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argonautical
24-12-2002, 05:23 AM
Hi all

Thinking about buying a digital camera to take fishing with me, but have no idea about what to look for. There seems to be a very large price range which makes me think there must also be a big range in quality.

Would appreciate some advice on this topic. Thanks.

Argo

krazyfisher
24-12-2002, 11:06 AM
just went through this myself if it is for email and happy snaps spend about $100 got mine on ebay for $75 does the job but if you want good pics you need to spend $350-$1000 I like the kodak dc 320 I think it is but did not want $400 of camera wet or over the side I got the cheap digital for everday pics and have a disposible water prof camera for better pics about $14 and not a bad pic and after being scaned gives a better pic than the cheap digital not like a nikkon etc but having an open boat there can be abit of water around
the more you spend the better you get look for the pix count the higher the better.

team_mongo
24-12-2002, 01:53 PM
argo,

Depends on how much you want to spend and what you want to do with the pictures (computer only or do you want prints?).

Have a look at www.dpreview.com. It has excellent reviews on almost all the cameras on the market, including optics, features, construction and price (it in US$ - but still corelates well).

Remember to budget for another larger memory card.

Hope this helps.

Cheers
George

argonautical
24-12-2002, 02:07 PM
Krazyfisher and Team_Mongo - thanks for your input.

Don't really have a budget in mind, but was thinking around $500 (+/-). In terms of use, was thinking I would mainly load the pictures onto my computer, but would probably want prints of some. Didn't know that this was an issue. Figured you could just print from the computer. Could you explain that bit.Will check out website as suggested.

Phil

team_mongo
24-12-2002, 03:26 PM
Phil,
the reason for the ?what output question has got to do with resolution. Typically 300 dots per inch is a 'sharp' print (600 or 1200 would be crystal clear!) - and if you want only 6"x4" (standard prints) you'd need 1800x1200. A 2.1 megapixel camera is 1600x1200 - so this gives good 6x4's. If you do blow ups (say A4 or larger, a 2.1MP is not going to be good enough. To give you some comparison a 35mm slide scanned is approx 20M and is good for A1/A0. The top of the line digital cameras are 10-13MP and are worth $4000 US!

Its unlikely you'd be doing A1's or bigger but it gives you some idea of how file sizes increase exponetially with image size. So dont get too wrapped up in the resolution issue,as a 5MP will only give you 58% larger image (sqrt of 5MP/2MP) than a 2.1MP - that is a 8x6 print! If you are mainly doing stuff for the screen, unless you have a massive monitor (>21" - >1600x1200) then having a 5MP camera isnt going to add much unless you want to zoom.

So it depends on what you want to do with the pictures - this will determine the resolution and thus the 'scale' of the thing. Remember a 5MP camera's images are much bigger than 2.1MP cameras and thus use a lot more memory. The memory cards supplied are woefully inadequate, so put some money aside for that!

PS don't go for digital zoom, optical zoom is ALWAYS better.

Cheers
George

aquarius
24-12-2002, 03:55 PM
Hi Phill.....mate my digi camera cost me $750 about a year ago......1.3 megapixells......The price is much cheaper these days.
You should be able to buy a decent camera with 2.1 mega pix for around the $500 mark.
I can print out photos on glossy paper that look great but the price of the paper and the coloured ink does cost you $'s.
Good luck in choosing a camera that suits.
Cheers Brent

Fish_Shady
01-01-2003, 10:04 PM
I would suggest go for one of the SONY digital camera's that have a SPLASH or MARINE pack as an option. Salt air is extremely damaging to electronics and the pcb's will start to detoriate VERY quickly. With the SPLASH & MARINE packs SONY make for their Digital Still & Video cameras, they provide a positive seal from air & water. Being a technician I have seen first hand the damage salt air has done on only a couple of outings to a $4000 digital video camera. Once corrosion has started, it is impossible & uneconomical to rectify as most of these PCB's are 4 & 6layer designs and the only solution is to replace the entire circuit board or unit itself.

Having said all that I can recommend the SONY DSCP71 & DSCS85 Digital Still Camera. Both have excellent picture quality and very high resolution. I take the P71 wherever I go

argonautical
02-01-2003, 10:18 AM
Fish_Shady,
Most important to me that camera be able to cope with a marine environment - so thanks for that tip. Will look up the cameras you suggested. Can you give me an idea on how much they are.

Thanks
Argo

jack_attack
02-01-2003, 03:22 PM
If you go to www.sony.com.au and enter the product model numbers in to their search feature it will tell you all you want to know about them.

I have just done the same myself as my wife and I are also contemplating the digital camera thing but the mind boggles with the variety available.

swano
03-01-2003, 05:18 AM
ARGO mine is a nikon coolpix775 2mega pixel cost 700bucks , it's the same size as a packet of longbeach 50s so i put it in a tupperware container when fishing. if you want to take prints off it they cost about $1 per pic , so i dont worry about buying the propper photo paper. the best thing about it is that 24 photos saved on a digital would be the same as 10 rolls of normal film, because you can cull the crappy shots as soon as you take them and just keep all the corkers and do what you want with them. best of luck choosing http://www.ausfish.com.au/chat/images/smilies/cwm1.gif

bugman
03-01-2003, 08:20 AM
I bought the marine pack for the Sony P9 as an xmas present. It's $500 alone without the camera. We bought it for diving but it might be a bit of overkill for just protecting the camera in the boat. Combined with the camera the package is nearly $2,000. Can't wait for the day that it lets water in at sub 10 metres and it's all buggered. Warranty doesn't include letting water in. Go figure.

Bugman

argonautical
03-01-2003, 10:52 AM
Bugman
I had a look at the sony website and saw the cost at around $500. I mainly just want the camera to take fishing pics and was hoping to spend around $500 all up, so will pass on the splash pack in favour of the tupperware container used by Swano.

Had a look at the dpreview.com website and read reviews on the sony DSCP71 but still not much the wiser. I know exactly how Jack-Attack feels.

Argo

filkore
13-06-2003, 05:44 PM
U can get some good ones at Kmart for about $300 -
Kodak

dudley
14-06-2003, 03:11 AM
I recently bought a camera for the same purpose. I got a creative 850 pc-cam. 3.0 megapixels, 16mb internal card,giving me 17 photos at v high res. This cost me $239 at a computer shop on spec. It also has 76sec of video, and all the software you need. It is made by Agfa, about the size of a pkt of ciggies, and you can expand the memory by buying extra sticks.
I've used it for a while now, and it is a little ripper. I put it in a plastic container when not in use.
Hope this helps

Manson
17-06-2003, 04:34 PM
I am just getting used to buying a 2.0 Meg Canon from K-mart for $279. Best thing I have bought for a long time. I like others have already said just use a water proof container to keep it dry. I am doing the same as Swano, just take it to Kodak and get the good ones printed off. Have a good look around, there are litteraly hundreds of types out there. I think if you stick to the major brands you will get a camparable product, the companies can't afford to sell a dodgy product so they keep it as close to the next guys as possible.

sooty
18-06-2003, 04:55 AM
My son has recently purchased a Kodak model 4230 digital from K Mart $349 and it seems quite OK. Depends on picture quality settings on camera itself as to quality and storage capacity
See Ya Sooty

bluey123
24-06-2003, 01:30 PM
I bought a Nikon Coolpix 5700 (5 MP)...A bit pricey at $1800 but if you want near SLR quality and intend to blow up pics it is great. I take a lot of photos...Too bad I dont catch as many fish as I'd like but the scenery is always pleasant when fishing.

For any cameras or sensative equipment purchase an otterbox which is a waterproof box that floats if dropped overboard. I bought an Otterbox 5000 which can fit the digital camera and the small camcorder in together. At $66 including postage from WWW.SECURECASES.COM it is a great price. Cheapest alsewhere in Aust was around $90. They also sell smaller ones for GPS etc.

bluey123
25-06-2003, 01:23 PM
I also noticed that the Kmart in Chatswood (North side of Sydney) now does digital prints for 50 cents each. It wont be long until all the retailers start competing for the digital market and the beauty of digital is you only print the ones you want.

micra2c
30-06-2003, 05:45 PM
I have found a digital camera that would be ideal for us fishos. I want to get it but havent got the money at the moment. It is the Ricoh Caplio 300G. It is water resistant and dust resistant. Price: $1299

bluey123
05-07-2003, 08:05 AM
look for the review of above camera in this months NSW fishing montly...It certainly looks like a good one for around the water

griz066
06-07-2003, 04:27 AM
Have a look on http://au.user.sold.yahoo.com/au/user/digitaliquidator?

I just bought a sony p52 brand new with waranty, battery's and charger, memory stick and software for $275 aud.............$600 in shop

griz066
06-07-2003, 04:31 AM
That link may not work try this one.

http://au.user.sold.yahoo.com/au/user/digitaliquidator?