On Friday, December 7, 2012 12:57:35 AM UTC-8, Erik wrote:
In article

,
jon_banquer wrote:

Main purpose for camera will be to take pictures of machinists tools
and storage boxes that I have for sale.

A Tripod. Doesn't need to be fancy/expensive... [and use self-timer]

Bingo! The use of a tripod will get best results (some of the better cameras
have 'image stabilization', but tripods are still the best you can do).

On still photography, don't worry about 18x zooms; just position the
camera to frame the shot, and don't be afraid to crop afterward.
A cheapo with no zoom, or 3x zoom, will work for this application.

In article ,
whit3rd wrote:

On Friday, December 7, 2012 12:57:35 AM UTC-8, Erik wrote:
In article

,
jon_banquer wrote:

Main purpose for camera will be to take pictures of machinists tools
and storage boxes that I have for sale.

A Tripod. Doesn't need to be fancy/expensive... [and use self-timer]

Bingo! The use of a tripod will get best results (some of the better cameras
have 'image stabilization', but tripods are still the best you can do).

On still photography, don't worry about 18x zooms; just position the
camera to frame the shot, and don't be afraid to crop afterward.
A cheapo with no zoom, or 3x zoom, will work for this application.

Yes indeed!

Far as tripods go, you don't even have to have an actual tripod... just
anything that'll (safely) hold the camera still, and allow you to
position it for the shot. You can even use your imagination & cobble up
something... camera tripod sockets are 1/4-20. Go easy on the torque,
especially if said socket is plastic.

Erik

On 12/8/2012 3:04 PM, whit3rd wrote:
On Friday, December 7, 2012 12:57:35 AM UTC-8, Erik wrote:
In article

,
wrote:

Main purpose for camera will be to take pictures of machinists tools
and storage boxes that I have for sale.

A Tripod. Doesn't need to be fancy/expensive... [and use self-timer]

Bingo! The use of a tripod will get best results (some of the better cameras
have 'image stabilization', but tripods are still the best you can do).

On still photography, don't worry about 18x zooms; just position the
camera to frame the shot, and don't be afraid to crop afterward.
A cheapo with no zoom, or 3x zoom, will work for this application.


Beyond zoom, most of the modern camera can "crop" in the view finder.
On my Fuji it's called "enlarging" or "instant zoom" with options at
1.4x and 2x (shows a framing rectangle in the viewfinder).
The results can be stunning.

Jon, I shoot at a higher resolution than I need and post process.
I used to try to conserve memory by shooting at the resolution I
thought would be ok. But too many times I've wanted to crop a frame
and found the resulting pixelization ruined what I had.

A good tripod is very handy.

So are fill lights, reflectors, and a piece of Kleenex over the strobe
for those ultra close ups. But all that will come when the time
is right.

Enjoy. This is fun stuff.



Richard

On 12/8/2012 4:38 PM, Erik wrote:
In ,
wrote:

On Friday, December 7, 2012 12:57:35 AM UTC-8, Erik wrote:
In article

,
wrote:

Main purpose for camera will be to take pictures of machinists tools
and storage boxes that I have for sale.

A Tripod. Doesn't need to be fancy/expensive... [and use self-timer]

Bingo! The use of a tripod will get best results (some of the better cameras
have 'image stabilization', but tripods are still the best you can do).

On still photography, don't worry about 18x zooms; just position the
camera to frame the shot, and don't be afraid to crop afterward.
A cheapo with no zoom, or 3x zoom, will work for this application.

Yes indeed!

Far as tripods go, you don't even have to have an actual tripod... just
anything that'll (safely) hold the camera still, and allow you to
position it for the shot. You can even use your imagination& cobble up
something... camera tripod sockets are 1/4-20. Go easy on the torque,
especially if said socket is plastic.

Erik


Like leaning against a door frame or wall...

"Richard" wrote in message
...
Like leaning against a door frame or wall...

I could sometimes get an unblurred picture at 1/15 Second by holding
the camera upside down against my forehead.
jsw

On Dec 8, 8:46*pm, Richard wrote:
On 12/8/2012 3:04 PM, whit3rd wrote:









On Friday, December 7, 2012 12:57:35 AM UTC-8, Erik wrote:
In article

,
* *wrote:

Main purpose for camera will be to take pictures of machinists tools
and storage boxes that I have for sale.

A Tripod. Doesn't need to be fancy/expensive... [and use self-timer]

Bingo! *The use of a tripod will get best results (some of the better cameras
have 'image stabilization', but tripods are still the best you can do).

On still photography, don't worry about 18x zooms; just position the
camera to frame the shot, and don't be afraid to crop afterward.
A cheapo with no zoom, or 3x zoom, will work for this application.

Beyond zoom, most of the modern camera can "crop" in the view finder.
On my Fuji it's called "enlarging" or "instant zoom" with options at
1.4x and 2x (shows a framing rectangle in the viewfinder).
The results can be stunning.

Jon, I shoot at a higher resolution than I need and post process.
I used to try to conserve memory by shooting at the resolution I
thought would be ok. But too many times I've wanted to crop a frame
and found the resulting pixelization ruined what I had.

A good tripod is very handy.

So are fill lights, reflectors, and a piece of Kleenex over the strobe
for those ultra close ups. *But all that will come when the time
is right.

Enjoy. *This is fun stuff.

Richard

Richard, I'm definitely getting a tripod. Thanks for the tip on
shooting at higher resolution.

On Sun, 9 Dec 2012 08:35:42 -0500, the renowned "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:

"Richard" wrote in message
...
Like leaning against a door frame or wall...

I could sometimes get an unblurred picture at 1/15 Second by holding
the camera upside down against my forehead.
jsw


If you want to splurge on tripods and ball heads that will outlast
several digital cameras, these guys have the 'right stuff':

http://reallyrightstuff.com/WebsiteInfo.aspx?fc=44

Made in USA (San Luis Obispo), sold all over the globe and very, very
nice (silky-smooth ball head action, beautiful finish etc.)

(FWIW, there was a controversy in '08 regarding the owner's personal
political contributions to oppose same-sex marriage Prop 8, which I
guess might be considered a plus or a minus)


Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany
--
"it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward"
Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com

"Spehro Pefhany" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 9 Dec 2012 08:35:42 -0500, the renowned "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:

I could sometimes get an unblurred picture at 1/15 Second by holding
the camera upside down against my forehead.
jsw

If you want to splurge on tripods and ball heads that will outlast
several digital cameras, these guys have the 'right stuff':
http://reallyrightstuff.com/WebsiteInfo.aspx?fc=44

Nice if you can travel that well-equipped.

My photographic duties included taking pix of suspected tangos without
appearing to have a camera. To do that I learned to estimate exposure
setting and distance by eye and a few memorized rules, which turned
out to be very useful in other settings such as publicity shots where
I could tell where the light was good enough to ask the actor to spare
a minute, and industrial photography.

The very knowledgeable German photo shop owner who supplied and
advised me was later uncovered as a Soviet spy.