The Synchronous Converter

Mobile telephones have progressed a long way from their humble beginnings as the analog “bricks” of the 80’s as technology has offered increasingly more complex features and options. Once no more than just a phone, now the average new cellphone has more on-board processing power than the combined computing power used to land men on the moon. Miniaturization, modern programming, and constantly improving technology driven on by a hungry market means that the cellphones of today are not just a phone, or even an organizer, but instead, they are a centralized multimedia platform. They offer many of the same advanced features as a PDA, like Bluetooth, flash card compatibility, radio, and fully featured integrated digital cameras. Much like the cameras found on PDAs, the digital photography offered by multimedia phones is not brilliant, but rather better suited to casual photography of friends at opportune moments. The advantage of having an integrated cell-camera is that as a phone is something that people tend to always carry with them, they will always have a camera handy.

If high quality digital photography is what you’re after, then you’re better off buying a mobile phone and camera separately. While camera technology is getting there for things like PDAs and mobiles, the range of advanced options for a cell phone camera don’t even translate to the standard set of features for a basic digital camera. A comparison of some prominent models on the market today follows, giving consideration to the cost, feature set, and level of quality offered by each device.

The Palm Treo 650 Smartphone runs the Palm OS version 5.4 on a 312MHz Intel CPU. It has 23MB of user memory available, expandable with the addition of either an SD or MMC flash cards. The display is a 320×320 pixel 16-bit color TFT, and it features a 0.3MP digital camera, capable of taking photos or capturing video. Feature wise, it’s impressive, but doesn’t weigh up against similar products for the price. The camera in particular is under-powered for the amount of processing behind it. A Smartphone 650 will set you back about $550.

The Sony Ericsson W800i has 32MB of user memory, and comes free with a 512MB Memory Stick Pro flash card. Featuring a display resolution of 176×220 pixels, and a 2 MP digital camera, it is fairly light on the features, and would be best described as a basic high-end mobile phone. The 2MP digital camera goes some way towards justifying the cost, but it doesn’t compare to buying a digital camera separately. The W800i will set you back around $480.

The Nokia 7610 is a competitive entry on this list, featuring a fairly rich feature set by comparison to the other examples. However, it has only 8MB on-board memory, expandable via a MultiMediaCard flash card. It comes with a free 64MB MMC, with a 176×208 display in 16-bit color. The 1MP digital camera supports a very wide range of image formats, as well as two modes of video in low or medium resolution. It supports multiple video formats, has a 4x digital zoom. The Bluetooth enabled system itself has a web browser and email client. The main problems with this phone are the relatively short lived battery, and the small amount of on-board memory. But at just $310, the feature set gives this phone serious bang for the buck.

If we compare each of these to a normal digital camera, it is easy to see why they are not a good choice if you intend to focus on photography. $350 gets you a Canon SD500 7.1 MP digital camera. It features 3x optical zoom, along with 4x digital zoom, Television AV/out port, proper strobe flash with red-eye reduction, heavily customizable setup, optional automatic lighting conditions compensation, a tripod mount point, full motion video recorded at effective resolution of 0.3MP. It has an SD card slot, and a host of other features too numerous to name. This is not an elite, professional grade camera, however it outperforms every camera phone listed by at least 3:1. and at a lower cost too.

Cellphones have evolved to a point where they more closely resemble a laptop than anything else, combining a truly impressive range of multimedia technologies into one tiny device. Displays are improving rapidly, as is the level of functionality offered by modern mobile phones. As they become more numerous, these features will become increasingly useful as vast networks of people, all armed with such versatile devices will begin to take shape. As of now, however, they are fairly unfocused in their capabilities, offering a very wide range of features, but not delivering any one of them so well as to replace the technology from which the features first came from. While camera cellphones can have their uses, they still do not lend themselves well to high quality photography. For casual use with friends, or general purpose use, a camera phone can be a lot of fun, and while it combines a lot of devices into one convenient package, it doesn’t deliver the a high level of quality.

Ron Donnelly is editor of the digital camera site, buying-guide-for-digital-cameras. You can visit the site at www.buying-guide-for-digital-cameras.com

Comments Off

I like to think that I am a bit more mature now. Don’t we all? I’m not sure it is really true, perhaps it’s just a change of perception.

Thinking back, I was very naive and, yes, immature in the past. My first camera was a Zenit E. It weighed a ton but it took photographs. After I had bought it and loaded the film, I set about taking photographs.

I didn’t stray far. No further than my house really. The result was a hundred or so pictures of my cat, the garden vegetation and any human that dared to come near me.

I felt on top of the world. I had made it at last. When, a few months later, I set up a darkroom in my bedroom, I felt that my talents were complete.

Only ther weren’t. because my pictures lacked sparkle and charm. They suffered from overexposure, underdevelopment and poor composition together with every other possible photographic mishap you could name.

I couldn’t see it then, but I can now.

And so the trend continues. I convince myself that I am open minded and certainly can see and appreciate the superb works of others. But I still wince a little when constructive criticism comes my way. I laugh it off and take it full on in the face of course, but inwardly, I seethe. A bit.

I don’t like to be told the best way to do things because I think I know it. I have read books and gone on courses. I even teach photography. But I still find that others can improve my images. I just don’t always agree with their efforts.

Although 30 years on from my Zenit E, I still retain the skeleton of that same immaturuity that blighted me then. I guess it will be with me till I die. I just won’t really notice it.

Eric Hartwell runs the photography resource site http://www.theshutter.co.uk and the associated discussion forums as well as the regular weblog at http://thephotographysite.blogspot.com

Comments Off

The joy surrounding the birth of a child is something that is so amazing that it is hard to put into words. Once the birth of a child occurs a parent’s life is forever changed. From that moment on a parent will have to base every thought and decision around their child. The joy that is associated with child birth is something that many children do not realize until they become parents themselves. If you wish to share the happiness and pride that you felt on the day your child was brought into the world you should consider purchasing a newborn photo throw blanket.

To forever treasure the birth of their children many parents develop scrapbooks or photo albums to pass on to their children. These items are great way to show a child what their life was like when they were younger and the joy that they brought you. While scrapbooks and photo albums are nice, there is an accessory that will make a traditional scrapbook or photo album so much more. That item is a newborn photo throw blanket.

A newborn photo throw blanket is similar to a traditional photo throw blanket; however, it is often themed with the birth of a child. There are many newborn photo throw blankets that only display the birth picture of a child; however, they can be personalized to include so much more. A popular newborn photo throw blanket design is one that is similar to a birth announcement. There are many blankets that can include a baby’s birth photograph and a small birth announcement right alongside that photograph.

Using a real photograph is the most preferred way to create a customized newborn photo throw blanket; however, it is not the only way. In addition to using a real birth photo, it is also possible for a baby face drawing to be developed. Many photo blanket designers can transform a color faded or blurry photograph into an amazing drawing. The drawing is often combined with other birth information such as the date of birth, size, and weight of a child.

A newborn photo throw blanket can be made right when your child is a baby or it can be made in time. As long as the photo is clean, free of marks, and easy to see it is possible to turn an old or new birth photo into a beautiful newborn photo throw blanket. Could you imagine the surprise on your child’s face when one day in the future they go to open that box of memories that you left for them. A newborn photo throw blanket will not only allow your child to treasure their own birth, but it can be preserved and passed down through future generations. Imagine the legacy you created simply by ordering a newborn photo throw blanket.

Joel Preston is a writer for Photo Blanket Gifts where you can find
more information about photo throw blankets and other personalized photo gifts.

Comments Off

The main problem for amateur photographers in public situations is attitude. Being armed with a camera and equipment will make you stand out from the crowd especially if you rush around taking snaps of everything! This sort of exposure can make you self-conscious and lead to stress, anxiety and the inability to think clearly.

Shots become hurried and the controls on the camera can sometime lose their meaning! There is no worse feeling in photography that admitting to your subjects that you don’t know what you are doing!

Professionals get over this problem by exposure - the very thing that often causes panic for amateurs. You need to be there, in the midst, seen and respected. Most people in public are more anxious of the photographer than the photographer is of taking photographs.

Approach each shot with enthusiasm and make it look as though you are in control. State what you want to do (and why, if necessary) and tell your subjects what you are doing at each stage. Gain their confidence and then you will gain their respect.

Be bold - don’t hang around at the back awaiting an opportunity that might just disappear. Make the opportunity happen if you can. Explain who you are (although this will often be obvious) and explain what you want.

Don’t be fearful of others. People often want to be photographed even if they, themselves, are a bit anxious. This is especially true at events or organised activities. If you are on private ground, getting permission for photography beforehand (or on the day) will give you that added spark and lessen the worry.

Take lots of photographs. This will give you more confidence and ensure that you get some decent shots. Try to relax.

In the next article I will cover the question of equipment.

Eric Hartwell runs the photography resource site http://www.theshutter.co.uk and the associated discussion forums as well as the regular weblog at http://thephotographysite.blogspot.com

Comments Off