Camera Recommendation

[RJD31 0]

My experience level is limited concerning cameras and photography. I basically utilize an old Fujifilm 5.2 MP that has a macro setting on a rare occasion. However, the picture quality has always been questionable. This may be the consequence of my lack of skill rather than the fault of the camera. It seems from other people's posts that this type of setup should be sufficient for my needs (i.e., taking pictures of fly fishing flies and bamboo fly rods for online postings). If I decide to go the route of a new camera, any recommendations (e.g., brand, how many MPs) to narrow the search for around $100 would be appreciated?

 

Ron

[Peterjay 0]

Ron, the major camera manufacturers are all making really nice pocket digital cameras these days that should fit into your price range. Everybody has their favorite brand/model, but there's not really a whole lot of difference in $100 cameras. As long as a camera has all the features you require, (and just about all of them do) you should be fine, as long as you stick to a reputable brand. I'd recommend Canon or Nikon, but there are many others. Whatever you do, don't waste your time worrying about pixel count. Unless you're planning on making 24X36 prints for the Museum of Modern Art, anything you buy is going to give you all the resolution you need. Camera manufacturers use pixel count as a marketing tool - in the real world, it's not really much of an issue any more. If you're having trouble making decent images, the best advice I can give you is to go down to Walmart and spend an extra $20 on a cheap monopod, or better yet, spend a little more and pick up a tripod. Some kind of camera support will make all the difference in the world. Hope this helps.

[ironmachin 0]

I second everything Peterjay said; especially the megapixel stuff. In addition to the tripod, you can also use the camera's timer or a remote to take the shot. This can help get a clearer image since you won't inadvertently shake the camera while pushing the button.

[RJD31 0]

Thanks for the help. I found a tripod and the camera's instructions. If the MPs doesn't matter, it makes more sense to experiment with the existing camera. In addition, I made a light box like the one detailed in the following link.

 

http://www.pbase.com/wlhuber/light_box_light_tent

[Peterjay 0]

Thanks for the help. I found a tripod and the camera's instructions. If the MPs doesn't matter, it makes more sense to experiment with the existing camera.

 

Now you're talking like a real photographer.

 

BTW - I've made several 11X14 exhibition-quality prints from images I captured with a 5.1 MP Nikon Coolpix, and not one person has ever noticed a dropoff in quality. For doing online stuff, you might find that your current camera is all you need, at least for the time being.

[Kirk Dietrich 0]

...BTW - I've made several 11X14 exhibition-quality prints from images I captured with a 5.1 MP Nikon Coolpix, and not one person has ever noticed a dropoff in quality. For doing online stuff, you might find that your current camera is all you need, at least for the time being.

 

PJ, the first digital camera I had was a Nikon Coolpix 3100 a whopping 3 megapixels. I too made some 11x14 enlargements and there was no noticeable pixelazation. Even if there was, I'd just call it "grain" and say I did it on purpose and my stock as an artist would rise.

 

Good advice. Look forward to some pics RJ.

 

Kirk

[Piker20 0]

Even if there was, I'd just call it "grain" and say I did it on purpose and my stock as an artist would rise.

Kirk

 

I heard that was how Cubism started.

[Kirk Dietrich 0]

Even if there was, I'd just call it "grain" and say I did it on purpose and my stock as an artist would rise.

Kirk

 

I heard that was how Cubism started.

 

Yeah, probably some artist drunk and on Absinthe one night decided to do a painting and when he woke up in the morning saw the distorted warped painting and realized that the sugar cube knocked him for a loop the night before so called his painting sugar cube but that didn't sound catchy enough besides, it was already taken. So, he had another drink and it came to him to drop the sugar and add an ism to the cube. All the resident Bohemians being able to relate to the sugar cube thought it was genius and had to have one.

 

Man, so much stuff gets started like that it ain't funny!

 

Kirk

[Peterjay 0]

Even if there was, I'd just call it "grain" and say I did it on purpose and my stock as an artist would rise.

Kirk

 

I heard that was how Cubism started.

 

Yeah, probably some artist drunk and on Absinthe one night decided to do a painting and when he woke up in the morning saw the distorted warped painting and realized that the sugar cube knocked him for a loop the night before so called his painting sugar cube but that didn't sound catchy enough besides, it was already taken. So, he had another drink and it came to him to drop the sugar and add an ism to the cube. All the resident Bohemians being able to relate to the sugar cube thought it was genius and had to have one.

 

Man, so much stuff gets started like that it ain't funny!

 

Kirk

 

 

 

Ya know, I've always suspected that Jackson Pollock got the inspiration for his "drip" paintings by carrying leaky buckets of automobile enamel in and out of his barn while in the grip of drunken stupors. One hung-over morning, he happened to look down at the floor, and at that very moment, the room was illuminated, strains of the Hallelujah Chorus echoed throughout the barn, and the art world was changed forever. Hey, it could have happened.

[Piker20 0]

Hate to think what started Damian Hirst and his formaldehyde animals

[Peterjay 0]

Hate to think what started Damian Hirst and his formaldehyde animals

 

He worked his way through university as an embalmer at the Royal and Ancient Funerary Emporium in London, and thus lost the ability to work without a high formaldehyde level in his bloodstream.