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Camera for log photos

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Daniel S.

Well Known Member
Hey guys.
What seems to be the best "economical" camer for log photos and all around use?. I've beenusing a combination of a Cannon powershot SD770 IS (which is old)and my cell (new droid razr) I can't seem to get good quality shots with either they seem to be gainy or out of focus, or washed out. I'm getting frusterated and about to go out and buy a new camera for my project log.

thanks
 
iPhone

I always have my iPhone with me anyway so usually just use it. Simple controls, take time to focus accurately. About as easy and less cumbersome than "real" cameras....
 
I bought a good camera

A good camera is well worth the money for all of your applications like vacations as well as build log photos. I started with a Minolta XD11 film camera many years ago and it is still good but I read about Doug Reeves Cannon XT and I think he is pretty serious about his photography so I bought a Cannon Rebel XT and it has been very effective in producing nice clear and sharp focused images. I think we paid around $800 for it. There will come a time when that is all you have left and you want good quality.

Bob Axsom
 
Danny7 said:
I have an older model, but the power shot 710 takes excellent pictures. The newer model is the 720, but they are both discontinued. review here. it is discontinued but you can still get them, around $75 for a decent one: http://www.amazon.com/Canon-PowerShot-A720IS-Digital-Stabilized/dp/B000V1VG2E/ref=lh_ni_t
Click to expand...

Excellent recommendation. A relatively inexpensive camera which takes good pictures and which you won't worry too much about when you leave it in the shop 24/7.

The smart phone suggestion is a good one too.
 
I've been using a Sony Cyber-shot for years. My current one is a model DSC-H55. It has a few features I really appreciate. Like all digital cameras, you can take a large number of pictures without worrying about running out of film. This lets you experiment with settings to get good shots, though the automatic settings are usually good. Sometimes in tight or busy locations I have to turn the auto-focus off and at other times I have to manually call for the flash.

One feature in a digital camera that is important is optical zoom. Optical zoom is better quality than digital zoom. Most digicams have both but the optical is what matters when you are shopping.

The Cyber-shot also uses an SD card for storing pictures. No more wires or running the camera while downloading pictures; just pop out the card and stick it in the port on your computer (most modern computers, especially laptops, have card-reader slots built in). I purchased the largest capacity card my camera would take and a spare battery and charger, too. The card holds hundreds of hi-res pictures and the battery is good for hours; I have yet to run out of either unless I forget to put a freshly-charged battery in when I go to the shop.
 
Canon Power Shot that I bought used online. Works well but the most important feature I'll look for with my next is compatibility with an Eye-Fi card. It's an SD card with a built-in wifi antenna. Automatically sends pics and videos where you select. I send them to my computer hard drive and to my online Picassa web album. The cards are inexpensive with no fees or subscription. Other features are nice like automatic purging of photos that have been confirmed transfered to maintain a selectable percentage of free memory on the card. Of course, the capability will probably be in a new camera.
 
Batteries

I have the Power Shot A620, 7.1 Mega Pixel with 4x optical zoom. It has been a great camera. I have dropped it many times and it just hangs on. Just at SnF I dropped it and a button fell off, snapped the button back in place an back in business.

The most important feature I want in a camera like this is the batteries, I want them to take normal everyday batteries. I don't like having to put the camera on a charger when I travel and trust me I have forgotten the charger. I find it is more difficult to find a camera that does not require it's own charger. I hang on to this old thing for just that reason. A set of 4 AA batteries gets me a couple of month use.

When you are in the shop and you need the picture to post to VAF with a question, you sure don't want to have to wait on the camera to charge up.

Cheers
 
I have an Canon ELPH 300 HS. It currently runs for about $170. It takes the best pictures outdoors like most cameras do, but it is okay indoors. The nice thing is I have it with me all the time, because of its size. Check out my blog for the pictures taken with it. All the pictures on the first page were taken with it, save the last one.
 
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Panasonic DMC ZS (TZ)

I agree with the recommendation to go for powerful optical zoom capabilities.

I've had many years good service from a Panasonic DMC TZ7 and got my wife a TZ8 for her birthday several years back which has worked well too. All of the pictures I've ever posted on VAF were taken with my TZ7. Models later than these have even more powerful zooms. The TZ20 has 16x zoom, 14Mpixel sensor, full HD movie plus GPS!

Only shortcoming is the lack of a viewfinder. The LCD screens are good but can be a little problematic in bright sunny conditions.

I think the Panasonic DMC TZ range many be called the DMC ZS range in the USA. Latest models may not meet your "economical" price category but you may find a good deal on ebay for one of the earlier models (new or refurb).
 
good point Mike on the batteries. one other big point I forgot was the canon has a screen on the back that shows what you are taking the photo of, some of them you still look through the view finder. I like the screen, and it shows face recognition or focusing squares.

ps canon 720 takes AAs ;)
 
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NIKON P80

By today's "gotta-have-the-latest-and-greatest-RIGHT-NOW" mindset, this is an old camera but I'm finding it perfect for logging. It takes reasonably clear pictures, without going overboard on size (roughly 1.5M jpegs). Every photo in my Picasa build album has been made with this camera.
 
My wife had a little $79(a few years ago) Olympus FE-370 pocket camera she always had in her purse. I was always borrowing it during my build.
But she always wanted something better....BOOM. I got a nice little pocket camera for the shop and she now has a Nikon 5100D. BTW after seeing how I treated the Olympus, the Nikon is not allowed in the shop.

I've used my Droid for pic, but it is lousy in dim indoor conditions. washes out the color badly too. You can only stuff some much light and digital info into a lens the size of a pea.
 
Ask around

hydroguy2 said:
My wife had a little $79(a few years ago) Olympus FE-370 pocket camera she always had in her purse. I was always borrowing it during my build.
But she always wanted something better....BOOM. I got a nice little pocket camera for the shop and she now has a Nikon 5100D. BTW after seeing how I treated the Olympus, the Nikon is not allowed in the shop.

I've used my Droid for pic, but it is lousy in dim indoor conditions. washes out the color badly too. You can only stuff some much light and digital info into a lens the size of a pea.
Click to expand...

Exactly... ask around with your buddies for an old (aka obsolete) point-n-shoot camera to use only in the workshop. You don't actually need anything better.

A 3x optical zoom and more than 2 Mpixels will be fine for log pictures. I bet if you try you can probably get one given to you...:D
 
shuttle said:
I agree with the recommendation to go for powerful optical zoom capabilities.

I've had many years good service from a Panasonic DMC TZ7 and got my wife a TZ8 for her birthday several years back which has worked well too. All of the pictures I've ever posted on VAF were taken with my TZ7. Models later than these have even more powerful zooms. The TZ20 has 16x zoom, 14Mpixel sensor, full HD movie plus GPS!

Only shortcoming is the lack of a viewfinder. The LCD screens are good but can be a little problematic in bright sunny conditions.

I think the Panasonic DMC TZ range many be called the DMC ZS range in the USA. Latest models may not meet your "economical" price category but you may find a good deal on ebay for one of the earlier models (new or refurb).
Click to expand...

It is the DMC ZS7 in the USA. I agree this is a great all around camera.
What I like about this Pansonic is the lense is stabalized, has a wide
angle (25mm) at the lower end and 12X optical (300mm) at the upper
end. And it fits in your pocket. They are pricey at around $400, but
worth it.
 
Daniel S. said:
Hey guys.
What seems to be the best "economical" camer for log photos and all around use?. I've beenusing a combination of a Cannon powershot SD770 IS (which is old)and my cell (new droid razr) I can't seem to get good quality shots with either they seem to be gainy or out of focus, or washed out. I'm getting frusterated and about to go out and buy a new camera for my project log.

thanks
Click to expand...

Daniel,
You may have already done this, but... Have you read the manual for your current camera lately? I looked up the specs on your camera and I am not sure I see anything that newer point and shoot cameras are going to give you that will magically make your pictures better. Many times problems like you mentioned can be solved by making sure you are using the right shooting mode (i.e. macro for close ups) or forcing fill flash and things like that. If you buy a new camera you will have to read the manual and understand all the different modes anyway.

Again, if you feel confident that you are using your current camera's full capabilities and not getting the results you want, look for another route. But, I don't really think another point and shoot is going to help. I used an older point and shoot digital camera than what you have and got good results. I didn't really see an improvement until I bought a Nikon D90 and a couple of remote speed lights. That allowed me to position the flash(es) where I could cut down on shadows (like in the engine compartment or behind the instrument panel) and avoid bounce back from shiny surfaces.

Good luck.
 
My iPhone 4 takes as good a pic as any of my other point and shoot digitals and it's always with me. Also, I use the "cloud" so that any pics I take are automatically sent to my laptop. Super convenient way to log pics of the build.
 
Having more zoom capabilities is nice, but not necessary for taking pictures for your log. For a log, wide angle capabilities would probably be more important than telephoto.
 
good camera for build log photos

Ok, I have read the recommendations so far and there have been some pretty good thoughts on what camera is best. I am posting a picture of the camera I use. Im not saying it is for everyone and maybe it isn't easy, fast, or cheap to use, but you can get some really good photos from it.

I haven't actually seen any of my build photos yet because there is no place around here to get the film developed - or purchase for that matter. After I send my film to SLC to get developed, they send it back. Then I only have to get my scanner out, scan the negative, crop and take the dust out in photoshop, then I can post the build shots. Hopefully I will be able to get some build photos up before I get to painting.

Just let me know if you want to know the film I use or the place mail to to for developing. I bet they are going to be winner shots!

camera1.jpg
 
drycreek said:
Having more zoom capabilities is nice, but not necessary for taking pictures for your log. For a log, wide angle capabilities would probably be more important than telephoto.
Click to expand...
Not really. I find that I tend to take a lot of detail shots and even the general ones don't require a wide angle because I'm not trying to get the whole hangar, just a specific area of the project. The problem I've had with taking project photos (and a pro photographer, which I am not, could probably state this better) is in the detail shots, where I often have to turn off the autofocus and autoflash, set the exposure time, and try to make sure the zoom function does not exceed the optical limits. Shiny aluminum at close quarters does nasty things to photography.
 
flion said:
Not really. I find that I tend to take a lot of detail shots and even the general ones don't require a wide angle because I'm not trying to get the whole hangar, just a specific area of the project. The problem I've had with taking project photos (and a pro photographer, which I am not, could probably state this better) is in the detail shots, where I often have to turn off the autofocus and autoflash, set the exposure time, and try to make sure the zoom function does not exceed the optical limits. Shiny aluminum at close quarters does nasty things to photography.
Click to expand...

Well, I guess it is just personal preference. I normally don't use a lot of zoom for indoor pictures because as you zoom in, your aperture gets narrower which means you have to use a lower shutter speed or a higher ISO number. Either one can degrade image quality.
 
No, I agree with you absolutely about the camera effects. It's just that subject trumps the ease-of-use issues for me. If I install a CPC at the wing root area of the fuselage, a wide shot loses the plug in a wide wall of fuselage side but a tight shot shows the plug (not too close, though, or you lose context). My logbook tends to be full of detail shots; I'm looking forward to the days when I can step back and take pictures of the whole airframe. Or, better still, the view from the airframe in motion.;)
 
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