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Robert Macy[_2_] November 25th 12 04:09 PM

Anybody recommend a good camera that I can use with Win98?
 
Like the subject, anybody know a good camera that I can use with
Win98?

I've been using the Motorola RAZR phone which has terrible images,
requires WinXP [ptui, ptui, cusre be gone!]

Is alright to get by, but images are like 60k and more of a thumbnail
image than a real image.



I just bought a Vivitar 16MPixel ViviCam S524, which listed the system
requirements on the back of the envelope. They left out that you MUST
have internet connection to download a huge bulky bloated program,
Plus, and this is far more important, model is NOT listed in included
CD, call to Customer Service informs that software not available yet,
wait 2 weeks and come back to their website ??!!!

So, what I need is a camera with decent image capability, that I can
download images through the USB port, and be done with it. I don't
want to connect to their websites, I don't want to download a program
that will take 24 hours to download via dial-up, I just want a !@#$!#
$@%^^ camera!

Michael A. Terrell November 25th 12 04:30 PM

Anybody recommend a good camera that I can use with Win98?
 

Robert Macy wrote:

Like the subject, anybody know a good camera that I can use with
Win98?

I've been using the Motorola RAZR phone which has terrible images,
requires WinXP [ptui, ptui, cusre be gone!]

Is alright to get by, but images are like 60k and more of a thumbnail
image than a real image.

I just bought a Vivitar 16MPixel ViviCam S524, which listed the system
requirements on the back of the envelope. They left out that you MUST
have internet connection to download a huge bulky bloated program,
Plus, and this is far more important, model is NOT listed in included
CD, call to Customer Service informs that software not available yet,
wait 2 weeks and come back to their website ??!!!

So, what I need is a camera with decent image capability, that I can
download images through the USB port, and be done with it. I don't
want to connect to their websites, I don't want to download a program
that will take 24 hours to download via dial-up, I just want a !@#$!#
$@%^^ camera!



Can't you just access the photos by treating the camera as a USB
Memory stick? I do that with my Fuji Finepix S5200, and I've done it
with several other digital cameras. On some cameras the photos are
three to five folders deep, but they can be viewed, copied or erased. I
power up the camera, inset the USB cable and wait for the computer to
recognize the device. Then I drill down to what I want.

Robert Macy[_2_] November 25th 12 05:44 PM

Anybody recommend a good camera that I can use with Win98?
 
On Nov 25, 8:30*am, "Michael A. Terrell"
wrote:
Robert Macy wrote:

Like the subject, anybody know a good camera that I can use with
Win98?


I've been using the Motorola RAZR phone which has terrible images,
requires WinXP [ptui, ptui, cusre be gone!]


Is alright to get by, but images are like 60k and more of a thumbnail
image than a real image.


I just bought a Vivitar 16MPixel ViviCam S524, which listed the system
requirements on the back of the envelope. They left out that you MUST
have internet connection to download a huge bulky bloated program,
Plus, and this is far more important, model is NOT listed in included
CD, call to Customer Service informs that software not available yet,
wait 2 weeks and come back to their website ??!!!


So, what I need is a camera with decent image capability, that I can
download images through the USB port, and be done with it. I don't
want to connect to their websites, I don't want to download a program
that will take 24 hours to download via dial-up, I *just want a !@#$!#
$@%^^ camera!


* *Can't you just access the photos by treating the camera as a USB
Memory stick? *I do that with my Fuji Finepix S5200, and I've done it
with several other digital cameras. *On some cameras the photos are
three to five folders deep, but they can be viewed, copied or erased. *I
power up the camera, inset the USB cable and wait for the computer to
recognize the device. *Then I drill down to what I want.


Thanks, I didn't think to just 'try' it!

Damned thing makes NOISE! After fussing several times, took a picture.
connected via USB cable and saw nothing. Empty file structure. Then
tried again and this time found a single image, downloaded image and
it seems small at 156kB, but ok. Camera said memory full insert SD
card, but have no card. Memory shows up empty, and will not show any
new picture.

After that experience, no more pictures and no more images, the files
are blank on the USB port ?! Don't know what's going on.

May have to remove batteries and start again. But kind of works, and
got ONE picture only? But now that picture doesn't even show up.


Memory said 978KB available, all empty, picture takes 156kB, perhaps
that's bits and bytes to get one picture in that memory. nothing is
adding up. Plus, no more pictures.

Robert Macy[_2_] November 25th 12 06:03 PM

Anybody recommend a good camera that I can use with Win98?
 
On Nov 25, 8:30*am, "Michael A. Terrell"
wrote:
Robert Macy wrote:

Like the subject, anybody know a good camera that I can use with
Win98?


I've been using the Motorola RAZR phone which has terrible images,
requires WinXP [ptui, ptui, cusre be gone!]


Is alright to get by, but images are like 60k and more of a thumbnail
image than a real image.


I just bought a Vivitar 16MPixel ViviCam S524, which listed the system
requirements on the back of the envelope. They left out that you MUST
have internet connection to download a huge bulky bloated program,
Plus, and this is far more important, model is NOT listed in included
CD, call to Customer Service informs that software not available yet,
wait 2 weeks and come back to their website ??!!!


So, what I need is a camera with decent image capability, that I can
download images through the USB port, and be done with it. I don't
want to connect to their websites, I don't want to download a program
that will take 24 hours to download via dial-up, I *just want a !@#$!#
$@%^^ camera!


* *Can't you just access the photos by treating the camera as a USB
Memory stick? *I do that with my Fuji Finepix S5200, and I've done it
with several other digital cameras. *On some cameras the photos are
three to five folders deep, but they can be viewed, copied or erased. *I
power up the camera, inset the USB cable and wait for the computer to
recognize the device. *Then I drill down to what I want.


Got it!

The protocol was to 'delete' the images and/or folders in the camera
then one more picture could be taken.

So, does work - after a fashion. Now need a good SD card to plug in.

N_Cook November 25th 12 06:36 PM

Anybody recommend a good camera that I can use with Win98?
 
Robert Macy wrote in message
...
Like the subject, anybody know a good camera that I can use with
Win98?

I've been using the Motorola RAZR phone which has terrible images,
requires WinXP [ptui, ptui, cusre be gone!]

Is alright to get by, but images are like 60k and more of a thumbnail
image than a real image.



I just bought a Vivitar 16MPixel ViviCam S524, which listed the system
requirements on the back of the envelope. They left out that you MUST
have internet connection to download a huge bulky bloated program,
Plus, and this is far more important, model is NOT listed in included
CD, call to Customer Service informs that software not available yet,
wait 2 weeks and come back to their website ??!!!

So, what I need is a camera with decent image capability, that I can
download images through the USB port, and be done with it. I don't
want to connect to their websites, I don't want to download a program
that will take 24 hours to download via dial-up, I just want a !@#$!#
$@%^^ camera!



I use a Novatech 4Meg via USB and win98SE using its Windows Explorer , no
trouble,
compared with all the impossible proprietary crap that came with the camera



Wild_Bill November 26th 12 03:47 AM

Anybody recommend a good camera that I can use with Win98?
 
It sounds as though you definitely need to add memory capacity.

You may find worthwhile info regarding which specific SD or SDHC cards are
recommended by the manufacturer, or possibly at various camera forums.

There are numerous classes of SD/HC, and some equipment doesn't work well
with the latest releases of the cards (C6 or higher).
I've been trying C2,4, 6 and 8 recently in several of my audio/video
DVR/camera devices and some units won't record/save files reliably on some
classes of SD/HC, but work fine with others.
It appears that the newest/fastest write speed SD/HC cards don't work well
with equipment that may only be 2 to 4 years old. Apparently the timing
cycle requirements are different.
Most packaging is marked with a number inside a 'C', but it may not be easy
to see.

Unlike many devices/components which are "backward compatible", the newer
SD/HC (and maybe other formats) are not.

Also be aware that the manufacturer may release firmware updates after the
equipment has been on the market for a while, permitting the use of updated
memory devices and/or other features.

--
Cheers,
WB
..............


"Robert Macy" wrote in message
...
Like the subject, anybody know a good camera that I can use with
Win98?

I've been using the Motorola RAZR phone which has terrible images,
requires WinXP [ptui, ptui, cusre be gone!]

Is alright to get by, but images are like 60k and more of a thumbnail
image than a real image.



I just bought a Vivitar 16MPixel ViviCam S524, which listed the system
requirements on the back of the envelope. They left out that you MUST
have internet connection to download a huge bulky bloated program,
Plus, and this is far more important, model is NOT listed in included
CD, call to Customer Service informs that software not available yet,
wait 2 weeks and come back to their website ??!!!

So, what I need is a camera with decent image capability, that I can
download images through the USB port, and be done with it. I don't
want to connect to their websites, I don't want to download a program
that will take 24 hours to download via dial-up, I just want a !@#$!#
$@%^^ camera!



Robert Macy[_2_] November 26th 12 06:07 PM

Anybody recommend a good camera that I can use with Win98?
 
On Nov 25, 10:38*am, "N_Cook" wrote:
Robert Macy wrote in message

....





Like the subject, anybody know a good camera that I can use with
Win98?


I've been using the Motorola RAZR phone which has terrible images,
requires WinXP [ptui, ptui, cusre be gone!]


Is alright to get by, but images are like 60k and more of a thumbnail
image than a real image.


I just bought a Vivitar 16MPixel ViviCam S524, which listed the system
requirements on the back of the envelope. They left out that you MUST
have internet connection to download a huge bulky bloated program,
Plus, and this is far more important, model is NOT listed in included
CD, call to Customer Service informs that software not available yet,
wait 2 weeks and come back to their website ??!!!


So, what I need is a camera with decent image capability, that I can
download images through the USB port, and be done with it. I don't
want to connect to their websites, I don't want to download a program
that will take 24 hours to download via dial-up, I *just want a !@#$!#
$@%^^ camera!


I use a Novatech 4Meg via USB and win98SE using its Windows Explorer , no
trouble,
compared with all the impossible proprietary crap that came with the camera


Wish I'd known that cameras work straight through, I would have bought
that $10 4M Pixel camera when I saw it.

Oh well, 16.1 MPixels are 'adjustable' in the control settings and
this only cost $49.95

I almost expunged Explorer off my system in favor of Opera 9.64; but
had to keep it for some website(s) that are 'fussy'

Use Irfanview 4.25 and am EXTREMELY happy with their software.

Robert Macy[_2_] November 26th 12 06:10 PM

Anybody recommend a good camera that I can use with Win98?
 
On Nov 25, 7:47*pm, "Wild_Bill" wrote:
It sounds as though you definitely need to add memory capacity.

You may find worthwhile info regarding which specific SD or SDHC cards are
recommended by the manufacturer, or possibly at various camera forums.

There are numerous classes of SD/HC, and some equipment doesn't work well
with the latest releases of the cards (C6 or higher).
I've been trying C2,4, 6 and 8 recently in several of my audio/video
DVR/camera devices and some units won't record/save files reliably on some
classes of SD/HC, but work fine with others.
It appears that the newest/fastest write speed SD/HC cards don't work well
with equipment that may only be 2 to 4 years old. Apparently the timing
cycle requirements are different.
Most packaging is marked with a number inside a 'C', but it may not be easy
to see.

Unlike many devices/components which are "backward compatible", the newer
SD/HC (and maybe other formats) are not.

Also be aware that the manufacturer may release firmware updates after the
equipment has been on the market for a while, permitting the use of updated
memory devices and/or other features.

--
Cheers,
WB
.............

"Robert Macy" wrote in message

....



Like the subject, anybody know a good camera that I can use with
Win98?


I've been using the Motorola RAZR phone which has terrible images,
requires WinXP [ptui, ptui, cusre be gone!]


Is alright to get by, but images are like 60k and more of a thumbnail
image than a real image.


I just bought a Vivitar 16MPixel ViviCam S524, which listed the system
requirements on the back of the envelope. They left out that you MUST
have internet connection to download a huge bulky bloated program,
Plus, and this is far more important, model is NOT listed in included
CD, call to Customer Service informs that software not available yet,
wait 2 weeks and come back to their website ??!!!


So, what I need is a camera with decent image capability, that I can
download images through the USB port, and be done with it. I don't
want to connect to their websites, I don't want to download a program
that will take 24 hours to download via dial-up, I *just want a !@#$!#
$@%^^ camera!


Thank you for THAT heads up! I have no idea how to make certain the
two work together, but 'unreliable'? arrrggg! That's the WORST kind of
failure mode.

Without the manual, [which is NOT available I guess for two more
weeks] I have no idea what SD card will work. Perhaps there's a
section just for Vivitar. I'll make certain they're returnable just in
case.

Gareth Magennis November 26th 12 10:07 PM

Anybody recommend a good camera that I can use with Win98?
 


"Robert Macy" wrote in message
...
On Nov 25, 10:38 am, "N_Cook" wrote:
Robert Macy wrote in message

...





Like the subject, anybody know a good camera that I can use with
Win98?


I've been using the Motorola RAZR phone which has terrible images,
requires WinXP [ptui, ptui, cusre be gone!]


Is alright to get by, but images are like 60k and more of a thumbnail
image than a real image.


I just bought a Vivitar 16MPixel ViviCam S524, which listed the system
requirements on the back of the envelope. They left out that you MUST
have internet connection to download a huge bulky bloated program,
Plus, and this is far more important, model is NOT listed in included
CD, call to Customer Service informs that software not available yet,
wait 2 weeks and come back to their website ??!!!


So, what I need is a camera with decent image capability, that I can
download images through the USB port, and be done with it. I don't
want to connect to their websites, I don't want to download a program
that will take 24 hours to download via dial-up, I just want a !@#$!#
$@%^^ camera!


I use a Novatech 4Meg via USB and win98SE using its Windows Explorer , no
trouble,
compared with all the impossible proprietary crap that came with the
camera


Wish I'd known that cameras work straight through, I would have bought
that $10 4M Pixel camera when I saw it.

Oh well, 16.1 MPixels are 'adjustable' in the control settings and
this only cost $49.95




It's a bit pointless having 16MPixels if it is looking through a $1 plastic
lens.

Get the camera with the good lens.



Gareth.





[email protected] November 27th 12 07:02 PM

Anybody recommend a good camera that I can use with Win98?
 
HA, I have the opposite problem. I've been keeping this old scanner around waiting for either a Win98 machine or drivers to run it on XP. It's a Visioneer 6100B and though it was not expensive, it's one of the best scanners I've seen.

Might not be so hot on the criteria you used in testing, but it has plenty of depth. What I mean is that something doesn't have to be flat. I've scanned guns, car parts, people's faces etc. There is something about it's light beam I think. It must be almost as coherent as a laser for something literally 4" away to still be in focus. This of course comes in handy when you scan a book without cutting out the pages or breaking the binder.

About the OCR software, can I just use any propgram even though I don't have the hardware it came with ? Reason I ask is I have some already scannned images I would like to convert. They're 800 pixels wide because I wanted them readable in an internet browser (though I am pretty sure I have higher resolution copies around somewhere). I could simply string them together by writing a few simple lines of HTML. Here's an example of one:

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/29948706/page02.jpg

Never did write that page..... Anyway, the only OCR software I have right now came with the Visioneer and it requires MAX files. Irfanview IIRC reported that these are TIF files "misnamed". I imagine there is something different about the compression, which makes me wonder if reconverting them will work. I mean convert from JPG to TIF and then rename to MAX.

That assumes the OCR software will even install in XP.

As far as your USB situation, I remember my 98SE required software to recognize those thumbdrives. I got it from Lexar's website. This makes me wonder if the machine is reading your device correctly, can you try it in a newer PC just to see if you get the same results ? What's more, I wonder if you can find an SD card reader that is compatible with Win98. It seems they certainly do not want you using 98 anymore. (BTW you do know about olderversion.com right ?)

Believe me, I was dragged kicking and screaming into XP. Know why I got XP ? I couldn't get 98SE to work with my router. Grrrr.

J


Jon Elson[_3_] November 28th 12 12:37 AM

Anybody recommend a good camera that I can use with Win98?
 
Robert Macy wrote:



So, what I need is a camera with decent image capability, that I can
download images through the USB port, and be done with it. I don't
want to connect to their websites, I don't want to download a program
that will take 24 hours to download via dial-up, I just want a !@#$!#
$@%^^ camera!

Most cameras with a USB port are supported by Linux. You plug the camera
into the usb, and a box pops up and says "A camera has been detected,
do you want to download pictures?" It is that simple. Most cameras
just export the USB memory device, and the Linux system knows how to
handle that natively.

All of our cameras were supported as generic, with no drivers or special
settings needed at all.

This whole custom driver business with Windows is a crock, it is all
there to sell you extra services, like directing you to Wal-Mart or
Walgreens for photo printing.

Jon

Wild_Bill November 28th 12 01:14 AM

Anybody recommend a good camera that I can use with Win98?
 
I forgot to mention another option, which is a USB port universal memory
card reader to plug into a computer (cheap ones are available for ~$10 or
less).
These readers typically accept several types of storage devices.

When the memory card is removed from the camera it's inserted into the
reader and the computer will see the card as an external storage device..
the pics can be copied, deleted, renamed etc with the computer just like
handling files.

Be sure to check the computer specs for USB 2.0 or newer, a reader may not
be able to operate with USB1.1 or whatever the older standard was named.

Many newer computers (and TVs) have card slots built in, and memory cards
can be used directly with the TV or other multi-media equipment (if the
saved image format (pictures, video audio) can be read by the equipment,
which it normally can).

It's frustrating/disgusting that many manufacturers are rushing products out
into the market when support isn't available.

--
Cheers,
WB
..............


"Robert Macy" wrote in message
...

Thank you for THAT heads up! I have no idea how to make certain the
two work together, but 'unreliable'? arrrggg! That's the WORST kind of
failure mode.

Without the manual, [which is NOT available I guess for two more
weeks] I have no idea what SD card will work. Perhaps there's a
section just for Vivitar. I'll make certain they're returnable just in
case.


JosephKK November 28th 12 01:44 AM

Anybody recommend a good camera that I can use with Win98?
 
On Tue, 27 Nov 2012 10:02:14 -0800 (PST), wrote:

HA, I have the opposite problem. I've been keeping this old scanner around waiting for either a Win98 machine or drivers to run it on XP. It's a Visioneer 6100B and though it was not expensive, it's one of the best scanners I've seen.

Might not be so hot on the criteria you used in testing, but it has plenty of depth. What I mean is that something doesn't have to be flat. I've scanned guns, car parts, people's faces etc. There is something about it's light beam I think. It must be almost as coherent as a laser for something literally 4" away to still be in focus. This of course comes in handy when you scan a book without cutting out the pages or breaking the binder.

About the OCR software, can I just use any propgram even though I don't have the hardware it came with ? Reason I ask is I have some already scannned images I would like to convert. They're 800 pixels wide because I wanted them readable in an internet browser (though I am pretty sure I have higher resolution copies around somewhere). I could simply string them together by writing a few simple lines of HTML. Here's an example of one:

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/29948706/page02.jpg

Never did write that page..... Anyway, the only OCR software I have right now came with the Visioneer and it requires MAX files. Irfanview IIRC reported that these are TIF files "misnamed". I imagine there is something different about the compression, which makes me wonder if reconverting them will work. I mean convert from JPG to TIF and then rename to MAX.

That assumes the OCR software will even install in XP.

As far as your USB situation, I remember my 98SE required software to recognize those thumbdrives. I got it from Lexar's website. This makes me wonder if the machine is reading your device correctly, can you try it in a newer PC just to see if you get the same results ? What's more, I wonder if you can find an SD card reader that is compatible with Win98. It seems they certainly do not want you using 98 anymore. (BTW you do know about olderversion.com right ?)

Believe me, I was dragged kicking and screaming into XP. Know why I got XP ? I couldn't get 98SE to work with my router. Grrrr.

J


I have an old slot A machine that i never use any more. I would have to
fire it up to make sure it still runs, has a 10BaseTX nic.

?-)


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