Brickfilm cameras?

[arc]

Hope this is the right forum for this topic, mods please move this if necessary.

I wanted to try brickfilming, but the camera I have doesn't really make the cut. I have a fujifilm ax560, which is 16 megapixels and has a great macro mode, but no remote shutters are compatable. which means it can only take pictures by the button on top. Which is fine for everyday use, but when you press the button, it moves slightly which makes for a shaky film.

so my question is, what's a good brickfilm camera (preferably that can be used with a remote shutter of some kind) in the $100-200 price range? Any ideas?

Edited February 2, 2014 by arc

[Darth Dino]

Hi

buy a used or EOL DSLR like the Canon Rebel (or how you US guys call the low entry line from Canon),

You DONT need 16mp, thats nonsense. Those DSLR always have a remote connector for manual or wireless remote shutter controllers. With a DSLR you can SEE where the focus is, this is highly important in macro imaging, because your DOF is pretty small.

DSLR ever can take oictures in RAW mode, highly important if you use artificial light - which you will use. You will need that for propper whitebalancing.

Forget 16mp, this is maketing stuff. phoographer dont care about this one, you will ever have enough.

Dino

[arc]

thanks for the feedback, I don't know much about how megapixels work, so thanks for filling me in on that.

[Lego Otaku]

Canon point and shoot can be used. http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=280x43277 a bit of a hack but most Canon camera would be small enough whereas the camera that do have remote shutter built in like the Rebel line are huge and can be heavy and pricey when you add on wide angle lens (shorter lens, easier to do macro)

I have tried Canon T2i (aka 550D outside USA) with a quality 17-50mm lens it takes excellent shot where you could probably see an actual dust mite making dust on LEGO pieces but the body and lens set was about $900 new and easily several hundreds $$$ used on eBay. A point n shoot camera can be bought off eBay for under $50 and with the hack I mentioned above it worked nicely. The image quality won't come close to the pricier DSLR but unless you're looking for microscopic imperfection on "new" parts most PnS camera are fine.

edit: link got broke

Edited February 3, 2014 by Lego Otaku

[Darth Dino]

Hi

you got a Canon 1100D kit with lens in Germany for 250€, new...

So prices for used cameras should be around 200€$£...

A full HD video has 2!! TWO megapixels, thats all. So even a 10 years old canon rebel aka 300D has enough with its 6mpix ;)

Point and shoot is a bad idea. You might have slightly diffrent focus, exposure and whitebalancing in EVERY image. Those in a video looks horrible. Only raw shooting makes sure all images are processed the same.

Dino

[kibosh]

DSLR ever can take oictures in RAW mode, highly important if you use artificial light - which you will use. You will need that for propper whitebalancing.

Also interested in this topic. Can you elaborate on this?

[dr_spock]

Hope this is the right forum for this topic, mods please move this if necessary.

I wanted to try brickfilming, but the camera I have doesn't really make the cut. I have a fujifilm ax560, which is 16 megapixels and has a great macro mode, but no remote shutters are compatable. which means it can only take pictures by the button on top. Which is fine for everyday use, but when you press the button, it moves slightly which makes for a shaky film.

so my question is, what's a good brickfilm camera (preferably that can be used with a remote shutter of some kind) in the $100-200 price range? Any ideas?

You could use a tripod and use the timer function.

[jfbat]

You could use a tripod and use the timer function.

My first thought too. Eliminaties any movement, because you've pushed the button some seconds earlier.

[Darth Dino]

Hi

timer: Nope, you "cant" use the timer. Every time you press the trigger ON the camera, you will move it a bit. If you do this many times, all your images are missalligned. Thats why you should use a cable or wireless trigger to NOT touch the camera even a little bit.

RAW: Shooting in raw gives you 10, 12 or 14 bit (depending on the camera) per color channel, instead of 8 in a jpeg or standard tiff.

12 bit are common, and you got 4096 greyscales (intensity levels) per color channel. If you make an even exposed image that contains all 4096 levels 50% brighter, you stil have 2048 levels left. If you convert THIS onto a 8bit 256 level jpeg, you dont lose any details and differentiations regarding the brightening of the image. 2048 level still dont fit into 8 bit.

If you do the same staring with 8 bit, then only 128 levels are left. You LOST detail, you cannot tell anmore some levels are brighter/darker than others, because they became the same.

With raw source material you will be able to manipulate the image regarding whitebalancing, exposure, contrast, sharpening, noise colors in a high and professional way without losing details. You do that with a raw converter, Adobe Camera Raw and Adobe Lightroom are two of the many.

With yellowish "studio light" you will need to whitebalance your images. Thats basically substracting A LOT of yellow intensities out of the image. If you do so with 8bit images, you will see that, your yellow reducedareas become totally noisy.

Dino

Edited February 3, 2014 by Darth Dino

[arc]

So I tried with timer mode, It's definitely an improvement, but like Dino said, small movements still get through. And I've been considering upgrading for a while, so if anyone has an idea for a good brickfilm camera, (that's remote compatible) please met me know here.

Edited February 5, 2014 by arc

[Manusdei]

I don't know if a Go Pro would have the best lens etc, but has a remote, and there is also an app for iOS devices, that allows you to preview and take pictures etc.

As for the colours etc. I'm not sure if it would be any good. Battery life is also an issue, which is only mad worse by having the wifi on. And probably a bit expensive if this is going to be your only use.

[dr_spock]

I don't think there are many $100-$200 cameras with remote capability. Some models of Canon in that price range will support the firmware hack CHDK which allows USB remote control. (http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK) Canon DSLRs will support tethered shooting which can be really handy for workflow if your budget allows.

I think Nikon 1 J1 has remote support and interchangeable lenses. It's $199 at B&H Photo.

[Darth Dino]

Hi

as far as i know ANY canon DSLR can be fired remotely via PC. Just plug in USB and start the provided canon software. You can setup all parameters with that tool too.

Dino

[Hellbelly]

Another good option would be one of the Canon Powershot "G" camera, like the G15 new, or a G12 second hand. Both support RAW, a wired remote control and are great for close-up work like Lego.

An advantage the G cameras have over D-SLRs is a larger Depth of Field, so you can keep more of the scene in focus without having to stop down to really small apertures (like f16-f22) which loses sharpness and makes for long shutter speeds.

On the subject of RAW, don't think its the only way to get good quality results. With something like a "G Series" you can set your shutter speed, ISO and aperture manually, you can do a "custom white balance" before you start and every frame will look the same.

[SteampunkDoc]

OK, I'm going to be the odd guy and say you don't need a big expensive camera.

If you are only going to be brickfilming with this, I'd say go with a Logitech C920.

The webcam has great quality, is cheaper, lighter and easier to use, plus it already has all the needed manual controls.

Of course, if you want to take normal pictures as well, then go with a "real" camera.

But for only brickfilming, a webcam would be (IMHO) a better investment.

That being said, a webcam has a fixed depth-of-field, you can't change out the lens, and it doesn't have optical zoom.

And while a "real" camera does lend better image quality, more depends on the lighting and set-up and a webcam can still look great.

I've been brickfilming for years, and have yet to feel the need to upgrade from my webcam. If I were you, I'd seriously consider that option.

[Jay Sathe]

I've got some brickfilming experience, and for me, there are 3 "classes" of good cameras to use.

1. Webcams: At their highest, webcams will cost around $100- which is a pretty good deal. They can really only be triggered remotely with a PC connection, and they will most likely support onion-skinning, which is a crazy useful tool. Some webcams have a fixed focal length though, so be careful. I'd recommend a Logitech Webcam Pro 9000 (or whatever the current equivalent name for it is). The biggest con of a webcam is the lack of zoom and the potential for crummy images. Getting a nice webcam will help on that second one for sure.

2. Camcorders: These vary in price a lot, but even the cheap ones can produce good brickfilms. Most come with a wireless infrared remote control, so it's very nice to use, and you can use the remote to do almost anything, including adjusting focus without touching the camera. It can also be used in short bursts on its battery, which is great for tight sets where a wire would get in the way. Unfortunately, you can't use onion-skinning with these, and you just have to shoot the scene and hope it'll come out well.

3. DSLRs: Very expensive, but very nice. You're going to want a macro lens to be able to focus up really close onto LEGO stuff. These cameras are also pretty large, compared to minifigure scale so they are also potentially hard to work with on smaller sets. My biggest issue with these cameras is that everything costs more on top of the price of the camera. The lens can run you for a decent chunk of change, and the remote shutter trigger will also cost extra on top of the already pretty pricey camera body. Some of these cameras can work when connected to a PC - which would let you use onion-skinning and other helpful tools, though some won't - so make sure you do your research.

I've used all three for animation and other work, and honestly, unless you are really serious about brickfilming and/or photography in general, I'd get the webcam.

[arc]

I'm kinda leaning towards the camcorder in this regard, any recommendations?