Mending Things

[fishwife]

I'm sure that lots of people already do this but it works for me and it may help others. If I'm taking something apart for the first time, anything more complicated than a pump, I take a few seconds to snap a digital photograph at each stage. Just the act of taking the pic is often enough to absorb the details into my rather dense mind. If I should need a reminder, I just look on the camera screen or download to the computer and get the 'bigger picture'.

The difficult thing is remembering to take the pictures

P.

[anjou]

I didnt used to but I do make notes now.

I then lose said notes and have to fall back on common sense, trial and error etc

[Healer52]

Originally Posted by fishwife

I'm sure that lots of people already do this but it works for me and it may help others. If I'm taking something apart for the first time, anything more complicated than a pump, I take a few seconds to snap a digital photograph at each stage. Just the act of taking the pic is often enough to absorb the details into my rather dense mind. If I should need a reminder, I just look on the camera screen or download to the computer and get the 'bigger picture'.

The difficult thing is remembering to take the pictures

P.

+1!

I used to do the same thing with a Polaroid camera. Digital is WAY less expensive (especially if you have more than 10 things to photo)....

[SabreKai]

I find taking photos of all installations is a great help in later maintenance procedures. Once the shots are taken, dump them to the PC, and burn them to a disk for later reference. That way your PC drive is kept clear, and the photos aren't accidentally deleted.

I never go down to the boat without the digital camera, and find I end up with anywhere between 20 and a hundred shots every time. I'm always taking photos of stuff on the boat.

The only thing about modern photography that really honks me off is the fact that I shelled out $1400 on a Minolta Xtsi film camera and lenses only 2 years before I got a decent digital and now the set up is worth about $50 if I'm lucky.

[fishwife]

Originally Posted by SabreKai

The only thing about modern photography that really honks me off is the fact that I shelled out $1400 on a Minolta Xtsi film camera and lenses only 2 years before I got a decent digital and now the set up is worth about $50 if I'm lucky.

Keep the lens and dump the body, get a digital SLR. It's what i did with my Nikon. Amazing results.

P.

[hellosailor]

A lot of the "film camera" lenses aren't worth using on a digital body because of the differences in effective focal length and image area. Unless you're using an expesnive digital camera with a very large image sensor, the normal image sensor is small (like half) compared to the area that a 35mm film image falls on. So either you waste a lot of the image and carry a lens that is four times the weight that a "digital" lens would be, or you push the lens out and change the effective focal length, again quite a bit. And that's assuming your autofocus or autoexposure and other modern trick features will work with an old lens on a new body.

Most of the time, it is better to make a clean break. Even with the best lenses. OTOH if you have one of the digital SLRs with the really expensive huge image sensors....<G>....nice cameras, but expensive.

[mintyspilot]

I'm astonished at the quality of my Nokia phone's 3.5Mpx camera. For "snaps" it does a spectacularly good job and being in the phone it is soooo handy. And it has an MP3, and a dictaphone.

It's fast becoming my "swiss army phone".

As for taking things apart, I never take notes or pictures. It's more fun that way.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by fishwife

. If I'm taking something apart for the first time, anything more complicated than a pump, I take a few seconds to snap a digital photograph at each stage.

P.

I always do this. Unless, of course, Nicolle sugests I need to do it. Then I refuse to do it. Then she gets angry. Then I get angry. Then I muddle everything up trying to get it back together.

Its all the fault of digital photography. These arguments could never have occured if you had to wait for a week to get the photos back.

[hellosailor]

I think there actually IS a "Swiss Army" branded phone but AFAIK it still doesn't have a bottle or can opener in it. Thank god for the French, Champagne is the only drink you don't need a tool to get into.<G>

[easterly38]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

A lot of the "film camera" lenses aren't worth using on a digital body because of the differences in effective focal length and image area. Unless you're using an expesnive digital camera with a very large image sensor, the normal image sensor is small (like half) compared to the area that a 35mm film image falls on. So either you waste a lot of the image and carry a lens that is four times the weight that a "digital" lens would be, or you push the lens out and change the effective focal length, again quite a bit. And that's assuming your autofocus or autoexposure and other modern trick features will work with an old lens on a new body.

Most of the time, it is better to make a clean break. Even with the best lenses. OTOH if you have one of the digital SLRs with the really expensive huge image sensors....<G>....nice cameras, but expensive.

There are only a handful of DSLR's with 35mm equivalent CCD's. That said, it is still a good idea to swap your old film body for a new digital body if you have a good bit invested in glass. (Notice I said if)
On the telephoto end, you save money because smaller CCD's usually increase focal lengths by about 1.4 or 1.5. In other words, a 200mm lens becomes a 300mm. That can save you some serious money if you compare the price of, say, an 80-200mm f2.8 zoom to that of a 300mm f2.8..we're talking saving several thousand bucks.
On the wide angle end, it is somewhat of a problem. You need an 18mm lens to get the same width a 28mm lens gave you back in the old film days.
But, to be perfectly honest, lately I have been taking only my Canon G10 on the boat and it works great. Came in really handy when I removed the engine and later re-installed it. The only time I take my larger Nikon D2's on board is when I think we will go somewhere that will require some much longer glass than the G10 offers.
After lugging around heavy photo gear for 24 years, these new high quality point and shoots are a dream! Not to mention a technological wonder.

[bill good]

No skill in taking pictures or taking notes!! manup & leave it all mixed up for at least a week & spend more time trying to put it back together!!

Best "fun" had last week. pesty BBQ gas lighter (you know the one you can refill but never last that long) Well away from home port & needed one so pulled it to bits..... very smart the person who designed that piece of kit!!! try one!!

[erict]

The value of photographic equipment is often in the lenses. You should be able to use those same lenses on a digital SLR from Konica-Minolta/Sony.

[hellosailor]

Easterly, the new D2 versions are a fast $2000-3000 for just the bare body. Not what the average sailor is going to carry on the boat, or carry at all. Most folks would call that a "professional" camera, not just another typical digital SLR.

By the way...What's a Nikor 300mm lens for that camera weigh? Versus the old 200mm lens being dragged along for the ride? No loss of autofocus or antishake or anything else?

[imagine2frolic]

Digital camera, and sometimes I lay the parts in the squence, and angle they came off......i2f

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by fishwife

The difficult thing is remembering to take the pictures

P.

I don't have a problem with that.

I have a problem with having to rename all of them. And then having to re-size them to send somewhere.

What a pain.