My Second Portfolio

[Ex-Calif]

Now here in the heck did I leave the camera?

 

[SeilerBird]

Now here in the heck did I leave the camera?

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This reminds me of the Apple Rice, the tiniest iPhone yet.

 

[RedForeman]

The mention of these early digital cameras brings back memories of wasting stacks of cash on electronics that became all but obsolete a month after purchase.

My first digital camera was a Sony DSC-505. 2.1MP but took great photos due to the glass optics. Since it was heavy and usually only hauled out for special occaisions, the next one was a Sony W30. It was an impulse purchase at a Best Buy near the beginning of a motorcycle trip. 6MP, and almost small enough to fit in a pocket. I used it more than the 505 just because it was easier to carry. Later on I got a Sony miniDV video camera and used that about 3 years before cell phone cameras got good enough to accomplish all the photography I needed to do, and surpassed the consumer grade cameras my amateur budget would allow.

Sony always had great, user friendly electronics. The only sore spot was platform compatibility. As-in nearly zero. If an accessory did not have a Sony label on it, it would probably not work. At the time, I believe Sony was attempting to build their own walled garden and doing a bad job of it. Their quality offset that just enough for my purposes.

 

[SeilerBird]

My first digital camera was a Kodak DC-20 that I bought in 1997. One third of a megapixel, no LCD, ony 8 low res or 8 high res photos that are downloaded by the serial port and no flash or any way to attach a flash. Very primitive by modern standards but at the time it was amazing to take a photo and be able to see it on your computer monitor seconds later.

 

[Ex-Calif]

My first digital camera was a Sony DSC-505. 2.1MP but took great photos due to the glass optics. Since it was heavy and usually only hauled out for special occaisions, the next one was a Sony W30. It was an impulse purchase at a Best Buy near the beginning of a motorcycle trip. 6MP

LOL - Like Seilerbird I started way before "megapixels" was a thing - LOL. There weren't even image storage standards, hence proprietary formats. Lot's of companies thought they would "win" by "capturing" the industry format - none of the "proprietary" standards ended up being a thing.

Cameras were bad but so were video cameras. Another big one was video formats. I had beta tape, VHS tape, VCD (multiple disks per movie) of which I still have a bunch, I got trapped briefly by 12 inch laser disks - 1 disk, 1 movie! but then mostly DVDs.

But the biggest one was PCs and Software. I started with a 286 chip and had to rebuild my PC every coupe of years through 386SX, 386DX, 486 etc. in reaction to Microsoft releasing ever bloated versions of windows and office and, and and...

Of all the conspiracies out there the most credible is Andy Grove and Bill Gates being in cahoots throughout the late 80s and 90s with planned obsolescence...

My biggest issue today is not being able to shoot native photos on my phone in 1280 X 1024. 5mb images are basically useless to me 95% of the time. I spend to much time reducing resolution for forum posts, blogs and eMail.

If you pay attention to my posts, 90% of my images are a screen shot cut and paste to get rid of pixels - LOL...

 

[SeilerBird]

I never reduce an image for posting on the net. I too went through every version of Windows starting with DOS and then got Windows 2.1 in 87, 3.1, 95, 98, NT, 2000, and a bunch of others. Almost everyone except Bob. I can't remember how many times I upgraded. I remember when Pentium chips were the new king.

 

[RedForeman]

My biggest issue today is not being able to shoot native photos on my phone in 1280 X 1024. 5mb images are basically useless to me 95% of the time. I spend to much time reducing resolution for forum posts, blogs and eMail.

Same here. The default resolution I get is 4000x3000 for around a 3MB file size. I am usually posting stuff on a Mac. The Preview app lets me open several photos at once, then select all and downsize in a single click to 15% (640x480) for most things, 20% (800x600) where extra detail is needed. I kind of like having the higher-res originals, as I do have to go back from time to time and zoom in to read some small print or other tiny detail likely to get blurred by downsizing.

 

[Ex-Calif]

I never reduce an image for posting on the net. I too went through every version of Windows starting with DOS and then got Windows 2.1 in 87, 3.1, 95, 98, NT, 2000, and a bunch of others. Almost everyone except Bob. I can't remember how many times I upgraded. I remember when Pentium chips were the new king.

Most forum software takes care of the resolution on the fly these days but not all.

The bigger issue is bouncing emails due to a 20mb limit after sending 5 photos to family - LOL...

"15% (640x480) for most things, 20% (800x600) where extra detail is needed."

I do 1280 X 1024 because that is pretty much the standard resolution for home PCs and laptops these days.

I sometimes print photos as well and at 640 X 480 you can get a lot of pixelating if you blow the photo up too far.

 

[SeilerBird]

I rarely email photos. I post them online and send them a link.

 

[RedForeman]

"15% (640x480) for most things, 20% (800x600) where extra detail is needed."

I do 1280 X 1024 because that is pretty much the standard resolution for home PCs and laptops these days.

I've gone with the slightly lighter file size, as my usual audience is people viewing content on a cell phone, even the old people. In my family, I'm kind of the odd duck preferring a desktop or laptop with a big monitor. Viewing on my phone is a last resort, for waiting at a restaurant or doctor's office for example

 

[SeilerBird]

Thank you Jackie for the seven Likes.

 

[Tulecreeper]

Now here in the heck did I leave the camera?

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I knew it, 007.

 

[Ray-IN]

Simple people have simple things. My favorite camera is a Sony handi-cam, it's about 25 years old I'd guess. I have a shooting stick for when using the extreme zoom feature.