What would you choose?

[sublime]

I'm thinking about a digital camera. Would it be better to:

a) Buy the SDIO camera for my PPC, or
b) Buy a regular digital camera for the same amount

I have no clue.

[JustinGTP]

What price range are you looking for?

Remember with digital cameras that are separate from the actual PDA has many more functions, including FLASH, ZOOM (make sure to go optical as Digital is not very good)

Also, you can take it anywhere and they have internal and memory that is upgradeable. They also have other features that are necessary, like red eye reductions, sepia tones, and other graphical effects that you may find more useful.

-Justin.

[Janak Parekh]

If you're looking for decent quality shots, go for the separate camera. No comparison. Most SDIO cameras have mediocre resolution at best.

--janak

[Falstaff]

I'd get as nice a camera as possible with an SD card, that way you can use your PPC to view/edit images.

[Kati Compton]

I agree with Janak. If you want quality pics, it's the only way to go.

On the other hand, you should also consider what you'd carry around more. If your goal is to capture the events of your life, and you're not going to remember to bring a separate camera but will always have your PPC...

Maybe you just need both. :)

[Dave Potter]

My 2 cents....

Although I like the concept of a camera attachment for a PPC, I think that the resolution that these cameras are capable of is far too low. I can see some specific applications, like a real estate agent, an insurance adjuster - hell even a spy (Bond... James Bond :2gunfire: )


But for the average user who wants to take pictures that are comparable to that of a film camera - a separate digital camera is definitely the way to go.

[JustinGTP]

I have a 3.2 mega pixel camera that takes an SD card, so I take shots with my Digital camera on the SD card and then pop the SD card into my ipaq to view the images! I can delete on the go with my camera screen or my ipaq screen, its very handy.

And resolution - thats what you need the most. SD cams can not give you that! Also, if you want to take macro shots, also, and SD cam cannot do that either.

-Justin.

[sublime]

See, this is going to be my first digital camera, so I'm not all too familiar with what's good and what's not. Is the resolution for the ppc camera really that bad? I mean, will I not be able to see facial features because everything's so blurry?

So my question is if 1.3 megapixels is really that bad. I'm not looking for anything fancy shmancy, just something that will take pictures and perhaps movies of decent quality.

[Dave Potter]

For 4x6 prints, a minimum of a 2.1 megapixel camera is recommended. Less than than means produces crappy looking prints (blurry). My advise - don't pigeon hole yourself into a low res camera because your current needs aren't that fancy. At some point, I guarantee that you'll wish that you had went with a higher res solution.

For example - I purchased a 2.1 megapixel camera about 1.5 to 2 years ago. Now, I wish that I had spent the extra $ and went with something even higher res.

[JustinGTP]

Sublime,

Ill give you an example of a 3.2 megapixel camera (my Samsung Digimax) the top is at 1024X768 and the bottom at 2048X1536

These are going to be a big pictures, but I want to show you the quality you can get that you cannot get from an SD camera.

1024x768 Rugby (http://www.angelfire.com/ultra/ppcc/Rugby.JPG)

And here is the best image quality from my camera of a coca cola can. You can see how big and clear it is!

2048x1536 Coke can (http://www.angelfire.com/ultra/ppcc/Coca_Cola.JPG)

-Justin.

**Post edited by JJP 1/24/04 2:16pm to convert images to links

[Janak Parekh]

Justin, thanks for the pics. However, since many people read this forum on modems or cellular devices, I changed it so they can click on the link to see the images (and, this way, it won't kill everyone's Internet connection, including yours).

--janak

[Janak Parekh]

See, this is going to be my first digital camera, so I'm not all too familiar with what's good and what's not. Is the resolution for the ppc camera really that bad? I mean, will I not be able to see facial features because everything's so blurry?
You'd think that you don't need anything special, but as I discovered quickly with my camera, one's expectations and needs rapidly go up once you realize what you can do with one.

So my question is if 1.3 megapixels is really that bad.
The problem is that "megapixels" is only one part of the equation. SDIO cards frequently don't have flash, and even their 1.3MP CCDs aren't particularly good (prone to noise, long exposure time needed unless lots of light, etc.) -- and you may find it frustrating unless it's strictly a limited-use thing.

--janak

[JustinGTP]

Damn - my free Bandwidth is all gone on Angelfire!

Oh well, you have to see the images when it comes back on hehehe :D