VO-BB - 19 YEARS OLD!

mcm · Posted: Sat May 20, 2006 3:29 pm Post subject: Digital Cameras & Printers

For those of you with digital cameras, how much printing do you do? Do you have your own printer, or is it more economical to put the files you want on a CD and take them or send them out to be printed?

Some cameras are sold with a printer and I wondered if it was worth it to have a printer. With the cost of ink being so high I would guess not.

The camera I'm considering most seriously (and I've been crawdaddying around this purchase for months) has 5.1 megapixels and 12x optical zoom. For just average use - people, scenery, animals, is 5.1 megapixels "enough"? Would I wish for more?

allensco · Posted: Sat May 20, 2006 3:44 pm Post subject: camera's and printers

Mary,

From someone who dabbles in photography on the side, it's much cheaper to take the memory card (or CD) to the photo center and let them print for you. Ink costs too much for just photo printing...unless you get pro quality prints and are selling them to pay for the ink.

I have a Canon 10D EOS Digital with some nice accessories (all Canon) and used to have an Epson Photo printer. The printer eventually gave it up and had to be disposed of.

I do take some photos for friends and family every now and then. I just burn the photos onto a CD and give them the disc so they can do with them as they please.

If you're going to buy a printer, get an Epson. In my opinion, they are the best for photo quality prints. I've compared the HP and Epson prints and the Epson is much better.

Hope this helps!

Drew · Posted: Sat May 20, 2006 3:57 pm Post subject:

Yep. Ink is expensive. I take the memory card to the photo center and direct which shots I want printed out. Less expensive.
_________________
www.voiceoverdrew.com
Skype: andrew.hadwal1
Although I have a full head of hair, I'm quite ribald.

Bruce · Posted: Sun May 21, 2006 7:19 am Post subject:

If you must have prints, as opposed to just emailing photos or handing someone a disc, it is so cheap to email the photos to places like Costco (.17 for a 4x6) and pick them up or have them snail mailed back for free, that it almost makes no sense to buy a printer anymore for photos. They also have wonderful software for improving or decorating your pictures.

B
_________________
VO-BB Member #31 Enlisted June, 2005

I'm not a Zoo, but over the years I've played one on radio/TV. .

COURVO · Posted: Sun May 21, 2006 9:04 pm Post subject:

Alright, I'll be the lone voice, I guess, for printing photos at home. I use HP exclusively, and find that the ink lasts forever!

I like being able to manipulate the photos myself for color, hue, saturation, cropping, red-eye and collaging.

For quick turnaround, I have one of those HP Photosmart printers. I just yank the memory card out of my camera, insert in the printer, select the photo on the printer's own viewer, then crop, set brightness, even cropping, and print on 4X6 paper. I got a boatload of 4x6 HP printer paper on WOOT for next to nothing, and in a cost analysis with the local Rite-Aid, find it much cheaper and convenient to print myself.

I use any number of photo-manipulation software solutions. 'Haven't found one that I don't like yet....but my favorite is PhotoPlus by SERIF.

Each to their own, I guess.

Courvo
_________________
Dave Courvoisier - Las Vegas, NV
http://www.CourVO.com
CourVO@CourVO.com
Courvo's "Voice Acting in Vegas" Blog: http://www.CourVO.biz
on your phone at courvo.mobi
702.610.6288
"I'm not a news anchor, but I play one on TV."

SoundsGreat-Elaine Singer · Posted: Mon May 22, 2006 8:02 am Post subject:

Glad you're finally going for it!

The maximum print size for a 5 megapixel camera is 10 x 13 so I'm sure you'll be fine there. The only time a problem might arise is if you wanted to crop down to a tiny portion of the picture which you most likely will not want to do. You'll certainly appreciate the 12x optical zoom.

A couple of other things to keep in mind are battery type and memory card. The best battery I think is NiMH Rechargables - look for 2700 mAh or higher. Always carry spare batteries. Make sure the memory card is one of the mainstream cards and not specific to your camera - I think the only ones you have to worry about are Olympus and Sony. You probably should get a memory card of at least 1 gig and it doesn't hurt to carry a spare memory card as well.
_________________
Elaine
The Youthful Mature Voice (Emeritus)
Senectitude is not for the faint of heart.

Charlie Channel · Posted: Mon May 22, 2006 12:16 pm Post subject:

I have a Canon G-2. Also, the Epson 1280 Stylus Photo printer. I rarely use the printer. Although ink may be expensive, when I do do pictures, I like it. I can print up to 13" x 19" -- but in the 4 years I've owned the printer, I've done that once. The photo printer is good for one-off custom stuff.

The 1280 includes an attachment that enables printing from a roll of paper. But, it's slow going. I guess I'd say it's several orders of magnitude better than watching paint dry. But, you'll still be looking at it. I rather the local drug store or photo processor do that.

The G-2 is 4 megapixes -- more than adequate even for much commercial grade work (the G-2 was rated as a semi-pro camera by CNET). I recently bought a 1 gig card for it. What a blast. I use the camera almost weekly. I usually send folks images on a CD and let them do the printing.

C

Dave · Posted: Mon May 22, 2006 2:44 pm Post subject:

mcm · Posted: Tue May 23, 2006 11:56 am Post subject:

Many thanks for the input - I appreciate it.

mcm · Posted: Mon Jun 12, 2006 9:28 am Post subject:

I finally bought a camera. I think it has been at least a year and a half I've been hemming and hawing over this. Nikon D50.

Wicked.

BenWils · Posted: Mon Jun 12, 2006 11:45 am Post subject: