Digital camera question yet again not asked by others

[buzzandjulie]

Digital camera question: Not asked by others yet!( atleast that I can find)

 

Can pictures taken on board ship be transfered to a CD by photo staff. Going to Alaska in 3 weeks also need to know if you always need to use highest resolution to get good clear pictures. MY DH has been using this since we purchased camera in November but only get 180 pix next best is high quality is about 523 super quality is 1595.

 

It is a olympus 4.0 megs

 

Any comments would be helpful because we are not sure if we should purchase a second memory card for trip

[Texasbob]

that on RCI, anyway, your pictures can be put on a CD for $20. That's all I know.

[ysr_racer]

I always use the highest setting. Memory is cheap, going back to take the picture again is not :)

[tee_wrecks]

They tell me you can have a cd burned by the photo lab onboard for about $20 but you have to leave the memory card overnight.

 

What ysracer said is correct. Memory is cheap so take plenty of cards. I usually shoot at high resolution though my reasons differ from others on this board. Main thing is that you want to be sure you have enough memory cards so you don't miss the photo of a lifetime.

[garycarla]

Quality is in the eye of the holder, or is it beholder.

 

In any event, what level of pixels work for you? If you only show them on the computer or make SMALL prints, the low resolution will work. As your demands and the size of the pics move upward, then so should resolution.

 

Take some pics TODAY, and then see what you like.

[Yukon]

>> If you only show them on the computer or make SMALL prints, the low resolution will work. As your demands and the size of the pics move upward, then so should resolution.<<

 

The downfall of that theory comes when your demands increase and all your old pictures are at email-level quality. There is just no downside to shooting at the highest resolution your camera will handle (except the relatively minor cost of memory cards).

 

Murray

[sk8teacher]

I always use the highest because I never know when I might get that perfect shot that I want blown up to 8x10 or larger. Memory cards/sticks are cheap. I always carry several 512mb cards any time I travel. I check the internet often for memory cards, and have never paid more than $30 for a 512mb card. Don't forget at least one extra battery as well. It's no fun being out in the boondocks somewhere, see the perfect picture only to find out your battery is dead.

 

Cheers!

[ysr_racer]

 

The downfall of that theory comes when your demands increase and all your old pictures are at email-level quality. There is just no downside to shooting at the highest resolution your camera will handle (except the relatively minor cost of memory cards).

 

Murray

 

Yep, what he said :)

[CSloan]

I think it depends on the cruiseline. I had my pics burned to a CD on the Island Princess last year for $9.95. They copy the pics from your card while you wait. Only takes a few minutes.

 

Cathy

[mommabean]

Hey there fellow cruise mate,

 

I just bought a new 4.0mp Nikon for the trip. I already had a 3mp Sony but with only 3x optical zoom. I wanted a greater zoom so I got the less expenive 8x rather than going with a 10x or 12x which costs more and since I'm not good at keeping my hands steady enough for such a far ranging zoom.

 

Anyway, I get perfectly sharp 4x6 prints with my 3mp camera. I mean PERFECT. I don't blow up pictures. But my new camera doesn't have a 3mp setting. It's either full 4mp or the next one down at 2mp which is not acceptable for a print in my opinion. With a 512 mb card I can get about 250 pics at high resolution. It uses a SD card and I got it really cheap at best buy last week with a rebate. The main reason I don't need another card is because I'll be bringing my Sony digital and my Canon film cameras.

 

Also we are bringing our lap top with a DVD/CD burner so I can put all my digitals onto a disk each night for safe keeping, Should I manage to lose or damage a card I'll have the photos on disk. The only problem is that I haven't used the DVD burner yet. I'm assuming it's as easy as drag and drop though. Hopefully. Because I also have to learn how to transfer videos onto the computer and burn them all to a full size DVD disk.

 

Too much to learn in such a short time and I haven't even begun to think about packing.

 

Anyway, I'd say that if your memory card is a 256mb card, then go buy another 256 or better yet a 512 just to be sure. Best buy has at least 2 off brands that work perfectly - sandisk and the one I got, whatever it's called - and almost always one is on sale or has a rebate making them pretty cheap. And use your high resolution setting for sure, unless you have a 3mp setting, have tried it, and don't plan on making prints larger than 4x6.

[JohnQ]

I also have a Oly 4mg camera and I get 95 photos at highest resolution/quality setting. I assume it used the xd cards. You should have at least one extra 256 or 512 and maybe more. I would also suggest you take your USB cable hookup. On the Summit, they did not have an xd card reader (their adaptor was broken). With the cable, they can plug it straight into any computer and burn your cd. It should run between $10-20 per card/cd.

[Houston Texan]

My wife wanted me to ask the following question: Are their any Internet Cafes in Ketchican, Skagway, Juneau, Seward, Talkeetna, Healy, or Anchorage? My wife wants to e-mail our digital photos to herself so that we can clear out our compact flash periodically throughtout our trip. :confused:

[Yukon]

Emailing 500 megs of photos isn't possible. Buy more cards. Internet time in these cafes very quickly gets more expensive than cards.

 

Murray

[buzzandjulie]

Thanks for all your help I think I will shot for buying an extra card. I am however bringing a film camera as well.

[FamilyofFourtoAlaska]

I have an Olympus 4 mp and am just getting comfortable with it. I think more xd cards must be the way to go. I am taking my 9 and 13 y.o.s to Alaska and wanted to find an inexpensive but decent digital camera for each of them. I found the Olympus D540 (3.2 mp) at Office Max (Houston) with instant rebate for $119, which seems very cheap. We will all use the same kind of card, too. It is good to know about printing to CD, but we do plan to take a laptop. If anyone is into scrapbooking at all, I had a great idea for the kids on this trip. I got each a 13 pocket expanda-file to put in souvenirs, tickets, notes etc from each day of the trip. When they get home they will be all organized to put their books together with their pictures. Maybe Mom needs to get organized, too!

[tiggerbelle]

I brought my Canon G6 (7.1 megapixels) and my Canon EOS Elan SLR. I'm still getting acquainted with the digital and I was concerned with the shutter speed and capturing action shots. When I played around with it from my balcony, I had a hard time seeing the LCD display because it was so bright out. And I couldn't get the zoom I wanted on the digital, whereas I have a higher zoom lens on my SLR.

 

I opted to use the SLR at Hubbell Glacier. There was a lot of calving and I got some fantastic multiple zoom shots with my SLR whereas I don't think I could have gotten the same shots with the digital.

 

I was on Radiance of the Seas (Royal Caribbean) and their internet system was being upgraded last week, so it was down more than it was up. I ended up going to an Internet Cafe in Ketchikan. It was only $5 for one hour. I took my laptop with me as I needed to check messages at work. You can connect to their wireless for the same price. If you use their desktop computers, it costs $5.30 per hour. It was high speed and was wonderful.

 

On Radiance, they offered photo transfer to CD.

 

Hope this helps.

[greatful]

I always take pictures at the highest/finest quality 5.0mp on my Sony Camera. The reason being, if you do cropping you don't lose quality.

 

Someone on this thread said they're bringing their laptop. I'd love to bring mine but aren't sure what to do with it the last day while we are hanging out in and around Anchorage. I don't mind checking luggage but it bothers me checking the laptop.

[garycarla]

Emailing photos is a chancy option. Many computers do not allow anything to be plugged into them, due to fear or virus problems, or maybe it just is not compatible. Keep in mind that some email services might restrict file size to a 1 meg, maybe 2 meg which means very few pics. And surely, email 256 meg would take a few days...

 

Either take lower resolution, or get the extra cards.

[greatful]

I would save to the hard drive and copy to CD daily.

[ysr_racer]

One more thing about file size and taking pictures at the highest camera setting. If your camera has TIFF / RAW capabilities and you don't know what TIFF / RAW is, don't use them.

 

High quality JPG's should do fine for most of us :)