[Jacob-list] Digital Camera, Sort Of

[Pavel]

Royal wrote:

>I am really enjoying the pictures.  I finally convinced myself to get 
>either a digital camera or a scanner so I can do the same.  I am 
>wondering what method/brands etc people have found to give a decent 
>quality picture and provide versatility.

I used a scanner for a long time but got tired of the expense and bother
of getting film developed. I struggled with the concept of buying a
digital camera for at least two years, comparing brands and features and
prices. Instead, I bought a Dazzle Card for $250. This gizmo is an
external interface card that plugs into the printer port of my PC. The
video camera, which I already had, plugs into the other end. It allows
me to download from the video camera to an mpg-format movie file. Then I
can extract still images from the mpg file. You can also plug your VCR
into it and take scenes or still shots from your favorite movies.  

I really like this approach because I find that when I try to take a
picture of one of the animals, they generally turn or blink or run away
just as you're lining up the perfect shot. With the video camera, I
follow them around for 4 or 5 minutes and poses from all different
directions. Then I pipe it through the Dazzle Card and search the movie;
I can pause the action and move the movie one frame at a time to get
just the right shot. Besides the sheep, I got some great hummingbird
images using this method.

It's also a great way to edit your home movies. You can get more details
at http://www.dazzle.com/ . It may sound like I'm on commission from the
Dazzle company, but I'm not; I just enjoy their product and have a lot
of fun with it.

Paul Intihar
Rainbow Farm
Joppa, Maryland
Website: http://members.home.net/rbfarm/