# do i need a new camera



## drayman (Oct 14, 2007)

hi all.i have not got any photos in my album yet as the photos are crap.my current camera is a hp photosmart 735. 3,5mp i have had it approx 2 years. i am not into this hi tech stuff so dont realy know a lot. the batteries i use are 2300mAh, and i dont have the manual. any help or advise would be greatfuly recieved. regards colin.


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## Rifleman1776 (Oct 14, 2007)

First: Do you need a new camera? Yes. Everyone needs a new camera. Just like everyone needs a new lathe, or fishing boat, or pick-up truck. Yes, absolutely, you need a new camera. []
Using a digi cam is more a matter of familiarization that high tech. Go to the HP web site. You can view or download the owners manual.


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## DCBluesman (Oct 14, 2007)

Colin - Here's the link to the manual for your camera.  It's 116 pages so I'd suggest just saving the file to your computer's hard drive, then printing out any pages you need. http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/bpl51337.pdf


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## alphageek (Oct 14, 2007)

A 3.5 MP camera is plenty.   For pens, make sure you are turning on macro mode as without that you can't focus less than a foot away.

Find someone that you know loves cameras and ask them to show you some tips.. It will do you much more good than spending money on a new camera.


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## hilltopper46 (Oct 14, 2007)

Hi Drayman

I have a 733 and here is what I do.

Set the camera to macro setting (the tulip).  Press the mode button 3 time until the tulip icon shows up in the screen.

Next, reset the EV compensation to lighten up the picture.  Press the OK button on the back of the camera.  Press OK again if the EV Compensation line is highlighted.  Use the up arrow button to move the pointer up the (+) side of the scale.  I usually set mine to '1' unless I am taking a picture of a very light pen on a light background.

These two things will make a lot of difference in your pix.  I also change the White Balance setting to 'Fluorescent' when I use my white box with the curly fluorescent bulbs in it.  If I don't use my light box I usually leave that setting on automatic, although I would encourage you to play around with it.

This admittedly is not the best camera in the world, but it has a lot of settings that you can experiment with.  Set a pen up for a picture and start trying different things.  Make notes, so that when you find the right combination, you can remember what it was.  Take a look at the pics in my signature link, and you'll see that it can do OK.

One last thing.  You might want to check the HP web site to see if there is a firmware update for your camera (there was for mine).  They also have a manual PDF for download (I just checked).  Good Luck!!


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## Dave_M (Oct 14, 2007)

Not a bad camera at all.  Only a couple real issues. 3.5mp images lose detail very easily when you crop them.  When you're shooting pens, you have full control of getting the pen to fill the frame so probably no need to crop your images.  Secondly with small point and shoots like the 735, depth of field can be a problem with the macro shots.  The very small CCD coupled with a very small compact lens makes for a very short depth of field using macro modes.  Most if not all your shots will probably be parallel to the pen so depth of field probably isn't an issue.

That being said, I wholeheartedly agree with Frank.    


> _Originally posted by Rifleman1776_
> <br />... Everyone needs a new camera. Just like everyone needs a new lathe, or fishing boat, or pick-up truck. Yes, absolutely, you need a new camera. []


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## jrc (Oct 14, 2007)

I got a 14" by 14" photo cube with lights for about $130. My old 2.2 mp camera set on auto still gets great photos.  With the photo cube and lights it is easy to get good photos.  The one I have is on sale.  http://alzodigital.com/online_store/alzo_100_tent_kits.htm


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## wayneis (Oct 14, 2007)

Download the manual, read through this photography section here you will find lots of great tips, use Macro and get a tripod.  MP is plenty, if you look in my gallery, every shot in it was taken with a 3.2 mp camera.  

 Wayne


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## Brewmeister35 (Oct 14, 2007)

Lots of people use a photo cube with external lighting.  The external lights shine through a white fabric and flood the pen with light without excessive glare or shadows.  You can also try taking your pens outside for photos and try shooting them under a cloudy sky.  My first pics that turned out good were taken on my covered porch where there is still plenty of light and I turned the flash off.  No shadows and plenty of light will help you.  Also play with different colors for the background.  

I also agree with Frank and if you do get a new cam, you can take better pics of the new truck and fishing boat, new lathe, etc, etc. [}][]


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## drayman (Oct 15, 2007)

wow, many thanks for for all the advice and info, i sure will read and download the manual, also i will see if i can grab some time to experiment too. many many thanks , regards colin. [][^]


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## drayman (Oct 15, 2007)

oh i forgot, thanks lou for the link. i got it. cheers colin.


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