Camera Oasis

At $2.99 in the Goodwill thrift store, the Kodak Star 1035Z camera seemed like a great deal. As long as I didn't think too hard. But I thought twice. In the realm of thrift store camera bargains, I could do better. The Kodak had a slow, 38-80mm zoom lens. And a choice of two flash options: auto or auto with red-eye reduction. No flash-defeat button. Still, at $3, with a case and owner's booklet, and a clean, scratch-free body and lens,  was it worth it? NO. NOT AT ALL. Kodak already sold a version of this camera in the 1990s. I owned one. Its auto-focus had all the accuracy of a Trump speechwriter. The zoom lens trudged to its maximum focal length at snail speed. The infant you wanted to photograph would've learned to crawl, walk, and drive a Big Wheel to kindergarten by the time the camera was ready to fire. And the shutter lag -- the moment between pressing the big gray button and getting the shot -- rivaled that of some older digital cameras. Overall...

Here's a quick guide to getting information about any camera you're considering: If you understand f-stops, apertures, and aspect ratios, web sites such as dpreview.com, CNET.com and dcresource.com are good online resources. Between the writers' in-depth reviews and the opinions you'll find in the online forums, you'll trip over more details than you need. Do note that dpreview.com has lately acquired a certain ambivalence in its professional reviews, and rarely comes out to say it dislikes a camera. Maybe this has something to do with most digital cameras sharing the same lenses and sensors, to some degree. I also recommend Steve's Digicams and imaging-resource.com, although both tend to get wrapped up in techno-speak. If I want to watch Star Trek, I'll watch Star Trek. If all those tech terms frustrate you, head on over to amazon.com. Almost every camera has user reviews to read. These are real-world people, for the mostpart, who don't dwell on pixel d...

In the days of film cameras, you hardly ever saw these little translucent circles in your photos. But for some reason, digital cameras seem to capture them with alarming frequency. In the photo at right, the mystery orb is in the lower left corner. It's called "dust." My guess: most compact digital cameras have a flash very close to the lens, which may serve to amplify the appearance of these imperfections in the photo. Of course, they're more evident when you're making pictures against a dark background. Had the photographer moved in a little closer, you'd see less of the dark wall mural of Jim Croce -- and probably not see the ghostly orb. So, there are two tips here: Clean your lens once in a while. Use a microfiber cloth or a lens pen. Try not to use facial or bathroom tissue. Breath lightly on the lens, then wipe gently in a circular motion. Get closer to your subject to decrease the likelihood of distractions in your photos. Zoom with your feet, not the ...

You want a fast lens. One that can capture as much light, wide-open, as possible. My first digital camera was a Kodak DC4800 (at left) , which had a 28mm wide-angle lens. Its widest aperture was f2.8. That was about the standard on digital cameras in 2000, when this camera was introduced. Photo enthusiasts from the film era wanted "fast" lenses that captured as much light as possible. The standard 50mm lens on an SLR clocked in at f1.8 -- a full stop faster than the DC4800's. But few camera makers brought fast lenses to compact digital cameras, except with the (long-discontinued) Olympus C-5050 and Canon G2. Those fast lenses today are almost a bygone thing. The last fast lens on a compact camera was the Canon G6, which retained a very good f2.0 lens. Most digital SLRs today come with kit lenses that start at a pokey f3.5. The Kodak M1033 in my pocket shuffles in at f3.1. The top-line Z1015IS mimicks the DSLRs with a wide-open f3.5. It appears camera makers are hoping t...

Here are a few tips to get the most out of your digital camera, no matter what brand you purchased or how experienced you are: First, attach and use the wrist strap (or neck strap) that came with your camera. Even if your camera has a rugged metal body, it's really just a tiny computer and sensor. Dropped from eye-level, it can become an expensive paperweight. That wrist strap can prevent you from turning your camera into a doorstop. Stabilize your camera. Most people hold their camera like a pair of binoculars, but out at arm's length. This invites camera shake. Instead, do this: make your left hand into the shape of a pistol (thumb up, index finger out). Point your hand to the right. Place the camera firmly in the corner where thumb and index finger meet. This helps support the camera better, and leaves your right hand free to press the zoom and shutter button. Zoom with your feet. Almost every digital camera has a built-in zoom. But the longer your lens, the further light ne...