Photo Editing???

[BlackTimber]

I think I have narrowed my camera to the Olympus C-740. But what software should I get for edit?

I want something that I can do some advanced stuff but don't think I need a "pro" editing program.

 

[WildBird]

Your cam will come with Camedia SW. Probably all you need. IMO wait for the 750. Lots more camera for a few more $'s. WB

 

[AnnieAK]

For editing, how in depth do you plan to get? Are you just planning on doing some cropping, and getting rid of red eyes? Or are you wanting to do more? Even the simplest program let you make some changes to color hue and saturation, but my favorite is the "home" version of PhotoShop, which now is called Elements, for $99. I have the older version, called LE, and it has an impressive array of tools. It does, however, require work and patience to use it. Adobe might still have a sample program that you can download and use for a trial time to see if you like it; that's what I did before I bought it.

 

[Jim Thompson]

I am with Annie on this. Photoshop is a great program and elements is very inexpensive. Also if I remember correctly, my OLY came with Camedia and Elements.

Elements will give you room to grow.

Jim

 

[_droptine_]

I use GIMP. It is comparable to Photoshop and is free.

http://www.gimp.org/~tml/gimp/win32/

 

[BlackTimber]

Wildbird, what comes with the 750 that the 740 doesn't have. From Oly's web page the only diffrences I could see were the external flash card, going up from a 3.2 to a 4 mp.
Is there more?

 

[WildBird]

BT: Here's a thread for inquiring minds. I have the 730 and love it. Since all of these have EVF viewfinders, it is easy to compose when you take the shot so cropping is not needed, so IMO you don't need more than 3.2MP. Above the 730 you are stuck with Xd cards rather than either SM or Xd options with the 730. The 730 is now below $400 and a good time to buy. WB

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp...message=4937328

 

[Haymaker]

I really like PaintShop Pro. It's about $40 - $50 and I like it more than PhotoShop because it's easier to use. That's just my opinion though....

 

[BlackTimber]

Okay so here comes a GREENY question. What are the differences between SM or Xd cards?

 

[WildBird]

BT: The Xd is smaller in size but can hold a lot more storage. The downside to them is that they cost about twice a much as the SM cards. The SM cards are limited to 128 meg, which still will hold tons of pics and are cheap and easier to handle. Also, these are all complicated cameras best used by intermediate to advanced users. Not good basic learning tools. The 10x zoom and small size make them great for outdoor/wildlife cameras. WB

 

[BlackTimber]

So my inexperience shows

Maybe with digitals. I have done quite a bit of slr stuff and wildlife is my favorite. So one of the main features I want is the 10X optical zoom. I also wanted a 3mp for enlargments. Size/weight is also a factor since I will be packing it on all my hunting/fishing/backpacking trips. Auto/manual overide. (I asume this means that you can select shutter speed and F-stops??)

Maybe, I'm overlooking a camera out there that has these features? I've heard good things about Olympus so this is were I have been looking.

As far as editing goes I want to be able to work with background noise, filters, sharpness, colors, brightness. Don't know what it's called in the "digi" world but superimpose, is nice but not somthing I would use a ton.

 

[TxCowboy]

BT, sorry I found this discussion so late but I'll throw in my opinion on all points.

The Olympus digitals are great cameras. I own three, the old D-370 (which is in my game camera), my old D-490, and now the C-2100. If I can save up a few more $$, I'll be buying the Olympus E-10 or E-20 digital SLR, as soon as possible.

The C-2100 would really be a great camera for you because it has the 10x optical zoom with an image stablized lens. However, it is discontinued and is hard to find new. The downside to the 2100 is it is only 2.1 MP and in my humble opinion it just isn't enough! It is also a little bulky for hunting and backpacking. If it were a 3-4 MP camera, I wouldn't be in such a hurry to upgrade to the E-xx model.

The Oly 7xx series are great cameras and I've heard alot of good things about them, especially because of their small size. The 730 does have the advantage of using the Smart Media or the xD cards which is nice. The xD cards are no doubt going to be very big in the future while SM card use will decline. They have already stopped all SM card future technology and will never make a card over 128 MB. I'm sure the xD cards will one day be as big as a full gig. The advantage of SM cards is, they are cheap. I just bought 3 128 MB SM cards for $25 each, including shipping. However, I'm sure in time the xD cards will get very cheap also. That being said, I wouldn't let the fact that the 740 and 750 use only xD cards keep me from buying one, because those memory cards are here to replace SM.

As for the photo editing software, I strongly suggest Photoshop Elements 2. It is worth every penny. I have about 4 cheap edting programs and I've used several freeware programs like Gimp and I was never impressed with any of them. I bought PSE 2 right after it came out and was simply amazed what that program can do. For most users, the full version of Photoshop is not needed. I have yet to find anything that PSE 2 can't do. I signed up and took an online class that taught me to use the advanced controls of PSE 2 and I learned a huge amount in 6 wks. The class only cost $20 and it was worth every penny. One good thing about Photoshop is, it is the industry standard. Every single pro photographer out there uses some version of Photoshop or Photoshop Elements. There are thousands of books, websites, videos, and classes that will teach you to use it and give you all kinds of help.

Good luck and if you have any other questions, feel free to ask!