The Energon Pub

Im currently looking into website design, and the only content I could find to make it worthwhile was to have photos of my collection. In order to do this I need a half decent camera.
So here's my question, what kind of camera would you recomend firstly (and foremostly) to photograph transformers, but also for general use?

The Nikon D50 was my choice. I have been able to take great photos.

The Cannon Digital Rebels are excellent too.

You did say affordable and I'm not sure how much money that means to you. You could easily spend thousands for a good camera.

The above two brands will be in the $500 to $1000 range depending on what you buy with them (lenses, etc).

If you want something in the below $500 range, the differences in photo quality will not be too great, so just go with the features you want. A high optical zoom is a good place to start for Transformers pictures.

Lighting and photo setup will be more important than the camera. I suggest getting a photo light tent and few good lights. I use compact flourescent "sunlight" bulbs in some basic desktop lamps to light photos (all availabl at Walmart like stores). The light tent diffuses the light. Here is are some photos of how I setup pics, along with a sample. With the right lighting you can produce crisp, quality photos no matter what the camera.










and a sample photo I used with that setup:

Also for closeup pictures you're going to want to make sure that the camera has a good macro function. Most point and shoot digital cameras have that built in.W

The D50 and Rebel are both great cameras as stated above. They are DSLR's which means that they have interchangeable lenses. You can buy separate zoom, wide angle, and macro lenses for them. They are more expensive and less convenient to carry around than the point and shoots, but they are more expandable.

Whichever you choose will work well for web design as you won't need a large resolution. But if you end up wanting to print out large pictures, 11x14 or larger, I would go with the DSLR's because of the way that the image chip captures the scene. The way the pixels are laid out looks more like traditional film than a digital print.

Good Luck

I use a cannon, mine is quite out dated so I really should get a new one, when I do it will be a cannon again. They are good. Mine has interchangeable lense capability...

Lapse Of Reason wrote:The Nikon D50 was my choice. I have been able to take great photos.

The Cannon Digital Rebels are excellent too.

You did say affordable and I'm not sure how much money that means to you. You could easily spend thousands for a good camera.

The above two brands will be in the $500 to $1000 range depending on what you buy with them (lenses, etc).

If you want something in the below $500 range, the differences in photo quality will not be too great, so just go with the features you want. A high optical zoom is a good place to start for Transformers pictures.

Lighting and photo setup will be more important than the camera. I suggest getting a photo light tent and few good lights. I use compact flourescent "sunlight" bulbs in some basic desktop lamps to light photos (all availabl at Walmart like stores). The light tent diffuses the light. Here is are some photos of how I setup pics, along with a sample. With the right lighting you can produce crisp, quality photos no matter what the camera.










and a sample photo I used with that setup:

I agree with Lapse of Reason with the cameras and lighting. Nikon D50 is pretty easy to use but also gives some decent functions that grant you greater control over a point and shoot camera. If cost is a factor, look for used cameras. They make starters.

I wish I had a camera so I could post pics of my collection. I just a new phone, & it is a camera phone, but I don't have clue how to post pics from my phone here. If someone could teach me, I could finally post those pics of my pretty silver MP Starscream that everyone wants to see.

Honestly I'd say go with a Canon Powershot A610 or 620. Cheap, effective and they have a shitload of modes to cycle through and use. Both have options to add on wide angle adapters and other stuff as well. Also they take forever to run down your batteries. I use mine often enough and I have the same ones in it that I had when I first bought it...That was like 12 months ago.