LSP_Kevin Posted October 21, 2015 Author Share Posted October 21, 2015 Thanks, Dave. My camera is an old Fuji bridge model, with limited resolution (6MP from memory) and no shutter release jack. We have a suite of Canon DSLR cameras at work that get turned over every 3 years, and I was led to believe some of them were up this year, but so far nothing. I'll just have to be patient. I could really use some extra megapixels for close-up work, though! Kev dpastern 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpastern Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 Thanks, Dave. My camera is an old Fuji bridge model, with limited resolution (6MP from memory) and no shutter release jack. We have a suite of Canon DSLR cameras at work that get turned over every 3 years, and I was led to believe some of them were up this year, but so far nothing. I'll just have to be patient. I could really use some extra megapixels for close-up work, though! Kev Kev - 6 mp is more than enough. Most digital compact/bridge cameras "macro" modes are not true macro. True macro is 1:1 (Iife size) or smaller. Specialist lenses are used for true macro. That said, unless you're taking images of tiny PE parts, you're not going to be using true macro with WIP images! The extra megapixels argument is really the result of a pi**ing contest by manufacturers imho, and unfortunately, people are suckered into it. More important things like noise should be looked at (and are by manufacturers!). Large megapixel cameras are of only real use to those who either pixel peep, or employ large print blowups (24 x 36" and larger). Trust me, many working pros happily worked with Canon's original EOS1D 4mp camera without qualms! For example, consider this crop from a 4mp file taken with my old 1D camera: only 4 mp, and a crop, but still plenty of detail there. This lil fella was not that large - his face was probably a cm or so in height. I still rue selling this camera - I've never been happy with the picture quality from the eos 1D Mark IIn or 60D, despite having more mp... macro is a Black art! Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted October 22, 2015 Author Share Posted October 22, 2015 Thanks, Dave. The more megapixels thing is really about making my work more suitable for print. Take the close-up of the exhaust stack I took - after cropping the initial image, there are simply not enough pixels left to make that image print-worthy at 600 DPI. It looks fine at 800px wide and 72 DPI on a screen, but would either be so small on a printed page that you really couldn't see the subject clearly, or be so pixelated that it would look terrible. And having to have the camera so close to a small object means that some of the light is getting blocked from the subject. If I could pull further back, I'd get a better picture, and then simply zoom in using software and crop to suit. Having said all that, I think my results are OK, and not in serious need of rehabilitation. But we all want more and better, right? Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpastern Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 Thanks, Dave. The more megapixels thing is really about making my work more suitable for print. Take the close-up of the exhaust stack I took - after cropping the initial image, there are simply not enough pixels left to make that image print-worthy at 600 DPI. It looks fine at 800px wide and 72 DPI on a screen, but would either be so small on a printed page that you really couldn't see the subject clearly, or be so pixelated that it would look terrible. And having to have the camera so close to a small object means that some of the light is getting blocked from the subject. If I could pull further back, I'd get a better picture, and then simply zoom in using software and crop to suit. Having said all that, I think my results are OK, and not in serious need of rehabilitation. But we all want more and better, right? Kev imho, you don't need 600 DPI. That's overkill - 300 DPI is far more common in the industry AFAIK. But, I'll digress! PS you mean PPI on screen, *not* DPI. There's a lot of confusion between the terms DPI and PPI. Here's a nice article that sums it up! http://www.andrewdaceyphotography.com/articles/dpi/ For an A4 print (12" x 8"), @ 300 DPI, you'll want 3600 * 2400 pixels in the image, which is between a 8-9 megapixel camera. That's without upsizing in Photoshop etc. Even a low end Canon/Nikon/Sony/Pentax DSLR will give you that these days, and there's plenty on the 2nd hand market too! Yes, if you need larger than A4, higher res cameras are nice, that's if you print at 300 PPI. 200 PPI is perfectly acceptable for the human eye imho. People are being fed the same type of BS for money making purposes with 4K TVs and HD blu ray (4k)...even on larger TV screens (>= 55"), at normal viewing distances, the human eye can't detect a difference in quality between 4K blu ray and normal 1080p blu ray...audio is a different story (mp3 vs high bit rate 24/192 flacs, but that's another geeky story for another day!) Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted October 23, 2015 Author Share Posted October 23, 2015 Yeah, I know all that Dave - I have a degree in Multimedia, and am a web developer by trade. Technology is my stock-in-trade - for better or worse! I use DPI as shorthand to avoid confusion, since PPI is much less familiar. The photos of my Do 335 that I sent in to AIR Modeller were deemed just acceptable in terms of resolution and quality, but they were taken before I switched to shooting in RAW, and possibly suffered from some slight compression noise. I just don't think my camera is quite good enough for pro magazine work, but my skills could do with some work, too! I'm just waiting for one of the camera kits at work to become available, as I won't get better for cheaper anywhere else. Still, I think David at AIR Modeller came up with some pretty flattering results: I wish I had some more photos to post of this build, but sadly, no progress of late. Kev Ripaman, CANicoll, dpastern and 4 others 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpastern Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 Ah, my bad Kevin! I'll take my reply private so as to not clutter up the thread with anymore non modelling posts! Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeanKB Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 Kevin, Wow - just wow. That build of yours looks outstanding. I've not wanted to get that kit, but your results are pushing me towards it. Have you considered getting an older camera? A Canon 450D - I've always used Canon's - can be got for around £150 on EBay, and you get 12m megapixels, live view & a whole load of bells & whistles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted October 23, 2015 Author Share Posted October 23, 2015 Ah, my bad Kevin! I'll take my reply private so as to not clutter up the thread with anymore non modelling posts! Dave No worries, Dave. Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted October 23, 2015 Author Share Posted October 23, 2015 Kevin, Wow - just wow. That build of yours looks outstanding. I've not wanted to get that kit, but your results are pushing me towards it. Thanks, Dean. Your kind works are very much appreciated! Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Ray Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 C'mon, Kev, Ernie is catching up to you!!! For studio shots, I use a Canon D-5. Full 35mm frame CMOS gives outstandingly clear shots, and gives you better macro images, as you skip the first level of digital conversion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted October 31, 2015 Author Share Posted October 31, 2015 Thanks, Ray. Still hopeful for a new camera at some stage, but just being patient for the moment. The same can be said about my time at the workbench! No progress on this (or any other) build at the moment, but at least the website is moving forward again. Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scvrobeson Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 (edited) All this camera talk is very educational. If there's one area I really need to improve on besides my seam filling, it's my photography. I got a new digital, but it's just a little Sony. No big D-SLR for my first year teacher with student loan debt self. Really need to get Photoshop, then figure out how to use it. And invest in real lighting. And build a lighting tent. And get a tripod. And Kevin, I mentioned it to Ernie for his build, but have you looked at the Mastercaster exhausts and wheels? Will certainly help with the seams, but I'm not sure what you're allowed to add with this being a review build and everything. Matt Edited October 31, 2015 by scvrobeson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted October 31, 2015 Author Share Posted October 31, 2015 It all takes time and money, Matt - both of which are generally in short supply for many of us these days. I've managed to gather enough skills, experience, and equipment by now where I can post photos that aren't embarrassing, but I still feel I have a long way to go - especially on the skills, experience, and equipment fronts... Kev scvrobeson 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scvrobeson Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 It all takes time and money, Matt - both of which are generally in short supply for many of use these days. I've managed to gather enough skills, experience, and equipment by now where I can post photos that aren't embarrassing, but I still feel I have a long way to go - especially on the skills, experience, and equipment fronts... Kev Yeah, it all takes a lot of money. I've priced D-SLRs before, and it's crazy how expensive they can get. I really like your photos, they have improved a lot from when I joined this website. You adding that light tent really let us all see how good your work is Kev. That's what I like about LSP. It's a close enough community, that we can all see how each other improves over time. Much tougher with those giant model forums, this place is like a little family. Matt LSP_Kevin and dpastern 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Volture Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 R E S P E C T!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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