Digital Camera eBay Auctions by Kyle Summers

Digital Camera eBay Auctions by Kyle Summers

Looking for the best price for your Canon EOS 20D?

Canon EOS 20D's on eBay>

Format SLR
Price (street) US$1542
Also known as
Camera body
Release Status
Click for help Max resolution 3504 x 2336
Click for help Low resolution 2544 x 1696, 1728 x 1152
Click for help Image ratio w:h 3:2
Click for help Effective pixels 8.2 million
Click for help Sensor photo detectors 8.5 million
Click for help Sensor size 22.5 x 15.0 mm
Click for help Sensor type CMOS
Click for help Colour filter array RGB
Click for help Sensor manufacturer Canon
Click for help ISO rating 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200 (H)
Click for help Zoom wide (W) n/a
Click for help Zoom tele (T) n/a
Click for help Digital zoom No
Image stabilization No
Auto Focus Yes
Click for help Manual Focus Yes
Auto focus type Multi-BASIS TTL, 9 focus points (diamond shape)
Click for help Normal focus range n/a
Click for help Macro focus range n/a
Click for help White balance override Yes - 6 positions, Kelvin & manual preset
Click for help Aperture range n/a
Click for help Min shutter 30 sec + Bulb
Click for help Max shutter 1/8000 sec
Built-in Flash Yes, pop-up
Flash guide no. 12 m (39.3 ft) @ ISO 100
External flash Yes, hot-shoe & sync
Flash modes Auto, On, Red-eye reduction, Off
Click for help Exposure compensation -2 EV to +2 EV in 1/3 EV or 1/2 EV steps
Click for help Metering 35 area eval, center weighted, partial
Click for help Aperture priority Yes
Click for help Shutter priority Yes
Click for help Focal length multiplier 1.6
Lens thread Canon EOS EF, EF-S mount
Click for help Continuous Drive Yes, 5 fps up to 23 JPEG frames
Movie Clips No
Remote control N3 connector
Tripod mount Yes
Self-timer 10 sec (3 sec with mirror lock-up)
Click for help Time-lapse recording Yes, by USB cable and PC
Orientation sensor Yes
Click for help Storage types Compact Flash (Type I or II)
Click for help Storage included None
Click for help Uncompressed format RAW
Click for help Compressed format JPEG (EXIF 2.21)
Click for help Quality Levels Fine, Normal, RAW
Click for help Viewfinder TTL
Click for help LCD 1.8 "
Click for help LCD Pixels 118,000
Playback zoom Yes
Click for help Video out Yes
Click for help USB Yes, 2.0
Click for help Firewire (IEEE 1394) No
Click for help Serial No
Click for help Battery / Charger Yes
Click for help Battery Canon 1390mAh Li-Ion & Charger
Weight (inc. batteries) 770 g (27.2 oz)
Dimensions 144 x 106 x 72 mm (5.7 x 4.2 x 2.8 in)
About the Author
None

Important Steps to Protect your Computer from Hurricanes by Sol Spencer

Important Steps to Protect your Computer from Hurricanes by Sol Spencer

Having lived in West Central Florida for the past 15 years, Ive been given some insight into the sometimes scary reality of Mother Nature. This past summer Ive had the displeasure of meeting four characters, first hand...Charley, Frances, Jeanne and Ivan. Yes, Im talking about Hurricanes.

For all the advantages one has with personal computers or a high-tech home office setup, there are huge disadvantages to being plugged in during the approach of a serious storm: the loss of data can be devastating. While it's simple enough to log off, shut down and unplug at the first warning signs, you might want to take a few extra steps to preserve information that is vital to a business or the family archives. In the best of circumstances an ounce of prevention will result in countless returns. A little foresight can make the difference between having usable equipment or a pile of water-soaked junk.

1. Along with other valuable property, document what you own with a videotape or camera. Save copies of purchase receipts. Be sure the electric wiring in your home or business is properly grounded and that all voltage-sensitive equipment is grounded.

2. Battery backup: Purchase electronic equipment with a back-up battery or capacitor to retain settings should a momentary power disturbance occur. Consider purchasing protective equipment which can help against lethal storm and electrical conditions. Un-interruptible Power Supply (UPS) maintains power to critical loads during power outages.

3. Surge Protectors: Make sure the suppressor has 3-way protection and is UL (Underwriters Laboratory) listed for compliance with the 1449 TVSS (Transient Voltage Surge Suppressor) standard. Features of the plug-in type surge protector include multiple outlets, on/off switches, audible alarms, and indicator lights to let you know the suppressor is working, and connections for telephone or data cable lines.

4. Back up your computer's hard drive. Make duplicate copies of your files and store them in two separate locations such as a deposit box or home of a relative. Find safe harbor for your data. The best solution would be an online data backup service (also known as remote backup or offsite backup). This will give you the protection you need all year around.

5. Make an assessment of storage options for software and hardware equipment. Look for a central place in the building or home. Ideal location has no windows. The major cause of damage to computer hardware and software will be from rain and wind. Broken doors and windows will allow the wind with its rain and debris to blow through buildings. By moving computer equipment (i.e. monitors, CPUs, printers, keyboards) to protected locations and wrapping with plastic, the chances of damage will be greatly reduced. Double wrap equipment in plastic garbage bags to reduce rain/water damage. If equipment is to be located directly on the floor, take into consideration the possible effects of flooding. Set items on a table. Place equipment on or in water resistant objects, such as garbage cans.

6. Unplug all equipment including computers networked to other computers. As a major storm begins to pummel the area, the chances of severe power fluctuations are very high as electrical transmission lines and power plants are affected. These power fluctuations can have serious consequences on any equipment left plugged in or turned on.

7. After the storm. Be careful when reconnecting equipment to wall outlets and rebooting. If there is any indication that outlets, equipment or flooring has been exposed to water or moisture, wait until the equipment is thoroughly dried out - that might mean waiting a few days. To save expensive equipment, test outlets by plugging in an inexpensive lamp first to make sure the outlet is safe.

About the Author
Sol Spencer helps computer users have the peace of mind that only a secure, online backup can provide. With Safe Harbor Data, you can restore your entire computer with one download! Amazingly affordable and effective, Safe Harbor protects your data with state-of-the-art encryption. Get the peace of mind that comes with secure, online backup today for only pennies each day. http://www.safeharbordata.com

Expert Guide to DVD Camcorders by Kenny Hemphill

Expert Guide to DVD Camcorders by Kenny Hemphill

Thinking about a mini DVD camcorder? You're not alone, it's a rapidly growing sector of the camcorder market, with Hitachi, Sony and Panasonic all making more than one mini dvd camcorder.

These camcorders differ from regular digital video cameras in one important way - they record video onto mini DVD discs, rather than DV tape. This has a number of advantages. DVD discs are more robust than tape and won't get chewed up in the camera. Although this is thankfully a rare occurance, it scares me every time I here a strange noise coming from my camcorder, so it's with bearing in mind.

The second advantage is that DVD discs are random access, compared to tape on which everything is recorded sequentially. This means that there's no need to rewind and fast forward to find the clip you're after, just select it from the menu. Some cameras even allow you to perform basic editing functions on-camera. An additional side-benefit is that a mini DVD camcorder doesn't have tape heads to get worn or dirty as happens in regular mini DVD cameras.

And thirdly, you can easily watch your home movies by removing the DVD from the camera and playing it in practically any DVD player.

However, there are negative factors to. The most siginificant one is that video is encoded as MPEG-2 on a mini DVD camcorder, as opposed to DV format. This means that it needs specialist software to edit - you can't just use your regular video editing program (unless it specifically supports MPEG-2). And if a Mac user you're out of luck, as there are no MPEG-2 editing applications for the Mac.

Also, mini DVD camcorders tend to cost more than similarly specified mini DV cameras. And the media is also more expensive. However, if you don't intend editing your movies and don't mind the extra cost, a mini dvd camcorder does offer extraordinary convenience.
About the Author
Kenny Hemphill is the editor and publisher of The HDTV Tuner

Digital camera macro mode by Jakob Jelling

Digital camera macro mode by Jakob Jelling

The digital camera is a wonderful device that allows a diverse variety of applications with its even diverse spectral collection of utilities. As technology progresses it brings along with it those intense pleasures that human beings have only thought of. Now the digital camera has opened up the dimensions for the people and the photographers in providing with the liberty of capturing whatever they wish and of whatever type they prefer! Well the magic words are macro mode. Although the words might seem to be a bit deceiving they have really a great application in the field of digital photography and digital camera as a device. In general the digital camera macro mode allows a digital camera to photograph close-up pictures of petite objects like flowers, insects, coins, etc. Macro mode potentiality vary from camera to camera but almost all digital cameras offer this exclusive feature to enable the users to widen up their imaginations and their weirdest fantasies in creating art.

Extending the discussion further we can state that just about most of the digital cameras has a macro mode. Each of these digital cameras can be verified of having the macro mode because for each of them one of the menu buttons will have an icon of a flower on it. This is the macro mode button invariably. And thus has the specific technology built in. The macro mode button, when pressed, switches the camera into a special close focus mode and many allow the photographer to shoot less than 10cm from the picture subject. Many cameras of reputed companies like Nikon and Ricoh allows the users to be as close as 3cm from the picture subject that permits barely credible close ups of tiny objects such as little insects. The macro mode has a greater variety of applications in security measurements too. At times macro mode may be also useful for making photographic records of priced jewels for insurance purposes in order to prevent theft and fraudulent activities.

The macro mode is more often than not present on the menu button that as well has an icon of two triangles symbolizing mountains (or rather landscape mode) and sometimes MF (manual focus) too. This button has to be pressed several times until the flower icon appears on the viewing LCD. A number of digital cameras then subsequently by design shift into a particular precinct on the zoom lens making a mechanical sound as the zoom reset. While using a digital camera macro mode it must be noted that it is harder to focus for the digital camera instantly, so it takes a bit of time for adjustment. Thus the users need not hurry while using the digital camera macro mode. As the subject comes in focus the depth-of-field also increases. On the other hand, the depth-of-field is controlled by the camera's aperture. Most digital cameras are full automatic and this setting cannot be changed. Thus patience becomes a virtue while using the digital camera in their macro mode.

Much has already been discussed about the digital camera macro mode. It can be stated here that the digital camera macro mode is a really intricate feature. And every delicate object or subject needs to be handled with care. To really cherish the beauty of the digital camera macro modes the users require developing the expertise and also building a kind of patience that is necessary to cerate beauty in art and object.
About the Author
Jakob Jelling is the founder of http://www.snapjunky.com. Visit his digital camera guide and learn how to take better pictures with your digicam.

How to avoid or reduce red-eye by Jakob Jelling

How to avoid or reduce red-eye by Jakob Jelling

Photography with the aid of a digital camera is beyond doubt very fascinating. However, it also has many a nooks that the users of the digital camera must be aware of and also must be well educated to deal with in order to produce good photographs worth the most prized digital camera. Such a concept is that of the red eye! In order to understand what this red eye actually is, a little detailed introspection is necessary. Basically speaking red-eye is a function of at least three things, they are firstly, ambient level of light because stumpy light level causes the retina of the person to be photographed to open wider to admit more light thereby divulging open the iris, which is the primary part that reflects the red light hence giving the appearance of red eyes for the subjects. Also secondly the younger the person being photographed the wider remains the retina and hence the greater the effect of red eye in the picture. Thirdly, the reflection angle of the flash plays a vital role, as the light is recoiled back to the digital camera and the closer the incident light beam is to this reflected light beam, the greater becomes the red eye effect. To prevent this instruments such as flash brackets are useful to make the flash a bit removed from the propinquity of the lens. Thus the red eye effect is somewhat revealed till this part of this discussion. Now is the time to look into a greater detail in order to analyze the various aspects of the red eye effect and also find out ways of reducing the problem as far as possible.

It can be noted here that the only important thing is that the users must ensure that the proper fixing of the angle between the flash beam and the lens axis. The general rule here is that the photographer must keep the angle wide enough that the light beam from the flash does not reflect off the retina of the person being photographed and comes right back into the digital camera lens. A good idea is to make the red-eye reduction work by making the flash shine a light into the eyes of the person being photographed just before the flash is incident and the shutter is pressed. This causes the irises in the eyes of the person being photographed to narrow down or shrink. As a result of this the eye develops a smaller opening for the eye view of the digital camera and does not show off the blood filled retina. This light is called pre light! And very importantly this process works only if the person to be photographed is in point of fact looking directly at the flash for the pre-light to come.

Other factors influencing the red eye are the level of ambient light during the time when the photograph is being taken and how near the flash light is to the lens. The rule of thumb comes out that the brighter the ambient light; the lesser is the effect of red eyes, everything else being one and the same. As the flashlight goes farther from the lens, the fewer becomes the effect of red eyes, everything else being one and the same again. Thus the key idea is that red eye is not caused if the ambient light is comparatively high. And it does have a significant effect if the shooting area is dark. Many digital cameras have built in features for anti red eye that is used to reduce red eye when taking a picture of a person looking straight at the camera also. But manually, the best red eye reduction can be obtained with the help of an external flash as described.

The above discussion has dealt with the most important ideas regarding the red eye effect. The discussion has analyzed the inherent facts about the digital camera red eye effect, their causes as well as remedies. The only thing that remains is that the users must implement these ideas while shooting under circumstances discussed here so that the red eye effect cannot harm the beauties of art created with the aid of the fantastic device, the digital camera!
About the Author
Jakob Jelling is the founder of http://www.snapjunky.com. Visit his digital camera guide and learn how to take better pictures with your digicam.

Black & white photography by Jakob Jelling

Black & white photography by Jakob Jelling

Photography is a diversified field of creating a spectral variety of art. It is a specialization that deals with different experimentations with colors, however it is also a fact that only shades of black and white can also do wonders in this zone of creative art. With the advent of the digital camera the scope of this wonderful business has opened up new horizons for the users and photographers who seek to explore new lands and trod the ground of innovative creation and thus it can be aptly said that black & white can become more creativity with the boon of digital photography and digital camera. This discussion is primarily aimed at exploring the incipient information regarding the blessing of the digital camera in black & white photography so that the novice as well as the expert photographers can become richer in knowledge!

The exploration can be further extended in defining that a lot of modern digital cameras contain a series of mono modes in the advanced menu settings. These can be used to become more creative with digital photography and in the areas of black and white too. For example some of the modes are as follows: Black & White that takes black and white photographs encompassing of a spectral range of gray tones. This gives the black and white photographs a serious and ethereal look with the richness and grandeur of the past, present and future captures in just two tinges! Another mode is Sepia that again takes pictures in varying tinges brown tones. Looking into a matter a bit more technically, it can be stated that as the digital camera is switched into any of these modes then the color LCD becomes grayscale. The technology proceeds as in the process the pictures are taken the color signals get recorded by the CCD, but the image is later de saturated when processed to remove all color.

A lot of interesting points exist in the area of black and white photography using the digital cameras. For example shooting in black & white becomes more interesting with the use of filters. Experimentations can be done by the enthusiastic photographers as to how a particular color would appear in black & white. This can be demonstrated by the fact that perhaps a red filter placed over the lens lightens any red color in the picture making them appear as lighter shades of gray in comparison to other colors like blue green. This process can be very challenging and in the same time very interesting! It is true that digital black and white photography can be used often for the purpose of portraiture and taking pictures of landscapes and can also become very effective in abstract shoots offering a graphical view of the subject to be photographed. The ultimate truth is that the black and white digital photography can make the world look complete different from what it is through the human eyes.

The graphics software from Adobe - Photoshop - with its more advanced options a person can edit each of the colors in the image to lighten or darken and provide the effect of brightness in varying intensity too. Becoming an expert in this can make a person versatile in techniques of adjusting the tonal range of a black & white image. This is the liberty that the digital camera provides in the field of black and white photography. Thus the users can make much more efficient and richer quality photographs.

The above lines of this discussion has explored the incipient ground of interest and information of black and white photography using the digital camera, however it has to be noted here that to get the real taste of the honey the users or photographers must not waste time and take up their digital cameras and get going into the cool new and most beautiful world of digital black and white photography! It is out there for everyone.
About the Author
Jakob Jelling is the founder of http://www.snapjunky.com. Visit his digital camera guide and learn how to take better pictures with your digicam.

Exposure compensation by Jakob Jelling

Exposure compensation by Jakob Jelling

The digital camera is in reality a great possession with many facets of its utilities and not only that knowing these utilities makes the understanding the digital camera complete. The utilities are also so very diverse that they too offer further introspection of details in their varying applications. Such an area is digital camera exposure compensation. Only knowledge of digital camera exposure is not enough, so the digital camera exposure compensation requires some amount of exposure in itself! This discussion is focused towards that cause itself.

Looking at different digital cameras, even temperately costing digital cameras have arrangements for exposure compensation settings. To explain in a bit detail, the exposure compensation allows the users to control the amount of light entering the lens. And thereby the illumination of the photograph is decided. Exposure compensation can be altered manually or by the help of a digital camera's exposure compensation setting that lets one override the metered exposure set inside the digital camera itself. Strictly speaking, the exposure values provide an expedient line of attack to put a figure on the available light intensity and therefore exposure.

As per general norms of the users of digital cameras, certain standards exist for selecting such values. These values are specifically known as Exposure Values (EV). Selecting an up to standard Exposure Values (EV) helps maintain the details contained in dark areas of a photo, or diminish the more than usually bright areas. Again, looking from technical point of view, the Exposure Values are numbers that refer to an assortment of combinations of apertures of lenses and shutter speed respectively. They have a selective range of values, ranging between -2 to +2 Exposure Values (EV). As a general rule positive exposure settings are used for cases where bulky areas of a scene are especially bright such as taking pictures of a snow scene and also during times of photographing when the background is a good deal brighter than the focal area under consideration. Also, negative exposure settings are used for cases where bulky areas of a scene are especially dark and also during times of photographing when the background is a good deal darker than the fore area under consideration.

One point that is worth noting is that light meters cannot see color. They deliver every scene as 18% middle gray and become accustomed to the exposure accordingly. And most digital cameras will allows a photographer to compensate the exposure by 1 to 2 EV plus or minus in 1/3 or 1/2 stop increments. A very important realization for any photographer is that the right exposure is only "correct" in the eye of the photographer; Exposure Value compensation can also be used as a creative tool.

With this information available to the users of the digital camera, the knowledge of digital camera exposure as well as digital camera exposure compensation becomes. But it is only knowledge, the proper acquiring of the whole feel comes only from personal experience.
About the Author
Jakob Jelling is the founder of http://www.snapjunky.com. Visit his digital camera guide and learn how to take better pictures with your digicam.