What is a decent digital camera for taking pics of cues and being able to get a clean pics of the whole cue? I know there are probably a ton of wide angle quick shot cameras but thought I'd ask what some preferences are. Thank you
Camera for pics of cues
- Thread starter speedy5963
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If you will consider a Canon ....log onto this forum. A lot of knowledgeable people here.
If you will consider a Canon ....log onto this forum. A lot of knowledgeable people here.
I took this with my Kodak Zi8. Photos are great quality. It has a video option as well. New, they're priced around $170. Used on eBay, in the $100 range.
The really nice part about it is that it has a built in USB (male end), and uses a removable memory card. Plenty of options for loading the pics on a computer.
I've found this to work well for my personal use. We have a laptop without a card slot, so I can load pics onto the laptop without having to carry a boatload of cables with me.
Best of luck in what you choose......
The really nice part about it is that it has a built in USB (male end), and uses a removable memory card. Plenty of options for loading the pics on a computer.
I've found this to work well for my personal use. We have a laptop without a card slot, so I can load pics onto the laptop without having to carry a boatload of cables with me.
Best of luck in what you choose......
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Lighting
I'm not up on cameras these days but I can tell you that most of the point and shoots will work just fine. Don't get too carried away with wide angle because distortion will be an issue then. You will be photographing a lot of "warped" cues!
The real secret to decent product photography is lighting and background. Buy a few pieces of fabric that will show off cues to good advantage and buy some thin white cloth, cheapest bedsheet you can find usually works just fine or just roll fabric. Make a light tent or shine your lights through sheets of cloth. Make sure that all of the lighting is the same color temperature so some isn't blue and some yellow. You can adjust if your photo is too blue or too yellow but if it is both then you have something tough to work with.
Hu
I'm not up on cameras these days but I can tell you that most of the point and shoots will work just fine. Don't get too carried away with wide angle because distortion will be an issue then. You will be photographing a lot of "warped" cues!
The real secret to decent product photography is lighting and background. Buy a few pieces of fabric that will show off cues to good advantage and buy some thin white cloth, cheapest bedsheet you can find usually works just fine or just roll fabric. Make a light tent or shine your lights through sheets of cloth. Make sure that all of the lighting is the same color temperature so some isn't blue and some yellow. You can adjust if your photo is too blue or too yellow but if it is both then you have something tough to work with.
Hu
I am not a photographer, but I do have a few suggestions.
Most any inexpensive camera will take great pictures these days. Even the 'cheap' digital cameras will have lots of megapixels. More megapixels are mo' bettah.
If you plan to publish your pics on the web, bear in mind that most web images are only 72 dpi. Which is not a whole lot of resolution.
Trying to shoot the entire cue usually results in some curvature of the image subject, which I find annoying.
I suggest finding a style of photography that you think looks good and then try to do the same.
Here are a few random examples:
http://cuezilla.com/
http://cuezilla.com/archives/866
http://new2youqs.com/cues/harris.html
http://www.poisonbilliards.com/poison_billiards_vx_pool_cues.php
Also, experiment with backgrounds, lighting (natural vs indoor bulbs) and flash vs non-flash to see which you prefer. They all produce different results.
Lastly, you will need some sort of photo software to 'stitch' together the various images if you like the composite image look.
Most any inexpensive camera will take great pictures these days. Even the 'cheap' digital cameras will have lots of megapixels. More megapixels are mo' bettah.
If you plan to publish your pics on the web, bear in mind that most web images are only 72 dpi. Which is not a whole lot of resolution.
Trying to shoot the entire cue usually results in some curvature of the image subject, which I find annoying.
I suggest finding a style of photography that you think looks good and then try to do the same.
Here are a few random examples:
http://cuezilla.com/
http://cuezilla.com/archives/866
http://new2youqs.com/cues/harris.html
http://www.poisonbilliards.com/poison_billiards_vx_pool_cues.php
Also, experiment with backgrounds, lighting (natural vs indoor bulbs) and flash vs non-flash to see which you prefer. They all produce different results.
Lastly, you will need some sort of photo software to 'stitch' together the various images if you like the composite image look.
PMS
Banned
Olympus C8080 Kit (all accesories in one package).
i purchased 1/2 doz new and have 2 left.
wide angle 24mm, 8mega pixel, advanced camera, easy to operate.
feel free to pm me if you wish.
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Camara
My picture skills is not so great but I am working at it. I bought a fuji 8.2
mega pixels. It has a zoom lens. I got it at best buy a while back on sale for 89.00. I think something in that line and price range will work fine.
Take care, john
My picture skills is not so great but I am working at it. I bought a fuji 8.2
mega pixels. It has a zoom lens. I got it at best buy a while back on sale for 89.00. I think something in that line and price range will work fine.
Take care, john
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gh8st
Registered
I 2nd the lighting recommendation. while having a DSLR is nice, even in bad lighting your DSLR cant help you. In addition, a tripod can help quality as well. You can accomplish pretty good results with any camera if you take pics of the cue outside on a sunny day.
the link to the canon digi photo forums is also a great recommendation as well.
tap, tap, tap
Well said, Hu. It's not the camera just like it's not the arrow. The only thing I would add is that you might consider using a tripod.
Karl
I'm not up on cameras these days but I can tell you that most of the point and shoots will work just fine. Don't get too carried away with wide angle because distortion will be an issue then. You will be photographing a lot of "warped" cues!
The real secret to decent product photography is lighting and background. Buy a few pieces of fabric that will show off cues to good advantage and buy some thin white cloth, cheapest bedsheet you can find usually works just fine or just roll fabric. Make a light tent or shine your lights through sheets of cloth. Make sure that all of the lighting is the same color temperature so some isn't blue and some yellow. You can adjust if your photo is too blue or too yellow but if it is both then you have something tough to work with.
Hu
Well said, Hu. It's not the camera just like it's not the arrow. The only thing I would add is that you might consider using a tripod.
Karl
absolutely
Karl,
You are right of course. Tripods are far too cheap to not use one. It doesn't take a high dollar unit to hold a point and shoot but being sure that the camera chosen does have a spot to mount it to a tripod is important. Most have a timer too and I recommend using it. Mirror lock can help also if it is an option. Lighting, background and tripod are the big things though.
The camera itself isn't as important as the set-up and a little post processing if necessary. Wiping down the cue with an anti-static cloth is a good move too. I save once used Bounce sheets for that duty. New they leave smudges. Once or twice used they still have enough anti-static properties to work and they don't leave smudges.
Hu
Karl,
You are right of course. Tripods are far too cheap to not use one. It doesn't take a high dollar unit to hold a point and shoot but being sure that the camera chosen does have a spot to mount it to a tripod is important. Most have a timer too and I recommend using it. Mirror lock can help also if it is an option. Lighting, background and tripod are the big things though.
The camera itself isn't as important as the set-up and a little post processing if necessary. Wiping down the cue with an anti-static cloth is a good move too. I save once used Bounce sheets for that duty. New they leave smudges. Once or twice used they still have enough anti-static properties to work and they don't leave smudges.
Hu
as already mentioned, lighting is extremely important. almost any P&S camera with a 'macro' function can take decent pics. just be careful with reflections on the cue as your taking pics. using a white blanket over a bright lamp can help 'soften' the light. a dark backdrop helps your cue pop out of the picture too.
Another factor is what are you planning on using the photo's for?
If the primary purpose is to post photo's online, the camera isn't terribly critical. The resolution that we can get from photo's online, on our PC's, is far exceeded by the capability of virtually any of today's camera's, including some of the the cameras in cellphones these days. (8MP is becoming standard on the better smartphones now, including on the newest iPhone announced last week.)
If the OP is asking for the purpose of galleries, or other usage, that's another matter entirely.
If the primary purpose is to post photo's online, the camera isn't terribly critical. The resolution that we can get from photo's online, on our PC's, is far exceeded by the capability of virtually any of today's camera's, including some of the the cameras in cellphones these days. (8MP is becoming standard on the better smartphones now, including on the newest iPhone announced last week.)
If the OP is asking for the purpose of galleries, or other usage, that's another matter entirely.