Which camera should I get?

Patrice · Oct 6, 2010

I think we are getting away from what the OP is after. Sure he did ask about dSLR and has done some digging in the secondhand market and has read reviews. However, his problem right now is with getting adequately exposed photos of his computer projects. I suggest that he very likely already has a camera capable of documenting his hardware build. What he needs to do is light it enough to get a properly exposed glare free photo. His flickr has images that show what he's trying to do. In my opinion he is nearly there.

So, JADAWGIS732, try this before you go spend a ton of money.

1. Beg, borrow or steal a couple of those halogen construction lights that carpenters use. They are very bright, way brighter than fluorescents.

2. Get yourself a big piece of white cardboard or foam board 3 feet by 2 feet or so.

3. Position the cardboard in such a way that the reflected light from the construction lights bounces back onto the project you want to photograph, be it a circuit board, an assembly or the inside of a computer case. (Don't get the lights too close to the cardboard, they get really hot!)

4. Turn the flash of your point and shoot off.

5. Hold the camera as square on to the project as you can. Holding the camera at an oblique angle to the project will introduce a lot od perspective errors.

6. Frame or zoom until you have the image you want on the lcd panel and take the exposure. The light are bright enough that you can still use low iso and a fast enough shutter speed to hand hold the camera. If you need a tripod then you'll be ableto make do with a pretty cheap one. Those little cameras are not heavy. Use delayed shutter feature if you do.

Should work for now.
Good luck.

jadawgis732 · Oct 6, 2010

Patrice said:
I think we are getting away from what the OP is after. Sure he did ask about dSLR and has done some digging in the secondhand market and has read reviews. However, his problem right now is with getting adequately exposed photos of his computer projects. I suggest that he very likely already has a camera capable of documenting his hardware build. What he needs to do is light it enough to get a properly exposed glare free photo. His flickr has images that show what he's trying to do. In my opinion he is nearly there.

So, JADAWGIS732, try this before you go spend a ton of money.

1. Beg, borrow or steal a couple of those halogen construction lights that carpenters use. They are very bright, way brighter than fluorescents.

2. Get yourself a big piece of white cardboard or foam board 3 feet by 2 feet or so.

3. Position the cardboard in such a way that the reflected light from the construction lights bounces back onto the project you want to photograph, be it a circuit board, an assembly or the inside of a computer case. (Don't get the lights too close to the cardboard, they get really hot!)

4. Turn the flash of your point and shoot off.

5. Hold the camera as square on to the project as you can. Holding the camera at an oblique angle to the project will introduce a lot od perspective errors.

6. Frame or zoom until you have the image you want on the lcd panel and take the exposure. The light are bright enough that you can still use low iso and a fast enough shutter speed to hand hold the camera. If you need a tripod then you'll be ableto make do with a pretty cheap one. Those little cameras are not heavy. Use delayed shutter feature if you do.

Should work for now.
Good luck.

Awesome. Thanks and I will try. I have white foam board 3x2 already and this tripod: Amazon.com: 53-Inch Camera Tripod with Bubble Level (Silver): Electronics which was very cheap but does work. Now all I need is a halogen light(s?). I will try and since a lot of people are saying what you said but not being specific I'm going to try it. Many people have said things like "light" and "whiteboard" and "point and shoot works fine it's you that sucks" but haven't done a step by step like that. If I can get the shots I want and not spend much extra money I'll do that. I will post an update when I get that part set up.; Again thanks so much for your help.

jadawgis732 · Oct 6, 2010

Okay I got this: Workforce WORKFORCE 1000 WATT TELESCOPING WORK LIGHT - 627-449 at The Home Depot and it worked wonders! One question I have about light which I feel stupid asking, but like a 33dB noise and a 30dB noise might be perceived as a doubling in loudness, does the same thing happen with light? I ask because the 1000W worklight (halogen) I got was $30 the 1200W and 1400W were $45 and $65, respectively. Why get a 1400W for $65 when two 1000W would be $60?

Anyway here is the hastily set up pseudo-studio:

and here are some of the resulting shots. I think I need to move this to a bigger room (and maybe get a second identical light). What do you guys think?

Also, now looking at a thread with okay shots,, I just checked metadata for this image: http://jcgee.smugmug.com/Misc/Computer/2010-Mar-Computer-38/826402223_ZuevS-L.jpg it was shot with a D90! I'm really happy I didn't go spend all that extra money!

Captn · Oct 7, 2010

If thinking of a college course a DSLR may be required. If not will probably give you the results you desire by making the exposure adjustments instead of what a P&S thinks you want.
Look for a used Nikon D40. They are a fantastic beginner DSLR camera. Check Adorama to see if they have any refurbished. Possibly a refurbished D3000. A refurbished D5000 runs $519 with the 18 - 55 VR kit lens. It is nearly impossible to tell which camera prints come from- my D5000 or D90.