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camera advice, please

  • Jun. 30th, 2009 at 11:11 AM
Dr. Horrible 03
OK, I know I've got some photography experts on my flist, so I turn to you for some advice, please:

I've had a digital camera for 6 or 7 years now. For the past few years, I've discovered that it freaks out in natural light. If I take a photo outdoors - or even near a window - the whole photo washes out. Even my sun-free pics tend to have a greenish tinge to them (usually fixable in a photo program). I've tried to figure out what the problem is, to no avail.

So, does anyone have suggestions? Might this be a simple matter of a meter set too high or something, or is it beyond hope and I need a new camera?

If I do need a new camera, any suggestions there? I don't need anything fancy; just something I can take some snapshots with - and cake photos, of course! I'm entering an online cake contest soon, and the photos have to be crystal-clear!
  • Mood: hopeful

Comments

( 15 comments — Leave a comment )
[info]darph_bobo wrote:
Jun. 30th, 2009 07:49 pm (UTC)
What model do you have? There's a possibility of a white-balance setting of some kind (and, IIRC, there's been significant advancement in that over the past few years.)
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[info]talonstrike wrote:
Jun. 30th, 2009 09:17 pm (UTC)
Re: significant advancement, I was thinking this too... digital cameras are still a relatively young technology, and a camera that old might just have issues that have been ironed out of newer models.
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[info]ladycrim wrote:
Jun. 30th, 2009 10:21 pm (UTC)
That's an excellent point. It would also be nice to have a camera that runs on AA batteries instead of a $13 specialty battery.
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[info]kelkelrenee wrote:
Jun. 30th, 2009 08:56 pm (UTC)
If you don't get a new one in time and need some pix taken with my camera... let me know!
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[info]ladycrim wrote:
Jun. 30th, 2009 09:09 pm (UTC)
Thanks, hon!
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[info]funjon wrote:
Jun. 30th, 2009 10:02 pm (UTC)
Assuming that you aren't interested in getting into the big SLR realm that Neal and I are in...

I am a big fan of the Canon Powershot SD point-and-shoot series. They will all definitely do what you want, it's all a matter of features (and it really comes down to a matter of megapixels - ~8 would be plenty for your needs). I love mine to death.
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[info]ladycrim wrote:
Jun. 30th, 2009 10:20 pm (UTC)
Thank you! I was contemplating the PowerShot as a replacement camera. I'm leaning towards the PowerShot A480. Thoughts?
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[info]funjon wrote:
Jun. 30th, 2009 10:25 pm (UTC)
I've not used the A-series cameras. I have an SD750, and love it. The SD790 would be pretty equivalent (with a higher resolution sensor). The screen is smaller on the A840, so ymmv. I personally would hold out for the SD790 IS.
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[info]ladycrim wrote:
Jun. 30th, 2009 11:11 pm (UTC)
Hmm, seems at least $70 more. Is it worth it?
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[info]tarzxf wrote:
Jul. 1st, 2009 01:11 am (UTC)
The base reason for the greenish tint is fluorescent lighting have a green tint that we don't perceive, but cameras, film or digital, pick up quite nicely.

I have the SD950IS in my pocket at all times (titanium body, yay), and it's the second (lost #1 at a MV Show) and it's quite worth it.

The A480 is $111 on amazon right now, and the main difference I can see is it uses AA batteries rather than the Li-ion battery pack of the PS-SD line.
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[info]ladycrim wrote:
Jul. 1st, 2009 02:15 am (UTC)
OK, but why does it wash out in sunlight?

If that's the main difference, then the A480 is the one for me!
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[info]midorisour wrote:
Jul. 1st, 2009 09:20 am (UTC)
Sorry to butt in, but... I'd definitely opt for a camera with a bigger screen and a rechargeable battery.
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[info]cauldroncakebkr wrote:
Jul. 1st, 2009 01:33 am (UTC)
I don’t know squat about cameras other then point it at what you want to take a picture of and press the button. But you have to tell me more about this online cake contest.
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[info]ladycrim wrote:
Jul. 1st, 2009 02:14 am (UTC)
http://www.threadcakes.com/

Basically, you pick a design from this company's t-shirts and re-create it in cake form.
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[info]midorisour wrote:
Jul. 1st, 2009 09:18 am (UTC)
I think the problem of pictures being washed out by natural light might be caused by using the wrong ISO, shutter speed, or possibly f-stop... probably ISO or SS.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 - I call it my "Tizzy" even though I named it something else - is nice. Anything from the TZ series would probably be good, though I only know about the one I've got. It takes crisp pictures, the burst setting is fun to play with at shows, and uses a rechargeable battery that comes with it rather than AAs.

I've sworn off Canon's PowerShot series since the one I had (A570 I believe) was a total letdown. I ended up buying rechargeable AAs because it just ate up normal ones. It doesn't feel as sturdy as my TZ3 does.

I use my Nikon D40 (a DSLR) a LOT nowadays, though.
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( 15 comments — Leave a comment )