leave the self-timer as the default. I had one picture of my hand reaching for the camera.

Picture of sunglassesI was bored with the available lighting, so I used my Revo sunglasses as a filter, which worked pretty well, as Revo likes to brag about their optical quality lenses. (It's a Flash page). [Update 03/25/2004 - Link removed, but you can still go to Luxxotica, click on Brands, then Revo and be treated to a big Flash movie. In Italian, even though the page I was on clearly was in English. ]

(The indivdual entry contains more pictures).

OK, here's a few pictures. I don't plan to use a huge number of pictures, but I do plan to get relevant pictures, if I can take them of usability-related things without getting thrown out (sounds like a future entry). Click on any of the pictures for a bigger view.

The side of my apartment building, lit dustThe side of my apartment building, lit dust


A sunset as filtered by RevoFiltered by Revo.


Revo lenses backwardsThis shot was done with the Revos backwards.


Posted by Chad Lundgren on Wednesday, September 4, 2002 (Link)

Comments

Posted by Roslee Thursday, September 5, 2002 at 12:37 AM

Congrats on the new camera, Chad. These new-fangaled digital cameras are tempting, very tempting. However, I guess I am from the old school who prefer to be able to focus on ANYTHING I so desire up to the limits of the lens in use. For just casual photos, I have a couple of point and shoot 35mm cameras. For my GOOD photographs...like when I went to Carlsbad Caverns a few years ago. I took fabulous pictures without using the flash...just had to use my tripod and the cable. On the same trip I took some fun photos of fireworks and laser light shows. The extended time for the exposure turned the pictures into cool things. I like being able to fall back on my trusty Minolta 35mm camera. Just wnat to get more lenses. One of the properties I really appreciate in this camera is the flexibility. I can use full programmed settings....where the camera figures out the f-stop, exposure, etc., and I just concentrate on the focus. Or I can go all the way to the far side to having to set everything by hand. Robert helped me pick out this particular outfit, and even though it cost a pretty penny or two at the time, it has been well worth it!

The pictures you displayed were nice. I particualrly liked the last one with the "special effect" in use with your shades. Good to know that those sunglasses are good for something. I hope that you have lots of fun with your new toy. Keep showing me reasons to go digital and who knows, maybe an old dog can learn new tricks.

Posted by Vincent Monday, September 9, 2002 at 08:00 PM

bro get some
http://www.corrosion-doctors.org/Secondaries/ni-mh.htm
those type of batt and a charger they work well
Vincent