Info and forum posts by 'Bill R'

This user hasn't used our main site yet, so has no main account at present.

Joined on: Wednesday, 17th December 2003, 15:21, Last used: Wednesday, 17th December 2003, 15:21

Access Level: Mostly Harmless

About this user: I run a motorcycle tour company (www.biketours-uk.com) but have an interest in photography and found this site whilst researching a particular camera.

This user has posted a total of 12 messages. On average, since joining, this user has posted 0 messages a day, or 0.01 messages a week. In the last 30 days, this user has posted 0 messages, which is on average 0 messages a day.

Recent Messages Posted:

RE: Aldi DVD burner £79.99 & other stuff

and if you want to read about a Pioneer 106, see here,

http://www.dealtime.co.uk/xPR-Pioneer_DVR_106_dvr_106~RD-119004106372~ZD-1

Price wise, it seems these Pioneers cost only fractonally more at Dealtime.

RE: Aldi DVD burner £79.99 & other stuff

Don`t know John. Give them a ring.

Bear in mind that these electrical "specials" are not always on display - you have to ask for them.

I haven`t had chance to install my DVD burner yet, and won`t have for a couple of days. But I was serious, if it turns out not to work with Windows ME, then you can have mine!
(Nottingham)

RE: Aldi DVD burner £79.99 & other stuff

Went to the Nottingham (Hyson Green) Store this afternoon to buy the external hard drive.

They had sold the whole lot within 1/2 hour of opening yesterday :( And are not getting any more :( :(

Sort of regret starting this thread now :/

I did buy the very last DVD burner though. Manager pulled out the last one from the back storeroom :)

I notice it does specifically say for Windows / XP Now, I have windows ME, does this mean I won`t able to use it? Will it work? Or will it work if I can download any appropriate software?

I haven`t actually broken the seal yet - I wanted to see if anyone could enlighten me.

If it`s never going to work, I could save it for the Nottingham moderator who wanted one perhaps :D

Please don`t tell me it won`t work, just so you can take it off my hands even cheaper :p

Aldi DVD burner £79.99 & other stuff

I find this Forum totally addictive & very useful. I`m a new member, and maybe you avid baragin hunters already know this, but if your register on the Aldi website www.aldi-stores.co.uk/ they will send you a list of their special offer bargains every week, by email. This week`s offers are a DVD burner for £80, and a 160GB external hard drive for £120.

Of course there`s a lot of old tat always on offer as well, but my recent bench mounted grinder for £11.99 is great, and that video sender for £29.99 worked a treat (still got `em at Long Eaton store - but not on display - YOU HAVE TO ASK FOR THEM).

RE: Casio QV-R40 Digital Camera £169-89 ..PC World

Hey, I don`t want to put you guys off! I don`t know where you live (I`m Nottingham) - but I`d say, come and try this Casio first if you like!

The low-light quality concerns were just very early thoughts. I`ll use it again today - in brighter light and see what it can do. I also went through all the menus and have upped the ISO to 320 to see if this helps in poorer light. I read the other reviews - yes, you only get about a dozen pages in the paper manual, so not much real advice on setting it up for optimum picture taking. I`ll take it out today, and take a set of pictures alongside the older Olympus camera to act as a "control". If it`s not as good, I will not be happy. I need to compare them, under identical conditions.

(my previous camera is an Olympus Camedia C-3000 Zoom, and I`ve used various others - I only chose this `cos the Olympus is officially my wife`s, it`s a little too bulky for a bike jacket pocket therefore I don`t always carry it, and I don`t want to break the wife`s camera on my more hazardous pursuits - eg dirt bike riding in Thailand. I`ve alfound the Olympus to be photographically excellent by the way - but bulky and slow in comparison. The Olympus has a good, large 1.8" LCD also)

Plus points of the Casio.....

as stated elsewhere, a lovely camera to hold, a feel of quality, small enough for a pocket. The response when switching it on is amazing, the lens pops out instantly and it`s ready. I like the little lever by the shutter release for the zoom function (it`s like the one on the Olympus). Using index finger, you pull to the right to zoom in, or push to the left to zoom out. The zoom is fast - almost too quick!
AA batteries - a must for me - available anywhere in the world. The NiMh ones supplied are good ones, 2100mAh.

Neutral comments....

Not sure this "Best Shot" feature is needed, plus there are too many choices. However, I may plump for one of these options if it will give me better pictures in poor light condtions - ie. I`ll choose a mode which uses ISO 320 and higher shutter speeds, if this will help.

I`m not sure how you choose between in-built memory, and the SD card. I haven`t yet come across a way of switching between them (for taking pictures, or downloading them). If you take the SD memory card out, then the camera will obviously default to internal memory, and when the card is in, then the card storage is automatically used - maybe it`s as simple as that, and there isn`t a "switch" between them.

negative points....

My first shots, taken in dreary, grey, dull conditions were disappointing. I`ll give it a chance in better light. I [i]want[/] this camera to be good and will give it every opportunity to excel. I need it as a go-anywhere, tough tool, to get pictures for my website www.biketours-uk.com

If you guys want to see any images from this Casio, just email me on nothguor.b[at]moc.dlrowltn You won`t see any great advantages or disdavantages in quality on a PC monitor, especially with compressd files for emailing, but you may see some of this "graininess" in dull conditions that I was referring to.

RE: Casio QV-R40 Digital Camera £169-89 ..PC World

Thanks for the suggestions, but I`ve solved it now. In depth reading of the "read me" files found the problem. I`m using Windows ME by the way.

I made the mistake of plugging in the USB cable before installing the software. (I wanted to use my existing software if I could) the PC then registers the camera as an unknown device - and won`t accept images from it later when you do have the right software on the machine.

I had to go into settings / system devices and remove "other devices", then re-install the Casio software and try again. Works OK now.

It`s early days, but I`m a little concerned about the quality of the photos. Yes, I used the camera straight from the box, and it was a grey miserable afternoon today - but the snaps seem poor. (I`m comparing them to ones taken on an older, bulkier Olympus C-3000 zoom, 3.1 Mega Pixel model)

There`s a lot of blur / subject movement / camera shake - not something I`m normally guilty of. The images are also grainy and not very sharp. I`ve looked at the properties of the photos taken, and in most cases (set totally on automatic), the camera has chosen to use an aperture of F2.8 all the time (hence relaltvely poor depth of field), AND also a slow shuuter speed of 1/50 or 1/80 virtually all the time. (explaining the blurred images of kids on swings, and sections out of focus) These are things one may expect on a dull day perhaps, but the ISO setting has remained at 80-100, when theoretically it can be extended to 320 - automatically. Why didn`t it use a higher ISO setting? This greater speed is one reason why I chose this camera (the older Olympus goes to ISO 400, but many of these tiny compact jobbies only have 100-200)

I`m fairly convinced the old Olympus performs better in conditions like this (ie "normal for UK").

There are lots of overides to explore yet, and I can no doubt programme it to use higher sensitivity settings, so there is hope yet. I just hoped for better performance straight out of the box.

I`ve read excellent reports of this camera elsewhere, so I just hope I`m doing something wrong, and it will all work out OK in the end. I have read every page of the manual by the way.

RE: Casio QV-R40 Digital Camera £169-89 ..PC World

I bought one today. PC World and Currys (same thing) both offering this at £169 on Boxing Day. Dixons ( :( ) offering same at £219 with 128MB card and case.

First impressions good - nice feel, VERY quick to start up, commands intuitive - set up region, time and date etc immediately without referral to manual.

A few words of warning however.......

I thought it came with a 16MB card. IT DOESN`T. It has 10MB internal memory only. I had to go back to shop later and buy memory.

While waiting for the supplied NiMh batteries to charge, I used some standard alkaline AAs to have a play. They were flat after just 48 shots.

Can`t comment on picture quality yet because I cannot get my PC to recognise the camera >:(

I hoped my existing Olypmus Camedia, or Photosuite software would let me download images, but no. I`d read that the software that comes with the camera was crap, so wasn`t going to install it at all. But after my existing programmes didn`t work, I installed all the software that came with the camera, but even then, my PC just fails to see that a camera is connected. I`m not totally stupid - I`ve been using digital cameras for two years now and generally know what I`m doing, so this is very frustrating at the moment.

I`ll report back if I get any further.

RE: Casio QV-R40 Digital Camera £169-89 ..PC World

Sorry for becoming a bit of an Anorak on this (but I bet here are plenty of those around here :D ),

but see here for more user reviews and comments on this camera;

http://www.stevesforums.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=14100

If you are going to lay out £170 "on a whim" in 2 days` time, you may as well read up as much as you can do.

I`ll go away now. Rumour has it that it`s Christmas soon.

Merry Christmas (oh, and do please bear in mind, that perhaps the biggest factor in producing pleasing, well-composed and good quailty images - is the person pressing the shutter - not the camera itself!)

Bill

RE: Casio QV-R40 Digital Camera £169-89 ..PC World

Thanks for that Paul - I`m very tempted by this offer. I`ve watched the debate on the Fuji 405 / 204 / 205 with great interest and seen prices from £99-£150 on these. They are very well specified for the price, and I may still buy one, but......

This Casio QV-R40 is metal -bodied ;) . I`d be persuaded to spend a little more for a compact aluminium camera. I`d not normally buy a camera unless it had a lens made by the big 5, or Carl Zeiss, so Casio raises a concern here. I think of them as electronics - so someone else makes their lenses I assume?

The spec is fantastic though, and AA batteries, ISO to 320, fast start up and very little shutter delay really impresses me. You also get a charger included (in the USA anyway)

See full review here - http://www.steves-digicams.com/2003_reviews/qvr40.html

But this bit is just a short extract..

The compact Casio QV-R40 is a 4.0 megapixel digital camera with a 1-second power up time and an industry leading 0.01-second release time lag (both values approximate), ensuring you can capture those special moments whenever they happen. The stylish and durable QV-R40 is housed in aluminum which makes it a great "go anywhere" camera for those that are just too busy to baby their hardware.
The QV-R40 is the next generation model for the QV Series and is loaded with features. The QV-R40 sets the pace for performance and speed, featuring a new high-speed telescoping optical 3X zoom lens and a high-speed startup control, making startup 1 second faster than the QV-R4. Playback is faster, too, with the new QV-R40 scrolling through images on the monitor screen at a rate of about 0.1 second per image. A pair of direct mode access buttons for REC and PLAY switch the camera to the mode you want quickly.

Casio QV-R40 Features:

Compact and durable aluminium body measures only 88 x 60.5 x 32.7 mm.
4-megapixel resolution for images up to 2304x1712 pixels
3x optical zoom 39-117mm equivalent in 35mm photography
1-second (approximate) startup time
0.01-second release time lag (from half-pressed shutter w/AF lock)
One-touch direct REC/PLAY mode access buttons
0.1-second (approximate) playback image scroll time
5-point Multi Auto Focus, Multi or Spot options
Best Shot Mode for instant setups, the light metering, exposure, saturation, and other settings are configured in an instant.
World Time (162 cities in 32 time zones) and alarm features
Album function displays using HTML files, view using your browser.
Multi, Center-weighted or Spot metering
320x240 full motion video for up to 30 secs.
Adjustable sharpness, saturation and contrast
Shutter speeds: 2 - 1/2000 seconds (automatic)
White balance: auto, 4 presets and manual
1.6-inch color LCD with 84,960 pixels
Two AA-size NiMH 2100mAh batteries and charger included
10MB memory builtin plus SD/MMC Memory Card Slot
USB auto connect
Exif 2.2 Print and Epson PIM II compatible
USB Direct-Print Support

I was concerned about lens quality, but these reviews seem to rate it as "excellent".

See here
http://hardwarecentral.dealtime.com/xPR-Casio_QV_R40
for users` comments.

The software that comes with it is supposed to be poor though (I`m hoping my existing Olympus Camedia package will accept the images if I buy one of these).

Can anyone else recommend any alternative metal-bodied models, with similar spec at this price.

Otherwise I might just go and spank the visa card on Friday!

RE: Viking Leather Backed Chair @ 29.99 Episode 2

Update on chairs - 18th December 03. They still seem to be available. I ordered one yesterday. I couldn`t see it on Viking`s website, but used the direct link from this forum and my order was accepted. Same applies to the free TV - I used the order code from this thread and it was added to the order at £0.01p. These bargains worked from Viking`s standpoint, because I also ordered extra expensive office items whilst I was on their website.

All items arrived this morning - EXCEPT the leather chair :(

It appeared the offer may have finished, and the van driver thought so (wrong :p ).

On close inspection of the goods, I`d been sent a big box of printer paper instead of a leather chair. The sticker on the box said it was a Y29-MATRIX (the chair), but clearly it wasn`t. I`d still been billed £29.99 for it.

I noticed the same chair appears in their new furniture catalogue, p. 2, as an F29-MATRIX at £34.99. So I phoned their free helpline. A lady called Lisa was brilliant - she said "yes, we`re still doing the leather chair, I`ll send one out to you, and please keep the reams and reams of printer paper with our compliments"

And you know what? I received the free TV as well! OK - it`s extremely cheap and nasty but works! OK for a kid`s toy. Not the same make, but a similar kind of thing to the little B&W thing described recently on this forum.

RE: Fuji A405 Digital Camera 4Megapixels ?99 @ Currys

Thanks for that Pete.

If I don`t pick up a 405 bargain now, I`ll probably wait to see what pops up in the January sales. I`m going for a blast round the mountains of Northern Thailand in Feb, and want something pocket-sized and cheap.

RE: Fuji A405 Digital Camera 4Megapixels ?99 @ Currys

On the basis of this camera`s high spec (for the price), I went to Currys just outside Nottingham to buy one this afternoon. SOLD OUT :(

Checked on line, and Currys, Dixons and PC World`s websites area all showing out of stock. To have sold the whole lot in about a week must say something for the VFM of this model?

Argos, Comet and Boots didn`t have anything to compete with it. I already have a better digital camera, and several SLRs, but they are all a bit bulky. I want something cheap and cheerful (~£100) but with a reasonable spec, that I can fit in a pocket when out motorbiking, trail-riding or mountain biking in all weathers. It musn`t cost the earth, because there`s a fair chance of damage under these conditions - that`s why I don`t always take the better one.

Anyone know where I can still get one of these, or something of the same spec & price?