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Liz Hunt, Primary Hands On Support (HOS) Consultant, continues her research into digital cameras from Nikon and introduces the Visualiser.
In the last Ox-on-line I explored the relative merits of some digital cameras we are currently recommending for use in schools – the Canon A410, The Fuji A350 and A345. In this article I would like to explore a camera from Nikon, a Visualiser plus a fantastic gadget that will change your life when it comes to downloading your pictures.
First, the camera:
Nikon Coolpix 5600
This is a neat unit ergonomically
designed for both adult and little fingers.
It is very easy to use with all the buttons directly at hand and some very
useful software features. For example, the software will let you know
immediately if the photograph you have just taken is slightly out of focus and
offers you the opportunity to take the shot again. Very useful in a ituation
(drama or PE for instance) where you may find it difficult to set the scene up
again at a later date in order to retake the photograph.
It has a 1.8” LCD screen for viewing and 5 megapixel resolution. It has a 3x optical zoom and an orientation sensor – which means you can hold the camera portrait or landscape to take the photograph and it will orient the playback into an upright position rather than you having to turn the camera around to view your pictures or video that were taken in landscape mode. It is capable of taking 3 minutes 45 seconds of VGA quality video clips with sound and is powered by two ordinary AA batteries. We have secured a price of £163 (+P&P) from Keyphoto (details at the end of the article.) Nikon are currently advertising it at £199.99
The Fuji A345 and A350 advertised in
the last article are set to be replaced by the A400 and A500 Zoom at the end of
February. I am informed by Fuji that this will make very little difference to
the price we are currently offering (£90 and £100 respectively.) Orders for
these will continue to be dealt with by Christine Ruane at CRC telephone
01865-428034 or fax your order to 01865-428030.
Do you have trouble
downloading your digital photographs or have to wait for someone else to do it
for you? Here’s a possible solution.
The Apacer CP100 is a portable CD
burner. 
The beauty of this is in its simplicity for the user. You simply remove the media card from your camera and insert it into the correct slot on the side of the Apacer. You place a CD into the CD tray in the Apacer and press a button! The Apacer software will then format your CD and copy all the pictures from your media card onto it. You have the option to finish the CD at this point or to append to it and place further media cards into the slot so more pictures can also be copied to the same CD. For those schools that have multiple makes of cameras this could be your answer to downloading your pictures. You need no technical knowledge to make this work, can use pictures from more than one type of camera and copy them all onto one CD. It really is that simple.
The photographs will need to be deleted from the camera (unless multiple copies of the CD are required, when you would simply burn a new CD in the Apacer.) The CD is then ready to be used in any PC CD drive around the school.
We have one at CRC – do ask your Advisory teacher about seeing it in action or have a look at it when on an OQSA course. Unfortunately we cannot lend it out to schools but would be happy to bring it out to show you, when on a Traded Service visit.
The Apacer CP100 can read 6 different card types CF (1&2)/SD/MM/SM/MS. Keyphoto are currently offering Oxfordshire schools a price of £135.
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A Visualiser is a piece of equipment not dissimilar to a digital version of an old OHP. The purpose of a Visualiser is to be able to project images of objects onto a screen or IWB, that otherwise would need a photograph or scan. For example, you could place a pupil’s science book under the Visualiser camera to project an image straight onto a screen and then discuss, evaluate and amend their work together as a class. You could consider using an historical artefact under the camera, e.g. a replica Greek pot or maybe some Egyptian hieroglyphs on a scroll and project the image for the whole class to see. The object can be moved around whilst under the camera, magnified and an image can be captured if required. It is also possible to use the Visualiser to view objects that are not placed onto its base, for example objects around the room or on a display. This is done by simply removing the lens cap and rotating the head of the Visualiser to view the object. Consider using a Visualiser in assemblies, especially achievement assemblies where the children bring in medals or certificates they have been awarded. They can place them under the Visualiser for the whole school to see clearly. This makes viewing a small object or tiny writing far more practical and keeps children’s interest in the article for far longer. The Visualiser can be connected directly to your projector or to a PC or laptop using both the COM and USB ports. At CRC we are currently using an Elmo Visualiser in our training room. Take a moment to look the next time that you visit. Matrix are currently supplying the Elmo P30 for £1095 plus VAT for Oxfordshire LA Schools |
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Throughout this article references to Keyphoto have been made.
Keyphoto are based in St Albans and have dealings with schools including some in Oxfordshire. When ordering from them mention OCC to secure your price.
