The c300z is the same as the d500z....I've had this camera for 7 months and have taken over 500 pictures. I also ordered 4 x 6 prints from dotphoto.com (18 cents USD/pic if you order in bulk...shipping was $8 USD to Canada...but when you don't buy film, you get only the pics you want....and you don't have to leave the house....it becaomes worth it)...these turned out beautifuly (just as good as 35 mm)...most were taken with the default automatic setting. I have also found this camera to be very useful in athletics...the short videos with frame by frame playback allowed me to analyze my long jump technique in competion and practice...it is also useful for the golf swing...and I'm sure many other sports...
...the panoramic function allows 10 pictures to be stiched together with the software on the computer....this allows beautiful shots 180 degrees of the horizon from the top of a mountain (make sure you take them from right to left)
....the battery life with NiMh is amazing....I can fill a 128mb and a 16mb smartmedia card without having to recharge...also because it's AA you can take normal batteries as back-up.....batery life of course depends on how much you use the display on the back....but I find even if I use the video function at a track meet all day I don't run out of battery power..... (I realize other cameras may be more compact...but make sure you can use AA...)
...the other cool thing is when you hook the camera up to the TV and allow a room full of people to see all the pics from your weekend trip....
If you haven't gone digital yet I definately reccomend it.....you may spend $500 CDN now...but you'll be able to pick and choose which pics to keep...email them to family and friends, never buy film again, have your prints delivered to your door....
Problems:
When asking random people to take pictures of my friends and I...they can't figure the camera out because you have to hold the button down half way...wait for the green light which means it's in focus.... and then press it all the way down to allow the picture to take.....
...if you are taking an action shot you have to have the button pressed down half way before the action takes place...
...indoor pictures don't always turn out as nice as I would like...but bad indoor lighting affects all cameras like this...maybe if I play around with the settings it will work better....
...the panoramic function allows 10 pictures to be stiched together with the software on the computer....this allows beautiful shots 180 degrees of the horizon from the top of a mountain (make sure you take them from right to left)
....the battery life with NiMh is amazing....I can fill a 128mb and a 16mb smartmedia card without having to recharge...also because it's AA you can take normal batteries as back-up.....batery life of course depends on how much you use the display on the back....but I find even if I use the video function at a track meet all day I don't run out of battery power..... (I realize other cameras may be more compact...but make sure you can use AA...)
...the other cool thing is when you hook the camera up to the TV and allow a room full of people to see all the pics from your weekend trip....
If you haven't gone digital yet I definately reccomend it.....you may spend $500 CDN now...but you'll be able to pick and choose which pics to keep...email them to family and friends, never buy film again, have your prints delivered to your door....
Problems:
When asking random people to take pictures of my friends and I...they can't figure the camera out because you have to hold the button down half way...wait for the green light which means it's in focus.... and then press it all the way down to allow the picture to take.....
...if you are taking an action shot you have to have the button pressed down half way before the action takes place...
...indoor pictures don't always turn out as nice as I would like...but bad indoor lighting affects all cameras like this...maybe if I play around with the settings it will work better....