Sample Pictures from my Video and Digital Cameras

Equipment:

1. Snappy I, with early 1996 firmware. New systems have improved resolution.
2. My Sharp VL-M6U 8mm Camcorder. It features a dual lens system with a wide angle and a 12x zoom. It's at least four years old and obsolete as far as technology goes. The viewfinder is B&W. Nonetheless, it's easy to carry because of its small size. I really like the separate wide angle lens on it. As far as video quality, I'm sure that newer cameras have higher resolution, which would give a better source for video capture.
3. Ricoh RDC2 Digital Camera. Features 768x576 resolution. It has a fixed two lens system, wide angle and normal. While not the highest resolution camera in its price range (~$525 US), I chose it for its small size. I can slip it into my pocket and tote it whenever I go anywhere interesting. Click here for more RDC2 images.

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Still Video Capture

	Snappy: These fruit were lit up with a halogen flood lamp and shot with live video on a tripod using Snappy's highest quality multiple exposure mode. It will take 5 to 6 exposures and average them to bring out the detail. Original photo size was 640x480. Very little enhancement was used. It was resampled to 320x240. I like this picture better than the next one.
	Digital Camera: The flash was turned off on the RDC2 for this shot and the same halogen lighting and tripod were used. The focus at this point is manual, and I could have done it better. The Ricoh resolution is 768x576, and the resulting photo was reduced 2x and cropped to the same 320x240. All the Ricoh pictures were stored in fine mode, which requires 192KB per image.

Live Video

	Digital Camera: Flash photo of my desk, resampled to 320 pixels width. CLick on image to see the original unretouched photo.
	Snappy: Live videocam shot using floodlamp to light scene. Captured at 640x480 in live video mode. Here, the Snappy does not take multiple exposures so the details are not as smooth as the previous shot. It was resampled to 320x240. Click on the image to see the original Snappy capture.

Captured from Tape - Sample 1

	Digital Camera: This is the Bahai Temple in Wilmette, Illinois. Taken on a chilly late December afternoon without enough attention on exposure and composition. Resampled to 320 pixels in width. Click either here or on the picture for the original unprocessed image.
	Snappy: I brought along the videocamera and made this followup shot. Recaptured with the Snappy at 640x320 using its tape mode, and resampled at 320x240, which makes it look sharper. You can compare the original unprocessed image by clicking here or on the image.

Captured from Tape - Sample 2

	Digital Camera Ricoh RDC2 image resampled to 320 pixels wide. Poor lighting, so the camera decided to fire the flash. Not a great picture, but it sure is a great car.
	Snappy: Taped on the Sharp Camcorder, captured in videotape mode with the Snappy and resampled at 320x240. Poor picture, but these are tough conditions for a photograph. Bright background, dark subject and foreground and no videocam light.

What about 35mm scans?

	Scanned 35 mm Taken with an Olympus 35mm point-and-shoot. Scanned at 200 dpi with a UMAX 600s scanner.
	Digital Photo Ricoh RDC2, resampled at 2X. My videocamera, if I had taken it, would not have been able to capture this shot. Even so, I was pleased to see that the little flash on the Ricoh was able to put out this much light.