Digital cameras and model RR photography.

[ginzokid]

Help! I am tired of waiting until I have a 12 , 24 or 36 frame roll of film finished to develop it just to get some pictures to post here. I have been considering a digital, but I find them hard to learn and very limiting in scope. Realize that in my RR photos when I get serious I use a Cannon AE1 with a large assortment of lenses, close-up and wide angle for model photos and others for 1:1 stuff. I am familiar with the lighting needed for these lenses and very happy with the results. But the wait time is killing me with the desire to post here on the internet. I have been considering the new Cannon digital with the interchangeable lenses. I looked at and tried a Kodak 2.5mp 3X zoom and hated it. Could not get close enough to my subject to give a good composition. I do not want to scrap my SLR, but is the new Cannon a good solution or is there something I have not seen or should know about with the digitals before I buy. HELP!!!!!!!!!!! Pete in the dark(room) 🙂

[trmwf]

Pete, Sorry, I can't really help you as I know little about photography and less about cameras. I do have an Olympus digital (one of the earlier ones) that has a zoom lense. It also has Macro capabilities that I like a lot. You are the only one who can decide about giving up your old reliable Canon. Let me ask you this, when you tried the Kodak digital what did you not like about it? How long did they let you try it, just a couple of pictures? I will tell you this little story and maybe it will help. My wife just got back last night from a week long trip visiting our grandkids in St.Louis and Texas. She took the camera (and she is a worse photographer then I am) and all three of our memory cards which hold a total of about 120 photos. After a kiss and a hug when she walked in the door, I grabbed the camera and in less then 5 minutes I was looking at the pictures on my Sony 19" flat screne computor. She only managed to mess up one ( too much light in the back ground) I had a 35mm a few years ago with several lenses and I wouldn't trade my digital for two of them. And I really liked the 35mm (it was stolen when our house was broken in to). Again, this is just my opinion as it suits my NEEDS very well. Happy dwelling ol' buddy. Mike

[g-pa1]

Pete, I do a lot of photography and lately mostly digital. The bad news is your lenses are manual and will not work with the digital rebel (If that is what you are referring to). I went whole hog and got a digital Canon D30 when they first came out. There are a lot of cameras since with many more megapixels but I find 3.2 works for me( I regularly blow up to 8X10 and have won several awards from the local Museum) and takes all of my previous Canon lenses to boot.If you are familiar with using closeup or macro lenses you may want to buy a digital rebel with a good wide angle lens and maybe a teleconverter lens.Depending on how close you want to get to the layout.You can always shoot in automatic mode. Some point and shooters may suffice as well as you can get wide angle auxiliary lenses to go over the fixed lens. If you are going for the 4X6 size pictures 2-3 megapixels would suffice. Boy now I think I feel like you do when someone asks for advice. I guess I need more information as to the kind of pictures you are looking to capture and what you will be doing with them. ie posting to the internet or submitting to Model Railroader. This is only the tip of the iceberg. Gene

[janesew]

Pete, I typed up an answer but after reading Gene's post I deleted it. Nothing I can add will match his knowledge on this subject. It's not as complicated as you think Pete... talk it over more with Gene and then GO FOR IT and have fun with your new toy!! (and nobody said you had to get rid of your SLR... though I don't use my Pentax ME very much anymore and I get free film from my brother) Fred

[ginzokid]

To aide you all in helping me: Pictures would be of N scale and On30 models. The N are very small of course and need to be taken up close with a good depth of field and fine focus ability. These shots are for posting on the internet for you guys and maybe some prints for my friends. I also want to be able to shoot entire scenes of trains in their settings. None of this is for magazine publication. I can achieve what I want with the SLR and all my combinations of lenses. I realize that the present lenses will not work with digitals. I could not focus the Kodak digital, or center the subject properly, or get the right exposure or get a good depth of field. The flash overpowered some subjects, especially in close up when I really wanted to see the details of my work. Down loading to the computer was a pain and I couldn't seem to get the pictures to blow up full size on the screen. The whole process was very disappointing to me. This is why I was wondering if the Cannon digital is closer to the SLR in functions so I can look through the view finder to set my shot up and not try to work with a screen. There is probably more you need to know Gene, but does this help you advise me? Pete

[trmwf]

Pete, I wasn't aware that some digital cameras had only a screen to "aim" thru. My Olympus has both a screen and a view finder. I never take pictures by using the screen as, like you say, it is hard to focusm center, etc. I use my screen strictly for looking at the pictures to see if they a possible keepers or need to be delelted right then. As far as uploading goes that is probably in the computor although I am a long way from a whiz on the dadburn thing like some of our younger associates here are. Mine is very simple with the equipment that I have. I have an Epson CX6400 printer ($250.00) that basically does it all for me. I stick in the memory card in the slot on the printer. My computor lights up and asks me if I want to send the pics to a file or a program to work with them or see a slideshow just the way they are. I usually go with the slide show firstto select the ones I want to file and just delete the rest. I feel like an Epson salesman or starting a whole nother subject matter but the printer will also just print you a set of thumbnails for you to study and select which photos you want printed and/or deleted. Do you have anything like a Circuit City on that island or a store where you can go in and try and compare a bunch of different cameras with someone that knows what they are talking about? Mike

[g-pa1]

Pete, It sounds like you are familiar with your slr and you would also be able to handle a digital slr. Your experiences with framing through the viewfinder would be the same and much of what you already learned would be the same.If I were you I would go to a camera store and check out the Canon digital rebel. You would need a wide angle lens and a macro lens or a way to get close up and wide angle. 1:1 lifesize would require the macro lens or bellows or a Canon close up screw in lens for the front of your normal lens. You should also check out some of the point and shoot cameras especially the kind that have a swiveling screen on the back(similar to some of the camcorders) so you can swivel the screen and not have to get down and look through the viewfinder. The computer is something that you should look at also as pictures tend to need plenty of space and speed or you will grow very impatient. Yes many new printers have a card slot that make things easier and you won't belive the prints that come out of them! The only way to pick out a camera is to test drive them in the store with a knowledgeable sales person. Pick up a copy of PC Photo Magazine and or go on line to pcphotomag.com There is a lot of good info there. Hope this helps. Keep the questions coming. If you need to email me gdobbins@twcny.rr.com Gene

[ginzokid]

Mike, Maybe it was me but, darned if I could see through what was supposed to pass for a viewfinder. Are those "through the lens" like an SLR? I'm really stupid on confusers too. I couldn't get the program to open the pictures other than thumbnails. We have Staples Office supply where Iwent and got no help even though I bought the camera there. I'll go to a real camera store next time and pay the big bucks just to get the help. Pete

[janesew]

Yes, go to a "real" camera store. They'll give you the full dog and pony show and nothing says that you have to buy the camera there but you may find that the service is worth the few extra bucks you may have to spend. You could then look for the recommended camera on ebay ( 🙂 ) Also the staff at Staples know a lot about... well... staples!... and pen sets and 3 ring binders... but not a lot about the camera you have described. If you're really into taking some good digital pics you may think about the community-college-once-a-week-for-8-weeks-for-$30 courses. I think Gene has given great advice. Fred - passing some time waiting for the inlaws to arrive. Actually I should get to the basement and run the Roco rail cleaner over the tracks for the usual demonstration that's coming!

[ginzokid]

What's a community college? You forget where I am. As soon as I get the sheckles together I'll go in for some serious digital hunting. I just hate the long learning time for all this supposed easy computer stuff. Remember, I have an analog mind. I never even mastered Pac-Man. Seriously. Pete

[g-pa1]

I agree with you Pete, these computers have got to get a lot smarter if they expect to work with people!! Remember like Fred said you can pick the brains of the camera store people and it does not cost a dime. I would also suggest that you go several times to the camera store before you buy. Things change regularly. If you do find a camera you can live with and does what you want probably you can get it on ebay cheaper but being so removed from the main stream, as it were, you may need the advice of the friendly camera store people.You may not have a community college or community camera group near you ( but I bet you do) however you can do a google search for online introduction to Digital camera courses or seminars.Many of which will be free or close to it.Here are two such http://www.agfanet.com/en/cafe/digitalcameras/ http://www.digital-camera-review.us/introduction.html Gene

[trmwf]

Did you try right clicking on one of the thumbnails then left clicking on open or preview?? Mike

[ginzokid]

Mike, No one ever told me about right clicking anything. How do you guys learn this stuff? I have buttons and keys and slots and holes and symbols all over this new lap top and don't know what they are for, do or control. There are no manuals to tell me what the keys stand for. And what are those little blue symbols that I don't understand on the keys in some places? I'm just talking about my confuser, not the camera which I don't have any more. And very seriously, the key that has I/O on it to turn the unit on and off; which word starts with "I" and in what language? Shouldn't the key be O/O? Gene, I'll check into those sites. Thanx. Pete

[untabubba]

Don't you just HATE that I/O bidniz?!? I think that's the "universal" on/off symbol, like the red circle with the slash through it? When I encounter the I/O all I can do is push the button until I obtain the desired result! :-) Pete, You gotta get into right clicking!! Just try it sometimes. You can't really bung anything up if you take your time. If you get "scared" just move the mouse OFF the pop-up box and LEFT click to make it "go away'! The right button affords numerous short cuts, like "saving", "opening","cutting and pasting", etc. I learned about it out of SHEER CURIOSITY! I figured they put the little booger there for SOME reason, let's see what it does! "Try it, you'll like it!" (remember THAT one?) Marc

[trmwf]

Pete, Let us know if it works or doesn't and we'll (somebody) will help you through it. I by no means am anything close to a computor pro but it sounds like some of our younger pups are real close. I do know you can just about try anything you want without screwing it up. I tmay not work but it won't hurt anything. Mike