|
| The Dark Room -- Photo Editing and Picture Taking. Advice, tutorials, questions on all things photoshop, photo editing, and taking pictures of beads or glass. |
2005-12-26, 8:11pm
|
 |
Crunchy ol' Momma
|
|
Join Date: Dec 05, 2005
Location: New Port Richey, FL
Posts: 1,158
|
|
Digital Cameras?
Well, I'm going to need a digital camera for taking pictures of beads, so I'm wondering which camera should I look into for this sort of thing. I'm assuming that I'll need the best zoom I can get, as well as the highest mega pixels that I can afford. I don't want to spend more than $250. Is this something that can be done, or am I going to have to shell out more than that?
Any thoughts or opinions you can give me on your cameras (plus price ranges) would be greatly appreciated ...
|
2005-12-26, 8:34pm
|
 |
Cancer SUCKS!
|
|
Join Date: Oct 23, 2005
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 5,083
|
|
Optical zoom
I don't know much about digi cameras. I do know that you will want Optical Zoom. Most cameras have digital zoom and that will distort photos. Make sure that you get one with Optical Zoom.
HTH
Deb in MN
|
2005-12-26, 9:02pm
|
 |
Gentleman of Leisure
|
|
Join Date: Jun 10, 2005
Location: A Little Bit West of Yosemite Valley
Posts: 5,200
|
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by burntfingers
Well, I'm going to need a digital camera for taking pictures of beads, so I'm wondering which camera should I look into for this sort of thing. I'm assuming that I'll need the best zoom I can get, as well as the highest mega pixels that I can afford. I don't want to spend more than $250. Is this something that can be done, or am I going to have to shell out more than that?
Any thoughts or opinions you can give me on your cameras (plus price ranges) would be greatly appreciated ...
|
For a decent camera for macro work/bead photography. $250 will probably not get anything that will give you any real latitude in setting up for close up bead photography....
Things you need to look for is adjustable shutter speeds, ability to manually adjust "White Balance". Determine what is macro photo capabilities (usually some where from a minimum of 6-8 inches to say 30 inches) are ....
Does it have a flash you can turn off and on (for most glass work you want flash off), what is highest resolution picture it can take (3.5 or 4 or 5 or 6 or 8 mega pixels)...
Good cameras that are going to produce the types of pictures you want usually range between $500 and $750 dollars (or more)... So is if you can only spend $250 then may have to settle for used camera (which may not be bad deal) or a lower end camera that the controls are some what limited as to what you can do... Remember photo touch-up software is also expensive, but it can not always repair a bad original image, sometimes there is no way to fix a image that is out of focus, you can only try to shift colors and "sharpen" image with software, but in most cases trying to salvaging a terrible picture is just not worth the effort...
IF you have to spend money on photo touch up software and many hours in front of computer fixing images, the time is money and in the end this is money you should have spent in beginning on camera... A better camera will save lots of time there for money over long run...
I have a Olympus D-340R... IT was a $250 camera when new . It can not adjust shutter speed, it can not do white balance, it is a piece of crap for doing close up bead photography... Its fine for family snapshots.....
IF I wanted to spend $200 for good touch up software I might be able to fix pictures to where they were acceptable, but then again if I had spent $500 for good camera, I would probably have pictures that were acceptable to begin with and I don't have spend al lot of money for software and a lot time in front of computer to make then look good....
Just some ramblings for a monday night....
Dale
__________________
You can lead a person to knowledge, but you can't make them think.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Vendor-Artist-Studio-Teacher Registry
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
San Francisco - A Few Toys Short of a Happy Meal
|
2005-12-26, 9:37pm
|
 |
Puddy Cat Lover
|
|
Join Date: Nov 04, 2005
Location: DeMotte, IN
Posts: 1,592
|
|
Digital Cameras
Hi,
A couple of months ago I upgraded my Olympus (3040?) to a Cannon Power Shot S2 IS. I love my new camera. So many more bells and whistles that I'm still playing with. After reading a couple of articles about photographing beads, and going to TableTop Studios website, I knew what to look for when it came time to upgrade. Correct lighting, exposure, macro settings, background, etc are all covered on the sites tips page. Take a look at this site if you get a chance. They also have some items for sale, like light tents, lamps, and tripods, etc.
J.
__________________
Jeanette Savina Cobb
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
*
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
*
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
|
2005-12-26, 11:15pm
|
 |
Jenni
|
|
Join Date: Jul 07, 2005
Location: Indianapolis
Posts: 151
|
|
Beware BIG pictures
I just got a new camera for Christmas, we spent $397 at Wal-Mart for an Olympus Stylus 800, 8 megapixel. It has the super macro mode, shoot at 3cm away from a subject, adjustable shutter speed, and tons more options that I have yet to figure out  I love this camera, it rocks!! I personally have an affection for Olympus, the SP500UZ is a great buy as well with a heck of a lot of options, and in my opinion, you don't need the extra zoom capabilities if there is a super macro mode (correct me if I am wrong). Olympus' take awesome pictures...here are a few with indoor lighting, in front of my kitchen window on a white paper plate, .....
 , I made this a little bigger so you could see the detail, the bead is kinda crappy, but I was amazed at my fingerprints, this maybe because I have had a crappy camera for way too long,hehehe but I could not believe how fine detailed the pictures are.
I am not sure if you are going to be able to find a digital camera for 250 that will have the capabilities you are expecting. We are definitely on a budget and this was a big expense for us, but for all of the photos I shoot, it was well worth it, I can't wait to find out more of the fun stuff I can do with it.
Good luck in you hunt for a great camera, hope you find what you need 
Jenni
__________________
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Cleaning house while your kids are growing up, is like shoveling the walk while it's still snowing.
~Phyliss Diller
|
2005-12-26, 11:34pm
|
 |
Resident Luny
|
|
Join Date: Jun 07, 2005
Location: Pacific Northwest
Posts: 2,192
|
|
try used, if macro is what you want. I have an old Nikon Coolpix 990. These shots are edited for size, but these were shot with it's macro capability:
You can get these on ebay for under $200 sometimes. =) It's old but it one hell of a workhorse!
__________________
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
- artisan lampwork beads, jewelry, and a little bit of rock n' roll.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Be kind to one another. The world needs it more than ever.
|
2005-12-27, 7:48am
|
 |
Senior Member
|
|
Join Date: Nov 27, 2005
Location: Maryland
Posts: 472
|
|
Three web sites for reviews of digital cameras:
1- This one in particular is very highly recommended: http://www.dpreview.com
2- Steve's Best Cameras (ratings are always changing as new models are introduced): http://www.steves-digicams.com/best_cameras.html
3- Digital Camera Resource Page - http://www.dcresource.com
Also I have heard people advised not to knock their budget on end trying to get the maximum number of mega-pixels. Beyond 6 or so it's only the pros that are blowing the images up to billboard size that care.
Be aware that (unless you are a technical genius) you will spend just as much time mastering Photoshop as you will mastering your camera. I have an old Nikon Coolpix 8700 which I adore and this is from a person who has about a gajillion dollars worth of wonderful Nikor lenses and Nikon SLR bodies in an old camera bag in the closet.
Don't forget: the most important accessory to buy for macro work is a good tripod.
JanMD
(for more see: http://www.sgb-midatlantic.org/how-t...aph Your Beads
|
2005-12-27, 7:50am
|
 |
ManBearPig
|
|
Join Date: Jun 28, 2005
Location: Roanoke, VA
Posts: 8,540
|
|
You don't need macro. You do need good optical zoom. Macro often gives bad depth of field. All my photos are taken about 9" or more away from the subject. The one thing you do want is a "manual" mode and a tripod. Okay, those are two things.
Lighting and using the correct exposure and f-stop are much more important than the camera itself. Some of the best photos I've seen come from a $99 1.3MP point and shoot camera.
__________________
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
•
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
•
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
•
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
|
2005-12-27, 12:54pm
|
|
Crunchy ol' Momma
|
|
Join Date: Dec 05, 2005
Location: New Port Richey, FL
Posts: 1,158
|
|
Thanks everyone for all the great advice! I do have Photoshop and I'm very proficient with using it, so that's a non-issue for me. (I'm a freelance graphic artist, so I use it and Illustrator all the time).
I love the photos that the Nikon Coolpix 990 captured for lunesse ... so I think I may have to hunt ebay for a good one, perhaps with the telephoto lens attachment?  I do have a camera tripod already, so my husband will be glad to see me using something else that's been sitting in a closet collecting dust.
Thanks again everyone ... and if anyone else has any suggestions, I'm still checking out this thread and hoping to get more great tips! 
|
2005-12-27, 2:51pm
|
|
Resident Luny
|
|
Join Date: Jun 07, 2005
Location: Pacific Northwest
Posts: 2,192
|
|
actually, it looks like I am going to sell one of my two (yep, two. don't ask!) I'd rather sell to a fellow artiste. =) PM me if you are interested at all and when the time comes (within a week) I'll talk to you about it first. =) I have the telephoto for it.
__________________
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
- artisan lampwork beads, jewelry, and a little bit of rock n' roll.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Be kind to one another. The world needs it more than ever.
|
2005-12-28, 6:53am
|
|
Senior Member
|
|
Join Date: Nov 27, 2005
Location: Maryland
Posts: 472
|
|
<<< I do have Photoshop and I'm very proficient with using it >>> Gasp!!! Golly, you ARE a genius. I am envious!
I have an irrational brand loyalty to Nikon, so I don't think you can go wrong with any of the Coolpixies, provided they have some manual control options.
JanMD
|
2005-12-28, 12:05pm
|
 |
Senior Member
|
|
Join Date: Jul 22, 2005
Location: Columbus, OH
Posts: 329
|
|
I have a Nikon Coolpix as well, the 4500. 4.0mp. I use it with the macro setting, white balance adjusted and a tripod with a couple of items from Tabletop Studios, and I'm really happy with the results. My daughter just got a Coolpix L1 (around 6mp) for Christmas, and I'm contemplating selling my 4500 to purchase that camera, I just have to make sure it has all of the features I need. The L1 brand new, is about $300. I'm looking at the 7600 as well, around $300.
If you are interested in my Coolpix4500, pm me! I've attached a couple of recents photos - for an inexpensive camera, I don't think they are bad!!
  
__________________
[
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
|
2005-12-29, 10:54am
|
|
Crunchy ol' Momma
|
|
Join Date: Dec 05, 2005
Location: New Port Richey, FL
Posts: 1,158
|
|
Thanks everyone for all the tips and suggestions! When I was explaining to my mom what I was going to do, she offered to let me use her camera for a while until I could afford one of my own (Christmas left me broke).  She's got some sort of Kodak that has 10x zoom, and I don't know if it has macro settings or not, but I'm sure I'll find out once I start playing with it.
Thanks again everyone!! 
|
2005-12-29, 11:10am
|
 |
NW Oregon
|
|
Join Date: Aug 31, 2005
Location: NW Oregon
Posts: 940
|
|
Whatever you get, do make sure you can get really close-up pictures. I had to hire a photographer to take a picture of a bead I entered in the Bead Review 2005. Without that photographer, I could not get a picture that was 900 pixels at the narrowest part of the bead. [I'm happy to say that my bead was accepted and will be in the Review!] I, however, did not like being at the mercy of a photographer and do not plan to let that happen again. I am in the market for a camera! Do save your money and do read camera reviews and do talk to people on this website. Don't get a camera until you get one that does exactly what you need.
__________________
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Jennifer
Highland Beads
|
2005-12-29, 10:46pm
|
 |
Glass-A-Holic ^..^
|
|
Join Date: Dec 23, 2005
Location: Southern CA
Posts: 746
|
|
Hi Burntfingers,
I thought I would let you know about a Nikon Coolpix 2100. It was about $350.00 two years ago, so the price might have come down by now. I had a friend who is studying to be a photographer recommend it for my need of small detailed pictures for jewelry on the internet at the time, which never happened. But I still love my camera! it is very easy to figure out and hopefully if I can post a picture I can show you how nice they look.
It is actually much clearer, but I have yet to learn about resizing for the computer!
Alaina
|
2005-12-30, 12:21pm
|
 |
one day at a time
|
|
Join Date: Jun 27, 2005
Location: We are MOVING!!!
Posts: 8,319
|
|
Nikon Coolpix 4300, and I've had mine for about 2 1/2 years now. I paid $400, so it's probably a bit cheaper now. You really don't need any more than 3-4 megapixels for shooting pictures of beads IMHO.
Plus, a very good photo editing software is essential, like Paintshop Pro 8 or Photoshop Elements 2 (I have this one). I'm definitely not a pro with a camera of any kind and I need all the help I can get, lol!
|
2005-12-31, 8:04am
|
 |
Senior Member
|
|
Join Date: Aug 29, 2005
Location: Orlando Florida
Posts: 1,208
|
|
After a LOT of research this is the camera I got myself yesterday.
PANASONIC LUMIX DMC-FZ5 DIGITAL CAMERA
Here is the link that helped my decide which camera to buy. Pretty damn cool. You plug in your needs and it spits out 5 cameras to choose from.
http://www.myproductadvisor.com/mpa/...2347a371e0f1c9
I also got the small photo studio that everyone has been raving about. The one that has the flat panel illumination.
I made my last photo studio and used a cheap decent digital camera. I haven't setup the new photo studio yet. Still waiting for dh to finish building my lapworking studio...if that ever happens.
__________________
Julie Els (aka Evie)
Now where'd that damn rod go? I JUST had it!
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Need custom made price tags? Check out my friend
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
! Mention my name.
I LOVE these cards, plus they make life a little easier when getting ready for shows!
|
2005-12-31, 8:12am
|
 |
Certified Glassaholic!
|
|
Join Date: Jun 17, 2005
Location: In my own little world.....
Posts: 1,792
|
|
I have a Canon SD110 (I think this model is discontinued but there are similar ones to replace it!). At the time we got it I think it was about $200. We also use it as our everyday digital camera
I use a tripod and a home built light box to take beady pics.
This is an example of a pic taken with the camera....cropped down and resized....
-Yee
__________________
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
|
|
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
|
|
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
All times are GMT -7. The time now is 2:18am.
|
