cameraspot

new stock / update

2011-04-20T07:44:00.000-07:00

We got some of the D3100s we ordered in stock in Philly, in Buffalo and out in Williamsville! If you've been thinking about getting one, NOW is the time to get them-- not only are supplies expected to be very tight for the forseeable future, given the damage Nikon took at their Sendai DSLR plant in Japan, but as of April 30th, Nikon's discontinuing their Instant Savings program. If you've been shopping around and noticing lots of places showing the D3100 on sale for $599.99, that's because of a Nikon Instant Rebate. They do not allow any of their dealers to advertise the cameras for a different price. And as of 4/30, that rebate ends, and there won't be another, so the effective price will return to $699.99.

So save $100 and actually get a D3100, before they go on indefinite backorder: come get one now, while we have them.

Relatedly, the much-anticipated Nikon D5100 has finally been shipped, so we're expecting those to be delivered tomorrow or the day after. We haven't seen one yet either, so we're pretty excited about that.

Supplies are getting a little low on most of our Nikon cameras, but we're expecting deliveries imminently. Call if it's crucial; we can't hold a camera for you, but we can if you pre-pay.

New DSLR from Nikon announced

2011-04-11T06:48:00.000-07:00

Nikon has just sent us the information packet containing the official announcement of the newest addition to their DSLR lineup, the D5100. It confirms a lot of rumors and speculation that have been going around online. The general consensus around the store is that this is going to be the go-to camera for the serious amateur videographer-- more full-featured (including a microphone jack!) than the D3100, lighter weight and more affordable than the D7000.

It has inherited an improved version of the D5000's vari-angled LCD screen, a feature that at the 5000's release seemed gimmicky, but now that it's gone, is much missed. (I must admit it's phenomenally convenient for what I call Lummox Mode: primarily useful when lummoxes decide that since you attended this event with a fancy camera, you must be here to film the backs of their heads. With a fixed LCD screen it's a little dicey trying to jump up and take pictures, but the vari-angled one lets you shoot easily over the top of obstinate people who insist on standing in front of you.)

It seems to be continuing a few of the themes Nikon has begun lately with their point-and-shoots, namely the scene recognition system and the 16 scene modes. This is pretty obviously targeted at the DSLR's consistently fastest-growing market: people trading up from point-and-shoots. These folks aren't going to shoot in full manual, and will be less familiar with the idea of the shutter and aperture priority modes than more experienced SLR users. They want the camera to do the metering for them, and benefit enormously from these scene modes, which allow them to give the camera more information with which to make the technical choices for them. It's the no-fuss school of photography: these are also the people interested in a lighter-weight camera body. Some get great results with these program modes, and some grow into the manual modes as they gain familiarity with their SLR.

Of course we haven't seen the D5100 yet-- it was just announced, not shipped-- but we hope to get our hands on it soon and see how it really stacks up. We'll keep you posted on what we think!

spring update

2011-03-22T08:29:00.001-07:00

Two quick things. We got an update from Nikon, that most of their facilities are expected to resume production this week. (They sent out a press release, which you can find here.) Unfortunately they did experience a few personal tragedies, and our heart goes out to the families of the lost.

They went on to say,

Even after operation resumes, we have a concern that the situation may happen where our production cannot fully satisfy our customers’ requirement due to inability of full swing production caused by problems such as the planned blackouts of electricity and procurement of components from our business partners. While we will do our utmost effort to overcome such expected difficulties, we will be most grateful if our customers could understand such circumstances.

It's safe to say that the world of camera manufacturing may look a little different for a while, and we hope shortages don't have an adverse affect. Most of all, however, we send our continued sympathies to the people of Japan affected by the tragedy.

But, life continues apace, and the best thing we can do is keep living it. So for a little more cheerful note to end this, we're continuing our film developing and print scanning specials.

Life is too fleeting not to preserve your memories, your personal history, your family's moments. Turn those mystery negatives into pictures; turn those pictures into digital files you can share with the extended family.

So, until March 31st, a reminder:

Up to 1200 prints in a shoebox, scanned to CD for $99.

$1 to develop, $3 develop and CD, $5 develop and prints for color film, minimum of 3 rolls

Bring 'em in. The time is now. And enjoy spring. It's been a long, gloomy winter, and we're ready to celebrate life and sunshine and healing.

Crossing Our Fingers For Our Friends

2011-03-15T10:14:00.000-07:00

As anyone involved in the imaging industry knows, the biggest powerhouse in the photographic market is Japan. Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Fuji, Tamron, Sigma: all, despite their global presence, are at their hearts Japanese companies. The earthquake and tsunami of March 11th, and its terrible aftermath, have left us holding our breath, waiting to hear from our manufacturers, suppliers, and friends.

Tamron e-mailed us to let us know that they sustained some damage to their manufacturing facilities but have so far had no reported injuries to their employees. They are shutting down for several days to deal with the rolling blackouts and assess their damage, but expect that they will be able to resume operations in the near future. A bulletin from their CEO and president, Morio Ono, concludes:

We would very much appreciate your understanding of the situation we are up against, and will definitely keep you abreast regarding the operations for rest of the week.
Last but not least, we sincerely appreciate your kind support and encouragement received right after the news hit the world. We will overcome this difficult time working together.

Sigma also contacted us, saying that while their Aizu manufacturing facility was damaged, it will be repairable; they likewise have not suffered any loss or injury of personnel. They expect to resume operations shortly but are not sure of the long-term implications of the disaster. (More here, if you can read Japanese or rely on Google Translate.)

Nikon has had an office in Tokyo since 1917. Delaware Camera has been a Nikon dealer since 1951. Nikon, known for their cameras but also involved in other precision optical applications, has manufacturing facilities in several countries, but in Japan they have five plants in four prefectures, and over 26,000 employees. There's a bulletin posted on their website explaining that there is damage to numerous of their facilities, and reports of injury to personnel, but the full impact is not yet known. Operations are suspended at their manufacturing plants and at their corporate office until the damage can be assessed. They have also posted a bulletin that they are making a cash donation of 100,000 yen to the Japanese Red Cross Society to provide immediate relief to those in the affected areas.

We heard from our NikonUSA representative, who is concerned but still waiting for more information. Undoubtedly there will be interruptions in business, but for how long, and to what extent, we just don't know yet.

This is a natural disaster of unprecedented scope, and the full impact is not yet known. All we can do is extend our sincerest condolences and sympathy, and hope for a good outcome.

Nikon D3100 Seminar!

2011-03-03T08:36:00.000-08:00

Nikon is sending a representative to host a seminar on digital photography, featuring their new D3100 SLR camera, exclusively for Delaware Camera! This class, taught by a professional photographer from Nikon's stable of skilled and talented representatives, will cover many topics of digital photography, and will focus especially on the D3100. We're always excited when Nikon comes to visit; their pros are uniquely equipped to offer insights like no other into the workings of their cameras, along with being phenomenal and experienced photographers themselves.
This class will be different than the ones we teach in our stores, but we're offering it for the same low price of $25.

Date: Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Time: 6:30-8:30 pm
Place: Harlem Road Community Center, 4255 Harlem Rd Amherst NY
How to reserve your space: Call either of Delaware Camera's locations, either Delaware Ave. at 716-877-3317, or Transit Rd. at 716-631-5600.

Space is limited, so sign up now!

Spring Cleaning in earnest

2011-02-24T10:35:00.000-08:00

So I can finally announce our special for March:
Spring Cleaning!
We have some fantastic deals on getting your memories sorted out and taken care of. First off, if you've got any film hanging around, it's time to get it handled. Latent images on exposed but not developed film will degrade over time, so the longer it languishes in a drawer, the fewer decent pictures you're going to get out of it. The time to develop it all is NOW.
So we're offering a really good set of prices on 35mm C-41 process (color) film. Bring in a minimum of three rolls (no maximum!) and get:
* $1 for develop only (you get a set of negatives: good way to find out what's on that mystery roll!) (regularly $2.99)
* $3 for developing and putting it onto CD-- you get digital pictures! (regularly $6.99)
* $5 for development and one set of prints (regularly $7.99)

For the record, even though it's not included in the special, we can also process C-41 or black-and-white 120 film, black-and-white 35mm film (we're the only area processor still handling true B&W process, I believe), and we can even still do E-6 slide film, though it takes us a little longer. We can process APS film. We can also process C-41 process 110 film, but usually it's so old that by now there are no images remaining. We'll give it a shot, though. Whatever you've got, bring to us.

So-- what about prints?
Do you have all your precious family memories stored in shoeboxes? Agonizing over splitting up your childhood photos among your siblings? There's a better way than fighting. Get them digitized! Then everyone can have a copy, and it's all in one place, and you can share them over email, or make a family website, or add them to your genealogical pages. When your mom gets Facebook, like everyone's does (hi, Mom!), she can use her high school yearbook photo as her profile pic.
Bring us a box of photos, up to 1200 prints-- and each print can be up to 8x10-- and we'll digitize it for you. Everything goes onto a data CD, and you get your originals back with no worries.
For the month of March, we're offering this service for only $99.99 (regular price $149.99).

So don't put it off any longer! There's no time like the present to get your irreplaceable memories sorted out. Once the snow finally melts, you're gonna have other stuff to do!

D7000 video: focusing noise comparison

2011-02-24T09:07:00.001-08:00

Video's pretty tough for me. Some of my coworkers are talented at it, but I always absent-mindedly swivel the camera vertical, or say something, or God forbid, laugh, which always sounds terrible right in the microphone.
But. All other matters aside, video is obviously the way of the future in DSLRs, and is one of the features most earnestly reviewed when a new one comes out.

The D7000 shoots video, and it has full-time autofocus while in video mode. Having watched a lot of videos I know that this is not something you want to use often. It's going to look unprofessional, and it's going to be noisy. And the camera's definitely going to be slower to autofocus when it's in live view or video mode, since it has to use a different and less-efficient method while the shutter's open than it does when in the normal mode. But it's good that it has the possibility-- if you're just trying to document something, you don't have time to manually focus. And you can always edit out the part where the camera's hunting for focus later.
All that aside, though, how loud is it? I know that you can get an external mike for the D7000, so all of this is irrelevant if you're serious about being professional. But it's worth comparing, so you can take it into account while you're learning how to use the thing.
What am I comparing? I'm comparing an AF lens, with no motor, to an AF-S lens, which has its own motor. The difference is the camera's in-body focus motor. Guess what? It's a big difference.

Here is a brooch of my grandmother's, a little gold rosebud. I took a pretty picture of it first, playing with a Sigma macro lens (it's their 50mm f/2.8, which is a wonderfully-affordable little number). This lens does not have a built-in motor, but is AF.
Still shot:

Then I switched to manual focus, cranked the focus way out, put it back in auto, turned the video on, and recorded while pressing the shutter button down to focus. I was doing this in a room with other people; when I played the video back on the camera, everyone turned around to ask what that awful noise was. It's way louder on playback than it was while the camera was operating. Why? Because the focus motor is right there, and the microphone right there. So it chatters and clunks and generally sounds astoundingly loud.

Then I switched back to the D7000's kit lens, which is the Nikkor 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6. This is an AF-S lens, meaning it has its own motor built in. It has a characteristic squeaking sound while it focuses. Turns out that's way less offensive in video. I did the same thing-- switched to manual, cranked the focus way out, put it back in auto, started recording and pressed the button down to focus.

So there you have it. If you've got to rely on the autofocus during video shooting, be advised that AF-S lenses will still make noise, but it's significantly less noise than AF lenses will, particularly non-Nikkor ones.

Winter's Last Gasp / EP-L2 Experimentation

2011-02-24T07:00:00.000-08:00

It's a snowy day out in Buffalo, the last gasp of our very long thorough winter before our slow glorious spring begins, so we're passing the time with camera testing. I took the EP-L2 home the other night because I wanted to see how the video worked. You can be taking a video and take a still picture in the middle, then resume video recording. I wanted to see how long a pause there was to take the picture.
Unfortunately there's nothing particularly exciting going on in my house after 10pm, so you all get treated to some rather boring video of my cat. (I assure you, the cat herself is not boring, merely uninterested in being a film star even though she's named for one. Alas I do not have the next feline Internet sensation on my hands.)
So, I present to you the lovely Chita Rivera, under the unattractive lights of my kitchen.
First video:

Then I pressed the shutter button to interrupt the video with a picture:

And then the video resumed:

I chose this sequence because she was bored with me and was lashing her tail, so you could see the motion. The pause wasn't long; I estimated it at about a second and a half to maybe three seconds. So, for a reasonably static subject, you'd notice nothing; for sports or fast motion it would probably be annoying. You'd have to use this feature strategically. But it is appreciably faster than stopping recording manually to take a photo, and then putting it back into video mode and resuming.

Notice everything's kind of an unattractive orange. I didn't post-process anything, for journalistic integrity's, and laziness's, sake. Later I experimented with the EP-L2's white balance a bit, so scroll down if you want to see less hideous pictures. I normally shoot with a Nikon D300, in raw, precisely because I'm terrible at picking an appropriate automatic white balance; Olympus's user-friendly terms like "express motion" and "blur background," while not hard to figure out, are definitely aimed more squarely at the upcoming-from-point-and-shoot market than at the coming-down-from-enormous-DSLR crowd. But they're right in that you have to woo the former a little more aggressively. I was captivated enough by how damn nifty it was to have a camera so tiny that I was willing to put up with the slightly-cutesy controls. Hey-- it has an aperture priority. And it fits into my little purse. (I carry my D300 in a purse, too, but I won't lie, it's an enormous purse.)
For the record, white balance on the Olympus PEN cameras is called "change color image", and is a user-friendly slider between blue and yellow.
I also played a little bit with the art filters. I'd definitely use them more if I were somewhere with, you know, interesting objects or colors. As it is, a small gray cat on a yellow linoleum floor isn't particularly striking when photographed in Pop Art or Dramatic Tones. But here she is in the Black And White filter:

I would probably overuse the heck out of that one. I always tell customers not to shoot in black and white, shoot in color and then post-process, because if you change your mind you can't go back and add color. But I know people don't really want to do that. For the vast majority of people who don't live their lives tethered to Lightroom, having really fun easy-to-use in-camera editing is actually a pretty great feature, and having easy-to-use, obvious-how-to-get-out-of-them-afterward filters you can shoot with is definitely a lot more likely to get your average point-and-shoot graduate shooting more adventurously than the nebulous promise of "post-processing".

I expect to have a series of much more attractive sample shots from a PEN when our district manager gets back from his vacation. He promised he'd use his shiny new camera, and more interestingly, let his clever 8-year-old daughter use it. I'm very interested to see how an intelligent small girl does with a camera like that-- will she puzzle through the features, or shoot in auto?
Mostly I'd just like to see pictures of something besides snow and my kitchen, I confess. (He's in Arizona with his family. I hear it's pretty there this time of year. Don't get me wrong. I like winter, that's why I live in Buffalo. But it's almost March and I miss the sun, just a little bit.)
Here, as a parting shot, is a video of pouring water. It seemed like that might give a decent idea of the framerate of the video. I like how you can see me decide that it's only water and that counter could use a wipedown anyway.

I got the white balance a little better for these shots.

EDITED TO ADD: You guys I didn't know! There's a $50 instant savings on this camera through the end of February! Awesome!

cleaning out the closet

2011-02-11T06:56:00.000-08:00

A lot of people clean out closets this time of year, it seems. Or maybe it's just when they bring their old pictures in. And I admit, people's really old photos are probably my favorite thing about this job. I know we're a camera store, but I'm not just interested in the latest thing. I was raised by historians (here's a bit of trivia: my mother and Stephen's mother attended the same graduate program to study museum curation), and so there's nothing I love more than delving into history. Books are nice and all, but as students of history will know, they are secondary source material, collected and edited together. People's old photos? Those are primary source material. First-hand records of history as it was lived.

Last year a man brought in a box of uncut rolls of 35mm film, black and white, to be scanned into digital format. I wasn't eager to tackle the project until I unrolled the first one, peered at it, and realized... these were someone's hand-loaded, home-developed family photos from the USSR in the 1960s. I know nothing about that place at that time. There were no notes I could read, no context, but most of the photos were of a beautiful young woman and a little boy, who began as an infant and grew into childhood. There were family trips to parks, ice cream cones, strollers, enormous family gatherings at holiday tables. It was fascinating. (I think the little boy must have been the man who brought them in, and the young woman his mother, who would be quite elderly now. She really was a beauty, in those early pictures.)
Last month a man brought in a large photograph of a graduating class at an Indian university in the 1930s. We had to re-type the caption, as it was too blurred to scan. We had two employees double-check the spelling on the totally foreign (to us) names of the students.
Last week an elderly African-American woman brought in a handful of medium-format negatives. They were mostly photos of herself, as a young woman, posing in a fashionable 60s sheath dress, posing by a prize rosebush, posing proudly in a nursing uniform with a certificate next to a beaming older woman-- almost certainly her mother. There were children in home-made pinafores with rick-rack trim and crinoline skirts, posing on probably their first day of school, on the porch of a modest house. A crowd, a family most likely, around a table bearing what looked like a birthday cake. It was a mute narrative of what life was like in our city for African-Americans around the time of the Civil Rights movement.
Yesterday a woman brought in a wedding album that was her mother's; the bridesmaids' hats dated the photos pretty conclusively to just after World War II. Look at the men's suits; the bride's dress with lace sleeves and a satin sweetheart bodice-- how happy the guests looked in the receiving line-- and the hats, oh, the hats.

These are worlds I'd never have any access to otherwise, not in such an immediate way; I wasn't born until the end of the 70s, and my family is white and from New York City. I spend way longer on these orders than I should, looking at the details of the costume, of the wallpaper, what they're eating, how they lived. This is history. It's priceless.

Do you have any of these treasures locked away in a box somewhere? Get them digitized! Share them with your relatives! And preserve them, for our own history is the richer, the more primary sources, firsthand accounts, are preserved and shared with the world. We can digitize slides, negatives, prints, daguerreotypes, tintypes, you name it, whatever size. And once they're digitized, they can be reprinted. (Give all your cousins a copy of Grandma's wedding photo!)
We can even transfer 8mm film to DVDs. (And, for more recent history, VHS tapes too!)
Look through your closets. Find those old boxes. Don't let them get moldy, scratched, dusty; don't let them disintegrate until there's not enough left to tell what the picture was. It's your history, your heritage. Everyone is a little richer for seeing it, for learning from it-- especially you.

Bring A Friend For Free!

2011-02-03T10:33:00.000-08:00

For the month of February, we're offering a special on classes-- buy one admission, get one for free. That means you can bring a friend along, at no extra charge! (You also could buy two classes in a series, for yourself, if you're less socially-inclined, but BOGO wasn't as fun a tagline as Bring A Friend For Free.)

This is good at any of our Buffalo locations!
So come on down and bring a friend!
Class schedules, sorted by location, are listed on the website, along with more information about the classes we offer.

New Olympus EP-L2

2011-01-27T06:40:00.000-08:00

We got a shipment of the new Olympus EP-L2 cameras in, charged up the battery, and took some test shots. It's a good thing we got them when we did-- our Philly locations are all closed because of their foul weather, while up here in Buffalo we're basking in our sunny 29-degree weather. (Isn't it funny how in the depths of January 32 degrees seems so eerily warm?)

Here's a pair of test shots. The subject is a pointsettia plant gifted to the Transit Rd store for the 2009 season, which has survived over a full year and is, somewhat tardily, slowly starting to bloom again. (Did you know those things were perennials? I did! I've been feeding it coffee. Yes really. If it dies, we have nothing to take pictures of.)
Both shot in JPG, high quality, on the P setting. (By my lovely and talented associate Sarah.)
EP-L1:

Compared with the EP-L2:

The EP-L2 is redesigned, with a moderately smaller body and a significantly smaller lens. It's still a kit 14-40, but it's much smaller and smoother in operation. It focuses faster, too.
Sarah preferred the EP-L1 still; its in-camera image processing gives a sharper, more vividly-colored image, while the 2 yielded a softer, brighter picture in identical settings. But we haven't tried out the video or subjected it to any kind of rigorous testing yet, so the jury's still out. (We can't video a pointsettia plant. It's really not very interesting. The only thing interesting about Transit Rd. is the traffic, and we're not going to go play in traffic for your amusement!)

The best thing to do is to come down to one of our Buffalo stores, which are open because we have nice weather, and check it out for yourself!

Winter Blues

2011-01-20T13:06:00.001-08:00

Chase away the winter blues with a little continuing education! We have new class schedules posted on the website-- remember, we've got separate schedules for the Transit and Delaware locations, so you don't get confused and show up at the wrong time.
We've also begun offering classes in our Pennsylvania locations, for those loyal Jack's Cameras customers!
We're continuing the basic classes, one each for compact and DSLR cameras, and offering those about once weekly. But we're expanding the advanced offerings. There's one on Understanding Lenses, which gives DSLR users really practical insights into which of the bewildering array of available lenses is most likely to meet their needs. There's one on Amateur Sports, which are a popular genre of photography and one of the most challenging you can take up. And there's one called "You've Got Your Pictures, Now What?" that deals with the perennial question of what on earth to do once you've mastered the use of your camera.

Here in Buffalo we're dealing with the perfectly normal weather one expects this kind of year. Thing is, after the holidays, we're all pretty ready for the winter to be over! February is always the longest month, despite having fewer days than most. One thing we did at both Buffalo stores was the "Two Minute Challenge," where each employee was handed the same camera and given two minutes to go outside and take the best picture they could. We haven't judged it yet, but that'll be a fun pastime-- see how different everyone's take on our mundane surroundings is.
I think I got the best one-- tire tracks in the snow-- but Jeff managed to get an action shot of a squirrel, so... It's some proof that winter can be beautiful. We'll see how the voting goes! And I'll be sure to put the pics up here, or maybe on Facebook, when we're done.

The Myth Of "Great Deals"

2010-12-08T07:14:00.000-08:00

One of my friends, along with many many others this holiday season, has engaged me at great length in conversations about cameras, asking my advice, only to turn around and make a purchase somewhere else. I needled him about this, I thought rather justifiably; I'm spending all this time advising you on cameras, and I know you're going to come to me with it later asking more about how to use it, so why don't you buy it from me?
And this person said, and I quote, "Small shops can't compete with online prices."

Needless to say, this isn't a friend I'm speaking to currently (let him figure out how to use his camera on his own first, then we can make up), but if someone who I considered a friend felt able to say this to me, then the rest of you (most of whom don't know me; hi, I'm Bridget, I work at Store 406 on Transit Rd) are all thinking it. Customers coming into the store have said things like "I'd rather spend a little extra and know I can get the camera looked at if I have questions!"

But it's not true. We sell online. We sell online competitively. Most of our prices are the minimum advertised price set by the manufacturer and adhered to by every one of their licensed dealers. Yes, that means Best Buy. Yes, that means Wal-Mart. Yes, that means Amazon. (We sell on Amazon. The link's to the right of this page.)

The camera he bought, we had for $50 cheaper, in store, no shipping. We also had a better deal on a memory card to go with it.

So our prices aren't any higher. Where this idea comes from, I don't know.

If you find it for a better price online, print out the page showing it in the shopping cart at that price. Then go to Google and type in the shop name, and look for Reseller Ratings.com. That's what we do, in the store. If it turns out the shop in question really is on the up-and-up, then bring the page in to us, and we'll match the price. I promise you, about 19 times out of 20, if the price is really really good, it's because you're not actually going to get what you think you're going to get. There are a million and one scams on the Internet, and even more of them this time of year. If it's good, we'll match it! If it's not good, then we can't afford to match it, because we're not going to sell you the wrong camera or give you an illegally imported gray-market no-warranty camera or take the included charger and battery out of the box and sell them to you separately or insist you buy some shady "extended warranty" or we'll cancel the sale, or any of those things that make those "incredible online deals" worth exactly what you pay for them.

So really. You trust us for camera advice. Trust us to sell you your cameras. Or we won't be here indefinitely to keep answering your questions.

And if you did buy a camera somewhere else after benefitting from all our advice and expertise, c'mon. Buy a camera class or get your pictures developed here. Support a local business; reward those who try harder to serve you; keep the knowledge base local.

Whew!

2010-11-27T06:25:00.000-08:00

So we survived Black Friday. Still holding strong with lots of stock in many items, including a new shipment of memory cards and batteries that came in midday yesterday. We're running a bit low on a couple of colors of some cameras, but Nikon USA has assured us that stocks are good and whatever we order now ought to be in before Christmas. So if you want to get the super-low Black Friday prices on some of these hot items, give us a prepaid order so we can get it in to Nikon before the cutoff date, and you'll get your gifts in time for the holidays.
We've got a lot of good deals left, though, and tons of whatever you're looking for in stock.
So avoid the big-box stores-- don't get trampled, don't get stuck in a line for an hour only to realize it's the bathroom, not the checkout, and as a huge side bonus, get actual intelligent answers to your questions, from real live human beings. Come give us a shot.
Apparently some people are calling it Small Business Saturday, to follow Black Friday-- come support a small local business.
And for those of you who stopped by yesterday, thank you!

Your Win!

2010-11-22T10:08:00.000-08:00

We were a little surprised to discover this morning that the Buffalo News ran our Black Friday ad yesterday. We had a Pre-Black-Friday ad all ready to go, via our agreement with Nikon, but when we opened the paper, there was next week's ad!
We don't really mind, we're honoring the prices, but it's a bit confusing, and now we're a little bit worried we'll run out of cameras. Still and all, that'd be a nice problem to have. (We can always special order whatever you want, if we run out!)
We are stocked up and ready with everything you want for the holidays. And at the lowest prices of the season, ahead of schedule. So we're just gonna give you a little piece of advice-- don't wait, come in now.

Where Do You Go To Take Pictures?

2010-11-16T07:05:00.000-08:00

This morning we got a call at the Transit Rd. location. The caller on the line wanted to know where in the area she should go to take pictures.
We hemmed and hawed and suggested a few scenic local areas, but were a little taken off-guard by the question. Someone looked us up in a phone book to ask where to take pictures in the Buffalo area? Why would you call a camera store with a question like that?

But actually, it's a really good idea. All of Delaware Camera's employees are avid photographers, to one degree or another. All of us take pictures all the time. Even if at this busy time of year we only have time for the pictures we take to show customers how to use cameras, we still do it daily, and most of us do even more than that. A few of us have side businesses, doing weddings or portraits. Some of us tinker with old film cameras. Some of us love to photograph sports. Some of us are art students whose cameras live in our school bags and go with us everywhere. All of us, given a day off and no other obligations, are highly likely to grab the camera bag and head somewhere pretty. There's not a lot of downtime at this time of year, in the retail sector, so most of us are only going to be taking photos of the inside of the store until after the holidays are over, but at least we're taking photos.

And this is why we can help you with your photography questions. You may get different answers from different employees, because photography is a highly individual pastime, but we all are passionately interested in photography, and handle cameras and photographs every day.

So I'm sure we all have our suggestions of where we'd go shoot, if we had a nice camera and a day off.
Where is YOUR favorite local place to take pictures?

Leave us some suggestions here in the comments or on our Facebook page, or @ us on Twitter!

The Most Important Thing About A Camera

2010-11-04T10:00:00.000-07:00

No camera is a good camera if you don't know how to use it. It doesn't matter whether you have a high-end pro camera that cost more than your car, or are trying to document your family's life with the built-in camera in your cellphone. It doesn't matter what it is or is not innately capable of-- if you don't know how to make it take good pictures, it's not a good camera for you. Because the point of the exercise is to take pictures, not just to impress the Internet with your tech specs or indie cred.

Here at Delaware Camera we get a lot of questions about how to take pictures. Because, as it turns out, the other stores that sell cameras around here tend not to have employees who actually can explain to you how to take pictures. And as for the Internet, well, it's full of people who are pretty sure they know how to do everything there is, but when it comes down to actually figuring out how you can take the pictures you want with your camera... Predictably, as it turns out, while they know an awful lot, they tend to fall short there.

So with that in mind we've started offering classes again. Since we know how to take pictures, and you want to take pictures, it's the most efficient way to make that connection happen. Come in to one of our stores and see what time slots are available, and sign up. (Times are listed on the website-- Delaware Ave location here, Transit Rd location here, but the signups are managed in stores so that no one session will be too crowded.)

What classes are we currently offering?

Intro To Basic Digital Photography

So you have a digital camera, and it turns out it’s pretty complicated, even frustrating to use. Don’t worry, the fantastic pictures you’re looking for are within your reach! Come to our introductory class, where we’ll review the basic principles of photography, and cut through the confusion of today’s sophisticated digital cameras to give you the simple, basic knowledge you need to take great pictures.

Digital SLR Basics

There’s no substitute for an SLR when it comes to picture quality and total control over your images. Problem is, if you don’t know how to take that control, you don’t get the results you want. This class helps you move that dial off of Auto mode and start to take advantages of all the power and control your digital SLR offers you, so you can realize the potential of your SLR camera and get the best possible pictures.

Understanding Lenses

Cameras with interchangeable lenses offer unparalleled control. But there is a bewildering and expensive array of lenses available. Get a solid overview of how lenses work, what different types of lenses are available, and most importantly, how to choose lenses that will allow you to take the kind of photographs you’ve always wanted to take with this intermediate-level class.

Let us know if there are other classes you'd like to see!! We've had requests for a class on taking better pictures with a cameraphone, but the boss doesn't believe us. So if you really want something like that, drop us a line so we can prove it. We've got all kinds of ideas in the works for new classes, so watch this space. But in the meantime, start off with one of the basics-- it's knowledge you can use now, and most importantly, since the class sizes are small, you can ask a real live human your questions, and get intelligent answers.

Gearing up for the holidays!

2010-11-03T12:49:00.000-07:00

Delaware Camera's gearing up for the holidays, so here are just a couple quick updates on what's going on.

1) Now through Nov. 13th we're offering our shoebox scanning special, where you can bring in a box full of photos, up to 1200 prints, and have them scanned and burned onto a CD for only $99.99. On November 13th, that special is going away, to let us gear up for our busy holiday season in the lab. So if you've been thinking about availing yourself of this most excellent service, now's the time to do it.

2) Speaking of which, oh gosh it's November already! Time to get your holiday cards taken care of! Now through December 1st we're offering our customary Early Bird Special, which is 50 of our 4x8 flat photo cards (with envelopes!) for only $19.99, or 50 of our designer 5x7 flat photo cards (also with envelopes) for $29.99. It's a great deal, and gets you off to an early start. Order in either of our stores, or using our online system-- you can specify whether you'd like them shipped to you or left at one of our stores for you to pick up at your convenience. Use the coupon code HOL50 at checkout to get the Early Bird price.

3) Last but not least-- we have CLASSES again!!! Stephen's back and he's teaching seminars at both locations. So far we have three different classes-- an intro to basic digital photography, an introduction to using a digital SLR, and a more advanced class on SLR lenses.

Delaware Ave class schedule

Transit Rd class schedule

Stop by and see us sometime. More to come-- we're also revamping our online presence, starting with our Cameraspot.com website, and including our Blogger, Facebook, and Twitter accounts.

Despite this construction we are OPEN!!!!!!!

2009-10-09T08:21:00.000-07:00

Come in and BUY a camera!

Music is Art photo Contest Rules and Regulations!!!!

2009-09-03T09:42:00.001-07:00

Click Here for larger version

Music is Art Photo Contest Grand Prize!!!!!

2009-09-03T09:40:00.000-07:00

Click here for larger version

Nikon D300s In-Stock Today

2009-08-26T12:06:00.000-07:00

We were shipped The new Nikon D300s a couple days early.

$1799.99, they won't last long.

Olympus PEN 50yr Stop Motion Video

2009-08-03T12:11:00.000-07:00

I can't imagine the amount of time that must have gone into this video.

(The E-P1 is available now)

Olympus E-620

2009-07-06T07:59:00.000-07:00

We recently got some of these in and they are pretty good cameras which give you a pretty good bang for the buck. On average they are $100 cheaper than the equivalent Nikons and Canons. So buy one of these and spend the money you save on a piece of good glass.

Here is a review of the E-620

Courtesy of Wired.com

Street Photos...How to

2009-07-06T07:53:00.000-07:00

Photographer Clay Enos goes from shooting super heroes on the set of Watchmen to taking street portraits of random people. He shows us how to do a street-studio portrait session with a sheet of white paper, some tape, and a camera.

Courtesy of Wired.com

Olympus Tough 8000 Test

2009-07-02T11:54:00.000-07:00

The Olympus Tough 8000 is one tough camera

here's a review

Odd Photography (Building tips over in China)

2009-07-01T08:31:00.000-07:00

Building Tips over in China

The End of an Era (The Death of Film)

2009-07-01T08:17:00.000-07:00

Kodak has recently decided to stop the manufacture of Kodachrome film.

Here is Kodak's statement right from the website

"Eastman Kodak Company announced on June 22, 2009 that it will discontinue sales of KODACHROME Color Film this year, concluding its 74-year run as a photography icon. Sales of KODACHROME, which became the world's first commercially successful color film in 1935, have declined dramatically in recent years as photographers turned to other films or digital capture. Today, KODACHROME represents just a fraction of one percent of Kodak's total sales of still-picture films.

Despite all its outstanding features, KODACHROME involves a highly complex development process that led photographers to experiment with and adopt newer KODAK films that deliver outstanding color images through a simpler workflow.

Although KODACHROME has very distinct characteristics and no film will give the exact same results, current users are encouraged to try other Kodak films. Kodak continues to bring innovative new film products to market, having released seven new professional films -- over the last three years alone. "

Here's a good article from Arstechnica on Kodachrome.

I think Nikon Needs to step their Limited Edition Gold Camera Game up.

2009-05-29T07:10:00.000-07:00

As some you you may or may not know. Nikon recently put out a limited edition Gold D60. The camera is basically a D60 with gold coloring where there would normally be silver coloring on the camera body. There is also a "Gold Edition" Strap.

This camera is all well and good but I've seen far better limited edition gold cameras and I think it would be amazing to have cool gold digital SLR's like these cameras....

PENTAX LX

CANON F1

NIKON FM Gold

LEICA M3 Gold

PS .CLick on the pictures for more info on these fun cameras.

The Nikon System

2009-05-28T14:40:00.000-07:00

Nikon D5000

2009-05-21T06:50:00.000-07:00

When looking for information on the latest and greatest in digital cameras we usually go to

Digital Photography Review

They are a site that boasts...."Here you will find all the latest digital photography and imaging news, reviews of the latest digital cameras and accessories, the most active discussion forums, a large selection of sample galleries, a digital camera database and buyers guide and the most comprehensive database of digital camera features and specifications. We believe in quality, original, unbiased content."

It's a good site with a wide spectrum of info and manufacturers. There are sites with more specific information based on manfacturer but we prefer this one because of its unbiased approach.

The have a Preview/Review of the new Nikon D5000. (click on the link to check it out)

New Seminars....Coming Soon

2009-05-15T12:05:00.000-07:00

We know it's been awhile since we had a seminar but fear not we will be having some very soon. The reason why we haven't had one in a while is that we are revamping the format of the seminars. We hope to go a little more in depth bu breaking the seminars up into separate sessions. For example the Basic Seminar we have now will be broken into two more detailed parts. We are doing this so we can give everyone more information and give everyone more individual attention.

We are also working on some new seminars. In the works we have a studio lighting seminar which will be taught by local Photographer Jeffrey T. Barnes and we also have a zoo outing planned where the seminar attendees will be able to saple the latest and greatest in Tamron lenses.

So please be patient with us. We are working long and hard to answer all of your questions about digital photography.

If you have any questions feel free to email us
thebox@cameraspot.com

Camera Truck

2009-05-07T07:20:00.001-07:00

For all you film diehards

CAMERA TRUCK

Delaware Camera Alum shines

2009-03-18T08:11:00.000-07:00

Check out this great photo of T.O. taken by Delaware Camera Alumni Jeff Barnes.

Way to go Jeff keep up the awesome work !

Why we've reached the end of the camera megapixel race

2009-03-09T04:55:00.000-07:00

We found this article on ARSTECHNICA

Olympus Imaging's Akira Watanabe says 12 megapixels is enough for most users. Ars thinks he's on to something.

By Chris Foresman | Last updated March 8, 2009 8:25 PM CT

Akira Watanabe, manager of Olympus Imaging's SLR planning department, has officially thrown down the gauntlet and drawn a line in the megapixel sand. "Twelve megapixels is, I think, enough for covering most applications most customers need," he told ZDNet this week at the annual Photo Marketing Association convention. But is he right?

The megapixel myth

Megapixels are the digital camera market's equivalent of horsepower and megahertz—a single metric that consumers and marketers latch on to tenaciously, despite the fact that it hardly describes overall performance. Over the last several years, camera manufacturers have been pumping up the megapixels on each successive camera model, regardless of whether such increases offered any real benefit (hint: it usually doesn't).

Throwing more megapixels at the digital imaging problem is akin to bumping up the processor speed on a motherboard with a slow bus and small amounts of RAM, or adding a turbo to a small engine on a car with lousy brakes and wobbly suspension.

See, throwing more megapixels at the digital imaging problem is akin to bumping up the processor speed on a motherboard with a slow bus and small amounts of RAM, or adding a turbo to a small engine on a car with lousy brakes and wobbly suspension. The number of megapixels in a camera's image sensor is just one in a number of aspects that truly define how well a camera works.

In an image sensor, larger pixels mean better light-gathering capability. This translates to better low-light performance, better color accuracy, and in some cases better dynamic range. Sensors commonly come in a few different sizes: Full frame (24 x 23mm), APC-C (17 x 25mm), Four-thirds (13.5 x 18mm), and even smaller sensors on compact point-and-shoot models. As manufactures cram more pixels on a given sensor, those pixels get smaller and smaller.

Typically, this reduction in individual pixel size on a sensor reduces its ability to gather light, reducing its sensitivity. Now, manufacturers have devised a number of technologies to try and combat this problem, but jamming more and more pixels on a sensor quickly leads to diminishing returns in terms of image quality.

How many megapixels is enough?

The truth is, though, that 6MP is enough to make a very nice 8 x 10" print—in fact, I've seen very nice, though soft, 8 x 10" prints from early 3MP DSLRs. More pixels can mean larger prints or more room for cropping. But who's making larger prints, other than professionals? And with compact cameras offering up to 24x zoom ranges, exactly how much cropping would someone need?

"I personally believed, before starting the E-System, that 12 was enough," Watanabe said. "We interviewed many professional photographers, people in studios, about how many they needed in the future. Before we started the system, we had a rough idea we'd be at a plateau at 12 megapixels."

That figure, 12MP, is a pretty good limit for a majority of serious photographers. A large majority of professional portrait, event, and wedding photographers are using cameras in this range. But Watanabe doesn't mean to suggest that there aren't photographers with more demanding needs. "We don't think 20 megapixels is necessary for everybody. If a customer wants more than 12 megapixels, he should go to the full-frame models," he said.

And for casual users, whose images largely end up on sharing sites like Flickr, Picasa, or PhotoBucket, even 12MP is overkill. With a decent lens, something in the 6-8MP range will more than suffice. Keep in mind that with the increase in megapixels comes a resulting increase in file size. So shooting hundreds or even thousands of 12MP images means larger memory cards, more space eaten up on hard drives, and more time sorting and editing—all for images that are likely to end up viewed at no larger than 800 x 600px... or about half a megapixel.

Beyond megapixels

Digital SLRs have enjoyed a recent uptick in popularity

Along with the number of megapixels in a sensor, other factors affect the image quality of a camera. The dynamic range, or the range of tones the sensor is able to reproduce, is a rather important one. A high-pixel-density sensor's ability to perform well in low light, which we mentioned above, is another. But beyond the sensor itself, the two other major factors that come into play are the on-board image processing hardware and the camera's lens. This is one reason SLRs have had a resurrection of sorts lately: DSLRs offer better lenses, larger sensors, and often better image processing.

So, manufacturers are starting to focus more on features like wider or longer zooms, higher-quality lenses, low-light performance, dynamic range, and high-def video capabilities. We've already seen a pretty significant competition between Nikon and Canon for the high-ISO crown this past year or so, and the improvements gleaned from high-end DSLR designs are trickling down to compact cameras. Further, Fuji has recently begun focusing marketing on dynamic range with its new EXR sensor technology. And some compacts, such as recent Pentax and Canon superzoom models, as well as DSLRs, like the Canon EOS 5DmkII or Nikon's D90, have already begun to exploit digital sensors to capture HD video.

Though focusing solely on the number of megapixels made marketing and buying digital cameras easier, it seems that we are at a major turning point in the direction of further developments in digital camera technology. Much like cars have shifted from horsepower to safety and efficiency, and computers have shifted from mega- (and giga-) hertz to multiple cores and... well, efficiency, digital cameras will shift toward other aspects that reflect the "bigger picture" of a camera's performance.

A new Seminar

2009-02-24T11:31:00.000-08:00

We are starting a couple of new Seminars next month

Our Seminars

2009-02-09T08:38:00.000-08:00

Here's what a typical Delaware Camera Seminar Looks like...

sure it looks a little boring but you learn a lot! Maybe next time we'll take and upload a video!

Since it seems like there has been a huge outcry for it we are going to start having regular Digital SLR seminars. Since there is alot more information to be learned in these we will be limiting attendance to 10 people per class. We hope to have them at least once a month and we also hope to be adding seminars on different subjects such as Picasa, Lighting, Sports Photography and some others. If you have any ideas for the kinds of classes that we should have feel free to write me. My email address is mark@cameraspot.com.

Here is the Flyer for the Digital SLR Seminar
Thursday March 5th at our Delaware Ave Location

And a Flyer for Our Basic Seminar on Feb 24th at our Transit Road location

Whats a GigaPan?

2009-02-09T08:28:00.000-08:00

The Answer

Here's the most popular one at the moment.

President Barack Obama's Inaugural Address

Times are a changin

2009-01-22T10:11:00.000-08:00

the Official Presidential photo taken of Barack Obama is the first one to be taken with a Digital Camera according to article below from Obama's Website.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

New official portrait released

Wednesday, January 14, 2009 08:13am EST / Posted by Dave Rochelson

Today we are releasing the new official portrait for President Barack Obama.

It was taken by Pete Souza, the newly-announced official White House photographer.

It is the first time that an official presidential portrait was taken with a digital camera.

You can see the portrait below, or click here to download a copy.

Instant Cameras are back

2009-01-22T08:50:00.001-08:00

Well we have one Instant Camera back in stock and it is called the Fuji Instax 200.

"The Fujifilm Instax 200 Camera is a compact lightweight camera that uses the Fujifilm ISO 800 instant film to provide vivid, high-quality prints almost instantly. Its automatically-adjusting flash, high-resolution retracting lens and big clear viewfinder add up to excellent picture quality. Great for home use, outdoors, family occasions, and more.

The focus free lens is great for shots as close as 0.9', and the Auto flash is great for pictures in any light. combined with the use of the Instax film which carries a rating of ISO 800, this camera comes in very handy in low light scenarios. "

We've taken some test shots which you can come see in the store and the results were good. The quality is as good as if not better than the polaroid one step. The great thing about this is the picture is a "widescreen" format which is awesome in our HDTV world. The actual picture area is 2.5 x 4 which is a good size. There is even some space below the picture to write something if you wish.

We have a few of them in stock they sell for $59.99. A twin pack of film which will take 20 photos will set you back $24.99.

-MArk Miller

Nikon D700

2009-01-22T08:43:00.000-08:00

Here is a little blurb that one of employees wrote about the D700 on our Flickr group a while ago.

"Nikon D700's came in today today, and we were absolutely blown away by how well it captured detail, and high ISO's. Anything in the 200-3200 range is completely usable for prints, probably even poster sized. The amount of detail the sensor is able to capture is beyond any thing I have seen, even in medium format film. It feels a bit larger than the D300, yet uses the same basic layout and a nearly identical menu system. So it remains as intuitive and easy to use as any of the other Nikon models.

We got a good sized Nikon shipment in today, and have a full line of professional full frame lenses in, including the new Nikkor 24-70 f/2.8, Nikkor 70-200 f/2.8 VR and the new Nikkor 60mm f/2.8 Micro.

And finally, SB-900's are in. With a huge zoom range from 17-200, and an even easier to use interface, but with even more features than the previous top of the line SB-800.

Stop in and try out some of this new gear, as well as the rest of the Nikon SLR and Coolpix lines, at either the Transit Rd, or Delaware Ave. location."

-Jon Capozzi

If the deal is too good to be true it probably is...

2009-01-21T06:44:00.000-08:00

Not a day goes by where we get a request to match the price of an online vendor. Depending on the vendor we are sometimes able to match the price. There are legitimate stores like, Amazon, B&H, Adorama, Ritz etc. Then we have the "Rip Off" stores. The camera stores who sell products for half (or less ) of what we sell an item for. I won't name any names because I think that's slander but I will point you to this blog article in which this customer explains what happened to him when he dealt with an unscrupulous online vendor.

Abusive Bait and Switch Camera Store by Thomas Hawk

Mr. HAwk's article also references a PC World article called "Camera Confidential" which talks about the same subject.

Read these stories and don't get ripped off. And remember we do match legitimate advertised prices both local and on the web.

What do we cover in the seminar?

2009-01-19T08:24:00.000-08:00

Alot of our customers ask questions such as " What do you cover in your digital camera class?" or "How basic is the seminar?"

My answer is that the seminar is about as basic as a digital camera class can be. We cover the basics of picture taking as well as the meanings if all of those digital photography buzzwords that you hear like, "Megapixels" "Optical Zoom" "Memory Cards" "Gigabytes" and so on. We will basically tell you what you need to know about the digital camera that you just bought and the multitude of things that you can do with the images that you have taken.

We also have a question and answer period at the end of the seminar where we wil answer specific questions about specific cameras.

Outr next class is Feb 3rd and will run from 7-9pm. It will be held at our Delaware Ave Location.

Photography Workshops

2009-01-14T11:27:00.000-08:00

On February 3rd we will be offering our next "Intro to Digital Photography Seminar". During these classes we cover basic information about digital photography including basic photography techniques, what to do with your pictures after you take them and how to archive your pictures.

If our basic seminar is a little to simple for you the CEPA GALLERY offer workshops that cover a variety of topics including Photoshop, Digital SLR photography and even Black and White film photography.

Speaking of CEPA they have a members exhibition coming up soon which will showcase their members work. The Exhibition is from February 7 - March 21, 2009. Click on the above links for more information.

Nikon is coming to teach a class Feb 19th

2009-01-13T12:05:00.001-08:00

D700 vs Canon 5D Mark II

2009-01-13T10:58:00.000-08:00

As requested by reader Jim here is a comparison of the Nikon D700 and the Canon 5D MArk II. We would have done the comparison ourselves but we haven't had a 5D MArk II in stock yet.

Nikon D700 vs Canon 5D Mark II

Enjoy.

MM

Top 10 Myths about Digital Photography

2009-01-13T10:27:00.000-08:00

I stumbled across this list on kriskrug.com. The article was originally printed on Microsoft's website but is nowhere to be found. Hopefully this will help those who fear digital to educate themselves and tap into the wonderful world that is digital photography.

“Myth 1: A digital photo is inferior to film.
Reality: Many of the first digital cameras, even the professional models, produced grainy, off-color images. Now, the better digital cameras, in all price ranges, offer photo quality that is at least on par with film. The best digital cameras often exceed the capabilities of film. Color, sharpness, lack of grain—today’s digital cameras produce great-looking photos, even when shown at large print sizes. Film is good—and improving too—but digital easily keeps pace.

Myth 2: Digital cameras are big and heavy.
Reality: Early on, it was tricky to squeeze all of a digital camera’s many components into a body that was as trim as a film camera. Camera manufacturers were also experimenting with new camera designs, to provided a new shape, size, and look to photography. The net result was big, cumbersome, and sometimes strange-looking cameras.

Today, the pendulum has swung. Professional and consumer cameras alike now have a more traditional appearance. Plus, there’s no shortage of small, featherweight digital cameras that don’t skimp on quality or features in achieving their tiny footprint.

Myth 3: Digital cameras are slow to fire.
Reality: The best digital cameras, at any level, offer a responsiveness that is equal to a comparable film camera. Put another way, it is possible to select a digital camera that will fire when you need it to. Unfortunately, there are still too many lesser digital cameras that have not been designed to take the picture quickly when the shutter button is pressed. So, while it’s not accurate to say that all digital cameras are slow to fire, it’s still true of quite a few.

Myth 4: Digital photography is expensive.
Reality: In 1994, one of the first digital cameras aimed at professional photographers sold for almost $18,000. Today, a similar—but much improved—camera for a pro can be purchased for about $2,000. The prices of digital cameras, at both the professional and consumer level, have plunged over the years, while the cameras themselves have only gotten better.

Still, the price of a digital camera is generally higher than a similarly equipped film camera. Essential peripherals, like a desktop printer or external memory card reader, add to digital’s cost. Whether digital photography is cost-effective for you is based on how you use a camera now, and how you anticipate using a camera in the future.

If you currently shoot lots of film and pay for lots of prints, or you have a business that uses photographs on a regular basis, then the higher up-front costs of a digital camera are quickly offset by savings on film, processing and perhaps even scanning your film into the computer. Some simple calculations will tell you where you stand.

Myth 5: Transferring pictures to the computer is slow.
Reality: Transferring pictures to the computer can be slow and tedious. But it doesn’t have to be. That’s because a variety of low-cost options exist that accelerate the transfer process.

For example, an external memory card reader that connects to the USB port on the computer is many times quicker than the serial port connection on many older digital cameras. And a memory card reader that connects to an IEEE 1394 (also called FireWire, or i.Link) port is noticeably faster than a USB-connected reader.

The fastest memory card readers transfer three or four high-resolution JPEG format photos to the computer in one second.

Myth 6: There is no good, affordable software for browsing and editing digital photos.
Reality: Software companies have heard the message on this one. The result has been the development of a wide range of inexpensive (less than $50), full-featured applications for viewing and adjusting photographs. Choosing from the many good software options is the tough part now. The My Pictures folder in Windows XP helps get you started—it offers the ability to organize, view, and even rotate photos.

Myth 7: Making prints from digital photos is difficult.
Reality: Software companies have heard the message on this one too. For example, the Photo Printing wizard in Windows XP streamlines the printing of photographs down to a few mouse clicks. Popular image browsers have also beefed up their photo printing capabilities.

Plus, if you’d prefer to leave the printing to someone else, online photo services manage this task for you. All you need to do is upload the photos to the service of your choice, pick the size of prints you’d like, then wait to receive the finished product in the mail.

Myth 8: Prints from digital photos look bad.
Reality: How true this used to be. In its infancy, digital photo printers produced prints that did not compare favorably with traditional photo prints. The so-so quality of images from early digital cameras didn’t help matters.

That’s all changed. Not only have digital printing technologies dramatically improved, camera and printer manufacturers are working hard to ensure that what the printer prints is of equal quality to what the camera captured. The net effect is digital photo prints that are often indistinguishable from old-fashioned film prints.

This is a good thing. Though digital photography offers many new opportunities for sharing your photographs, one of the most popular ways remains the tried-and-true print.

Myth 9: Organizing and storing digital photos is costly and time-consuming.
Reality: With Windows XP, you have all the tools you need to quickly and efficiently organize yu can reliably store your photos for years to come. The CD Writing wizard in Windows XP can help there, too.
Myth 10: Digital photography is too much fun.

Myth 10: Digital photography is too much fun.
Reality: Can’t debunk this one—it’s true! ”

Here are some links to other articles on the comparison of digital VS. film

Advantages and Disadvantages of Film and Digital

1-Year Cost Comparision for Film vs. Digital

Delaware Camera has a blog.

2009-01-09T06:36:00.001-08:00

Welcome to Delaware Camera's Blog.

This blog will be a place for us to post up to date information as well as discuss various aspects of photography.