david_degilio

Hey everyone, thanks for all the feedback on my inquiry "Can anyone offer advice on surveillance camera issue?" A few of you questioned the legalities of using a surveillance camera in the neighborhood. It was a actually a policeman who suggested it. I've decided I will point the camera wherever the hell I want. In addition, I am prepared to use deadly force and "obstacles" to prevent additional theft.I have been the victim of theft and vandalism 5 or six times and crime in on the rise in my area.

Some examples of crime in my neighborhood:

drug raids by heavily armed police

one illegal immigrant drop house raid

vandalism

theft

graffiti

misc neigborhood nuisances

mail theft

harassment

If an obnoxious neighbor is causing problems, I will point the camera directly at his 'frickin house. I'm not messing around with these losers.

My camera was not a pinhole camera. It was an infrared 12 LED camera. Not the best, but not a piece of junk either.

I did not have the camera turned on at the time it was stolen

Don't have a lot of money to spend on a fancy system or security consultants, maybe a long duration DVR for recording is the way to go. I have to think about this more, but I am always open to suggestions.

Thanks,

Dave

Hello,

I have used this site before for my recreational photography questions. This

time I have something a little different.

I recently had a security camera mounted outside my house and hard-wired

through the wall. It was about 10ft up bolted on an archway at the front

entrance. Some thief actually used a ladder to steal the thing.

I would like to get a replacement camera that I can mount inside the house to

film through the window to the outside front yard. I found a camera that might

do this.

It is an indoor/outdoor day/night weatherproof super low light camera

with .0003 lux 1/3" Sony super HAD CCD. It's the type of camera you can hook up

to the VCR and record. It does not take still shots and has no adjustable

focus, f-stop or anything like that. But the only problem is that I cannot be

certain of its performance. There could be issues with glare, reflection, and

distortion with filming through the thin window pane.

I could also just buy another infrared surveillance camera and mount it on the

roof or eaves to discourage thieves. But I would have to set a "trap" or

obstructions to keep thieves from even climbing higher to steal it.

Do you think I could get this camera to perform well through the window pane? I

would rather used this arrangement. The vantage point through the front window

is very good and it greatly simplifies wiring issues. The camera would be

pointing south so as not to be directly in line with rising and setting of sun.

It would also have venetian blinds behind it to block out some indoor lighting.

Thanks,

Dave

Are there any Minolta X-series 35MM SLR manual focus camera bodies

with over 1/1000 shutter speed? If so, is cost prohibitive?

Thanks,

Dave

I recently took action photos of aircraft landing at speeds anywhere

from 60-130 mph. I was using a Minolta XG-M with MC 300mm tele-

rokkor HF f4.5 with a Vivitar 2X macro teleconverter. Film speed was

800.

I noticed almost all my photos were slightly blurred,except the ones

in which the planes were at distance or flying directly away from me

or towards me. I was using a tripod but not a cable release. I

noticed there was slight camera shake when I pressed the shutter

button. Shutter speed was always 1/500th or 1/1000th.

Was the blurring most likely caused by camera skake, shutter speed,

or is this model teleconverter not a good choice for long lens

action shots. Some say this TC might have better results with close-

up macro stuff and shorter lens.

Can the Vivitar 2X macro teleconverter be used with a polarizer? I

know there is f stop loss with both

-Dave

I took some film out of the freezer and thawed it out using the

proper procedure. I decided I am not ready to use it yet. Can this

same film be re-refrigerated or re-frozen.

By the way, I have been trying to use the search option to answer my

own questions so I don't always have to bother people. But it brings

up a whole list of topics and there are too many to sift through. Am

I not utilizing this site correctly?

Thanks,

Dave

I want to photograph a night football or night auto race event,

which I have not done yet. The fastest lens I would use is a Minolta

300MM f4.5 MC tele-rokkor HF possibly with the Vivitar 2X macro

teleconverter. Camera is Minolta XG-M.

My reading indicates that I should use a f2.8 or faster lens to do

night sporting events. Most of these night events are lit up like

day. Do I really need a lens this fast? What about leaving the

shutter open for 1/4 second or something like that? Plus, it's

likely I'll be using 1600 speed film to compensate anyway, right?

Not interested in using flash

Thanks,

Dave

I have a Minolta XG-M 35MM SLR camera. I got a few photos back that

showed three of four diagonal bands of faint light.

I looked at the photos under a flourescent light and these bands did

show on the negatives. I was using a polarizer filter at the time.

Any ideas of what might cause this?

Thanks,

Dave

I recently bought a Minolta MC tele-rokkor HF f4.5 telephoto lens

for my Minolta XG-M SLR. I want to get a polarizing filter, but

these seem very expensive in the 72MM thread size of this lens.

Are there any cheaper alternatives to achieve the polarizing effect?

I prefer B&W but these were in the $100.00 range

Thanks,

Dave

Hello. I have am early eighties Minolta XG-M 35mm SLR.

The only lenses I have are the standard 50MM F1.7 and I am waiting

on a 300MM MC F4.5 tele-rokkor HF.

I have an old brochure that shows Minolta MD 2X 300-L and 300-S tele

converters. It says the 300-S is used with 300MM or shorter focal

length lenses and the 300-L is used for 300MM or longer focal

lengths.

If I am not planning on getting a greater focal length than the

300MM f4.5, which tele converter should I get-the 300-S or the 300-L?

Thanks,

Dave

I bought a few rolls of Fuji Sensia 100 speed color slide film

without considering I wasn't too keen on buying a slide projector or

using one of those little light boxes.

Can the slide negatives (before being made in completed slides) be

developed directly into prints. If so, what will the quality be like?

Thanks,

Dave

I just bought a four pack of Fujifilm Super HQ 100 speed color print

film. The expriration date is only April 2005. Shouldn't it expire

much later? Will it be good till late 2005 with refrigeration, or

should I return it?

Thanks,

Dave