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Opinions needed on Purchase of new digital camera to photograph tubes.

68.226.88.181
Posted on July 17, 2010 at 06:22:24
wpod
Audiophile

Posts: 743
Location: Providence, R.I.
Joined: July 10, 2001

Greetings- I need to start "cleaning house", so I need to sell a bunch of tubes on eBay. I'm looking for a low price (under $300.00 or so) digital camera that has good Macro capabities as my current digital(Fuji S5000?) has a hard time getting good pics of the plate structure of a tube. As I am familiar with the workings of a Fuji, I was considering a Fuji-S1800 (under $200.00), but when I read a particular review of this Fuji, they recommended purchasing a Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FZ35 (about $300.00)instead,as it is a far superior camera. Any advise on either of these two cameras or another model that has good Macro?? Thanks for the help. regards, Paul

 

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RE: Opinions needed on Purchase of new digital camera to photograph tubes., posted on July 17, 2010 at 07:04:39
Awe-d-o-file
Dealer

Posts: 21037
Location: 50 miles west of DC
Joined: January 10, 2004
 I just ordered the 1800 from Amazon for $175. I ordered it because it has a good optical zoom (18) a viewfinder besides the video screen (which can be turned off to save batteries) and it runs on four batteries. Two battery cameras are battery eaters. I will let you know how it does on close ups/macro after I receive it next week. Thanks for bringing it to my attention as we were looking for a new camera before vacation next month.



ET



ET

"If at first you don't succeed, keep on sucking till you do suck seed" - Curly Howard 1936

 

I don't know a lot about cameras so..., posted on July 17, 2010 at 07:15:31
Bigromano
Audiophile

Posts: 935
Location: Manitoba
Joined: April 6, 2005
 I usually check sites like this one:

http://www.digicamera.com/features/sub-$300-cameras/index.html

or do a general search for "Best digital cameras under $...

 

RE: My Canon A630 does good macros, posted on July 17, 2010 at 08:25:04
amioutaline?
 Don't know if 630 is the current model # but it's right around $300. Here are some macros











 

RE: Opinions needed on Purchase of new digital camera to photograph tubes., posted on July 17, 2010 at 17:00:28
Daveslater
Audiophile

Posts: 1046
Location: UK
Joined: June 11, 2003
 I would go for a Panasonic.Just got 2 of these for my wife and myself. Quality is excellent, zoom and macro very good and intelligent auto mode just works. Wife's is nearest to hand and is DMC-ZX1 mine is slightly different 10x zoom rather than 8 x and better macro but slightly bigger physically. Cost me £150 for mine and £200 for wife's.
Dave

 

your camera might be OK if you try a different technique..., posted on July 17, 2010 at 17:40:39
rtbarr
Audiophile

Posts: 645
Joined: July 15, 2001
 Most current digital cameras are 10-12 megapixels. One or two megapixels are more than adequate for internet pictures or emailed pics.

Good lighting and freedom from vibration are key for good pictures. Using the macro setting is on the right track. Buy a small tripod. I have one that cost about $10 and looks like a small three legged octopus. A nice dark blue towel makes a good background. Good lighting is a must as you want to take pictures with the flash turned off. My wife has a portable compact fluorescent light for sewing and a bulb that supposedly imitates natural sunlight spectra.

With the camera on your tripod and the tubes framed in the viewfinder use the timer feature to take pictures without your heavy finger shaking the camera.

Experiment with different angles of light etc. Two lights are better than one. Professional macro photographers use a flash that is shaped like a ring about three inches in diameter. Later this year I am hoping to take pictures of a coin collection I will be selling using similar techniques.

RT Barr



 

RE: your camera might be OK if you try a different technique..., posted on July 18, 2010 at 05:53:51
wpod
Audiophile

Posts: 743
Location: Providence, R.I.
Joined: July 10, 2001
 You are exactly right, thank you, and I should know this already as I've been an "amateur" photographer since I was 16 or so (still have my first Nikkormat). Sometimes I just get ahead of myself , usually due to a lack of time, and don't concentrate on the problem at hand. My other problem is that I never (until recently) took digital photography serious, but I now realize that the medium has great potential. Eventually, (when I can afford it) I'll buy a digital Nikon body (D 90?) so that I can utilize a number of lenses that I've acquired over the years. But for now, I just need to slow down and set up correctly, and provide the correct lighting for each shot. Thanks again, Paul

 

Thanks for all of your suggestions, I bought the...., posted on July 21, 2010 at 09:53:44
wpod
Audiophile

Posts: 743
Location: Providence, R.I.
Joined: July 10, 2001
 Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FZ35 for $310.00 at J&R music world in NYC (should be here today). I'm going to try it for a week or two and if I can't get the Macro results that I'm looking for, return it and trade up to one of the less expensive Nikon DSLR bodies (D5000?) and go from there.Thanks again, regards, Paul

 

My Opinions on Purchase of new digital camera to photograph tubes., posted on January 20, 2011 at 13:49:31
Æ


 
I'm a long time FUJI fan too. I had the S5100 (I gave it away to a friend) and currently have/use the S9100.
I have seen picture close ups/macros from the Panasonic LUMIX and I was very impressed with them, better than the S5000/S5100.
Anyway there are all kinds of reviews out there.

 

RE: Opinions needed on Purchase of new digital camera to photograph tubes., posted on April 23, 2012 at 12:48:54
pictureguy
Audiophile

Posts: 22597
Location: SoCal
Joined: October 19, 2008
 You'll be well served by getting a GOOD TRIPOD. You could also make what is called a softbox to photograph reflective objects without all the distracting reflections.
Too much is never enough

 

RE: Opinions needed on Purchase of new digital camera to photograph tubes., posted on April 25, 2012 at 07:48:03
Grinnell
Audiophile

Posts: 733
Location: Front Range
Joined: December 23, 2007
 A couple of the Lumix camera shoot RAW format. If you want to have the most control shoot RAW and edit in Adobe Lightroom. If you have a student in the home you can get LR3 for about $80. Easy to use editing software.

 

RE: Opinions needed on Purchase of new digital camera to photograph tubes., posted on April 30, 2012 at 00:23:02
pictureguy
Audiophile

Posts: 22597
Location: SoCal
Joined: October 19, 2008
 RAW is nice, but can have a steep learning curve.
Does Photoshop Elements have a raw convertor?
I shoot RAW/JPG simultaniously and while it burns memory, also lets me compare images easily. I also have a 'batch conversion' set up in Photoshop.

But, no matter which system you settle on (Workflow, in photo terms) you should work on getting a calibration system for your monitor.
I use an inexpensive HUEY system and Gutenprint drivers for my Epson printer. My printer output is nearly an exact match for what I see on the screen.....And Do Not forget that the screen is an RGB system and that printers are CMYK, so matching can sometimes be a pain.
Too much is never enough

 

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