Hi Sandra & Chris,
The negatives show the other people and I did wonder if it was a used film. I purchased the films at different times, in packs of 5, all fuji brand. It remains a puzzle!
I have decided to go digital as all the nice BB members have suggested but I am cross-eyed comparing all the brands and functions they offer. Do like a Panasonic one that the store owner let me play around with (the benefit of living in a small town) but have not made my final decision yet.

Scottie,
If you are going to go digital a piece of advice I got at the store was to choose one that had a viewfinder. He said the pictures come out better when you look through the view finder instead of the screen because you hold the camera still up against your face. When you use the screen sometimes your hands move. Also if you shut off the screen view when taking pictures you save on the battery power. It still comes on after you take a picture for you to view the picture and then shuts off again. Love my digital and glad I got one.

Dot,
what kind of camera do you have? The only thing I don't like about the Panasonic I have been looking at is the fact it does not have a viewfinder.
Oh well, back to the drawing board

OK Scottie, I'm about to help a neighbor with camera selection so I've drawn up a list of questions to find out what camera they need. Without knowing these things no-one can advise you sufficiently. Here's the questions:

1) Type of camera: a)SLR b)SLR type c)compact d)ultra compact
2) Price up to $_____
3) largest size of prints that you will want to have made: a)6x4" b)5x7" c)10x8" d)poster size?
4) Types of photography you want to do: a)portrait b)group shots c)Holiday [duh] d)Landscapes e)Sport f)macro g)night shots h)movie clips i)time-lapse j)wildlife k)available light ie no flash.
5)Purpose - how will you use the images: a)web b)album c)frame and display d)competition e)sell
6)Your knowledge/skill level a)Basic b)Amateur c)Advanced d)pro{then why are you asking ME!)
7)Viewfinder preference: a)optical b)optical+LCD c)LCD only
8)Battery/memory/film preferences or other accessories already owned.
9)other preferences

Answer these and people will be able to give you much better advice. Show them to a camera salesperson and you'll get much better service. Answer them here and I'll give it a shot.

If you've got any questions just ask.

Regarding viewfinders, an SLR will always have an optical viewfinder, and an "SLR type" will always have an electronic/optical viewfinder. Compact cameras almost always have an optical viewfinder. They will fit in a large purse or a jacket pocket and may take AA batteries. Ultra compacts are the slimline types that are becoming very popular because they will fit in a shirt pocket or small purse. They often do not have an optical viewfinder and almost always use a proprietory slimline battery.

I usually recommend a camera that takes 'AA' alkaline or rechargable (NiMH) batteries because AA alkalines are available everywhere even in a one shop town.

Regarding skill level, consider if you want to take photography a little more seriously, you might want a camera that has a few more features than you need right now. You could circle a and b for example, and it would be understood that you are currently at the basic level but would like a camera that has features that will help you progress to the next level of photography. For example an basic camera would be fully automatic wrt to focus and exposure, it might have a few "picture" modes. A camera suitable for an amateur would allow shutter or aperture priority exposures, and an advanced camera would have both shutter and aperture priority, and probably manual exposure and focus as well.

Chris.

Hi Scottie,

Do go digital you won't look back!

I suggest:

You assess your use; if you are not going to print poster size prints, starting at 3.2 is just fine as a begginer camera-I'm starting my 3rd year on my Canon Powershot A70.

It dDefinitely has to fee good in your hands - so try them out.

Get one that has "IS" an image stability feature - mine does not have it and night shots are a horror to master.

Buying one that uses rechargeable individual AA size NiCad batteries is a plus. In a pinch if you a caught with dead batteries, store bought AAs can always be bought on the fly as a substitute till you recharge.

A view finder is a must for me; but one can learn to live with out one I suppose.

Good luck - once you do it, you will find it amazing.

Has anyone who's relatively recently gone digital prior to a trip, also taken their old film camera with them as backup? Or did you not bother with the film camera, & just take the digital camera?

cheers,
ClareS

We usually take a digital camera, and a film camera on big trips. I use the Digital and my wife uses the film camera. On our trip to Morocco and Italy, the new 1Gb memory card somehow became corrupted, and I lost a large block of my Morocco shots, leaving us only our video and old fashioned film photos. There is still a place for both.

Hi Clare, the first year I took my 35mm point and shoot film camera along with my new digital. I no longer take the film camera and it sits in a draw waiting for a decision as to it's worthiness of taking up space there. As Steve mentioned you can always bring it along. I have reduced my travel "what Ifs"

On our last tour, we took a 35mm camera for slides in addition to a Canon digital.

Why slides you ask? During the year I present special slide programs at various clubs.

Cat's

quote:

Originally posted by ClareS:
Has anyone who's relatively recently gone digital prior to a trip, also taken their old film camera with them as backup? Or did you not bother with the film camera, & just take the digital camera?

cheers,
ClareS

Clare I bought my digital shortly before going on a tour last year but took my 35mm camera with me also, mainly to use up film that I had. I shot film in Portugal and digital in Spain. I doubt that I'll take the 35mm again on a tour, as I'm now used to the 'easiness' of the digital. ciao

quote:

Originally posted by Cat's Inheritance:
On our last tour, we took a 35mm camera for slides in addition to a Canon digital.

Why slides you ask? During the year I present special slide programs at various clubs.

Cat's

Cat...why not use a laptop and a digital overhead projector?

quote:

Originally posted by Pauline:

quote:

Originally posted by ClareS:
Has anyone who's relatively recently gone digital prior to a trip, also taken their old film camera with them as backup? Or did you not bother with the film camera, & just take the digital camera?

cheers,
ClareS

Clare I bought my digital shortly before going on a tour last year but took my 35mm camera with me also, mainly to use up film that I had. I shot film in Portugal and digital in Spain. I doubt that I'll take the 35mm again on a tour, as I'm now used to the 'easiness' of the digital. ciao

So Pauline, if you hadn't had the film to use up, would you still have bothered taking your film camera along with your digital camera?

I don't have any film at the moment that I need to use up, so if I did take the film camera as well, I'd need to get some film to take. hmmm... will it fit in with the kitchen sink she ponders!
cheers,
ClareS

ps. thanks everyone else for the comments
(you do have a good point SteveH)

quote:

Originally posted by ClareS:
So Pauline, if you hadn't had the film to use up, would you still have bothered taking your film camera along with your digital camera?

For me, I prefer film for some things. It's not unusual for me to have a digital camera for landscapes and a film camera with B/W film and some fast lenses for architecture and available light shots. There's things that I can do with film that I can't do with digital yet, so yes, I'll have a digital (Fuji S5600) and a film camera (Pentax M42 SLR) with a few smaller lenses. I may be a dying breed, and I certainly don't advocate that everyone carries two systems unless they've got a dire need.

Regarding backup of digital images: It was recommended to me to get two copies of the memory card made on CD. One you mail home and the other you keep with you. The idea is that if anything happens to your baggage then there's still be CDs of your images waiting at home for you. It seems like overkill, but accidents do happen.

It's also important to get those backups done regularly. 512MB cards fit nicely on a CD. 1GB cards do not. You should also format the card in the camera from time to time. Never format the card in a card reader or as a mass storage device on your computer as this will most likely cause problems in the camera. (I won't go into too many technical details but logical track 0 on a camera memory chip is a media identifier that the camera needs, track 0 on a mass storage (computer) device is the boot track.) Most problems occur when the track 0 or the file allocation tables become corrupted.

Another alternative to carrying lots of memory is the PSD (portable storage device) which you can use to copy your camera memory. It's also a lot cheaper.

Chris

Hi Chris,
my film camera is only a compact one - not an SLR, so that's why I'm tossing up re the need to take it as well as the digital one (which isn't D-SLR, its also a compact).

I'm taking 3 x 512MB memory cards with me so hopefully that will do it (I can always delete the really crap pics as I go). Yes, my camera manual put the fear in me about ever formatting memory cards in anything but the camera itself!
Cheers,
ClareS

quote:

Originally posted by ClareS:
Hi Chris,
my film camera is only a compact one - not an SLR, so that's why I'm tossing up re the need to take it as well as the digital one

Hi Clare, it doesn't sound like you need to take the film camera. Just get confident with the digital and you should have no problems.

If something ever did happen to the digital (heaven forbid) then don't forget you could always buy a $20 film point and shoot at any camera store and almost any supermarket. There's also the one time use cameras. The Kodak Panorama one time use camera has the best picture quality of any disposable camera and will beat most point and shoots at wide angle photography. It has a multi-element lens and a curved film plane to correct focus and distortion. A really clever little design but they're not stocked everywhere.

Disposable cameras are also great for places you don't really want to take a good camera. Jet boat rides, bungee jumping, that sort of thing.

Chris.