I need a new camera

[Dollie's Dad]

[SERMON]It's interesting to hear how quickly people can get upset about opinions. Not worth it folks, we're all friends here.

If you really want to see things get ugly in a hurry, go to a photography forum and start a discussion of which is better, Canon or Nikon?

For a lot of people, photography is a hobby unto itself, and the degree of minutia people get into seems odd to people not generally taken with the subject. Having said that, I will say that having a thorough understanding of things like minimum focusing distance, depth of field, and the relationship of aperture to depth of field, are all very useful to anyone halfway serious about model photography. If all you want to do is take photos of the front of a building, that's fine. Almost any camera and zero skill will allow you to do that.

It really isn't useful to sneer at people who are concerned with such things. They have standards that a snapshot is not going to satisfy. On the flip-side, it is not helpful to be dismissive of people who aren't the least bit concerned about the details if they're going to be content with functioning at a basic level. They are model railroaders, and photography is not really a required skill.

We have a common interest which is model railroading (I hope). Let's concentrate on that which unites us, and not get into whizzing contests over unrelated, irrelevant subjects. [/SERMON]

 

[Espeefan]

Hear Hear. Well put. Non Model railroaders would doubtless be mystified over some discussions I've heard over how many rivets or ladder rungs on certain freight cars, etc. Nothing to get too excited about.

 

[Dortoh1]

As for reading the manual, what I find helps is to read it, get thoroughly confused, use the camera (or what ever else it maybe) for awhile, then read the manual again and it suddenly makes sense.

 

[tankist]

[SERMON]
If you really want to see things get ugly in a hurry, go to a photography forum and start a discussion of which is better, Canon or Nikon?

that would not be a photography forum but equipment one, like dpreview. which is a waste of time. some people like taking pictures, some like the equipment involved. it is pointless to explain to gadget lover how technically imperfect picture can still hold value.

They are model railroaders, and photography is not really a required skill.

actually IMHO it is, at least the basics of it. otherwise how will a master modeler be able to properly showcase his work of art? in any case it is far far from being a rocket science and acceptable level skill can be achieved in not to long of a time.

 

[Dollie's Dad]

that would not be a photography forum but equipment one, like dpreview. which is a waste of time. some people like taking pictures, some like the equipment involved. it is pointless to explain to gadget lover how technically imperfect picture can still hold value.

I'm an admin on a photography forum We have gear discussions, but I avoid them like the plague. The people who actually take photos are by nature a much gentler bunch, and I prefer to associate with them.

 

[Steve S]

I was just browsing some old issues of Model Railroader and came across an article by Ben King in the August '96 issue about building a tilt-shift mechanism for an SLR camera. It's pretty involved. You'll need machining skills or a CNC machine.

Steve S

 

[leghome]

The Canon SX30IS is a great camera for close ups. If you check out the Virtual Layout Tour section of this forum you can see some shots I posted about my recent trip to Alabama in the ARG layout thread. There are a couple of closeup shots of CJcrescent's rolling stock. The camera works on a ripod for these kinds of photos at least for me. I get the shakes whenever I try to hold the camera very still. Also in the thread are a couple of shots from rexhea's layout. This camera does not come cheap but not as expensive as an SLR and the guy at Jack's Camera Shop in Muncie IN told me it is the best bang for the buck with all of the features it has.