Star Drydock PICS !!!

[judyf]

For anyone following, the Satr made it on time to Acapulco today!!!!

[Cuizer2]

For anyone following, the Satr made it on time to Acapulco today!!!!

 

That is good to hear. BTW, which cruise line owns the Satr? Any word on the NCL Star yet?

[LVScooby]

Cuizer2...What Camera do you have?

[judyf]

That is good to hear. BTW, which cruise line owns the Satr? Any word on the NCL Star yet?

 

Okay, I have another typo. For those that are on my roll call know me, I seem to do it all the time. Sometimes I think they can't read my posts. LOL

 

The NCL Star made it too.

[Cuizer2]

Cuizer2...What Camera do you have?

 

The photos posted here are from a NiKon. 8 mega pixel with an 8 to 1 zoom. I'll check the model when I get home. Most of my cruise photos are taken with a Canon. 5 mega pixel with a 3 to 1 zoom. I'll check the model when I get home. Both cameras use compact flash cards. I'll post a before photo of the Star (taken with the Canon) soon so you can see if there are any differences between the before and after (drydock).

 

BTW, the photos of the ship (not the wave to the camera photos) were taken with the camera on top of a short brick wall. This reduced any movement of the camera vs. hand held (the wave to the camera photos were all hand held) and makes for a better photo. The little screen comes out and rotates, so I can see what the camera sees even if the camera is held with my arms fully extended above my head, or held down around my hips. Oops, I just remembered, the photos of the ship after it passed me were hand held.

[cruisingfromMN]

Okay, I have another typo. For those that are on my roll call know me, I seem to do it all the time. Sometimes I think they can't read my posts. LOL

 

The NCL Star made it too.

 

Yeah, but we like you all the same... typos and all!

[Cuizer2]

Okay - here goes:

 

1) The Canon (5 mega pixels) is a Power Shot S50. A picture from this camera appears below.

 

2) The Nikon (8 mega pixels) is a Coolpix 8700.

 

3) And here is a before photo of the Star in PV in mid Oct 2005 ...

 

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[bluehorizonlover123]

very nice

[sweetpea-2]

:) nice pic's ... thanks for sharing !!!

[bluehorizonlover123]

I have a question for you regarding your cameras. Which one do you like best. I have a Coolpix 4600 which I love but the shutter lag after taking a flash picture is awful. Do you have this problem with the 8700. Your pictures are outstanding so I am anxious to hear.

[Cuizer2]

I have a question for you regarding your cameras. Which one do you like best. I have a Coolpix 4600 which I love but the shutter lag after taking a flash picture is awful. Do you have this problem with the 8700. Your pictures are outstanding so I am anxious to hear.

You have to get a D-SLR (at least $800 w/o any lens) if you want to avoid shutter lag. Another problem is auto focus with the shutter lag. If the object is moving toward you and is close (like a child on a pony) and you try to take a photo, the camera focus is behind the child, leaving you with a "soft" focus.

 

That said, each camera has its good points and bad point. Though I have a film SLR and have taken photography classes in college, the "D" camera are the first ones I have with auto focus, and I am still learning to use the cameras. Fortunately, learning how to use a "D" camera does not waste film.

 

Both cameras suffer from shutter lag. The Canon fits in my pocket. Great when traveling light. The Nikon allows for better photo after cropping (because of its extra pixels). The Nikon has a better zoom (8:1 vs 3:1). The Canon goes on cruises with me because it is easier to carry around. The Nikon goes with me when portability is not an issue (though it travels well, and has been on many an airplane ride). The Nikon requires more storage per photo (3.2 MB vs. 2 MB) though the cost of flash cards is not much these days.

 

The Canon batteries were $50 each (currently $80 I believe - I have two). The Nikon batteries cost me $14 each (so I have three). All are rechargable. I sometimes take enough photos in one day to go through one battery. I have not gone through two batteries yet. However, battery cost and battery life could be an issue. Who cares if you go through three batteries a day if the batteries only cost $5 each (just buy six and keep them recharged). At $50 each, how many batteriers are you going to buy? For that price each one better last through at least 200 photos plus they should recharge themselves.

 

The Nikon screen comes out and rotates (Canon has this feature too, though my Canon camera does not have it). Very handy when shooting over someone's head. I would not buy a camera w/o a view finder because sometimes you can not see the screen on a bright day (some camera don't have a view finder - you have to use the screen). Also, the screen eats up batteries. I like to keep mine off.

 

I learned to shoot digital on a fixed focus camera that had a resolution of 640 x 480 (only 300K - less than 1 MB). Then I got (and still have) and 3.2 megapixel Kodak that unfortunately shoots 35 mm format (3 x 2 - the other two cameras shot TV or computer monitor format - 4 x 3). The other problem with the Kodak is it only has a 2:1 optical zoom (digital zoom has very little value). I bought the Canon and have been very happy with it. Then I wanted a bigger zoom and bought an HP that was 4 megapixel and had an 8:1 zoom. When I bought the Nikon, I gave the HP to someone.

 

In the future I would like to get a 6 or 7 megapixel camera with a 4:1 zoom to replace the Canon, meaning it has to fit in my pocket. By the way, during my last cruise (the NCL Star) I worn off all the markings on the Canon dial. Now I have to look at the screen to see what setting I have the dial set to. When I get the new camera (who knows when) I'll keep the Canon in the car (for those times when "I wish I had my camera with me") the smaller camera (the new one) for those times when I want to travel light and the Nikon for those times when having the extra pixels will make for a better photo.

 

At the moment I am lucky, all the cameras use compact flash cards. Most likely any new camera I buy will use SD flash cards, so I'll have to buy more memory and will not be able to share the cards between all the cameras.

 

Hope this helps. If not, feel free to ask additional questions.

[bluehorizonlover123]

Hey thanks for all that camera advice. I am happy with my 4600. The pixs look great. I can point and shoot. I can even take pixs of pixs that I bought on the ship to email to friends. Just not happy with the shutter lag. But I think it is the nature of the beast with digital cameras these days. We also have a 10x zoom camera which takes great pixs and it was very expensive and it has lag too. Not as bad as my 4600 but still there. The only bad part is when you are trying to take multiple pixs of something and the people want to disburse and you want to try for another shot.