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Wally
USA
10 Posts |
 Posted - 12/30/2003 : 23:34:12
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I would love feed back on your experience with your digital camera. I had been using a Mavica FD-73 for several years. Then I "up graded" to one of the new generation cameras. After working about 250 claims this year and taking about 10,000 pictures with the newbie, I have decided to look for a new camera.
The Mavica FD-73 has a:
10x optical zoom
Writes to a Floppy
produces a jpg file of upwards of 90k in regular mode and
larger in fine mode (I never use the fine mode.)
Large rechargable battery
Fast to recharge for new shots (less than 1 second.)
It weighs about 2 pounds
It is big like 1956 DeSoto.
This summer I bought a Nicon CoolPic 2100:
3x optical Zoom
3.3x digital zoom. This produces a fair picture at about 8x.
Has three sizes of Pictures (Regular - 90k, Large - 300k and
Gigantic. I only use the regular.)
Uses 2 AA batteries
Takes about 3 to 5 seconds or longer between shots.
About 80 pictures to a set of batteries.
Only weighs a few ounces.
It is small and easily handable.
I have a two 64 meg memory cards and one 16 meg memory card for
holding pictures. Total of about 900 pictures if needed.
The bigest draw back to the CoolPic is the time between shots. It really limits the usability of the camera. I have found the bigest concern for the camera is the time between shots. Since everything else is ok that is my major concern when replacing the CoolPic.
Thanks for your feed back
Wally
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jlombardo
USA
212 Posts |
Posted - 12/31/2003 : 06:47:03
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Wally,
Go buy another Mavica--the newer ones can use either the 3.5 floppy or a memory card.....I have my old Mavica and a new one as back up.........I know I must sound like some pre-historic adjuster, but there is something about taking photos of the risk, previewing them , sticking the disc in an envelope and into the file. No confusion on id of the risk....next file, same routine, so that each file has it's own floppy(s).....slower ...yes........more comfortable and more reliable...yes.....Another upside is , that each risk becomes a unit, separate from every other risk inspected......if you inspect 6 losses and each has it's own disc and one disc goes bad ...you only loose the photos for that risk....but if you are using a memory card or whatever and storing ALL of the photos for the inspections done in a day and something goes wrong with the camera or the media card, then you have lost ALL the photos.......yeah, I know, the 3.5's are slower and we want to be "faster"???.....but at what cost? Yeah, and I still prefer my 69 GTX to anything Detroit has today........ |
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Wally
USA
10 Posts |
Posted - 12/31/2003 : 08:48:40
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Thanks for the feedback. My wife Louise gave me the same agruement. The only problem that I have with that arrangement is the availability of floppies and in the future floppy drives on the machines. They are also much harder to handle when climbing up and down ladders and such. My wife doesn't have that problem since she is a flood adjuster.
The other problem with the Mavica is the number of disks required. With the memory card I can take a large number of pictures and discard most with the Floppy, you get about 20 per disk. Also the time to write to the floppy isn't that great. My coolPic takes longer to write to the memory card. It's like the PT Crusier and the new Thunderbird. I'd like to have an old classic with new technology.
Wally |
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Russ
USA
75 Posts |
Posted - 12/31/2003 : 09:32:41
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| I use a Mavica FD92 and I am looking to buy another. I still have my FD71 and it still works. I like being able to check each photo with the camera before I leave the loss. I only use one disk per claim and I use that disk to store my claim info also. I set mine to take 31 photos and the quality is still there and it gives me room to write the claim info on the disk. The good thing about the size of the camera is that I have to use the sling and trying to fish a smaller camera out of a pocket on a roof can be costly!! |
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katadj
USA
315 Posts |
Posted - 12/31/2003 : 11:08:47
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Starting with a Casio Digital in 1996, we graduated to a Sony Mavica 71, then a Mavica 95 and now a CD1000, a TVR30, (with video and a 128 Memory Stick,) and the new 5 Megapixel CD500. Still have them all in a travel case, just in case? Also a 35MM and polaroid and disposable 35mm,(you really never know).
The CD1000 is by far the most useful, versitile,and heaviest, but would not trade it for anything. The 20X Zoom, 700 Photo CD disc, (for.50 cents) and the ability to do anyting, 60 second avi clips, voice record, etc.
Have bought 2 so far, when ebay has them , and will probably buy another, just in case.
They were $1200.00 new and with some accessories can easily run to $1500.00, but there are deals where you can get all for $300-500.
Would not leave home without it, even leave the AMEX card first. |
Edited by - katadj on 12/31/2003 11:10:45 |
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jlombardo
USA
212 Posts |
Posted - 12/31/2003 : 14:42:58
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Wally,
I still like my GTX over the new iron...Like your wife...SMART LADY......Listen to her....My favorite is "Yes dear, I'll be in the garage dear..." |
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Catmandale
USA
67 Posts |
Posted - 01/01/2004 : 12:30:47
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Wally,
I have been using a Canon Elph S300 for a few years now. It is bulletproof, nice metal body and easy to understand functions. My first step at choosing it was to see if I could operate it without opening a manual. It is small in size. I have a neck tether and it rides in my shirt pocket, as well as in a belt holster. It is only 2 megapixel, the newer ones are higher capacity. I paid $500 at the time, but all these toys are coming down in price. It has an automatic lens cover... I have a mental block about removing lens caps.
It has pretty fast recovery time, dependent on light conditions. I have the LCD turned off, it only shows a 3 second review of what just took, so battery life is exceptional, not an issue. I sometimes take 200 to 300 photos a day. The battery is lithium and is the original one. The little battery charger is a unit plugs directly into a socket. Pretty neat and compact.
Perhaps you could consider uploading your pictures from the card as you leave each location. Just pop the card into a PC card reader or a USB reader and you're good to go for the next location, and you know you have the photos.
I also use PhotoAdjuster software, it is awesome. Check it out at www.photoadjuster.com. The yearly fee is recouped in productivity gains.
Take care,
Dale Strain |
"When we thought that we had all the answers,
suddenly all the questions changed."
Mario Benedetti (1920); Uruguayan writer.
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Edited by - Catmandale on 01/01/2004 12:33:11 |
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olderthendirt
USA
370 Posts |
Posted - 01/01/2004 : 13:49:15
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Love my FD90 although my family keeps borrowing my backup FD75s, never seem to get on the road with one.
PS an expert: An ex is a has been and a spert is a drip under pressure. |
Edited by - olderthendirt on 01/01/2004 14:01:34 |
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AllCatMan
USA
39 Posts |
Posted - 01/01/2004 : 15:04:34
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| About the availability of the floppy drive Wally, the Mavica is an external floppy drive...use your usb cable and presto you have a drive...that you can use for data files as well. That is how I download our price database for each storm. Works great......Floppies are cheap...buy op a bunch for reserves for when they get hard to get.... |
Join in the Chat Room nightly 7cst/8est. |
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Digital Cameras
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