<![CDATA[Latest posts for the thread "Decent cheap camera for taking pictures of my models?"]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/8.page JForum - http://www.jforum.net Decent cheap camera for taking pictures of my models? http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6499237.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6499237.page GMT Decent cheap camera for taking pictures of my models? http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6499242.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6499242.page GMT Decent cheap camera for taking pictures of my models? http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6499246.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6499246.page GMT Decent cheap camera for taking pictures of my models? http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6499273.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6499273.page GMT Decent cheap camera for taking pictures of my models? http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6499315.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6499315.page GMT Decent cheap camera for taking pictures of my models?
AllSeeingSkink wrote:
Probably more important to set up a photographing station with proper lighting first.

This above all else.

Just about every modern digital camera can take a decent picture, even the ones on smartphones. I have a Nikon D3100 which is a nice entry-level dSLR but I often times just use my phone because it is usually near by.
This picture was taken with an iPhone 5S:
Spoiler:

I used my light box and a background I printed off the internet, followed by level adjustments with a freeware photo editor. More often than not, it's the method not the camera that needs to be improved.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6499330.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6499330.page GMT Decent cheap camera for taking pictures of my models? ]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6499350.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6499350.page GMT Decent cheap camera for taking pictures of my models? http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6499352.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6499352.page GMT Decent cheap camera for taking pictures of my models?
 Niiai wrote:
Do you not think editing them in the photo editor is a bit odd? It depends on the purpose of the picture I suppose.

Why would that be odd? A camera can't capture everything the way the human eye does. Adjusting color and tone with levels is how to make the image appear more like the physical object does in the real world.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6499367.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6499367.page GMT Decent cheap camera for taking pictures of my models?
 Niiai wrote:
Do you not think editing them in the photo editor is a bit odd? It depends on the purpose of the picture I suppose.
It's impossible for a camera to capture and then a screen to display the full range of colours and contrast that you see with your eye, even with awesome lighting. I myself am not a professional photographer, but the pros I know (who do a range of things from nature, automotive, weddings, houses) spend more time tweaking photos they've taken than they spent taking them in the first place.

I got a friend to photograph my car with his awesome camera and he had to tweak them just to get the colours close to what they look like when you see it in the flesh (or fibreglass in this case ).]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6499404.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6499404.page GMT Decent cheap camera for taking pictures of my models? http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6499539.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6499539.page GMT Decent cheap camera for taking pictures of my models?
 FURIOSO wrote:
What photoeditor do you use?

It's called Gimp. While it isn't Photoshop, it is free and does a pretty good job at basic photo editing. If you have no experience with photo editing software, there are tutorials around the web detailing how to use the various functions.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6499613.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6499613.page GMT Decent cheap camera for taking pictures of my models? http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6499649.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6499649.page GMT Decent cheap camera for taking pictures of my models?
Good model photography is more about the setup of the background, the lighting, and especially using a tripod, rather the price of a camera.

A light box is a kind of white tent that you put around the model, shine some lights on the outside to get a good diffuse even lighting, then you shoot through an opening. You can get these very cheaply nowadays. Here is on from Amazon for only £7.99.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/eSecure-Photo-Light-Colour-Backdrop/dp/B003I6AJY0/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1391326218&sr=1-1&keywords=light+box]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6499987.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6499987.page GMT Decent cheap camera for taking pictures of my models?
]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6500005.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6500005.page GMT Decent cheap camera for taking pictures of my models?
 Kilkrazy wrote:
Any camera with 3MP or more will produce pictures good enough for standard size snaps and the internet. Most modern mobile phones probably beat that.

Good model photography is more about the setup of the background, the lighting, and especially using a tripod, rather the price of a camera.

A light box is a kind of white tent that you put around the model, shine some lights on the outside to get a good diffuse even lighting, then you shoot through an opening. You can get these very cheaply nowadays. Here is on from Amazon for only £7.99.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/eSecure-Photo-Light-Colour-Backdrop/dp/B003I6AJY0/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1391326218&sr=1-1&keywords=light+box

Indeed. An iPhone 4S has an 8MP camera and that combined with a simple photo tent like you showed can make for some nice pictures. They even make cell phone tripods, some of which are pretty cheap and will easily get the job done. Add that to free image processing software and you'll be taking nice pictures in no time. Are they going to be a crisp as a high end DSLR? No, but unless you are a professional it really isn't necessary to go and spend exorbitant amounts of money to take pictures of your plastic toy soldiers.

Backdrops are readily available for free on the internet on various model painting blogs. Here are few:
http://massivevoodoo.blogspot.com/2010/05/photo-backgrounds.html
http://corvusminiatures.blogspot.com/2010/04/cloud-backdrops-for-your-miniature.html (I use these printed on 11x17 paper)

Here is some more info on miniature photography, as told by professional painters:
http://massivevoodoo.blogspot.de/2013/09/miniature-photography.html
http://massivevoodoo.blogspot.de/2013/09/miniature-photography-part-2-how-do-i.html
Keep in mind you don't have to go through all that to take nice pictures, but it is an interesting read nonetheless.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6500041.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6500041.page GMT Decent cheap camera for taking pictures of my models? http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6502279.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6502279.page GMT Decent cheap camera for taking pictures of my models?
 FURIOSO wrote:
The thing is I often sell painted armies so a good quality camera is pretty essential, my samsung glaxy s3 mini just isn't cutting it, I might look for a cheap kodak in cash converters or something.


Then I highly suggest you get a digital non point and click camera, the Nikon D3200 I mentioned have been great, but any that's in your range will do. ]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6502292.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6502292.page GMT Decent cheap camera for taking pictures of my models?
 FURIOSO wrote:
The thing is I often sell painted armies so a good quality camera is pretty essential, my samsung glaxy s3 mini just isn't cutting it, I might look for a cheap kodak in cash converters or something.

The Galaxy S III has an 8MP camera. Trust me when I say that with proper lighting, a tripod, and a little simple editing, using your phone's camera will get you some nice quality photos. It is more about how you do it than what you do it with.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6502308.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6502308.page GMT Decent cheap camera for taking pictures of my models?
 FURIOSO wrote:
The thing is I often sell painted armies so a good quality camera is pretty essential, my samsung glaxy s3 mini just isn't cutting it, I might look for a cheap kodak in cash converters or something.
Totally reasonable, but I'd START with the good photographing station, once you've got that, see what you can do with it and then start thinking about the camera.

With my cheap point and shoot camera in, it can clearly capture details that I struggle to see with the naked eye. It's only about 3MP but has a better lens than a phone and can capture much more detail than a phone. The main problem for me is the lighting because I haven't set up a proper light box.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6502334.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6502334.page GMT Decent cheap camera for taking pictures of my models? lol, I shall google it.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6505319.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6505319.page GMT Decent cheap camera for taking pictures of my models?
 FURIOSO wrote:
Still not sure what a lightbox is lol, I shall google it.

Go look a few posts up, Kilkrazy posted a link to a cheap one on Amazon.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6505355.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6505355.page GMT Decent cheap camera for taking pictures of my models? http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6505416.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6505416.page GMT Decent cheap camera for taking pictures of my models?
 Niiai wrote:
A good smartphone?
---------↑

Pretty much what I use.

]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6506155.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6506155.page GMT Decent cheap camera for taking pictures of my models? gen Go Pro) And I am thinking of buying the newest one (2-350$) ]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6506164.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6506164.page GMT Decent cheap camera for taking pictures of my models? http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6506583.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/577458/6506583.page GMT