Things that make you go "Hmmm"

Don Stauffer in Minnesota wrote:

One of the problems is getting CF cards these days. It seems to be an
extinct format.

Um, no. All the pro-level cameras are CF-based.

And you can get CF cards up to 32GB currently (at a huge premium of
course; the current price point seems to be at about the 4GB size, 8s
and up there's a premium on).

I can get CF cards at National Camera, Micro Center, Best Buy, and
Costco locally, just off the top of my head. Very much not extinct.
Also all the usual mailorder places, Amazon and B&H and buy.com and
Tiger Direct and so forth.

On Tue, 03 Apr 2007 02:31:13 -0400, ASAAR wrote:

On Mon, 2 Apr 2007 19:55:30 -0700, =(8) wrote:

"But I wonder what sort of person pawns a $900 camera for what must have
been $40 or less. For 80% of users, this camera could do all they need"

Apparently unlike you this camera was no longer meeting the needs of the
user and so it was sold. I think selling it to a pawn shop is better than
tossing it in the trash. If the camera is not meeting the persons needs I
see little reason to clutter up ones home just because 6 years ago it sold
for $900 and for its time took very good pictures.

Another possibility. Someone in desperate need of money may have
pawned it along with other things, perhaps thinking that someday
soon they'd be able to get it back. In the current economic
climate, pawn shops should be busy, with fewer people returning with
their tickets to reclaim their pawned former possessions.

You might be surprised how many estates end up in pawn shops, as the
new owner decides to get rid of the unwanted stuff for some quick
cash.

--
THIS IS A SIG LINE; NOT TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY!
White House aide Karl Rove brought
down the house at the correspondents'
dinner Wednesday when he performed
a rap song as MC Rove. The number
was awkward from the start. He asked
for a downbeat and the deejay read
him the president's approval rating.

On 3 Apr 2007 06:57:49 -0700, "Don Stauffer in Minnesota"
wrote:

On Apr 2, 4:17 pm, "Yoshi" wrote:
I guess this is a comment on the throwaway mentality prevalent in modern
consumers. Today I wandered into one of the local pawnshops as I do
ocassionally and saw a Nikon Coolpix 990 on offer for $69 in apparently
excellent condition (including a 512 MB CF card). For those who don't know
this model, it was Nikons top non-DSLR prosumer offering of about 6 or so
years ago and sold for about $900 US at its introduction. It's a 3.34 MP
camera with a wide range of control options, a very good lens, and an
astounding macro capability, even by todays standards. It produces a very
nice 8 x10 with just a little care in use. Although I have a D70s and an
8MP Olympus I just had to give this poor stray a home since it was
essentially free (not long ago the CF card would have cost what the camera
was offered for. I'll keep it in the car or my tote bag as a standby
camera. I'm sure that progress will move on, but I wonder what sort of
person pawns a $900 camera for what must have been $40 or less. For 80% of
users, this camera could do all they need, and its build quality and "feel"
are way beyond what is offered now in the $250 plastic wonders. I dare say
its 3.34 MP are better than some of the 6MP models offered at that price. I
know that the images are certainly smoother and less noisy than some of the
low end 2006 5-6 MP models I've seen. I've got to go trade in my car now,
the ashtrays are full.....

Yoshi

One of the problems is getting CF cards these days. It seems to be an
extinct format. I had an Olympus that used them and can't get new
cards any more. That was a real problem, as every time I changed
batteries, when I reinserted the card it would zap it! Something
wrong in the reformatting circuitry I guess. Anyway, after seeing
card prices go up on eBay, I decided to junk it.

Are you thinking of Smart Media? (Olympus used these)
CF is still very much available.

--
THIS IS A SIG LINE; NOT TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY!
White House aide Karl Rove brought
down the house at the correspondents'
dinner Wednesday when he performed
a rap song as MC Rove. The number
was awkward from the start. He asked
for a downbeat and the deejay read
him the president's approval rating.

Don Stauffer in Minnesota wrote:
On Apr 2, 4:17 pm, "Yoshi" wrote:

I guess this is a comment on the throwaway mentality prevalent in modern
consumers. Today I wandered into one of the local pawnshops as I do
ocassionally and saw a Nikon Coolpix 990 on offer for $69 in apparently
excellent condition (including a 512 MB CF card). For those who don't know
this model, it was Nikons top non-DSLR prosumer offering of about 6 or so
years ago and sold for about $900 US at its introduction. It's a 3.34 MP
camera with a wide range of control options, a very good lens, and an
astounding macro capability, even by todays standards. It produces a very
nice 8 x10 with just a little care in use. Although I have a D70s and an
8MP Olympus I just had to give this poor stray a home since it was
essentially free (not long ago the CF card would have cost what the camera
was offered for. I'll keep it in the car or my tote bag as a standby
camera. I'm sure that progress will move on, but I wonder what sort of
person pawns a $900 camera for what must have been $40 or less. For 80% of
users, this camera could do all they need, and its build quality and "feel"
are way beyond what is offered now in the $250 plastic wonders. I dare say
its 3.34 MP are better than some of the 6MP models offered at that price. I
know that the images are certainly smoother and less noisy than some of the
low end 2006 5-6 MP models I've seen. I've got to go trade in my car now,
the ashtrays are full.....

Yoshi


One of the problems is getting CF cards these days. It seems to be an
extinct format. I had an Olympus that used them and can't get new
cards any more. That was a real problem, as every time I changed
batteries, when I reinserted the card it would zap it! Something
wrong in the reformatting circuitry I guess. Anyway, after seeing
card prices go up on eBay, I decided to junk it.

You must be shopping in the wrong places... I see CF cards in Wal-Mart,
Shopko, Target, local camera store, Nebraska Furniture Mart, etc...
Maybe it's only extinct up in Minnesota.

Jim

"Don Stauffer in Minnesota" wrote in message
oups.com...
One of the problems is getting CF cards these days. It seems to be an
extinct format. I had an Olympus that used them and can't get new
cards any more. That was a real problem, as every time I changed
batteries, when I reinserted the card it would zap it! Something
wrong in the reformatting circuitry I guess. Anyway, after seeing
card prices go up on eBay, I decided to junk it.


Compact Flash cards are universally available. Any outlet that sells flash
memory sells CF cards. Most of the tiny P&S digicams (except Fuji and Oly)
use SD cards now, but CF is still the Choice for the top pro cameras.
Moreover, most Olympus point and shoots used Smart Media, then xD cards.
From about the C5050 onwards, Olympus made their "prosumer" cameras usable
with both CF and xD media. All of the new Oly DSLRs are dual media. If you
are talking about an "extinct" format, you must mean Smart Media, which was
fragile and limited to a maximum of 128MB capacity.

Yoshi

On Apr 3, 10:26 am, "J. F. Cornwall" wrote:
Don Stauffer in Minnesota wrote:

edited, for brevity

One of the problems is getting CF cards these days. It seems to be an
extinct format. I had an Olympus that used them and can't get new
cards any more. That was a real problem, as every time I changed
batteries, when I reinserted the card it would zap it! Something
wrong in the reformatting circuitry I guess. Anyway, after seeing
card pricesgoup on eBay, I decided to junk it.

Youmust be shopping in the wrong places... I see CF cards in Wal-Mart,
Shopko, Target, local camera store, Nebraska Furniture Mart, etc...
Maybe it's only extinct up in Minnesota.

Jim


Hello, Jim:

You're right, about the ready availibility of CompactFlash. Of the
first three places you mentioned, Wal-Mart has the best prices on
flash
memory, whereas Shopko's absolutely reek.

In fact, I got a Polaroid 512MB SD card (made by PNY), at Wal-Mart, a
few days ago. It was only $9.97, and not on sale or clearance, either.

As for the Nebraska Furniture Mart, what the hell is it doing in Des
Moines, anyway? :-J Seriously, there's one in Kansas City, KS, also.

Nothing like branching out, eh? Here in the home of the original NFM
store, Omaha, I haven't visited it, in about two years. I think what
really turned me off, back then, was the exorbitant menu of its in-
store
Burger King. g

Coincidentally, I received an e-mail advertisent from NFM, just this
week. Don't recall ever getting one, before, but I used it, to check
out their Web site. It's vastly improved, since the last time I saw
it,
long ago.

Nebraska Furniture Mart - Welcome!
http://www.nfm.com


Cordially,
John Turco

Dooooood! You shouldn't have said anything. Now, you ruined our chances of
having the same luck as you did in the event we go a visiting pawn shops for
camera spare parts deals. The last set of businesses you want to become
smart-n-savvy are, pawn shops! lmao.

keep 'em dumb = keep the prices low. ar ar ar

Just kidding. Yah, I agree with what others have chimed in with.

- A thief probably stole the camera and gave it to the pawn shop for
whatever money they could get.

OR...

- A previous Nikon camera owner was in dire need of money and sold it to the
pawn shop for whatever money they could get.

OR...

- A clueless pawn shop owner got it for Christmas, hardly ever used it, got
the idea the camera's obsolete and decided to sell it as his shop for a very
low asking price.

OR...

- You just got very lucky, decided to wander on in at a time when the camera
was on sale after having gone through so many price reductions due to lack
of consumer interest.

At any rate, you shouldn't have said nuthin because now, your newspost has
probably been reviewed by pawn shop owners the world over who are going to
jack up the price of the used and obsolete digital cameras sitting on their
shelves come Monday morning! lol.

Shhhhhhhhh, the next time! j/k

"Yoshi" wrote in message
...
I guess this is a comment on the throwaway mentality prevalent in modern
consumers. Today I wandered into one of the local pawnshops as I do
ocassionally and saw a Nikon Coolpix 990 on offer for $69 in apparently
excellent condition (including a 512 MB CF card). For those who don't know
this model, it was Nikons top non-DSLR prosumer offering of about 6 or so
years ago and sold for about $900 US at its introduction. It's a 3.34 MP
camera with a wide range of control options, a very good lens, and an
astounding macro capability, even by todays standards. It produces a very
nice 8 x10 with just a little care in use. Although I have a D70s and an
8MP Olympus I just had to give this poor stray a home since it was
essentially free (not long ago the CF card would have cost what the camera
was offered for. I'll keep it in the car or my tote bag as a standby
camera. I'm sure that progress will move on, but I wonder what sort of
person pawns a $900 camera for what must have been $40 or less. For 80% of
users, this camera could do all they need, and its build quality and "feel"
are way beyond what is offered now in the $250 plastic wonders. I dare say
its 3.34 MP are better than some of the 6MP models offered at that price. I
know that the images are certainly smoother and less noisy than some of the
low end 2006 5-6 MP models I've seen. I've got to go trade in my car now,
the ashtrays are full.....


Yoshi

John Turco wrote:

On Apr 3, 10:26 am, "J. F. Cornwall" wrote:

Don Stauffer in Minnesota wrote:


edited, for brevity

One of the problems is getting CF cards these days. It seems to be an
extinct format. I had an Olympus that used them and can't get new
cards any more. That was a real problem, as every time I changed
batteries, when I reinserted the card it would zap it! Something
wrong in the reformatting circuitry I guess. Anyway, after seeing
card pricesgoup on eBay, I decided to junk it.

Youmust be shopping in the wrong places... I see CF cards in Wal-Mart,
Shopko, Target, local camera store, Nebraska Furniture Mart, etc...
Maybe it's only extinct up in Minnesota.

Jim



Hello, Jim:

You're right, about the ready availibility of CompactFlash. Of the
first three places you mentioned, Wal-Mart has the best prices on
flash
memory, whereas Shopko's absolutely reek.

In fact, I got a Polaroid 512MB SD card (made by PNY), at Wal-Mart, a
few days ago. It was only $9.97, and not on sale or clearance, either.

I may not need any more CF cards, unless my sone decides to return my
old Canon A80 he took off to school in Ames... Of course, I do have the
new K100d to use here at home.

As for the Nebraska Furniture Mart, what the hell is it doing in Des
Moines, anyway? :-J Seriously, there's one in Kansas City, KS, also.

Expanding!

Jim

Nothing like branching out, eh? Here in the home of the original NFM
store, Omaha, I haven't visited it, in about two years. I think what
really turned me off, back then, was the exorbitant menu of its in-
store
Burger King. g

Coincidentally, I received an e-mail advertisent from NFM, just this
week. Don't recall ever getting one, before, but I used it, to check
out their Web site. It's vastly improved, since the last time I saw
it,
long ago.

Nebraska Furniture Mart - Welcome!
http://www.nfm.com


Cordially,
John Turco