20 Most Recent Epson PhotoPC 3000Z Digital Camera Questions & Answers

This camera stores EXIF in similar standards of its competitors and can be viewed by most image software. However, there's some fields of proprietary design for each brand so it is better to use the original software bundled with the camera.

The Movie Mode takes very low resolution frames and can be re-played frame-by-frame.

Use the Continuous Mode for resolutions 2,048x1,536 or 1,600x1,200 or 640x480 get more details than movie.

For higher frame rates, use 1,600x1,200 and you can get quite good photos.

The cable is just a common design for most of the other mades. You may even DIY one very easily.

For XP, a device driver is not needed for the "mass storage" that the camera connects to it.

I have found with this camera that when you set the aperture and shutter speed in manual it will display recommended settings and not the settings you had just set. But when the picture is taken and you display the settings in software that the camera used, it actually uses the settings you set and not the ones displayed on the camera. I think the settings displayed are recommended settings. Very strange! Also the camera changes settings on zooming.

I use kodak batteries and they are fine. the key is find good battewries with a high amp rating. I think the epsons are 1550.

You also may have a faulty hot shoe adapter or pc cord. Check them with an ohm meter, or with an old 35 mm camera. Or just short out the hot shoe contacts with a piece of metal and see if the strobes flash.

Have you installed Sierra Image Expert, with this installed go to menue item Camera, and click on View or Get All etc.I do have a problem with this program in that it will not make a new directorey but this can be overcome by first making the new directorey with Explorer. The sound on the camera can be adjusted or turned down.

I bought a 3000Z but can't get it to download using USB, it works ok using the serial port, but that is very slow. I'm using Windows 98 SE. My USB ports are ok because I use other devices on them. When trying to hook up the camera I never get a new hardware found indication, I tried MS and Epson online for possible driver updates and couldn't find anything to help. I'm thinking there is a problem with the camera. It also makes a rather loud snap type sound when the shutter button is pressed, this may be normal but it seems louder than I've heard on other digital cameras. Anyone have any suggestions or should I send the camera back as defective?

Sounds like you have a dust spot on the CCD, you should send your camera in for cleaning.

I recommend the Qimage software. Although it is really designed to help print images, it also has excellent computer screen viewing of images, as well as some image editing capabilites, and will show the F-stop and aperture, and other camera setting values for each picture just by holding the mouse pointer over the thumbnail image. The $30 I spent for this software several years ago (all updates are free) is the best money I have spent on photo software. Mike Chaney (the guy who wrote and updates the software) is always improving it and is responsive to user comments and suggestions. Visit the web site (http://www.charm.net/~mchaney/imaging/index.html#news) and download the free demo - I think that you will like it.

Yes. You pick the apature (the 3000 keeps it aorund the setting you pick) and then it automaticly adjusts the speed for you.

The spot meter area is small because I have photographed 2 people side by side many times, focused on ones chest then found that the "spot" had slipped into the little space between them, the bad focus not really showing up when I checked the LCD. (My eyes are old and so are my glasses.) Got home and found useless pictures. Sometimes I was outdoors in the sun and couldnt check the LCD. Some of the threads say the focus spot is "off center" with no acccurate way of finding it when using the viewfinder. I take some beautiful, wonderful pictures but these errors really tear me up. I've got to get the LCD box viewer with the 2x lens viewer I guess. All those years as a 35mm Canon F1 user I would long for a spot meter almost daily. Now I see that a matrix meter AND a spot is the real choice. I hope eventually to learn to outwit my 3000Z because it does give me such excellent pictures. Sometimes there is noise on a face, sometimes it is the focus and at functions it is so embarassing to ask a principal subject to wait because the *** or ***H procedures take so long. A wedding, other than the reception, would be near impossible in *** or higher. Good Luck, Dav.

I have tried a couple of external flashes on the 3000Z. It is my understanding from reading various Internet posts (and I am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong) that, other than triggering the flash to go off, there is no communication between the external flash in the hot shoe of the 3000Z and the 3000Z itself. Settings need to be made manually in the manual mode to set the f-stop and the aperture to get good exposures. The Metz flashes are expensive. Most have opted to use less expensive flashes such as the Vivitar 283/383, or a Sunpak, or even a "Wal-mart" flash. I chose an inexpensive bounce flash with a secondary "fill-in" flash to get rid of the shadows sometimes seen with indoor bounce flash pics. I purchased the Phoenix 82ZBDA Multi-dedicated twin flash from Porter's Photo Catalogue for $37.95. This flash works fine, but is not that powerful (GN 79 ). If you need a more powerful flash, you might consider the Vivitar 383.

They make an LCD cover compatible with the Epson 3000z. In addition, there is a lens on the hood which magnifies the LCD by 2.