Request for pics and promise for some

[Gail O'Rourke]

Ok, I know I haven't posted any pictures this summer - I have been taking time out of the shop but am ready to get back in there. My kids will be heading back to school next week and in September I will be delivering as many orders as I can finish. I have orders and deposits for some built - bookcases, three seperate customers as well as a bathroom vanity and storage unit.... I am also in the market for a new camera, so if you have a favorite please let me know.

Tomorrow, I have an estimate for a family that would like a trestle table...so I was wondering if you all would be generous enough to show me some pictures of any trestle tables you have done....I would love to have some ideas before I head over there.

I was fortunate enough to have a small article written about my business in the local paper, so I think that things will remain busy over the next few months.

And, I promise, I will post some pictures.

Thanks in advance.

[Jim Fancher]

Hi Gail,

I don't have any pics of tables, but I might be able to steer you in the direction of a good camera. What's on your wishlist for a camera? Is there anything you need or want? PM me if you'd like.

[Keith Starosta]

Hi Gail. I don't think Todd will mind me linking to his site, and since he's too busy to come play with us anymore , he can't protest!!

I like to plug Todd Burch's work, because I love what he produces. Check out this table he made some time ago. Cherry Trestle Table Excellent craftsmanship all the way around...

Keith

[Bartee Lamar]

you can check www.dpreview.com for digital camera reviews.

The best part of the review is the "Conclusions" Read the pros and cons.

A big consideration is batteries. A lot of people only want cameras that can use rechargeable AA batteries.

There was just a good thread on this over on woodcentral.com

ops.. sorry about the bad URL... I should know better since I make my living doing web stuff.

[markus shaffer]

Gail,

I have used many cameras over the years as I studied and worked as a photographer before coming to woodworking. This includes pretty much all formats of cameras and in all price ranges. Having stopped shooting film altogether, I have come to using two cameras. The first is a Nikon D100 digital SLR. It's a great camera and I have been really happy with the results from it. Problem is that it is pricey and you have to buy lenses separately. But if you've been shooting with a SLR camera, it's a really good transition. Especially for myself having always owned and shot with Nikon equipment in the past.

The second camera I have is a Canon S400 Digital Elph. As I said, I've shot with all sorts of cameras over the years, everything from Leica rangefinders to Mamiya and Hassleblad medium formats and Hoffman large formats. This little Canon has really astounded me with the quality of prints I've gotten from it and I used to do all my own printing, black and white as well as color. Granted, I send my images out to a digital lab to be printed these days, but the quality has been amazing. There have been upgrades since I bought mine and the newest model seems to be quite promising. I think it is the SD500.. These cameras are really small and of amazing quality in my opinion. I don't think you can go wrong with this one. I've added the link to this Canon below.. Good luck.

http://consumer.usa.canon.com/ir/con...&modelid=11157


-Markus

[Tim Burke]

I am also in the market for a new camera, so if you have a favorite please let me know.

My favorite camera review site: http://www.steves-digicams.com/hardware_reviews.html

My favorite brand of camera - Canon. Excellent cameras, good software, good company support. I have purchased or recommended several of the A series (A40 through A95) for a "pocket" size camera for work and relatives. This series camera is rugged, takes excellent pictures, and has fairly advanced manual controls if you want to be creative, in addition to the automatic controls.

For a more creative camera, the Canon S2-IS. Has an awesome 12x zoom lense with image stabilizer for low-light, long zoom pictures without needing a tripod, plus great controls. It's a somewhat bigger camera due to the lense.

You can also get into the more professional digital SLR style. Look on Steve's Digicams website and you can see the features, quality, and prices.

A camera I highly recommend staying away from is anything Olympus. Decent picture quality, but less rugged design, horrible company tech support and poor software support.

A good place to purchase www.newegg.com.

Tim

[Bill Lewis]

Without knowing how much you can spend on a digital camera it's hard to recomend any specific model. That being said, there is one feature on digital cameras that I would strongly recomend. That is, a viewscreen that folds up to protect it, and folds out and swivels so that you can hold the camera at any angle and still see what you are shooting. A must for over the head or underneath the (trestle) table shots. Also get decent optical zooming. I have a Nikon Coolpix5400 (28mm-116mm zoom) at work and it is a good camera. A co-worker of mine has a Canon version that I am even more impressed with. It has an larger viewscreen (folds and pivots) than the one I have. Both cameras are probably in the $500-800 range though I haven't priced them out lately.

[Larry Copas]

An excellent article by Charles Durfee is in FWW April 2000 #141 about building a trestle table. I highly recommend the read, especially the sidebar.

I have been building several styles of trestle tables this summer. I am putting together a step by step tutorial on how to build one right now. BLO is going on the table I am building now, to be followed by Waterlox original. Won’t be done with the tutorial or the table for a while as I am taking a time out for a little fishing trip.

Unlike Tim I can’t say enough good things about Olympus. Bought a C-2020 Z in 2000 for an outrageous sum of money to take Ebay pictures. It clicks off about 100 pictures per week...iffen my addition is right that is bout 26,000 pictures and never a glitch. Whoops, better make that 26,001 as just snapped one of my table for Gail.

[Norman Hitt]

A good place to purchase www.newegg.com.

Tim

Gail, looks like this site has a 1 day sale on the Canon SD-500 that Marcus mentioned, that ends at 5:00 PM today, for $425.99 + $5.99 shipping, which the site says is $15.00 off normal retail. (this Note is just to give a price ballpark for this category camera). This may or may not be be the exact Canon model my daughter has, because her's is a little over 1 1/2 years old, (x-mas 2003), and she loves it. (I don't know "Doodley", about Digital Cameras myself). Ah jes looks at da pistures!

[Dan Forman]

Gail---If you don't like tripods, look for a camera with lens stabilization, will give you clearer pictures on hand held shots. Makes a big difference when you are zooming, which otherwise multiplies any movement on your part and makes for a fuzzy picture. It also helps in marginal light situations.

Dan

[John Guerra]

Norm did this one....

http://www.newyankee.com/getphoto2.cgi?107.jpg

John

[Gail O'Rourke]

Wow, thanks for all the replies, I hadn't been looking at Canon, but appreciate the input and will also check them out. It's worse than buying a tool....decision anxiety and making sure you get what you want.

Trestle tables...the link to Todd's table and as well as yours Larry is awesome. Thanks for the pictures. Should I get the order, depending on what style they like, I will be interested in how you guarantee the stability. I would be excited to get it as a project. I'll let you know.

Thanks for all the information, you are all great.

I will let you know how my estimate goes and check out those camera's too.

Best

[scott spencer]

Hi Gail - In this day and age I have to assume you want a digital camera? If so, I'll make a shameless plug for my employer (even though I'm one of the few "film" guys left). JD Powers recently ranked Kodak digital cameras first in two categories under $400. Kodak's shift to digital has included refocusing on camera quality and ease of use, and it appears to be paying off.

Great website and great work BTW. My wife doesn't even know where my shop is!

[Hoa Dinh]

Since noone's mentioned it...

One thing about all on-camera flashes is that they are weak, especially when coupled with a zoom lens at the tele end.

If you plan to take photos indoors, invest in a camera that can accept an external flash unit, and account for the price of the flash gun.

I currently have a Canon G5 and a Speedlite 420. I chose this combination over Nikon because (1) the Nikon flash unit was over my budget, and (2) Nikon did not have the equivalent to Canon E-TTL for digital cameras at the time.

I also have a small Canon S410 for outdoor photos or when I need to travel light (e.g. hiking). But when it comes to, say, a birthday party, I lug around the G5 and the flash gun.

[Don Baer]

Gail,

For LOML's last birthday I got her a Canon PC 1080 digtal camara and an HP Photosmart 375 printer. It's a great combo and since we have a new (1yrld ) grandaughter she uses it all of the time. She is not a fan of anything complicted so if it was not easy to use I would have heard about it.