quote:

doubleu, once I get to the 'contrast' on the camera..are these manual options I can choose?

No...the editing I'm referring to occurs after you take the picture, and after you upload it to your computer.

At that point, you can then manipulate the image to achieve all sorts of things, like brighten it, or add some depth to the colour, remove 'red eye', even remove things you don't want in the picture. Most of my pictures end up being far better than the original image taken by my camera, thanks to editiing.

I don't want to make this sound complicated, because it isn't. The first step is learning to take good pictures, which you should concentrate on initially. Editing doesn't make a bad picture good, but it makes a good picture better.

Just to flog my editing comments one more time:

Here's a free editing programe from Google which a couple of my friends use and say its very good. I have never used it but in reviewing it, it seems very comprehensive and easy to use.

www.picasa.com/index.php?tid=Y2NpZD0zNzQ4

Thanks everyone for your advice...I'm still mucking about with my camera (all of a sudden, it's 2 weeks and I'll be in London....and I have soooo much work to complete before I go!)

Thanks for answering me on my level, like most things photography has it's own lingo, which can be daunting for a newcomer, especially when you know you are asking basic questions.

Going to have a trial pack and take some proper photos this weekend

Compact flash memory cards --

Has anyone tried the Ultra memory cards -- how do they compare to regular cards, and are they worth the extra $$?

Also, I am considering purchasing another card for my camera - would it be better to go with two 512 cards or buy a 1GB card?

Hiya Tully,

My tech guru recommends 2 cards rather than one, just to be on the safe side. If one gives up the ghost, you'll have a back-up!

M.

Just a few important aspects with regards to digital photography that might be of help and what I believe in:
- Always take the highest resolution possible, you can never add information later.
- Your memory cards will probably not be enough, invest in a storage device such as a portable hard drive.
- The Sandisk Ultra 2 cards are in my opinion the best cards available and a lot faster than "normal" cards. The difference in speed however depends on the type of camera you use.
- Photoshop is by far the best editing program (but expensive). Photoshop CS is worthwhile, but Photoshop 6 or 7 will for most people be sufficient.
- On resolution, a printer can only print at 300dpi, so if you have a 3 Meg camera you can print a perfect A4, for an A3 you need 6 mega pixels.
- A computer screen can only display 72dpi, if you therefore want to display your photos on a screen or data projector, resize your photos (with photoshop) to 72dpi, with image size 1024 X 768 and save your photos as a jpeg with a size of less than 350Kb. If your photos are bigger, they will take more space and take longer to display, but will not project any better.

I hope this is of help.

Thanks, Koot

I am using a Nikon Coolpix 3100 -- can get about 400 pictures on a 512 card at highest resolution and currently have SanDisk 128, 256 and 512 cards, so am looking to add another large capacity card for travel purposes. I assume the 512 Ultra card will hold about the same number of pictures as my current 512?

Tully

Yes, all 512 cards will basically store the same number of pictures, with the same camera (on my camera I can only get 77 pictures on a 512 card - I shoot in RAW format). The difference is in the speed of writing to the card, which is more pronounced in SLR cameras than in smaller cameras. You might thus not find a big difference between the Ultra and the normal Sandisk on your specific camera. You will have to try an Ultra card to find out if there is a difference.

By the way, probably the most important advantage of digital cameras, especially when touring, is the fact that you can change the ISO (light sensitivity) of the camera to a higher value (i.e. 400 or 800) in low light conditions. Just remember that the file sizes of pictures taken with a higher ISO are normally bigger than with a lower ISO. You wil thus get less pictures taken at 800 ISO on a card than pictures taken at 100.

Regards

Tullygirl.... I have some familiarity with your camera and frankly don't think an ultra card is worth the extra money. The speed at which your camera writes to the card is only important (in my humblest opinion) if you're taking a series of shots in rapid succession. Even then, the camera more than the card determines how quickly the image will tranfer so buying a 'faster' card doesn't translate into faster image transfer rates. I'm not sure what it is you plan to photograph, but I doubt you'll be shooting sporting events etc where several rapid shots are the norm. If you are, then you really need to rethink the camera, not the card.

Doubleu,
You are so right about editing. I've always cropped, removed red-eye and adjusted contrast but I finally got around to taking a PhotoShop course through Parks and Recreation. I can hardly wait for my next trip to apply everything I've learned and have been practising.
I also love my ProShow Gold program and the DVD slideshows that I'm able to put together.
Computers and Cameras! Aren't they great?!