First off, i just wanted to say this is an awesome sight. you have done a great job creating a place for X owners to chat, share ideas and what not. i am sure you know that, but i just wanted to say, nice job...

i was just wondering if there is a reason why there isnt a photography section under outdoors? it seems like many of the members are pretty into it, whether taking pics of there X, videos, or scenic shots while on the trails...

good idea? bad idea? i know it would be easy to just go to another photography forum, but why not just add a section here?

thanks-
conor

Because you can post your pictures in the appropriate outdoor forum.

yea i meant that the page would be a place to share ideas about equipment, digital/film, processing programs, ideas for mounting cameras in the X... a place where people could share how they took the pics, stuff like that.

i know there is already places to share actual pics, but there isnt a place to discuss the "art" of photographs. or at least the bare bones of taking photos.

I also agree with the idea I've recently got into taking pictures and what not and think this would be good...

Try www.dpreview.com

that is a great sight, and it was one of the ways i decided on the camera that i recently chose.

however, i still think there is room for a photography forum on this web sight. The XOC has tons of topics related to the xterra, many of which are completely different hobbies, such as watercraft, ATV's and Geocaching. It seems to be me that photography falls right in there with those other topics. it is something that pretty much everyone does while on an excursions or with a club, it is something that everyone could always learn more about, and its a subject where sometimes real peoples opinions would be valued more than an experts... meaning a place to chat about the basics or other peoples experiences.

either way, its a huge topic that the XOC is active in.

i thought it was a good idea... but i know there are tons of other places to get info on the internet.

Speaking of digital camera stuff...I am in the market for a new digital camera. I am looking at cameras in the 5 megapixel level and possibly some 4 megapixel ones. I am not willing to spend over $450.00. I have two questions to pose to you knowledgable people:

1. What camera would you recommend according to the criteria mentioned above?

2. Would it be better to get a miniDV Camcorder? What is the quality of still photos taken from one of these. We take more still photos than video, but these video files will last longer than VHS or 8mm.

its hard to answer that question, because only you know what you want... what i did when looking was look at the sight that was mentioned about www.dpreview.com. that sight has tons of reviews and is pretty unbiased. then what i would do is go to http://shop.bizrate.com/buy/browse__cat_id--402.html, at that sight, you can keep narrowing down what is important to you, and it will show you what cameras fit your range. it also shows which are the most popular and some brief info about each camera, but i would go to the first sight mentioned to get the info you are looking for.

also, my camera takes great video clips. my camera can take minute ones.. good resolution, and has night vision, which is cool. i much rather have a nice camera (great photos, good video clips) and the ability to take videos, but you might have the oposite opinion.

also, you have to keep in mind how advanced of a camera you want. i just purchased the minolta dimage 7hi, and the thing comes with a BOOK! i had a canon before, and they are much more simple and user friendly... it sounds like the canon G5 would best fit you. its a great camera, 5MP and takes videos up to 2.5 min i think. and the price is about 480 right now. the price will fluctate dramatically on all the cameras depending on time of month, season and how old the model is.

hope that helps-
conor

PS- on a video recorder, the pics are typically lower resolution, but i am not as familiar with those systems, so i could be wrong.

sorry that was a dead link... go to... www.bizrate.com from there go to electronics, then to digital cameras. i dont know why i cant just link you to that page.

yea i check that gallery pretty much everyday hoping to see a new one... its that little excitement when there is a new one!

Thanks for your help. I decided to go with a new digital camera. I went out and bought the Olympus C-5000 Zoom.

Best camera site I have found.

www.fredmiranda.com

They have weekly and monthly "assignments", which get you actually using your camera, and learning to shoot other types of photos. Really cool.

Thanks for that site info Matt. That does look pretty interesting. I think I will give it a try.

I have used that site three times to buy cameras! Great way for the novice to shop smartly!

I think it's a great idea for a forum.

Sure there's a plethora of sites out there to cruise through but there's some pretty good photographers here and plenty of eager others that could benefit from the experience.

I bet it would get much more action than most of the current Outdoor forums - some of them can barely get one new topic a month posted there.

I will look into it. I wouldn't mind decreasing the number of forums here by half.