Korean Job Discussion Forums

[maxxx_power]

Does anyone own one of these things? I'm looking into buying one so I can send pictures home to the shriveled old people in my family with no access to the internet.

Is it worth it to buy one? What sort of costs are involved in buying the paper/ink here in Korea?

Or

Is is possible to save the images onto a CD and have them printed at a photo processing place for cheaper?

Thanks for the info

[Derrek]

Honestly, I wouldn't waste my money.

I'm really into digital photography, and when you price it all out, printing at the local print shops (on real print paper, etc.) is cheaper and usually of better quality. The Kodak store in Itaewon seemed to do a very nice job for me. I also went to a Kodak store in Apkujeong and also near Gangbyeon that both did very well.

I think it's costing me 300 won for a 4x6 photo. I don't print the 3 1/2 x 5 size because they have to crop the image more to make the print. Always keep the end-crop in mind when you shoot a digital photo, and just shoot a smidge wider than you would otherwise.

Do you have a digital camera now? I'm assuming you do. If not, the Canon models are definately the way to go. Most review sites that have a "top 10" usually have Canon cameras in at least six or eight of the top 10 positions. The Canon Powershot A60 or A70 are fabulous first-time zoom camera, and the A300 is a fixed-lens 3 megapixel that produces stunning photos in all light situations for not a lot of money. I have found that most everything I shoot is in the 2 megapixel/medium quality mode, and it looks fabulous. Unless you plan to print 8x10 photos and larger, or crop your images a LOT, there is no need to get a camera above 2 or 3 megapixel. In a 4x6 image, you just can't tell the difference.

You can usually take the card in directly from the camera (be it compact flash, Smartmedia, etc.) to a photo store and they can print right from your card.

I've printed photos at home on my inkjet, and they look nice and are fun to do there, but it's not cost-effective. Inkjet photos also don't have they staying-power after several years (they can fade, etc.). The little photo-only printers by Canon use a process that protects the pictures, and they are cool, but in the end it's just not cost-effective.

I also have had trouble finding a photo printer that did reds and pinks correctly.

Stick with the print shops, in my opinion.

[maxxx_power]

Thank you so much Derrek. I have a Canon A200, not the best quality but it does me just right and I bought it last year so I could send pictures home to the fam.

That was exactly the answer I was looking for.

[Derrek]

The A200 is a great camera. Too bad they quit making it when the A300 came out. I was still trying to pick up an A200 off of ebay while here in the states, but couldn't justify buying one when an A300 was just $20 or $30 more, in many cases. The A200 isn't made any more, so it's hard to find one.

Oh, you can always e-mail the big file to them, and they can print them off at home from a floppy, if you have the e-mail space.