What Camera should I buy?

[Dark Sword Ragnarok]

Hey guys,

My birthday was a few days back and my parents said they would get me a camera. So, what I need to know is, what sort of camera is good for photographing legos? I need something good for taking close up picks, as well as overviews and such. In comic-creating, there are a hell of a lot of close-ups. However, the camera I'm using now is a Kodak Easyshare, and it frankly blows. At least, for close ups and flash. And, the pictures it takes are FREAKING ENOURMOUS! It takes me hours to resize them in paint, then upload to brickshelf. It really seems to dislike Lego. So, what camera would some of the expert picture-takers out there reccomend? The main things I'm looking for are: Good, clear close up shots; small sized pics(not extremely huge, like 1000x1000, like Kodak does ) ; something with a good flash that doesn't screw up yellow tones or anything else, like fraking Kodak; something that takes really good quality pictures (good enough that Photoshop isn't necesarry, because I don't have it) and something with decent battery life, preferrably rechargable pack. So, can you help me out here, guys?

Thanks,

DSR

[Siegfried]

I recently bought a Sony H50 which I am very happy with.

As an example pic, this un-edited picture was taken without flash or extra lights.

My recent AT-TE mod was without flash or lights too. It's a wonderful camera.

You do seem a bit confused about a few things;

Image size My camera takes images of roughly 2500x3500 and I just crop and resize them. It isn't that hard and there are many free programs (I use FastStone) that do a great job. Most new cameras will put out images greater than 2000 pixels and this is a good thing.

Flash Don't use it for LEGO. Ever. It give uneven brightness, reflection and often distorts colours. Go outside, open a window, use mirrors or lights... anything but a flash.

Kodak Easyshare That's a type, not a camera. Which one is it? Knowing this would make advising a replacement easier. To be honest, it's possible that the problem is you, not your camera. My last camera was 8 years old and it did me just fine until the lens started jamming....

[KimT]

I recently had to buy a new camera after dropping my old one.

I used a price checker page and entered the amount of money I dared to spend.

Then I compared all the cameras within the price range.

I checked for:

Light sensitivity (allows pictures without using flash)

Flash strength (not really useful when doing LEGO pics)

Optical zoom (no digidally for me)

External flash attachment.

And voila I ended up with a good medium priced camera - Nikon Coolpix P5000.

I'm sure that it's kinda outdated already.

[Dark Sword Ragnarok]

I recently bought a Sony H50 which I am very happy with.

As an example pic, this un-edited picture was taken without flash or extra lights.

My recent AT-TE mod was without flash or lights too. It's a wonderful camera.

You do seem a bit confused about a few things;

1Image size My camera takes images of roughly 2500x3500 and I just crop and resize them. It isn't that hard and there are many free programs (I use FastStone) that do a great job. Most new cameras will put out images greater than 2000 pixels and this is a good thing.

2Flash Don't use it for LEGO. Ever. It give uneven brightness, reflection and often distorts colours. Go outside, open a window, use mirrors or lights... anything but a flash.

3Kodak Easyshare That's a type, not a camera. Which one is it? Knowing this would make advising a replacement easier. To be honest, it's possible that the problem is you, not your camera. My last camera was 8 years old and it did me just fine until the lens started jamming....

1.Well, my camera takes enourmous pics, and they arent very good quality most of the time. Is there an option to shut this off, or a program to use? My dad never wants to download stuff because he's OCD, so most of them are out.

2. Well, yeah, I figured that out a while ago. I just figured it was because my camera was crap.

3. Well, the reason I said that was because there are two cameras in my household, both are Kodaks. My sister's is a pink one, I don't know what model, and I use that one the most. It sucks most of the time, too. My dad's is great for furniture and such (he's in furniture repair) but not so great for Lego. My photography has improved since I aquired a tripod, since when you aren't using a flash, the shutter time is considerably longer, making it much easier for a blurry pic to occur, as i'm sure most of us know. Another problem is I don't have room to really set up a good place to take pics at. Any sugesstions on that?

I recently had to buy a new camera after dropping my old one.

I used a price checker page and entered the amount of money I dared to spend.

Then I compared all the cameras within the price range.

I checked for:

Light sensitivity (allows pictures without using flash)

Flash strength (not really useful when doing LEGO pics)

Optical zoom (no digidally for me)

External flash attachment.

And voila I ended up with a good medium priced camera - Nikon Coolpix P5000.

I'm sure that it's kinda outdated already.

Yeah, it probably is by now. But, I'll look it up anyway!

DSR

[Tenorikuma]

If you're a teenager or younger with a tight budget, I apologize in advance.

If you're serious about taking pictures for years to come, you can't do better than to get a cheap digital SLR like a Nikon D-40. You could even get one second-hand. You'll find that a D-SLR is much easier and less frustrating to use than any regular digital point-and-click camera and takes much nicer photos. The battery pack in a D-SLR lasts weeks between charges even with heavy use, unlike a regular camera which only lasts a few hours at most.

You'll never need another camera unless you decide to become a semi-professional photographer or a really serious hobbyist.

[Dark Sword Ragnarok]

If you're a teenager or younger with a tight budget, I apologize in advance.

If you're serious about taking pictures for years to come, you can't do better than to get a cheap digital SLR like a Nikon D-40. You could even get one second-hand. You'll find that a D-SLR is much easier and less frustrating to use than any regular digital point-and-click camera and takes much nicer photos. The battery pack in a D-SLR lasts weeks between charges even with heavy use, unlike a regular camera which only lasts a few hours at most.

You'll never need another camera unless you decide to become a semi-professional photographer or a really serious hobbyist.

Well, yeah, I'm a teenager, but I don't see what that has to do with it. And, yeah, i'm on sort of a tight budget. Like, below 200 bucks, I think? my parent's are kind of cheap, but it doesn't help that the economy here is going down the crapper right now. THanks for the suggestion, though. How much is one?

DSR

[JopieK]

I have a canon eos 400D with speedlite 430EX flasher. That works quite well, especially if you have a lightcube.

[Dark Sword Ragnarok]

I have a canon eos 400D with speedlite 430EX flasher. That works quite well, especially if you have a lightcube.

Wait, a whatcube?

Also, thanks for the suggestion.

DSR

[Tenorikuma]

A D-40 kit (body plus lens) is $442 at Amazon. It's only an entry-level DSLR, but it'll be miles better than any point-and-click camera you can buy.

[Guss]

personally , I need a new camera too, mine is a 9 year old Olympus C-2500 with only 2.5Mpixels, and the only memory card I have is a 8mb one, it can only contain 13 pictures so I have to transfer the pictures on the computer really often.

But the pictures aren't that bad, and it have a cool macro function that allows to make some close pics of little details ( example here ) , I think when you'll go buy your camera, just make sure it can makes good pictures at very close range!

[Olog]

I'm not a camera specialist, I just wanted to add this to the conversation: The quality of a picture does does not only depend on a good camera, but also the photographer's skills with any given camera. I own an 6 megapixel HP R717 camera, from the reviews I've read, HP is not known for their digital cameras. I've learned through experience how to use the camera, what are it's flaws and how to take a good picture with it. I know so many people who own the latest technology in digital cameras and don't know how to use them.

Sinner is right on all three points. Flash kills any MOC, natural light source is your friend. Not necessarily direct sunlight, but as long as the light is not diffuse, but comes from only one direction, it will add to your MOC. Preparing to photograph the moc with a uniform background, and finally edit and crop the pictures.

Back to the cameras. I've had my HP camera for 3-4 years now, I've been using it to photograph my MOCs for the last two years and I'm pleased with the results:

The only reason I plan on buying a new camera is because there is a Fujifilm S5800 on sale for 200$ and I'd feel bad if I'd miss on the opportunity.

[Dark Sword Ragnarok]

I'm not a camera specialist, I just wanted to add this to the conversation: The quality of a picture does does not only depend on a good camera, but also the photographer's skills with any given camera. I own an 6 megapixel HP R717 camera, from the reviews I've read, HP is not known for their digital cameras. I've learned through experience how to use the camera, what are it's flaws and how to take a good picture with it. I know so many people who own the latest technology in digital cameras and don't know how to use them.

Sinner is right on all three points. Flash kills any MOC, natural light source is your friend. Not necessarily direct sunlight, but as long as the light is not diffuse, but comes from only one direction, it will add to your MOC. Preparing to photograph the moc with a uniform background, and finally edit and crop the pictures.

Back to the cameras. I've had my HP camera for 3-4 years now, I've been using it to photograph my MOCs for the last two years and I'm pleased with the results:

The only reason I plan on buying a new camera is because there is a Fujifilm S5800 on sale for 200$ and I'd feel bad if I'd miss on the opportunity.

Well, I use a tripod for taking my pictures now. I need something with a clear zoom capability, because on the camera I'm using now, if you zoom in at all, the quality goes to crap. And trust me, it's hard to get a close-up with a tripod without zoom. I know that most of the time bad pics are user-error, but I'm pretty sure it's the camera.

Thanks for the suggestions guys, please keep them coming!

DSR

[Asuka]

Wait, a whatcube?

A lightbox or light tent, usually used for a more equilibrated lighting and to minimize reflections by diffusing light. Look here...

It´s a pretty cool thing to have such a do-it-yourself light tent, especially with some proper but still inexpensive illumination

like you can see on page two (figure 8) of that link above... If you don´t have the room for a fixed setup you can make

something more foldable as well, and some moveable lights on cheap tripods or whatever can give you an easy

adaptable light source.

The chief advantage´s that a system like that allows you to reproduce an useable and standardized lighting situation at any

given time while you still can adjust the light according to different demands.

A better light´s sometimes more important than a better camera...

So... perhaps the best way to go could look like this:

1. Learn about (digital) photography. Buy a book or find some sites like this or that. There´re for sure some forums in your country too.

2. If you think you know enough to go out and buy yourself a new camera, you can find good reviews (and more) here or there. To look

at the picture samples there´s also very interesting to proof if you like the overall 'image style' of a certain model.

3. Build yourself a nice environment like in that link for that light tent. Light´s the most important factor. On said site

you can find a lot more about photography too.

You can find some nice tips here as well. Maybe you should start with this pretty interesting article.

Edited September 21, 2008 by Asuka

[Dark Sword Ragnarok]

Thanks for all those links, Asuka. I'll check them out when I get a chance!

DSR

[CP5670]

Flash Don't use it for LEGO. Ever. It give uneven brightness, reflection and often distorts colours. Go outside, open a window, use mirrors or lights... anything but a flash.

I don't really agree with this. It all depends on what you're looking for in the picture. If you want a completely realistic depiction of the model, with everything looking just like it does in real life, then yes, flash should be avoided. The picture you posted is an example of this. On the other hand, if you want to artificially accentuate the contrast and make certain details "pop out" more than they normally do (especially transparent pieces), similar to the box pictures on many Lego sets, then a good flash will do the job nicely especially if you don't have specialized lighting equipment available.

Also, I find that most small point-and-shoot cameras simply cannot take a completely sharp picture indoors without flash. It always seems to come out with some slight degree of blurriness or noise at any ISO setting, even in a brightly lit room with a lot of windows. I usually end up using flash mainly for this reason, as I would rather have slightly inaccurate colors than any kind of blurriness. Better cameras should have no problem with it though.

On the color distortion issue, flash messes up some colors much more than others. Blue is the biggest example of this among the basic colors and comes out looking much lighter than it should, so flash should be avoided on any model with blue parts in it. Other colors don't seem to be affected quite as much.

For resizing images and other batch processing work, Irfanview is free and works nicely. I use the Lanczos method to resize images to 1024x768 or 1280x960 and follow it up with the sharpen command, which I think greatly enhances the subjective look of Lego pictures. This is again a technique that makes details and geometry pop out more than usual, so it may not be to everyone's liking.

I got a Canon SD870 a few months ago (a P&S model that is about $300), but I'm only somewhat satisfied with it. It can take good pictures with the right manual settings but has a weak flash and often requires some experimenting with the settings. I might get a better one a few years down the line.

Edited September 22, 2008 by CP5670

[Asuka]

Thanks for all those links, Asuka. I'll check them out when I get a chance!

No problem. And of course, you don´t need to know everything about photography to make distinct pics

of your MOCs. With a correct light setting most point & shoot cameras´re able to deliver good pictures.

Instead of a light tent you can get proper results by using a softbox too, and of course you can do it yourself.

But be careful, bulbs can get pretty hot...

[Dark Sword Ragnarok]

Thanks again Asuka. Just as a reminder, I'm not really replacing a camera, I'm just getting my own.

DSR