The Newsletter for Sonoma County’s Mac and Windows Users December 2004 Vol.1 No 12 Happy Holidays

Treat Yourself to Good Quality Media for the Holidays see story on pg. 4

Apple and Windows User Group

Table of Contents

Club Benefits and Info ...... 2 Digital Camera Buying Advice ...... 9 10 Axioms of Modern Computing ...... 3 Photoshop Elements 3 Advice ...... 10 CD/DVD Media Guide ...... 4 Donate Your Old Cell Phone ...... 11

Apple, the Apple logo and Macintosh are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Tucson Macintosh Users Group is an independent user group and has not been authorized, sponsored or otherwise approved by Apple Computer, Inc. Sonoma Valley RECYCLE: SVCG Members Computer Group Donate Used Aid Library OFFICERS FOR 2003-2004 Inkjet and Fearless leaders from the Sonoma Valley President Computer Group are volunteering their time Vice President Beth Pickering Laser Cartridges at the Sonoma Regional Library. The [email protected] Library has six new flat-screen, high-speed, Secretary Stephanie Clark Kathy Aanestad is collecting used Gateway public-access computers gifted by [email protected] inkjet and laser cartridges to recycle. Friends of the Sonoma Valley Library. Treasurer Joan Fabian Don’t throw yours away. Bring your [email protected] used cartridges to any meeting. They These machines offer access to the Library Newsletter Kathy Aanestad will be gladly accepted. Thank you. Catalog, Internet Resources, Microsoft [email protected] Works, and Super Search Interlibrary Loan. Members-at-Large George Pick Although the “front-end” screen format [email protected] looks a little unfamiliar when recalling the Jeannette Woods old terminals, the advanced search-limiting [email protected] SVCG UG and sort- Willy Smith ing capa- [email protected] Benefits bilities BOARD MEETINGS far sur- Usually following General Meeting. Open Benefits to being a member of the pass what to all members. Call 935-6690 for further Sonoma Valley Computer Group are a was pre- information. summer Adobe Photoshop Elements viously 2.0 workshop, O’Reilly Press and available. MEMBERSHIPS PeachPit Press/NewRiders Press giving S.V.C.G. Annual Membership: $20. you a 20% or more discount on all their Those S.V.C.G. Family/Couple membership: $30 books and software! For more informa- with questions, as well as those reluctant to (residing at same address). Membership tion, please contact Kathy Aanestad at try new online command protocols, are renewals are due and payable at the beginning 935-6690 or email at invited to ask SVCG volunteers for assis- of each year. ‘[email protected]’. tance. Our volunteers hours are 11am Friday morning. GENERAL MEETINGS Additionally, SVCG belongs to the S.V.C.G. meets second Saturday of each Apple User Group program whereby SVCG affiliation has been a significant fac- month at Sonoma Public Library, 755 members can purchase Apple products tor in our ability to continue as a computer West Napa Street; hours: 9:30AM to at a savings. Contact Kathy Aanestad club. We are pleased to participate in com- 11AM unless otherwise notified. Meetings for user ID and password in order to munity affairs such as this. free; guests welcome. access their online site. We need mem- ABOUT THIS PUBLICATION bers help with finding contacts for PC Kudos go to Jeanette Woods, Sonoma Valley Computer Group Newsletter is published user group offers so that they can be Jeanette Barekman, George Pick, monthly by Sonoma Valley Computer Group. Desktop pub- included in the newsletter postings. Joan Fabian, and Wes Ford, Beth lishing services donated by: Kathy Aanestad. Call: (707) Pickering, and Elizabeth Palmer. 935-6690, email [email protected]. © 2004, SVCG. Thank you for your help.

ONLINE NEWSLETTER: http://www.vom.com/svcg/index.html Copyright © 2003, SVCG. All rights reserved. Sponsored by PEACE our local ISP, DataProfessionals, on 19480-8th St. East.

MAILING ADDRESS: Sonoma Valley Computer Group PO Box 649 El Verano, CA 95433

Sonoma Valley Computer Group Newsletter 2 http://www.vom.com/svcg/index.html UPGRADES DO NOT HELP. THE TEN AXIOMS OF When you upgrade software nothing good happens. The software just gets prettier, maybe. In many cases the soft- MODERN COMPUTING ware vendor has studied the usefulness of the product and then added useless features while often eliminating or chang- By John C. Dvorak ing the one good feature, the specific feature that you used a lot. This is done on purpose because software companies hate Over the past few decades I've learned that the computers we use are you. bound by very rigid rules or axioms that, once understood, make using these devices much more pleasant. The key to modern com- CUSTOM INSTALLS ARE NOT CUSTOM. puting is simple acceptance of the axioms. Fighting them will make When installing software you are often given two options, a your life miserable. "typical install" or a "custom (advanced)" install. There is no difference. This option is to give you the illusion that you are How these axioms evolved, nobody knows. They may be universal. smart and in control when you pick the advanced option. And we should never forget the simple fact that all computers (and networks) are bounded by software in some way, and that it is WHEN YOUR NET CONNECTION IS DOWN, impossible to write perfect code. Human nature has an influence on NOBODY WILL KNOW WHY. the workings of computers. Nobody knows why your Net connection is down, ever. Most ISPs, especially if they are owned by a phone company, will Instead of moaning and groaning and asking for change, it's up to not even know that your connection is down until you tell users to bite the bullet and accept the reality of the situation. The them and then they will act flabbergasted. If you ask them to following are my top ten Axioms of Modern Computing: look into it they will start a trouble ticket which is then thrown into a waste bin. The connection eventually returns on its own USE DEFAULTS. for unknown reasons. Always let the program choose the default during installation. Give up on the idea that you're in charge of the machine. While Wi-Fi BRAND INTEROPERABILITY many programs give you the option of choosing a different destina- DOESN'T WORK. tion for all those installation files, forget it. These offers are not seri- Oh, it works sometimes, but generally if you begin to mix too ous. You can be certain that by choosing an installation location many different Wi-Fi brands you'll discover that they don't that is anywhere other than the default location, you'll suffer in work well together, if at all. These companies are too busy some way someday. making money to care. Get over it.

RESET NOW. OLD BURNED CDs FAIL. When asked if you want to reset, always reset immediately. They don't fail immediately, but those old backups and files Sure, you are given the option to reset later. You can do it right you burned onto CDs (and now DVDs) will stop working any away, or you can do it in a week. The reset-later option only exists minute. Go check some of the old ones you did. You'll see. to trick you into seeing what happens if you delay resetting. If you You'll discover that you can't read a few of them already. So ever call customer support it is the first thing they will ask you sorry. about. Then if you tell them you did not reset immediately they will laugh and put you on the speakerphone. Don't be fooled, reset now. COMPUTERS CRASH MORE AS THEY GET OLDER. MINIMUM DOES NOT WORK. This is part of a scheme hatched Don't be cheap with memory. While you can buy machines with the by the hardware and software companies to get you to buy minimum memory required to run Windows, this is actually a mar- new machines. It's a slow degenerative process that you can keting gimmick. Get twice the minimum or you'll be sorry. Four do nothing about it. Nobody is really sure how it works. We're times the minimum is even better. studying it.

WIZARDS ARE A HOAX. Wizards are not wizards, they are attempts to waste your time and frustrate you. Once in a while they work, but not intentionally. Installation wizards, troubleshooting wizards--none of them work. When you call customer support in Bombay you get someone there running the same wizards only with an Indian accent. The better solution is to throw out the computer and buy a new one. SVCG  Plugged into Technology Sonoma Valley Computer Group Newsletter 3 http://www.vom.com/svcg/index.html Media ID Quality Guide CD/DVD MEDIA GUIDE The following list is in preference order. The best discs are near the top of the list. The discs at the bottom of the list are suitable What is your opinion on using generic-brand only for a landfill. PVC is the best of all, LONGTEN is the worst DVDs? of all, etc. Note: Some codes may be listed twice, done because a I have always bought brandname inks, CDs, DVDs and come -R, -RW, +RW and +R by the same company may not be the same from the old-school of ‘You get what you pay for’. Maybe that quality. The format is listed because of this. doesn’t apply now with newer technologies. 1ST CLASS MEDIA Here’s a great website that thoroughly informs about these Almost flawless burns with 95-100% reliable results: issues. The appropriately named link is PVC = Pioneer = (-R)(-RW) ... media is no longer made MXLRG01, MXLRG02 = Maxell = (-R)(-RW) ... be aware of http://www.nomorecoasters.com/ fakes TAIYOYUDEN, YUDEN, TYG01, TYG02 = Taiyo Yuden = (- it leads you to the real link: R)(+R) ... be aware of fakes MCC = Mitsubishi Chemicals = (-R)(-RW)(+R)(+RW) http://www.digitalfaq.com/media/dvdmedia.htm TDKG02, TTG01 = TDK Corp = (-R)(-RW) ... be aware of fakes

DVD MEDIA GUIDES -> Blank Media 2ND CLASS MEDIA and Quality FAQ Decent discs, though not perfect, about 80-95% success rate: Not all media is good. In fact, with the high influx of cheap PRODISC = Prodisc Media = (-R)(+R) media from Taiwan and Hong Kong, I’d venture to say most INFODISC = Infodisc Media = (+RW) media is bad. This guide is meant to shed some light on the how SONYD04 = Sony = (-R) ... be aware of fakes and why of DVD media quality. RICOHJPN = Ritek or Ricoh = (+R)(+RW) RITEK = Ritek = (+R)(-R)(-RW)(+RW) This guide also gives examples of what generally works as the OPTODISC = Optodisc = (-R) best media, but your mileage may very, depending on the burner FUJIFILM = Fuji = (-R)(+R) and how that batch of media chooses to cooperate. While some cheap media may work for you, it’s a gamble that often loses. 3RD CLASS MEDIA Quality can be very questionable, about 50-80% success rate: This page appears as the front page of www.nomorecoasters.com LEADDATA, LD01, LD, LEDA = Lead Data = (-R)(-RW) BEALL = Samsung BeAll = (-R)(+R) Who makes the disc: Brand vs. Media ID MBI = Moser Beaur (India) = (-R)(+R)(+RW) The thing that must be realized is that most media is produced by PRINCO, fake TDK = Princo = (-R)(-RW) a relative small number of factories, located in several different ONIDTECH = Unknown OEM = (-R) places. These factories are present in Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, MUST = Unknown OEM = (-R) Mexico, Hong Kong, India, and Ireland... maybe a few more, but GSC001, GSC002 = Unknown OEM = (-R)(+R) not many. The best media generally comes from Japan and Singapore. The worst typically comes from Taiwan (in stores) 4TH CLASS MEDIA and Hong Kong (online). Pathetic garbage media, landfill material, about 0-50% success rate: This being said, understand that the media brands means nothing. RITEKG01, RITEKG02 = Ritek = (-R) Apple is a great brand, but they do not make their own discs, CMC, CMCMAG = CMC Magnetics = (+R)(-R) instead outsourcing to MXL (Hitachi/Maxell), MCC (Mitsubishi PIODATA, PIO = LeadData, Ritek = (-R) ... once sold as Chemicals), and PVC (Pioneer). Verbatim became infamous by “Pioneer” but that’s false switching from high-quality MCC to ultra-cheap CMC (CMC Fake SONY, MXL = Fake Sony/Maxell from Hong Kong OEM Magnetics) media, although they have since returned to using (Infosmart?) = (-R) MCC. Companies like Memorex, Fuji and Imation all outsource OPTODISC = Optodisc = (+R)(+RW) to media vendors. AN31, AN32, ANWELL, AN30 = Hong Kong OEM (Infosmart?) = (-R) Always be aware of fake media too. Fake media is normally sold INFOSMART = Hong Kong OEM = (-R)(+R) in flea markets, on eBay and online. This fake media normally VANGUARD = Unknown OEM = (-R) has no brand markings and the company being faked normally YIJHAN = Hong Kong OEM = (-R) only sells branded discs. MATRIX = Hong Kong OEM = (-R) VDSPMS = Unknown OEM = (-R)(+R) It is the Media ID that is important, as it reveals the disc maker. LONGTEN = Hong Kong OEM = (-R)

Sonoma Valley Computer Group Newsletter 4 http://www.vom.com/svcg/index.html ANYTHING ELSE = Unknown OEM or NEW TA, LD New medias to watch for: MXLRG03 HP = CMC, RICOHJPN, MCC Imation = RITEKG03, CMC Are there exceptions to this list? KHypermedia = CMC, TTG01 Sure, but not many. LD01 inkjet media and RITEKG04 inkjet LiquidVideo = OPTODISC media has proven to be almost flawless media for many users. But Matrix = MATRIX, LONGTEN, YIJHAN, MUST those are the only two we’ve seen as consistent exceptions. Use this Maxell = MXL, RITEK, RICOHJPN, TYG01 list as a guide. This list is a “sure bets” kind of list, and is pretty Memorex = CMC, RICOHJPN, PRODISC, INFODISC reflective of the media market as a whole. Meritline = Various budget IDs Mirror = AN31, ONIDTECH, PRINCO What do the % numbers mean? Optodisc = OPTODISC This list is constructed from many tests on many burners from a Philips = CMC handful of experienced people that use a lot of media. These num- Pioneer = PVC bers reflect the number of discs in a spindle that will give good Princo = PRINCO, Fake TDK results. For example, out of a 100 spindle of media, 1st class discs Prodisc = PRODISCS03, MCC may kick out a few bad discs (0% to 5% of the media may have Ritek = RITEKG01-04, RICOHJPN playback imperfections or be outright bad burns). The 2nd class Samsung = TYG01, BEALL, RITEK media may have a dozen or so bad discs. The 3rd class discs could Sonic, Shop4tech = LONGTEN, MATRIX, MUST, YIJHAN, give you a half-spindle of duds. And the 4th class stuff can be pure various budget IDs trash. These are mean averages too , simple statistics math, mean- Sony = SONYD04, RICOHJPN, MCC ing best tests and worst tests are discarded, and the middle range of Supermedia, Linkyo = Various budget IDs tests is the basis for these numbers. You may sometimes find the TDK = TDK, RITEKG04, RICOHJPN, MXL, CMC, MCC rare instance where a CMC spindle will be perfect and a Taiyo Verbatim = MCC, CMC, YUDEN, RICOHJPN, RITEKG03 Yuden spindle will be completely flawed, but those times are the exception rather than the rule (and are not part of a mean average). If you can add to this list, use the CONTACT US feature and shoot us a list. Testing procedures: Burns are subject to playability/reflectivity tests (usage tests), as well as software verification. Test equipment For unusual brands and media IDs, check out the www.video- is under controlled hardware/software environments to eliminate help.com media section. In most cases, unknown media IDs user variables. Burns are at least 4GB or more to test the entire would be re-branded or ID-hidden discs, often of dubious qual- length of the media. ity. Some unknown brands are overstock from other media companies. This is often the mark of very cheap media. Buyer Branding Guide beware. Although this will change on a regular basis, the following brands are known to use the following media makers for their outsourced discs. Where to buy good media Please see this page on this site. It lists many online sites and Be careful for CMC and PRINCO discs, as those are becoming brick-n-mortar stores in the USA and Canada. It tells both who more common in those “special sales” seen almost every week is good and who is not-so-good. Other worldwide sites since early 2004. Some companies prefer dollars over quality, so be (Europe, Australia, Asia, etc) will be added when they are careful. Also be especially careful of “house brands” or no-names. reported. Stores like Fry’s and CompUSA have horrible return policies too, so if you end up with an unfavorable media ID, do not burn a test, Speed: Media ID vs. Write Strategy just take it back for a refund and take your business elsewhere. The Media ID is the location of information about the disc. Much like the disc maker’s name in the ID code, the write Accu = LEADDATA speed can be faked. The Write Strategy is the maximum speed Americal = RITEKG01, PRINCO, LEADDATA the disc was manufactured to use. Burning faster will often lead Apple = MXL, MCC to errors. Arita = RITEKG03, RICOHJPN Bulkpaq = PRINCO, PRODISC Unfortunately, most DVD-R (and I believe this also applies to CompUSA = PRINCO, OPTODISC, LD DVD+R) drives read the Media ID for determining write speed Datawrite = PRINCO, PRODISC, AN31, RITEKG03 allowed by the burning software. You should always check the DupEZ = PIODATA, LEADDATA WRITE STRATEGY to ensure the Media ID is not forged for Esbuy = RITEK, LEADDATA, other budget IDs an incorrect speed. Most of the media listed in the “normally Fuji = TAIYOYUDEN, MCC, RICOHJPN, PRODISC, FUJIFILM bad or questionable” category are guilty of placing 2x or 4x GQ = PIODATA, PRINCO, RITEKG03, RITEKG02, LEADDA- media ID speeds on discs with 1x write strategies.

Sonoma Valley Computer Group Newsletter 5 http://www.vom.com/svcg/index.html Never burn faster than the write strategy. Why discs are “bad” or “go bad” Exceptions: DVD media is still new, and methods for creating faster and There are very few exceptions to this rule. For example, most better discs are always being perfected. Discs are created in an MXLRG01 media is shown to have only a 1x write strategy by interesting manner (note that this is a basic description). Plastic DVD info programs on Pioneer burners. It is believed by this is laid down, then metal reflective foil, then dyes are poured author that the info on the disc is either incorrect or the DVD info onto the foil. Another plastic is laid on top, then the disc is spun program is not properly reading the media, as MXLRG01 is certi- at high speed to spread out the dye, hopefully evenly. It even fied 2x speed media, and perform flawlessly at such speeds. This sounds like an unstable method! MXLRG01 anomaly is the only one seen to date. It is likely a side effect of drive firmware. Dye imperfections. Bad foils and dyes, as well as bad dye spread are the most common issue that causes bad media. If the How to determine Media ID and Write Strategy dye is uneven or does not reach to the edge of the disc, it is A DVD burner is required to read the information. Several pro- often bad. CMC is known for bad inner-disc spread (dye thin- grams exist for checking the Media ID and Write Strategy of the ning) and Princo is known for not reaching the edge (short disc. Most of these utilities are free (and can be found in the spread). TOOLS section of videohelp.com). They include tools by Nero, ADVDInfo, DVDInfo... just to name a few. In this example, I am User error. A common “error” with “bad media” is actually using the free release of DVDInfo v1: user error . Even I’m guilty of this. Do not try to use your com- puter extensively while burning, especially at 2x and 4x speeds. Also test your discs before dumping the source. And run several tests, as the “verification” features found in programs like Nero have been known to not properly catch errors.

Problems past the 4GB mark. Balancing is also a side effect caused by faulty plastic, foils or dye spread. A disc spins faster on the outside than it does on the inside (ask any college physics professor). And round objects tend to be most unsteady at the outside. While DVD media allows for some degree of error (data is written in a “wobble groove”), exaggerated wob- ble will caused the laser to spew data in areas not meant for writing. It thus disappears, and the data comes up as missing on the disc, resulting in freezing, blockiness and (DVD Info) other odd visual errors (caused from the decoder attempting to compensate for material that is missing). Simple explanation: Pressing the DISC button will bring up a little “i” rollover image, bad disc. and clicking it will reveal the DVD’s embedded info. This test shows that my APPLE 4x disc is made by MXL (Maxell) and is a Fake media. Fake media is often bad. If you ever acquire good true 4x disc, with both a 4x write strategy and a 4x Media ID to media like TDK, RITEK or MXL, and the results are bad, match it. check to see if the media is legitimate. Many of these top-tier media companies only have branded discs, not plain white-top or silver-top ones. TDK, MXL, and RITEK have been spoofed before. These discs often are cheaply-made unbranded 1x

Sonoma Valley Computer Group Newsletter 6 http://www.vom.com/svcg/index.html media with fake 2x or 4x Media ID speeds and maker ID codes. by the naked eye.

Gradual data loss. Also known as “disc fade” and “laser rot”, this is actually not very possible due to the mechanics of DVD recordable media. Terms like “disc fade” and “laser rot” only apply to pressed media, which are altogether different from recordable media in structure and physical/chemical properties. These theories are still widely argued, and applied only to the cor- rosion of the metal discs. The only feasible explanation for burned media “rotting” would be a breaking of the vacuum enclo- sure of the disc, allowing air and moisture to permeate the metal and dye. But such chain reaction would occur fairly quickly, not at a gradual pace of months. Simple explanation: The likely rea- son people face “disc rot” is that they simply did not check the media when it was first burned. Or the player/reader is now dirty, and not related to the disc at all.

Dye melting from excess burn speed. Some discs simply cave in under high speed burns. Optodisc 4x DVD-R media is known to corrupt on 4x burns. Some recent April 2004 RITEKG04 media are reported as doing this too. The dye simply cannot handle the write speed. Poor production is to blame. This happens mostly on bad discs, but can also happen on good discs due to user error. Many hacked firmwares and poorly-written firmwares will allow a user to burn a disc faster than it’s write strategy and media ID speed. The side-effect of these illegitimate burns is ruined dye. The dye appears discolored or otherwise unusual.

Not a media error. This is another very frequent “problem” with discs. The simple fact is not every player or DVD-ROM will read a burned DVD media. Some players were not made to play any- thing other than official to-spec pressed metal discs. Non-media errors may also include players that have a weak laser or a dirty laser. A non-playing disc is not a sign of a “bad” disc, but rather just means that particular player/ROM cannot play it. Run real tests to see if the disc is truly a coaster. Also be aware that some formats are more compatible than others (with DVD-R being most compatible of them all for DVD-Video content). This is often call a reflectivity error. This is not necessarily the media’s fault.

How to see tell-tale signs of a bad disc Although it is not a scientific means of finding flaws in media, simply viewing the burned side of a disc can reveal potentially How to detect bad discs with software flawed media. Bad spots and thin areas of dye can easily be seen This guide assumes you have any version of Microsoft Table of Discs

Sonoma Valley Computer Group Newsletter 7 http://www.vom.com/svcg/index.html Windows and a good DVD-ROM drive on your computer. It Enable SURFACE SCAN only and then click START . requires a quick install of the free diagnostic utility Nero CD- DVD Speed from www.cdspeed2000.com . When it is done, red means the disc is bad, yellow means it may or may be bad at that spot, and green means good. Please Discs may be “bad” for a few reasons. The most common ones note that these are READ TESTS, and some of this may are: depend on the quality of the reading laser/drive. This is why 1. The disc is fine. It’s your player/ROM that’s being uncoopera- good drives are important (and not some $20 Mad Dog spe- tive. cial). Good DVD-ROMs include Pioneer, Sony, LiteOn, LG, 2. The disc has a bad spot on it and is defective. Use this tool to NEC, BTC ... just to name a few. Bad ones include Hitachi, check out the disc integrity: Mitsumi, Panasonic and others.

Start Nero CD Speed and go to EXTRA and then select SCAN- Quick note: “4.7 GIG” vs 4.38GB disc size DISC Many people wonder why there 4.7 GIG discs are “defective” and “only” write 4.38 GB at maximum capacity. This is not an error of any kind, but rather an industry inconsistency.

The 4.7 “GIG” that is calculated is actually 4.7 billion bytes. But on a computer, it takes 1024 bytes, not merely 1000, to make up a full MB.

The 4.7 GIG discs = 4.38 GB = 4489 MB (for DVD-R) and 4483 (for DVD+R)

This kind of inconsistency is found in many other areas. For example, the 120GB hard drive will format to about 112GB, requiring 8GB for file system and other settings. A 6- hour video tape is about 6:05 in length. And let’s not forget the most famous one: hot dogs come in packs of 10 while buns come in packs of 8.

Pressed media vs. This window will appear: recordable media “Hollywood” doesn’t burn media. “Real” discs are pressed metal, mechanically made media. The presses are precise. Burning is a sloppy method to recreate the process, using dyes that can have pits and grooves “burned” into the chemical, making an illusion of how a “real” disc would look and work. If you compare a pressed media and a burned media under a microscope, you can see that the pressed media is fairly precise, while the burns are fairly erratic, and it’s almost a mir- acle that burning works at all. They’re going to have a hard time when Blu-Ray gets here, as the window for error has been made even more finite, and the 4x and 8x DVD burning is already pushing the envelope.

DVD-R(W) vs. DVD+R(W) vs. DVD-RAM

Sonoma Valley Computer Group Newsletter 8 http://www.vom.com/svcg/index.html Are you confused about the difference between these media? Do you find yourself asking “what is best?” Please see DIGITAL CAMERA digitalFAQ.com. It covers the pros and cons of these different for- mats, as well as their history. BUYING ADVICE The digitalFAQ.com DVD Media Image Gallery These are some of the discs currently tested or personally used by owners and associates of digitalFAQ.com. More are added as we find time. Each disc has been photographed, and DVD comments left out to the side. Comments will cover physical construct, and All I want for will pretty much reflect much of the information found earlier on Christmas is my this page. All prices are in US dollars. digital camera!

Gallery sample:

I’m about to purchase our first digital camera (A Christmas gift for my wife). I’ve finally found a camera (after much research) that I believe will please my spouse (long zoom lens with image stabilization; point-and-shoot ease, with advanced man- ual control capabilities. My choice is the Canon PowerShot S1 IS (3.2 MP, 10x optical zoom), and I would be interested in hearing from anyone who may be using this camera. Any recommendations for a card reader (the Canon camera uses CompactFlash cards)?

TIA, for any advice or tips. --Annie

- Apple 2x A: It would be nice get a FireWire reader for maximum speed; - MXL, MCC but my opinion is that is really only worth it if you are going - A disc of choice when quality counts. No flaws, no failed burns. to be transferring a large number of pictures on a regular basis. - Discs came clean, packaged well For typical use, a USB reader is fine. - No plastic problems. - A bit expensive, find Maxell branded MXL first if possible. I don’t have firsthand experience with the S1, but I have - Cost $2-$5 each. looked at them and heard good things about them (though the - Made in Japan digital viewfinders on that and several other compact digital cameras annoy me - make sure you are comfortable with the What’s a Coaster? viewfinder before you buy!). The main limit is the 3.2 mp res- I’ve recently gotten a few e-mails asking “what’s a coaster?”. For olution - good results so long as you don’t need giant enlarge- those that are new to CD or DVD media, a “coaster” is a reference ments. For anything you can print on a typical desktop 8.5x11 to “drink coaster”... the thing you put your cup on in a restaurant or printer, it should be ok (so long as you aren’t doing a lot of your mother’s coffee table. When a disc goes bad, it has no other use. They become coasters, Frisbees, trashcan liners ... maybe even practice pigeons for NRA members.

Sonoma Valley Computer Group Newsletter 9 http://www.vom.com/svcg/index.html cropping). I have a 3.2 card reader. Plus, if you’ve got the anti jiggle stuff on the lens, mp Canon Elph, and that too sucks up battery... From the camera I imagine maybe have gotten excellent five to ten times longer and all that time the camera has to be results within those lim- turned on. One thing tho, I use a Belkin USB Hub as I found its. --Harriett out that the USB bus soon runs out of power, what with a key- board, printers, etc all on the bus... --Derk By the way, a Great site for digital camera A: I have a Canon PowerShot G3, and have both wide angle research is and telephoto adapters. I was surprised by the quality of the <>.

A: I probably would have invested in a digicam a year or more ago, but I’ve been waiting for the "perfect" camera to arrive. One thing I’ve learned: There is no such camera. So...I’ve tried to find a PHOTOSHOP happy compromise. There aren’t very many "stabilized" long-zoom cameras available, so my choices were thankfully narrowed. My ELEMENTS ADVICE runner-up choice is the Konica-Minolta Z3, which also has a digi- tal viewfinder, and is 4.0 mp, I've been playing with Elements further and I gotta say that with a 12x (!) optical zoom. anyone who's serious about photography or has a lot of time on their hands is going to love it! The real reason to buy it or to The Canon S1 has an LCD monitor that pulls out and rotates & upgrade is the RAW Format processing, which with my Canon swivels, which should help make up for the limitations of the Rebel or 300D, which ever name it's going under this viewfinder. week...yields 16 bit 240 pixel resolution in the Large setting. The one thing that has to be remembered is that the RAW set- The zoom lens will help make up for the (relatively low) 3.2 mp ting is available only in what Canon calls the "Creative Zone", resolution; and 8 x 10 prints are typically the largest my wife makes which makes sense actually if you think about it... The down with her film cameras. side is that the RAW files are in the neighborhood of 6 Megs...

I’m hoping the digital camera will help my wife edit down to only Another good part to this madness is that me and another damn the best shots. She now typically will print a dozen rolls of film in fool have been sending those big files back and forth by order to get several great photos. archiving and sending the compressed ZIPs to each other, and there's no degradation...like with JPG... --ET We have a new grandson (our first grandbaby), and (with the digi- cam) we will more easily be able to email baby photos to a legion I have a very low tech digital camera, Kodak DC215 or of admiring relatives and friends. something like that. I think it only is one megapixel, which is fine for my needs and though it is By the way, a GREAT all-purpose SLR 35 mm film camera (pro- no longer even supported by Kodak I have neither the sumer quality & features) is the Olympus IS series. My wife has money nor the inclination to buy another one. two IS-1s, and an IS-3. In my digicam search, I was trying to find a digital equivalent of these cameras. I’m not sure if they are still But I digress, is Elements 3 too much for me or could being made, but they can be had very reasonably on eBay. --Archie it improve the photos I take with my inferior camera. To be honest, I really like the camera and I only use A: A buddy of mine is using an earlier version of the PowerShot. it for snapshots. I already have Elements 2 so the His only complaint is that he can’t change lenses. At the same time upgrade wouldn't be that costly to my limited budget. he’s extremely happy with the lens that Canon put on the camera. He and I swap pictures and he’s gotten some beautiful shots. (We I have to admit I really liked Photo Deluxe and kind swap by sending each other ZIP Files, the pictures in the RAW for- of miss it. --CW mat). First of, don't "apologize" for having an earlier camera...and If your USB works now a card reader should or will work. And you it's not "Low Tech" by any means, it's still a marvel of the dig- need it! If you try to download straight from the camera you have ital age... I would also say that the job defines what the tool to leave the camera on, which beats up the battery. Granted my should be. If the camera does what you want it to, why in the camera builds larger files than yours will but as an example a RAW world would you want another with more bells and whistles? Format file can be 18 Megs, which takes some time even thru the It's like buying a newer and faster 'putey to play solitaire on, or a Ferrari to drive to the supermarket, right?

Sonoma Valley Computer Group Newsletter 10 http://www.vom.com/svcg/index.html P S E l e m e n t s A d v i c e c o n t ’ d f r o m P g . 1 0 Glad to be of service... And Yes, there are a lot of things that I think that perhaps you should stick with Elements 2, because the big you can do with Elements 2. The downward progression advantage to Elements 3 is the ability to work with RAW images, which from Photoshop to Elements... I didn't know that Elements are taken in the manual mode. Since every camera manufacturer has a was so good! I was using Photoshop 3.2 or something like different version of RAW it might be that even if your camera did shoot that and Elements was a major upgrade. (In fact, the photos- in RAW format, it might not be on the list of RAWs that Elements 3 can titch wasn't even available in the full version of the newest handle. Photoshop...it's got a new name now... Anyway play with Elements, the curve is sort of steep but... The strongest fea- Also, Elements 2 is no slouch! I could have bought the full blown ture, the one I like and use the most is 'Levels'... Play with PhotoShop but felt that Elements more fit what I do, besides it being that... There are thousands of tutorials available because packaged with the camera body... and Elements 2 does make some Elements is an abbreviated version of Photoshop, so a lot of beautiful prints! Elements 3 is more like the stuff that the nut across the what are Photoshop tuts pertain to Elements... --JB street, the guy with the garage full of darkroom supplies has, now that Elements can handle RAW format... All in all, I think the money you'd spend for Elements 3 might be better spent on half of a great dinner or the down payment on a bottle of The Angel's Share. If and when you get DONATE YOUR OLD another camera, if you don't get Elements 6 or whatever it is by that time bundled with it, then buy the new release. --JB CELL PHONE

Do you have old cell phones laying around that you don’t Thanks JG, that's exactly the kind of advice I needed. Straightforward know what to do with and you don’t want to pollute the envi- and to the point. Consider my 'apology' withdrawn. ronment? The local YWCA in Santa Rosa has a program for you to send them in and ask for a receipt to use as a charita- In the meantime, I will better familiarize myself with this program. I ble donation for income tax purposes. Give the landfill a gift could actually use some instruction or perhaps work through a few tuto- by sending your used cell phones to the YWCA. You can rials (if they are available) to better understand what the heck I am send them to P. O. Box 7164, Santa Rosa, CA 95407. doing. --CW

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