After all of the pro and con discussions we have had about digital cameras, instead of doing proper research I succumbed to the old "Wow this one is cheap" trick and ordered a Gateway DC-M42, 4 megapixel digital, for advertised price of $199.99. This is the first picture I shot with it, of a plastic NY Central J-3 Hudson model. It was shot at less than the highest resolution and has not been doctored at all except to resize it in IRFan. I have a lot more to learn. Now, the subject of price--usual thing of not billing you for 199, but list price, then mail in rebates. This process keeps many people employed, believe me, and is a subject for another type of forum, perhaps a novel. The manual and software are written in Sino-English, one of my faves, and is basically unintelligible. After many hours of trial and error , I figured out how to use it, and had to rewrite the manual in the process. Despite all the frustration , I think I'm gonna like it.
I'd say you have learned it well Jim! That's a very fine pic. I have no doubt that you will enjoy it very much. I know I have had lots of fun trying different things with mine .. and what the heck .. it doesn't cost anything to take pics with it to do all that practicing By the way .. my wife and I are going to take Amtrak up to Centralia, WA to pick up our new car next week. We intend to come down the Oregon coast on the way back home. Maybe we can get together for a cuppa somewhere(?)
Your first sample looks to be quite good. It is sharp and has good color rendition. The Gateway cameras have been getting some fairly good reviews, although I have not checked them in detail. What is implortant is, after you have learned the basics of that camera, that you feel comfortable using it.
Looks good to me. Prices seem to be slowly coming down into more affordable ranges. BTW- If you wanted the version with instructions written so North Americans could read and comprehend, the same camera price is $499.............. Boxcab E50
Here's a follow-up report after more "flight testing." Earlier digital cameras got a lot of bad press about action photos--you didn't know when the thing was actually going to take a picture after you activated the shutter. I tried in the "sports" action mode to capture some passing cars on the highway. Didn't get a one. There is no "click" or other noise to indicate when the shutter goes. I guess for railfanning it will be limited to slow moving or stopped subjects. The "feel" of the shutter button is unlike any other camera I have owned. Missed some shots completely, and got some I didn't intend to take. I guess it will be quite a learning curve. Nothing wrong with the resolution. Oh, and it went through a set of batteries in two days of learning.
Jim .. every DigiCam I have ever seen has a "shutter click" sound effects when the button is pressed. Does your camera have this feature? If so, perhaps it is disabled.
Taking digital pictures requires a little more planning ahead than with film/shutter cameras... My new one has 2 different multiple frame per seconds modes and a volume control for the "shutter".... It takes a little getting used to, since pushing the shutter button does not instantly make a picture Harold
Harold, I find that frustrating, after years of 35mm SLR action. Bill, if it has an audible click I've yet to hear it. I'll get back to the manual, which as I said is written in Sino-English.
What's the lens on that? Is the manfacturer or design of it listed? I'd be interested in hearing how a non-optical company handles this situation.
The shutter lag does take a little getting used to after years of using SLR's! But it quickly gets easier My camera has an adjustable volume control, which I have set on max. It has a very nice shutter sound and also makes wonderful beeping noises on switching on, etc. The batteries on mine last a long time, contrary to my expectations. I use Nickel metal Hydryde (sp?) and have one set spare ready charged.
Any more pix? I found it didn't take long to get used to the basics when I switched to digital. There are some features I am still learning about. I am also having fun with being back in the "darkroom," without the mess.
Yep. When I got my latest digital camera, the amount of options available in the menu were quite intimidating, but it very quickly becomes clear, and second nature
Peirce, no new ones as there are no trains nearby. I should have taken one of Bill Killion and myself together yesterday. I hope I get to the point where you guys are, but at the moment I'm still uncomfortable with it.
Amen. About 50 years ago I had my first darkroom. One of my learning experiences involved borrowing a 4X5 Speed Graphic to film an unforgettable event for a priest friend, his 50th jubilee. I had never used one before but figured no problem, focus on the ground glass. Long story short, complete disaster. I did have my trusty 35mm and took backups, so he got a lower resolution album. As you say, we keep learning.
Now there is a classic camera. I never owned one, but I used a borrowed one for two summers to do the poster shots for a summer stock theater company. We did ten shows in ten weeks. I had to produce 30" by 40" prints each week for display in the front of the theater. I also used my pre-ww2 Rolleicord for the pictures used with the press releases. No digital back on those days--1958 and 1959. There are times even today when I wish I still had that Speed Graphic.
