yeager
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posted on March 7, 2003 10:24:41 PM new
I would like to buy a new digital camera. I am thinking about a Sony Mavica. I have done some research on them. They seem to be quite popular with people here, as I have seen threads on them in the past. I'm thinking about the model FD100. This is available at Walmart for 299.00, and it has 1.3 mega pixels They have a 90 day return policy on this item. Also, any buying tips on a digital.
Can anyone tell me anything about thier Mavica. Pros and cons, anything at all. Thanks!
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mcjane
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posted on March 7, 2003 10:44:07 PM new
I have a Mavica FD73 & have no complaints whatsoever. It is incredibly easy to use, takes great pictures. I bought it because of what had been posted here in the past & also because Consumer Reports liked it. Their one complaint was that they thought it was a bit bulky & hard to hold. I didn't find that a problem at all.
The Walmart price sounds very good & you can't go wrong with a 90 day return policy, but I'll bet you won't return it. You'll love it too much.
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toasted36
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posted on March 7, 2003 10:50:02 PM new
I have the sony FD100 and I absolutely love it !! You can get crystal clear pictures right on top of a item...great for jeweley !!I also bought mine from Walmarts ...flop or Memory stick ...long battery life ...so many different setting I haven't used them all.You have a Thumbs up from me !!
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yeager
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posted on March 7, 2003 10:56:18 PM new
Hi mcjane,
Would you do me a tremendous favor and post a picture of something that you have taken with the Mavica. I would be able to get an idea of the picture quality. My current carema is about 4 years old, and it has been dropped a couple of times. The images are dark and grainy. I try to enhance them, but they are always rotten.
Also, do you have to use additional lighting, such as small flood lights?
I'm thinking that buying a Mavcica will allow me to porduce better pics and maybe even get better bids.
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ahc3
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posted on March 7, 2003 10:57:00 PM new
One of the best purchases I made, bought it now perhaps 4 years ago, works great as the day I got it. The amount of time I have saved is incredible...
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mcjane
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posted on March 7, 2003 11:29:15 PM new
yeager
Here are two pictures, one of my cat & one from an auction that just ended tonight.
No, I don't use any special lighting, just put my items on the dining room table under a 75 watt light bulb.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=499&item=2618775284
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toasted36
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posted on March 7, 2003 11:36:27 PM new
heres one with the FD100 in a dark house 
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mcjane
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posted on March 7, 2003 11:46:41 PM new
Here is another picture & I think the trick is to get as close as you can to show detail.
This pin is 1 inch.
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mcjane
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posted on March 7, 2003 11:57:35 PM new
toasted:
Did you use a white background? All my inside white backgrounds come out peach. I just can't get a white background.
If I don't want a color background I use the maple wood on my dining room table & the item colors come out very true so it's not really a big problem.
I can get a white BG if I take pictures in the sun, but I'd rather take them inside for small items, there are less reflections.
Jane
[ edited by mcjane on Mar 8, 2003 12:00 AM ]
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meadowlark
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posted on March 8, 2003 03:08:46 AM new
I have a 5 year old Sony Mavica FD 81 and would not part with it for love or money.
What I like best about the Sony line is that it uses floppies. No memery cards to buy, and you can share photos with family to take home at a gathering by copying from one floppy to another using the camera. The numer of pictures you can take is limited only by the number of floppies you want to carry.
I use high resolution for my online pics. You can fit as many as 60 low res on a floppy disk if you needed to.
And if you need spare batteries, there is an Ebay seller with great prices. I bought from him and am very satisfied. I found him on the 'net before I saw him on Ebay. I bid on his dutch auction, then got antsy and called his 1-800 number and gave him my CC info and he shipped the same day. As I remeber, he's in Phoenix.
My old battery finally wouldn't hold a charge anymore, so I bought two new batteries. The new ones hold so much more power than the old ones did, I haven't even had to charge the new battery yet. Here's a picture taken with my Sony.
Patty
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meadowlark
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posted on March 8, 2003 03:16:42 AM new
mcjane,
The alterted background color in your pictures is usually a result of the lighting used. You might try halogen lighting if you have it and see if it makes a difference. Incandescent tends toward yellowish, fluorescent depends on which type bulbs you have in. They can give a sickly green, a yellowish, or a bluish cast. I have a combination of incandescent and flourescent in the room I work in, and color correct slightly on photos with fabric.
I find taking pictures on my light maple table helps me too.
Good luck,
Patty
[ edited by meadowlark on Mar 8, 2003 03:17 AM ]
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toasted36
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posted on March 8, 2003 03:43:19 AM new
Goodmorning !! MCJane yes that was a white back ground ..I went to bed right after I posted that picture last night it was almost 3 am here sorry I took so long to answer.I love that picture of the cat Patty !! lol how did you ever get it to sit still.Gotta run tis Yard Sale time !!
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koto1
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posted on March 8, 2003 03:52:24 AM new
I agree with the other postings here...other than the original battery that eventually loses it's ability to hold a charge, the Mavica is a great camera. I've got an older one, and it serves faithfully taking pix. Sounds like you're getting a good deal on a great camera.
"Who's tending the bar?  Sniping works up a thirst"
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meadowlark
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posted on March 8, 2003 03:58:42 AM new
Toasted,
Glad to see I'm not the only person awake!
My cat does not like wearing costumes. I have very good communication skills, though and let him know I need his help. He can be coaxed into sitting still and letting me try some portions of the custom costumes for my customers on him. He was ultra-cooperative for the picture above. As long as I get his agreement and don't force him, it works.
I am having to make some cat body models so I can get all the necessary pictures to sell my wares.
Here's a couple of photos from a male customer in California. I don't know which digital camera he used for this. His cat does not mind costumes at all.
What's hilarious, is this is a neutered tom. And he got into a fight (not serious) with the neighbor's cat while wearing the tutu! I could not stop laughing. Oh, and he's sending pictures of him in the hula skirt this weekend.
Patty
[ edited by meadowlark on Mar 8, 2003 04:05 AM ]
[ edited by meadowlark on Mar 8, 2003 04:07 AM ]
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zircon4
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posted on March 8, 2003 04:29:57 AM new
mcjane,
About your backgrounds coming out the wrong colour. Have you used the white balance? If you take pics outside, the light is more yellow. So if your BG is white outside and you then take pics inside without doing a white balance the BG will be yellow on the inside shots. By the same token, if your white balance is set for natural indoor light, when you take pics outside the BG will have a blue tone to it. I use a Mavica FD95 and I found that a white balance needs to be done whenever you change the lighting conditions. I sell gemstones and good photo's definitely make for better sales. I hope this is helpful.
zircon4
Here is a link to one of webpages so that you can see the photos. I am not an expert but I think they get the important information across.
http://www.unicorngems.com/MW011.html
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chathamsue
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posted on March 8, 2003 06:17:57 AM new
Hi-
There is a website (pagecomputers.com) selling this camera for $265.86. Print it out & get a Staples store to price match. Or order it online from staples.com & pay no shipping since it's over $50. You can also use some of the Staples online coupons to discount further. BTW, I LOVE my Mavica! Good Luck!
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Roadsmith
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posted on March 8, 2003 07:23:00 AM new
I looooove my Mavica 73, loooove the floppies instead of other methods. I've had it for 2 1/2 years.
My husband feels that it is too "heavy" for carrying around on trips and intends to get a little lightweight camera someday. I don't mind the bulk one bit, and I get very good pictures.
Now. . . Two questions for Mavica people here!
* Someone mentioned using high resolution vs low resolution. Is that an option on the Mavica 73? I don't use anything that's called that.
* Ditto for "white balance"--is there a button for that?
My son-in-law is a professional photographer and tipped me off to use only one light source whenever possible. He says cameras get confused if, say, we use fluorescent plus incandescent, or fluorescent plus daylight coming in a window, etc. etc.
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kasue
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posted on March 8, 2003 07:29:59 AM new
Meadowlark, could you find out which Ebay seller you bought the batteries from? I have the Mavica FD73 and the battery has held up just fine, but everyone talks about them starting to lose their charge. I would like to get a back up just in case.
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chathamsue
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posted on March 8, 2003 07:47:20 AM new
I got my battery from an eBay seller. Their id is ny-on-sale. Great price & fast shipping.
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Twelvepole
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posted on March 8, 2003 08:11:19 AM new
Mavica is probably the best all around digital camera for business nd light personal use... if you are more into personal use there are better out there...
AIN'T LIFE GRAND... 
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meadowlark
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posted on March 8, 2003 08:21:58 AM new
kasue,
Here's the seller's website:
http://www.sterlingtek.com/ln10-dls550-sony-f550-f330-battery--mvc-fd95.html
I was very impressed with the product and speed of service. He sells the battery I use for $29.99. I bought two so I don't have to do charging at an inconvenient time when I travel.
Be sure to charge the batteries per the instructions when you get them. If I remember correctly, it was something like 24 hours, even though the charger light will go off much sooner.
I don't remeber his Ebay ID. He is in Phoenix, AZ.
Patty
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meadowlark
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posted on March 8, 2003 08:25:45 AM new
Chathamsue,
Beware of doing business online or by catatlog with Staples unless you have a B&M store nearby. I puchased a shredder from the 1-800 catalog number. It quit working after two days. It was sent to me via UPS. They told me I would have to return it at their store about 50 miles away.
Patty
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kasue
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posted on March 8, 2003 08:31:20 AM new
Thank you Patty. I will try that link. Sounds like a great price! I looked at the Ebayer that chathamsue (thank you!) provided, but ny-on-sale didn't have any listed right now.
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sanmar
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posted on March 8, 2003 08:52:45 AM new
There is one important detail that no one has memtioned. Get a camera with at least 3 Megapixels. The more pixels, the finer the detail will be. I have an Olympus D-450 Zoom & really like it, BUT it only has 1.3 Mpixels. & the pictures I took at Xmas time of family are really grainy when you print a 3 X 5 picture. They look fine on the computer, but not when printed. I took the floppy to a commercial camera shop to have them printed.
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ttoby
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posted on March 8, 2003 09:14:58 AM new
Hi
I have an FD-81 Mavica. I have had it for
four years. I bought a backup battery but
the original is still working. I think this
camera is great. I sold large furniture in the
past so took picutres outside. I found it to
be very difficult to see the image through the
view finder in bright sunlight. Had to resort
covering head and camera with a cloth. Otherwise great camera.
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MissMadi
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posted on March 8, 2003 09:19:57 AM new
The Mavica with the floppy is coming down in price because the floppy drives will soon become obsolete. (Remember the 5" floppy!)
Dell has just stopped putting them in as standard--if you want a floppy drive it is optional. Most likely other manufacturers will follow suit.
If you plan to keep the camera for a while I would suggest the new CD Mavica (although it is a bit pricey).
Personally, I'm getting a Canon Powershot G2. Its an incredible camera and the price has come way down now that the G3 has come out.
Just some things to think about.
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chathamsue
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posted on March 8, 2003 10:49:40 AM new
Thanks, Meadowlark!
I do have a Staples very close by. (2 in fact!) I have found their price matching policy to be terrific, both online & in the store. Just tell them the website or show tehm an ad & voila! Price Match!
Not sure if another office products chain like them might have the same policy, but, it could be worth checking out.
I just purchased a new computer this week. It's true that Dell is now offering a 3.5" floppy as an option. I got a Gateway & it seems they are following suit. They questioned why I would want to add a floppy.
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sanmar
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posted on March 8, 2003 12:22:18 PM new
If you have Circuit City Or Best Buy nearby check their prices. They are very competitive.
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toasted36
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posted on March 8, 2003 02:28:24 PM new
lol Patty ...love the tutu story !! You'll have to post the hula one when you get it...heres my daughters kitten it's name is Monster...It's a manx but has a 1 inch tail that looks like a check mark lol ...was born that way...ahhh his favorite place to sleep
This a really old picture before I got my Mavica ..he full grown now ...so you can really see the differents the mavica can make 
[ edited by toasted36 on Mar 8, 2003 02:36 PM ]
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zircon4
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posted on March 8, 2003 02:33:41 PM new
Roadsmith,
(* Ditto for "white balance"--is there a button for that?)
I use an FD95 and there is a button for white balance. I just had a quick look on the net and it seems that the FD73 has auto white balance. I guess you would activate it by pressing the picture button down halfway like you do for focussing.
zircon4
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