WOW! Nautilus and camera memory cards

[Mr. Picklesworth]

I removed the SDHC card from my new digital camera. (Canon Digital Rebel XSi. Highly recommended if you find a good deal on it). Inserted it into a generic SD card reader. There is no obvious hint to this being from a camera.

...

Smiled very widely as F-Spot opened to import the images. As you can see, Nautilus has automagically detected that the card has digital photos and carried out my requested operation.

I have a lot of trouble with people who can't figure out photo CDs on their Mac or Windows computers because they are structured like camera memory cards. For them, this functionality is phenomenal. I am still smiling about it!

Kudos, Nautilus!

[n6yga]

Yes, it's pretty cool. The first time I tried it (with an SD card from my most excellent Fuji Z20) I was shocked at how easy it was and how the photos were separated into different folders based on date-taken.

Sometimes things just work as they should, rather than someone else's idea of how they should.

Mark.

[shak541]

yes i've noticed this also. really helpful when your in a rush.. and as for the canon rebel... how is it? i was planning to buy one but am confused after seeing an amazing nikon.. and what price would you consider good for this camera? :D

[Mr. Picklesworth]

I got it with a special employee purchase price, around $700 after taxes and such. I really, really like it. The kit it comes in is not fantastic value; basically the camera and a lense. No bag for it, (had to evict my old Canon AV1 from its bag), no screen protector, no complimentary SD card...

It keeps impressing me with some great attention to detail, though. Apparently it's rather common nowadays, but it has a tilt sensor so that when I take a picture sideways it will automatically tag the image respectively. I used the saved time to create a frighteningly complex list of descriptive tags in F-Spot. There is a simple proximity sensor so the screen turns off when I look through the viewfinder. The screen is used very frequently, but the battery life is really good. Didn't die after 4 days of very heavy use; still has two out of three bars of charge.

Very light! Again, I suppose this is common in the sub-1000 digital SLR department, but it was a nice thing to see.

The camera's interface is swell. They keep it down to a nice, small number of buttons and it is all rather smart. For example, when browsing images, you just use the Zoom In button to view a single image and zoom out to go back to the library view; no need to move your finger to a separate OK and Back button or something like that. Having said that, I have so far found no way to adjust the autofocus region while taking a shot; I must go back to the big screen and change the AF region via three button presses, by which time my subject has moved. Chances are high I just haven't hit the right place in the manual, but that wasn't the nicest thing...

Small issue with RAW images: UFRaw in Ubuntu currently does not read them correctly. The images are basically tinted pink. There is a patch and the next version should fix the problem, but it scared me the first time.

This is actually my first digital camera aside from a cheap Sony point & shoot thing, (really moving up from a film SLR) so my experience is a little bit biased. Compared to that, it's the best thing ever. No noise in my images whatsoever :)

[FyreBrand]

Thanks for the info. We've been looking for a new camera. We've been using Kodak since they're cheap, but want something that takes nicer pictures.

[Dixon Bainbridge]

yes i've noticed this also. really helpful when your in a rush.. and as for the canon rebel... how is it? i was planning to buy one but am confused after seeing an amazing nikon.. and what price would you consider good for this camera? :D

Camera's dont take pictures, people do. having a great camera does not mean you will take great pictures. Great cameras make it easier for people that know how to take pictures to start with, to take great shots.

As for the endless Nikon v Canon debate, its the biggest yawn in photography. Both make great cameras, its just down to what you like the feel of. I shoot Nikon. My mate shoots Canon. We both take great shots because we both know what we are doing.

SLR's are pro kit, no matter what the marketing idiots say about consumer aimed SLR and prosumer. Its bullcrap. They are serious bits of kit and are for people that want to take photography seriously.

[shak541]

agreed .. i need to go shopping. i always hate noise in cheap digital cameras... also pixilation bugs me so much while editing pics... :( . how well does it capture? can you turn off auto focus and do it manually? also does it automaically brighen pictures? because i want a camera that is capable of taking high quality pictures just as they are in real life. not enhanced automagically or changed in any way... it bugs me when cameras adjust light not their own... messes up most of my pics.

[silkstone]

The Canon Digital Rebel XSi (known as the 450D over here) is excellent as long as it isn't too small for your hands. Some people prefer the larger DSLRs like the 40D.

There are loads of built-in 'Picture Styles' if you shoot in JPEG, but to get the best you may like to shoot in RAW which records the data from the sensor without internal processing, and then convert using Canon DPP, The GIMP with dcraw or ufraw plugin, or (my preference) Bibble Pro which is not Open Source but is cross-platform and reasonably priced.

Enjoy! :)

[Dixon Bainbridge]

because i want a camera that is capable of taking high quality pictures just as they are in real life.

There's your first problem right there - no camera can do that regardless of make or price. A camera is a mechanical device and cannot capture light and reality as it is. As soon as you take a picture it is an approximation of what your eye see's and the pitcure you have framed becomes a piece of art, not a facsmilie of reality.


Photography is an art form.

[master5o1]

obvious hint is obvious

the sd card has the photos in directories that were obviously created by a camera
the photos will likely all be named similarly
the directories look like standard camera card directories

[shak541]

sorry Dixon Bainbridge.. i should rephrase.... i want a camera that can take pictures with lighting seen the way i want... for example... taking pictures under a bright light should not make people undernearth so dark that u cannot see who it is...

i am sure cameras are capable of this because i have done this with cameras before...

[Dixon Bainbridge]

sorry Dixon Bainbridge.. i should rephrase.... i want a camera that can take pictures with lighting seen the way i want... for example... taking pictures under a bright light should not make people undernearth so dark that u cannot see who it is...

i am sure cameras are capable of this because i have done this with cameras before...

Most cameras can do that, it depends on how you use it. Any SLR can meter for that light, and compensate via exposure compensation. Or you can fix it afterwards in photoshop or lightroom.

[mips]

sorry Dixon Bainbridge.. i should rephrase.... i want a camera that can take pictures with lighting seen the way i want... for example... taking pictures under a bright light should not make people undernearth so dark that u cannot see who it is...

i am sure cameras are capable of this because i have done this with cameras before...

That's going to be hard as a camera comes no where near your eyes.

To do what you describe above will probably require multi exposure bracketing.

[Dixon Bainbridge]

That's going to be hard as a camera comes no where near your eyes.


Nearest is an SLR with a 50mm prime.

I've never had a problem metering for that light though. Most SLR's, if you know how to use them properly, will meter for it fine.

[shak541]

yeah... ummm.. that;s why i intend to buy an SLR because all i've ever had is those cheap little everyday use cameras... :( ... they really limit me down .. :(