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 Posted - July 10 2017 : 9:16:47 PM
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What is recommended for a digital camera for up close model train photography?
I was using a discarded Samsung Galaxy for a while, it worked pretty good. Before that I was using a small Kodak camera, that worked good for a while, then just grainier and fuzzier until it was worthless.
The Samsung won't download anymore, and no one knows how to fix it. Some say to try an SD card, but as a camera, it is not easy to hold steady, particularly for video, so am looking more towards a camera that can
be tripod mounted and be able to take crisp close ups.
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Posted - July 10 2017 : 10:49:26 PM
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I keep my cam on Auto & with the flash off
Then everything comes out nice sometimes 
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Posted - July 11 2017 : 06:23:55 AM
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hi chops best result for close up is to use your macro function,which i am sure your camera will have look for this symbol,ken
catfordken
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Posted - July 11 2017 : 09:47:13 AM
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quote:hi chops best result for close up is to use your macro function,which i am sure your camera will have look for this symbol,ken
Originally posted by catfordken - July 11 2017 : 06:23:55 AM
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Agreed, but still with flash off. Make sure what you are photographing is well lit. Outdoors is the best.. Like this image of the Busy Little B I took using my Iphone this weekend...
Sean
"If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!" - Mario Andretti!
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Posted - July 11 2017 : 12:57:08 PM
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I've done okay with little Canon pocket cameras, but I can't vouch for tripod work. With a tripod, you're farther away, so you'd have to zoom in a bit, and the pocket cameras I've had have their macro mode toward the wide angle end of the zoom.
They do work for stills and videos. I like the ones with rechargeable batteries which are supposed to way outlast a set of AA batteries.
Carpe Manana!
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Posted - July 11 2017 : 6:52:15 PM
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I use a Canon SD1200 IS pocket camera, seems to do very well with closeup shots. One problem is that sometimes in the Macro mode it's difficult to get the autofocus to focus on the exact point you want it to. Gets to be a crapshoot sometimes, trying to coax it to focus where you want it to.
http://tycodepot.com/
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Posted - July 11 2017 : 9:50:12 PM
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Thank you for that, yes, I did use the Macro Function for all my close in work, and it did work fine for about a year, then the photos just got grainier and grainier and then down right fuzzy. Is it possible to wear out a memory card?? Or is the automatic focus to blame??
That was on the Kodak. I am surprised Kodak would put their name on a camera that was ultimately rather poor.
I've enjoyed following your work on the Busy Bee.
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Posted - July 11 2017 : 10:16:11 PM
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I don't think the grainy/fuzzy pictures point to the data card. If memory fails, it should make a dead spot in the memory. Analog storage like VHS tapes can degrade, that way, but a digital bit is 1 or 0 and doesn't degrade to .9 or something.
Graininess is usually a kind of interference between pixels on the sensor that happens in low light. In effect, the sensor trades sharpness for light. It's partly a function of size. A physically larger sensor degrades less. It also makes a much more expensive camera, since the optics need to be larger.
Fuzziness, might be poor focus. I wonder if the focusing mechanism can wear out and get sloppy with age. It is all made up of tiny motors and gears.
So who makes a camera to last the ages? I don't know. I really don't use mine to death.
Carpe Manana!
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Posted - July 11 2017 : 11:14:53 PM
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quote:I use a Canon SD1200 IS pocket camera, seems to do very well with closeup shots. One problem is that sometimes in the Macro mode it's difficult to get the autofocus to focus on the exact point you want it to. Gets to be a crapshoot sometimes, trying to coax it to focus where you want it to.
Originally posted by JNXT 7707Â -Â July 11 2017Â :Â 6:52:15 PM
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Jerry, most modern cameras have a feature where pressing the shutter button in half way focuses the picture on whatever is in the center of the screen. It's super useful for small stuff like trains!
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Posted - July 12 2017 : 8:33:15 PM
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Hmm, DaCheez, I'll give that shot. Problem is, even my video now looks
like junk. I could take better photos with a card board box with a pin hole.
Do memory cards go bad over time??
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Posted - July 13 2017 : 09:34:59 AM
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quote:Hmm, DaCheez, I'll give that shot. Problem is, even my video now looks
like junk. I could take better photos with a card board box with a pin hole.
Do memory cards go bad over time??
Originally posted by Chops124Â -Â July 12 2017Â :Â 8:33:15 PM
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One thing I noticed on my old camera, if I was zoomed in at all, the the pictures turned out fuzzy, even if I used the macro function. I had to be zoomed all the way out in order for the macro function to properly work. This required me to be very close to the object, like 6" give or take. My new Sony A6000 camera (much more expensive) allows me to zoom in, but I am not satisfied with the lens I have for taking fine close-up photos. So I an looking into getting a different lens. I purchase the camera for the daughters' ice hockey games and it's ability to take rapid crisp action shots over taking pics of my trains. LOL
Through my eBay selling over the past 15 years, I have worn out several digital cameras. I have taken hundreds and hundreds of thousands of photos over the years. I am not sure if the card wears out, but I can certainly testify to the cameras wearing out.
If your item is well lit and you are using the Macro Function, then you should be able to get good crisp clear pictures. If not, then you might need to look for a new camera. Good light is the key however. Maybe try and have it zoomed all the way out?
Sean
"If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!" - Mario Andretti!
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Posted - July 13 2017 : 09:58:40 AM
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quote: quote:I use a Canon SD1200 IS pocket camera, seems to do very well with closeup shots. One problem is that sometimes in the Macro mode it's difficult to get the autofocus to focus on the exact point you want it to. Gets to be a crapshoot sometimes, trying to coax it to focus where you want it to.
Originally posted by JNXT 7707Â -Â July 11 2017Â :Â 6:52:15 PM
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Jerry, most modern cameras have a feature where pressing the shutter button in half way focuses the picture on whatever is in the center of the screen. It's super useful for small stuff like trains!
Originally posted by DaCheez - July 11 2017 : 11:14:53 PM
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Hmmm....I will have to see if mine will do that - thanks Cheez!
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