[Talk-GB] Cameras?

Steve Hill steve at nexusuk.org
Mon Sep 8 09:42:08 BST 2008


On Mon, 8 Sep 2008, Ed Loach wrote:

> I'd like a cheap digital camera to use when I'm out noting things for 
> mapping purposes; our existing camera eats batteries.

I have an old Canon IXUS 400 that I picked up off ebay, which I find is 
pretty reasonable as a simple and small point & shoot for when I don't 
want to lug around my SLR.  I do tend to find that the battery life of the 
camera is the limiting factor when I'm mapping on foot (camera turned on 
the whole time), but the batteries are quite small so carrying a spare 
wouldn't be a problem.

Pretty robust, optical viewfinder, takes compact flash, rechargable 
lithium ion battery, a bit of optical zoom, 4 megapixels and the lens 
seems good enough to make use of the resolution.  I think the newer IXUS 
models have removed the optical viewfinder though, which is a shame.

> Can anyone suggest either a camera or a good comparison website.

http://www.dpreview.com/ is pretty good for comparing cameras.

> Alternatively if anyone can recommend some good quality, reasonably 
> priced, high capacity rechargeable AA batteries that work well in their 
> digital camera then that may work out a cheaper option.

I used to use 4 AA size NiMh cells in my old HP Photosmart 850, which 
seemed to last well enough and you can now get some fairly high capacity 
(2800mAh or more) cells.  NiMh cells do suffer from a short shelf-life 
though, so it is very much a "charge just before you need them" option, 
whereas lithium ion batteries will hold their charge for ages when not in 
use so your camera can always be ready for use.  But you won't get AA size 
lithium ion cells, so NiMh is about your best option.

  - Steve
    xmpp:steve at nexusuk.org   sip:steve at nexusuk.org   http://www.nexusuk.org/

      Servatis a periculum, servatis a maleficum - Whisper, Evanescence





More information about the Talk-GB mailing list