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digital camera help for Ebay


RangerG

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I am looking into getting a digital camera to use for Ebay auctions. I want one that will take clear enough pictures that you can actually see the actiplaque on cartridges :wink: What should I be looking for? I assume the higher the megapixels the better? Is 1 to 2 megapixels enough? Anybody have a camera they love and would recommend? I am looking into the under $300 range. Thanks for your help! Also, any hints on how to take good auction pictures would be appreciated. Take care, RG

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My suggestion for you is to hit your local Best Buy store, and try out all the digital camera's they have there...Yes, the higher the Megapixel's the better, but don't choose based solely on that. They have no problem letting you try stuff out, so you can pick the camera that you feel is right for your application. Also, I'm not saying you MUST buy from them...find one you like, then find it on eBay for probably ¾ of the retail price.

 

"M"

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If it's solely for pictures you'll use for EBAY, I'd suggest sticking to the lower end of the scale to keep your cost down. I think you don't have to spend more that $100 - $150 and perhaps you can score a deal with a rebate or something. Look around at online sellers and check out for coupon deals like $20 off $100 and stuff like that. If you guys have never seen this site, check it out for tons of coupon deals:

 

http://www.savings-center.com

 

There are usually ones for Staples and Office Max and Amazon and lots of others.

 

For EBAY you will use the lower resolutions anyway, so you don't really need a 3 or 4 megapixel camera. I take good pics with an old Kodak 1.3 megapixel camera. Of course, you will find other uses for it too, so it's up to you to spend what you see fit on one. By all means try them out in a store, you are looking for ease of use, layout of controls, features, and size/weight. How do you get the pics to the PC (USB, Parallel, other) and what kind of memory does it take (and at what costs). How much memory does it come with, and how many pics will it hold at the different resolutions? Finally, if you have no photo editing software, what software does it come bundled with?

 

Good luck! :)

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You definitely don't need a high-end digital camera to take pictures, but you do want one that will allow you to easily take clear shots of whatever items you are selling. If you're going to be taking pictures of smaller items, then you might want to find a camera that has a good macro capability. For instance, I sometimes have trouble getting good focus on individual Atari carts when I'm filling the frame with a single cart, but when I put my camera into macro mode it's much easier.

 

When taking pictures for eBay, I usually do them in batches. I'll get all the items I want to sell together, stick a white sheet on a surface (table, whatever) and then take pictures of the items. I use a well-lit area and try to take pictures without the flash so there are no hot spots on the items (especially for anything that reflects the light back, like glossy cart labels). Also, if the item you have is damaged in any way or has imperfections, make sure those are clearly visible in the pictures. Depending on what you're selling, taking pictures from different angles, sides, etc. is also useful to any bidders, who will appreciate seeing as much detail as possible (without going overboard, of course).

 

I can't personally recommend any inexpensive digital camera, but there are some great digital camera review sites out there. Here are two that I've frequented when shopping around for a new camera:

 

Digital Photography Review

Imaging Resource

 

In addition to reviews, you'll find that sites like these usually also have tips on how to take great digital pictures.

 

Good luck !

 

..Al

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I use an Olympus 340R for my pictures, and novice I am, I find that I really, really ought a steady base or tripod for taking closeups without the flash. I don't have one of these, so usually I'm five inches from my shot, trying to control my hands and heartbeat like a triathalon riflist.. ba-thump.. ba-thump.. ba-thump CLICK!.. ARGH!!.. usually always ends up in a blurry shot.

The other thing I'd suggest is a diffused source of lighting - NOT overhead - that isn't going to cast shadows of yourself onto your subject.. this doesn't sound major, but if you're taking a closeup of a 4" cart, it's damned hard to keep the shadow of your camera out of the picture.

It sounds funny, but I'm almost considering setting up a little puppet-booth-like stage with multiple diffused lighting sources in conjunction with a tripod base to take clear pictures of small items.

 

But till then everyone is going to have to squint. :)

 

-RPM-

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I have to say BUZZ to each answer so far.

 

I also have a HP318. Paid $149 at Best Buy because it was an open box model. Took the warranty out on it so if anything happens that it doesn't work, they REPLACE the camera. If they don't carry your model any more (meaning discontinued), then they replace it with the upgrade of your camera, or if there is no upgrade, then they replace it with a similar model.

 

As for cameras for Atari carts. Here is my BUZZ. Get a scanner. Scanner is much more detailed and I mean MUCH MORE detail. Plus you can have the cart alot larger than it actually is if you want to. And of course, a scanner is cheaper, you can get one under $100.

 

Ok, gotta run.

 

Phil

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I must agree with Phil. All of my cart only auctions are done with my $125 Memorex scanner. The only problem is if you have a bunch of games in one auction. I can only get 6 carts on my scanner at a time. Here is a link to some auctions where I used the scanner: http://cgi6.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?...&page=1&rows=25 . A good tip is to find some cardboard with one white side that is a little bit bigger than your scanner, With a cart on the scanner the lid might not close good, just put the cardboard on top of the cart. Hope this helps,

Tony

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As for cameras for Atari carts. Here is my BUZZ. Get a scanner. Scanner is much more detailed and I mean MUCH MORE detail. Plus you can have the cart alot larger than it actually is if you want to. And of course, a scanner is cheaper, you can get one under $100.

 

I agree that scanning carts is nice, if you put a reasonably high-resolution picture in the auction so the details can be seen, not a tiny 100 pixel side scan that allows you to maybe make out the title and nothing more! However, you can't beat the speed of taking pictures with a digital camera, especially if you're running many auctions. You can take a nice angled shot showing both the end and main labels, and if you setup your camera correctly and can keep the entire label in focus, the picture will show all the same details as the scan will. If a potential bidder then wants a scan of the cart, I'll gladly make one (although no one has ever asked).

 

At the lower resolution that pictures usually get posted to eBay, a well-lit, in focus, digital camera image will show about as much detail as a scan. Certainly there is enough detail that if you do spot something odd, you can ask the seller for a better picture.

 

..Al

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When I scan carts, I do 4 at a time. Using the Mr. Lister tool from Ebay, you can highlight around the cart you want to show in your picture. Also, you can rotate it on this screen.

 

One thing of note though. If you are using ebay's Ipix instead of storing them on your own site, then you can only have 300kb on a picture, so you may have to shrink down the pictures. Also, I find the lowest amount of space a picture uses is storing it as a .jpg.

 

Scanners are good for all kinds of things like comic books, magazines, and any other smaller items. If you don't have white cardboard if the lid doesn't close right, I've used things like a sheet or shoprite plastic bag to prevent any outside light from ruining the scan. You can even scan things like beanies, which I've done for the Bamm Beanos.

 

Good luck in your choice. Since I have both items, and the funniest thing is that I didn't pay for either (one friend gave me a scanner and I'm selling his comics, the other gave me the camera and I do his auctions), I have a choice on which to use.

 

Yes, I have to agree that the camera takes up much less time, but you will not get the detail a scan will give you.

 

But here is a hint.

1. An auction with a picture will sell 30% higher (on average) than one without a picture. My friend tested this with several different items that he had the same of.

 

2. A clearer picture or more important multiple pictures showing more detail will sell higher than any old blurry or less detailed picture. This example I saw with my friend who has been buying Hess trucks. There is one guy who takes very nice detailed and more than 1 picture of his boxes and seems to get almost double than other people with just one picture.

 

So good luck and have fun selling.

 

Phil

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