Hi wdhayden,
I'll elaborate further on in my answer, but I believe you have come
up with a very functional system!
You can read an excellent 5 page review of your selected camera on
Steve?s Digicams.
Highlights of the review:
?The CD Mavicas are equipped with a miniature CD-Recorder drive that
uses fairly inexpensive 3-inch (8cm) mini-CD discs. These drives have
proven to be more than rugged enough to stand up to the day to day use
of digi-photographers.
The optical drive can record to both CD-R (write once) and CD-RW
(rewriteable) 3-inch discs. The capacity is approx. 156MB for these
discs?
?The CD350 does not come with an optical viewfinder but you can add
one as an optional accessory if desired? $79.95 USD
?On the side are the I/O ports: The A / V port for connecting to a TV
set, the video signal is selectable for NTSC or PAL standards?
http://www.steves-digicams.com/2003_reviews/cd350.html
Steve?s Conclusion:
?Sony is the only manufacturer that integrates an optical CD burner
into a digicam. You can use either the write-once CD-R or the
rewritable CD-RW discs. With the CD-R discs there's no way to
accidentally erase your images, they become the digital equivalent of
film negatives. These discs are relatively inexpensive and allow you
to transfer image data to most any computer with a CD-ROM drive. The
CD-RW type discs can be re-used over and over again and can be quite
cost effective. The use of CD media also provides implicit archival
storage of your photos, a feature appreciated by everyone who has
suffered a hard-disk failure on their computer.?
And
?This optical storage technology is not without its disadvantages
however. At power-up the disc must spin up to speed and be read to
locate where to write the next image file. This took as long as 20
seconds when I had a disc that was almost full. The time it takes to
write an image to disc is considerably longer than flash cards, 6
seconds on a fresh disc. The shot-to-shot time is about average at
about 1.5 seconds in single mode (all shot in 3.2M Fine mode - no
flash.) To read these discs in a computer CD-ROM drive requires that
they be finalized first. This consumes about 15MB, a bit wasteful when
you consider the disc's capacity is only 156MB total. Some computers
with CD-RW drives and Adaptec's DirectCD drivers may be able to read
the CD-RW or CD-R unfinalized discs. You can also connect the USB
cable and transfer data from the camera without finalizing the disc.
?
http://www.steves-digicams.com/2003_reviews/cd350_pg5.html
Here?s another review from Crutchfield
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-kjL3AIf7LdY/cgi-bin/Prodview.asp?readmore=true&i=158MVCD350#Tab
And from Sony!
http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start;sid=3NkreMZflxkrSIaa_jQhc4lQTiTkEgZwID4=?ProductSKU=MVCCD350
If your father is serious about only wanting to view photos on TV
screen, this camera does sound like a good option.(It appears to use
battery power very frugally too!) Images are burned to CDs, for
storage, and are uploadable to a computer from the CDs if he changes
his mind later. This is far more economical than storing images long
term on a compact flash discs or a memory stick, particularly since
shelf life of images stored on flash memory is not completely known.
Included with the camera is an A/V cable with which you can connect
the camera directly to a TV. Also included are: NP-FM50 InfoLithium®
Rechargeable Battery, AC-L15 AC Adaptor/In-camera Charger, USB Cable,
Shoulder Strap, Lens Cap, MCR-156A CD-R Media, MCRW-156A CD-RW Media;
Software CD-ROM.
I have been unable to get a firm quote anywhere about whether the CD
from the Sony MVC-CD350 can be read in the DVD/CD player. I would
venture an educated guess that it *can* be read in most newer DVD/DV
players. The easiest way to use this camera is to simply connect the
camera to the TV!
There is another Sony Camera that writes to CD, as in the above model,
and the CDs CAN be read in a DVD player. It?s a bit more expensive,
with an average price being about $500.
Sony Mavica MVC-CD1000
?Unpopular they may be, but 77mm CDs are still part of the official
specification, and most CD-ROM drives and CD players can read them
just fine. If you've got a tray-load CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive in your
computer, open it up. There's probably a circular depression in the
middle of the tray you can pop a 77mm disc into.?
http://www.dansdata.com/cd1000.htm
Steve?s Review
http://www.steves-digicams.com/cd1000.html
One alternative would be the device my friend and colleague pinkfreud
recommended below, or another type of digital photo album such as a
digital wallet. You would need to purchase a different digital camera
to begin with, however, one that uses compact flash cards or a memory
stick. (These type of devices do not accept CDs, mini or regular size)
Digital Wallets come in different brands and sizes, allow you to
transfer photos from the flash cards to the wallet for storage, have a
display screen for personal viewing, are portable, and connect to the
TV for family viewing. Should you decide on a digital wallet,
determine the size you may need by the amount of photos your dad willb
e taking. If your dad is an avid shutterbug, consider one of the
larger wallets. A smaller (20G) wallet will suffice if he is an
occasional snapper.
Here is one brand, medium storage size digital wallet:
http://www.peddlerstore.com/cgi-bin/miva.cgi?Merchant2/merchant.mv+Screen=PROD&Product_Code=SKU-8820&Category_Code=DW20
?Digital wallets are one answer and notebooks are another to try and
contain the horrendous cost of digital storage on the road or in the
field. Actually, a third option is a portable CD burner that can
accept flash cards and copy directly to disc, an option that I?m not
exploring at this time due to size and extra media consideration that
would seem to make for a more complex workflow.?
http://www.camerahobby.com/Digital_DigitalWallet.htm
Steve?s site also has a digital wallet review here. This one stores
6G, which for permanent storage would be considered small.
http://www.steves-digicams.com/digital_wallet.html
Digital wallets are an alternative to consider, but?. Without a
computer with which to back up photos, and burn them to a CD for more
permanent storage, I would not recommend a wallet. A digital wallet
can become full, and can fail, causing a loss of all pictures, and is
not the best option for permanent storage.
In my opinion, the system you have worked out, with the Sony camera is
a good one! Your dad will be able to have all his images burned to a
CD, we KNOW he can view the pictures on the TV by connecting the
camera, and he *probably* will be able to view them in a DVD/CD
player. In the future, the CDs can be converted to DVDs using a
computer and a DVD burner.
I hope this has helped you in your decision to purchase this camera!
My final, unsolicited opinion would be this: Should you decide to make
this camera purchase at an online auction, I would proceed with
caution. You may have no recourse or guarantee/warranty if something
should go wrong. I would try to make this expensive purchase from a
reliable electronics merchant. You may pay a bit more, but you will
have service and a warranty. Many sites offer rebates and/or freebies
as well!
You can compare online merchants and prices here, both trusted comparison sites:
http://google-zdnet.com.com/Sony_Mavica_MVC_CD350___digital_camera___3__CD_R__3__CD_RW/4014-6501_15-20851380.html?subj=pl&q=sony+mavica+mvc-cd350&part=google-mysimon&subj=sony_mavica_mvc-cd350&tag=ref
http://www.bizrate.com/marketplace/search/search__cat_id--402,lp--1,mkt_id--14481904,prod_id--7574990,rf--ggl,start--10,url_id--402302.html
If any part of my answer is unclear, please request an Answer
Clarification, before rating. This will enable me to assist you
further, if possible.
Regards,
crabcakes
Search Terms
Sony Mavica CD350 CD camera
Viewing mini-cd photos DVD player |
