Digital camera picture sizes (unmanageable)

[Chicken]

I have two digital cameras. One is an older Canon S110 point and shoot type 2mp. The other a 6mp Canon Digital Rebel. My computer (not the newest, but a year old P4, and also I use a 1 year old laptop) seems to handle the smaller ones fine, but the 6mp images just seem too big. It has trouble generating thumbnails in explorer, quick picture viewers (Irfranview) bog down between pictures, and overall it just isn't pleasent trying to manage (view, etc.) these larger images.

I had thought maybe the PC was older (a year old, heh) and maybe a newer one would be better, but I used a newer one and it wasn't much better.

I considered replacing the point ad shoot with a 5mp p&s but realize that the larger pictures are just annoying (I already reduce the 2mp ones to send via email and post). I see that there's a new DRebel which is ~8mp.

Basic question is, do you find that you shoot at a lower resolution due to this as well (I have been knocking down the resolution on the 6mp to Medium or Small mode). Also, is there somethign that is able to view, thumbnail, etc. better?

I haven't installed the ZoomBrowser software that came with the Canon cameras, as I found it slightly annoying when I use to use it a couple of years ago. I can't remember why exactly, but windows thumbnails things so I guess I just dumped it. If you wait long enough, Windows will thumbnail the images, but viewing them (even with quick and small programs like Irfranview) is still slow.

:: wonders what the heck a 12mp camera is good for ::

I don't enlarge pictures for the most part, but as a past pro photographer, I'm use to negatives which *can* be enlarged to larger than 8x10 which is probably the largest for 2mp (haven't tried bigger). The issue is, film *can* enlarge bigger if you need to, and to some degree, I'd like to keep that option (never know which shot that will be though, and most of the shots are 4x6 shots).

What is the solution? Shoot large and then resize (permanently) the majority of the shots that you think will be 4x6, leaving ones you *might* want to enlarge alone? I don't know, I could probably at least pick some that would fall into that category.

Any thoughts, solutions, others having the same issue?

[projo]

On my Digital Rebel I shoot at the medium format most of the time but have the custom setting higher. Oh, what is that position called. I don't have my camera in front of me, but it is the next click over from the normal position. So I can easily move between the fine and medium. I typically open my "medium" shots in paint and resave without changing the dimension (but I don't overwrite the original). This reduces the file size to a resonable one for uploads or emails.

I have been using sam's lately for prints. You can upload the files and crop them on their site. Then you can print to any location. Snapshot size is 17 cents each. The thing is you can have them printed at any store. So I uploaded recent Easter photos and had them printed in Mobile where my sister picked them up. Actually it gets better. You can upload and authorize others to see them and then they can select and have them printed locally. Sam's Club claims an hour turnaround however it may take a little longer if you have 8x10's. Last time it took 90 minutes because they had to make a separate run with larger paper, and in store customers have priority. I think the 8x10's were only about $2.

gary

[projo]

Chicken, I would be curious to know which lens you prefer.

I have 3 but don't use the 50mm for anything. I use the 18-55 that came with the camera kit for all indoor shots. I am thinking about getting a 10-something also. I use a 75-300 IS for my more serious zooms. Although the image stabilization works great I sometimes shoot extreme zooms on a monopole.

The 18-55 works well for me as you can see here (http://cetusm.com/) but I am thinking the extra with a 10-xx would be better. I am a little concerned about distortion and would probably need to spend at least $500 for the lens. Of course a 10-xx on this camera is not the same as on a 35mm film format camera so I don't have a good feel for what it would do. Any comments?

Note: The tree photo on the above site has been manipulated too much. The original is much better.

[Chicken]

On my Digital Rebel I shoot at the medium format most of the time but have the custom setting higher. Oh, what is that position called. I don't have my camera in front of me, but it is the next click over from the normal position. So I can easily move between the fine and medium. I typically open my "medium" shots in paint and resave without changing the dimension (but I don't overwrite the original). This reduces the file size to a resonable one for uploads or emails.
I think the medium setting will be my new main setting as well. While viewing tourist attrations, I was trying to bounce between the Large and the Small setting and noticed that it was aloways on the wrong setting, plus I'd take some really nice shots and discover it was on Small. Grrrr...

I also have a couple of programs that I could open and then resave, but I just moved 400+ images off the card and to be honest, doing this for 400+ images (I tend to snap many pictures) would probably irritate me. I'd think I'd start to go crazy after 20-30.
I have been using sam's lately for prints. You can upload the files and crop them on their site. Then you can print to any location. ... The thing is you can have them printed at any store. ... You can upload and authorize others to see them and then they can select and have them printed locally.
I don't have a Sam's Club membership, were members of Costco but I don't think you can upload from a web site (or if you can, I didn't realize it). I'd love that as I'd rather select and crop from the comfort of my chair at home, rather than try to do it in-store. Ritz also has something like what you described FYI, but I've never used them.

I have used WinkFlash (which is cheap, .16 per print), and they have a flat .99 shipping (last I looked). So my new plan is to upload to Winkflash and have it sent directly to my parent's house across the country. Haven't done it yet.

[Chicken]

Chicken, I would be curious to know which lens you prefer...I typed up a really long, thoughful response to this post, with lens, conversions, etc., and then went to paste an example of a 10mm lens shot and the dman thing crashed.

News Flash: it almost did again.

I'm typing from a computer in the city hall, somewhere in Korea and this computer royally stinks. I'll try to retype the post later when I can get to an internet cafe on a better computer.
I am thinking the extra with a 10-xx would be better. I am a little concerned about distortion and would probably need to spend at least $500 for the lens. Of course a 10-xx on this camera is not the same as on a 35mm film format camera so I don't have a good feel for what it would do. Any comments?
A short review, that doesn't provide enough samples...

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/lenses/Canon-10-22mm-test.shtml

Google... http://www.google.co.kr/search?hl=ko&q=Canon+EF-S+10-22mm+review&lr=

Lastly (for this short rewrite) I used to love my fixed, fast 85mm lens when I would shoot 35mm film. If you want to sell your 50mm, I'd love to try it out and see if I like it as much. :D

[xAngelx]

I just take my pics at the highest size and quality setting for my camera and then dump them on my computer and use photoshop to optimize them a bit to get file sizes etc down.

That works allright for me. But it could be Chicken that you just need a better graphics card :P

[Chicken]

But it could be Chicken that you just need a better graphics card :P
Hmmm, now that's the kind of thing I was wondering (if there was something I could do). I will say that the powersupply in the desktop cost nearly as much as the whole computer (though that was due to a DELL pricing eror on their wite which I got in on, heh), and I can't recall what card is in there now, but when I get home, I'll post the specs and see if people thing that's the root cause of all evil. Those cards ain't cheap, but if that's what it takes, then I might spring for it.

On my laptop, with an external USB (not 2) hdd, it really doesn't work at all and I can't view the thumbs, nor open them up one after another (I can, if I want to wait between each one, but the wait time is too long for me). I'll give up on the laptop (as it was new, but $600 at the time), and just work on the desktop.

I've also tried Projo's medium setting idea and see how that works. As I mentioned before, i shoot tons of pictures and just dumped off 400+ and don't think I have the patience to open all of them up and optimize them. I have programs to do it, but I just won't sit there and actually do it for that many.

[GordonH]

I use a P3 750Mhz with 768 MB RAM and it handles my 8MP digital images.
Sometimes it gets slower and its usually memory resident programs. Run MSCONFIG and check the name sof the programs and see if you need them all on start up.

I find the P3 750 eorks really well. Been using it for 4 years and it has been great.
Having said that I just ordered ne 3GHz P4's with 2GB RAM for our new office.
I decided it was an opportunity to go through the data migration nightmare from one machine to another.

[Chicken]

What graphics card to you have? I still have to look at some exact specs of my system and post them.

[GordonH]

I don't have a graphics card at all, its built into the motherboard.
I looked it up in device manager and it says Intel 82810E
Thats a terrible confession for someone who works with computers.

I do a lot of photography. SOme digital but most on film.
Look up my name on Google and the first entry will be some of my work.
(scrub that I seem to have dropped to fourth but #1 is still me ;) )