TCS - Midi Music and Multimedia SIG

Midi Music and Multimedia SIG

by Mike Henson
Tulsa Computer Society
From the June 2002 issue of the I/O Port Newsletter

We had 10 people come out to the May meeting, where we had a guest speaker, Chris Barlow, come out to talk about digital photography, and show us a 5 megapixel digital camera. I want to thank Chris for taking time out of his busy schedule to do this presentation for us.

First, we looked at several web sites that deal with digital photography. Here are some of the sites we looked at:

Next, Chris showed us his 5 megapixel digital camera. It is a Sony DSC-F707, and retails for around $1000. This is a very nice camera that actually looks and feels like an SLR (Single Lens Reflex) camera, including the ability to change out the lens for a wide-angle or telephoto lens. It also features the ability to take medium resolution videos, and has a night shot mode, which can take pictures using infrared technology in total darkness. But the best feature is its ability to take pictures up to 2560 x 1920 pixels, good enough for professional photography used in magazines.

Using his camera, Chris took a couple of pictures of some of the audience. One using a flash and one without. Then we turned out all the lights and he took a picture in total darkness using the camera's infrared capability. We then turned the lights up and he shot a video of us for about 30 seconds. He then connected the camera up to his laptop, and Windows automatically recognized the camera as a detachable hard drive. We were able to cut, copy and paste the pictures and the movie from the memory of the camera to the laptop's hard drive in a matter of seconds.

Needless to say, the pictures turned out great. (Click on the thumbnails below to see the full pictures.) The one taken without a flash was a little dark, but was easily corrected using software. And these were taken on a medium resolution setting. To get a high quality picture that can be printed out as photo quality, you would need to use a higher resolution.

Chris also showed us some pictures he printed out using his home Epson printer, and they looked like actual photos you would get from developed film. He advised, however, that it actually costs more money to print photos at home than it does from a film developer. The difference is, most of the time he doesn't need to print his photos, but instead he distributes them electronically via Email, or burns them to CDs to give to family and friends. So it really depends on what your needs are.

We will not meet during the summer, so our next meeting will be September 17. Come join the fun at the Harmon Foundation, 2901 S. Harvard, on the third Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM (except the summer months).


Flash
Click for 1036x761 pixel version
No Flash
Click for 1049x762 pixel version
Night Shot
Click for 931x764 pixel version



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Tulsa Computer Society 06/02/2002
Don Singleton, President