brians356 Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 What camera should I buy to take pics of a guitar? Typical portraits, and close-ups. The pocket grab-n-click cameras usually have a semi wide-angle lens. I'd like to buy an inexpensive digital camera that will be good for guitars. What should I look for? I don't need gigapixels, just an appropriate lens and exposure/flash options. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mojo312 Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 I'm not sure what inexpensive means to you, but I have never been disappointed with Cannon digital cameras. Take a look and see if one suits your needs. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wonderful remark Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 my 2cents, you can use any cameras... Just learn to use the natural light! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballcorner Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 Get a Panasonic G1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drathbun Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 Any digital camera from a camera company (Minolta, Canon, Fuji etc.) that has some ability to manual focus and do manual exposure AND has a macro lens. And +1 about the natural light with a tripod. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maninblack Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 I love my Nikon D-40 (sounds like a guitar model). I agree with es-335 though. Natural light is a photographer's best friend (sounds like a beer brand). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickssoninlaw Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 If I were you I would try and stay with the brand name cameras, like the guy above me suggest. The only thing I would add to that is to make sure the camera has 5 to 8 pixels for good quality prints, anything higher than that you’re getting into professional equipment $$$$$. The lens is important, but the brand name equipment usually comes with a pretty good lens. Remember you get what you pay for. Let you fingers do the walking, and use the power of the internet. Try epinions or Cnet review. I like the Minolta, Canon & Nikon; they’ve been around for a ton of years. Good luck hunting It shouldn’t be too hard to find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MR GIBS Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 my 2cents' date=' you can use any cameras... Just learn to use the natural light! :D[/quote'] Very well said! I took this one with my Sonny-Ericson mobile phone 2 megapix. You don't need an expencive camera. Just learn the features of YOUR camera. Don't use the flash-light if you have no skill for that. Play with the daylight. Taking picture of an object is a sort of portrait photography. For exemple if you make portrait in a cloudy day this will be easier for you. Read about portrait photography. And play your guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deadgrateful Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 If it's for sale, then invest in a decent camera, people will appreciate and notice the difference. The camera on a phone is always a piece of ****, please don't use that. And flash is your friend, make sure you fire it off camera, at an angle, and with a diffuser. If you really want to use daylight, be prepared to shoot outdoors, or with a decent tripod. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wonderful remark Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 Just a snap shot of my J-45 Didn't use the flash, but I had a sliding glass door right beside it. and if I were to use the flash I'd bounce it from the ceiling.(if white) I know this ain't no guitar, but using a point and shoot camera could work out quite well. This picture was taken with my beloved 4yr old Fuji F30. no flash this time either:) Look into getting the Canon G10. It is a very nice camera! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deadgrateful Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 I'm very jealous of your watch!! I'm a photographer by profession (krislamba.co.uk), the G10 is like my ideas box, such a great little record keeper. I use film (large/medium) format for most work, but use the G10 for all things quick, I really love it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wonderful remark Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 the G10.. is truly amazing! I am a photographer in training:) and use Nikon cameras.. but.. that canon G10.. is a monster!! (I wish I would've started my career with Canon..) and the watch..... my wife got me as my wedding present within a limited budget of $200... Can't complain about it, my first automatic watch.. But it ain't no rolex.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuneitfred Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 I agree that natural (ambient) light is your friend. I am also a hack photographer (another expensive hobby) and you don't need to spend a great deal of money to come out with a nice picture. Fuji makes some nice P&S cameras that are excellent in low light. I use a Canon SD880 for my quick shots. I also have Nikon equipment with remote strobes that I absolutely love. Nikon CLS is as addicting as guitars are. Here is a quick example of a shot I set up in about 5 minitues. Nikon body, 50mm lenses, remote strobe fired through and umbrella. Black is hard to photograph but I think it came out decent. I little more time to mess with the set up and I can get it better (or maybe not). Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wild_Rose Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 take your guitars to a room where's enough light so you won't need flash Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deadgrateful Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 All very well you saying that, but even a well lit room in a normal house would require an aperture of 5.6 or below, which is far from ideal unless you desire the selective focus for highlighting a specific feature. Learn how to use flash properly and it wont look like the usual crap, with nasty reflections and blown highlights... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drathbun Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 If you don't have the aperture to shoot in natural light, use a tripod! Then you can stop right down and get a nice deep focus crisp shot. Also, experiment with the combination of flash and natural light... use a bounce flash etc. Here is a combo shot of my Rickenbacker 320. It has both flash and natural light. I like the combination of color temperatures it gives: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deadgrateful Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 Everyone thinks themselves a photographer these days, so I'm not going to say any more on the subject, except, there's a reason why studios set ups get great results, by all means experiment with natural light and tripods, but don't expect anything close to the results you could achieve with strobes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyK Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 I've got a something better than the base model Kodak. You'd probably be hard presssed to find anything under 5G pixels, which is God's a plenty for almost anyone but the most anal of photophiles. Make sure it has a macro setting and learn how to shoot close-ups. and a zoom lens. Anyone can do glamor shots, but uberclose-up detail shots of nuts and saddles takes a bit of learning. Set to macro, usually a tulip shaped icon.. that means really close-up like taking a picture of a bee on a flower. Then zoom right on in. Auto focus is good, but sometimes it 'hunts' to figure out what you're trying to focus in on in these close shots and gets it wrong. I've resolved this type of hunting issue by backing up and zooming in with the zoom lens. Also understand that a half depressed shutter allows the automatics to kick in . Hold at half depressed then when it quits hunting, plung it home. If you just hit the shutter release and plung it home all at once like you did on your old Instamatic, you'll never get a clear picture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elantric Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 * Natural Light * Manual focus * Tripod * Check the white balance you are good to go Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boomer9898 Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 It's not so much about the camera, but rather the lighting. A soft, diffused light will be the most forgiving. A tripod help tremendously. A single lens (SLR) digital camera is the most versatile, but a less expensive point and shoot type can also be adequate. The Olympus E-410 is a great economical SLR for anyone, but don't get hung up on brands. It's not what you shoot with, but how you use the light. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPDEN Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 I have a 1 year-old or so Nikon Coolpix 4600 I use around the house and about. On automatic mode it took these pics with indoor lighting and flash: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPDEN Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 Oh, I forgot to say it has 4 megapixels, and I think you can get these for a little over $100 new now and they even offer 5 or more megapixels now also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockin365 Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 If you dont want to be messing around with lenses and settings the canon ixus range is ideal particularly the 950is. Has a brilliant idiot mode! If you want to experiment with photography a good starting point is canon 350D or you can get a 300D for cheap money now and is a real good camera. Personally I own a Canon 1ds. It's my life. rule of thumb is under a 30th of a sec shutter speed will require a tripod. F22 will give you great depth of field (sharp picture throughout) but will give you a slow shutter. F 4.5 will give you narrow depth of field (blurred background) but will give you a faster shutter. film speed 100iso is a slow film speed good for very bright situations (studio) 200 iso slightly quicker film speed good for very bright days. 400 iso quicker again good for duller days ie living in uk! blah blah you get the idea. basically every time you increase the iso you are in turn gaining more light into the camera enabling faster shutter speeds and the ability to use a higher numbered aperture ie if you were using 100 iso at 5.6 and had a meter reading of 30th sec you would be able to get F6.5 or next f stop up from 5.6 if you switched to an iso of 200 or you could stay at 5.6 and get the next increment in shutter speed ie 50th sec NOTE:- the more you increase the iso the grainier the picture will be. if you shoot at iso1600 you will suffer lots of noise in your pictures. If you want to corectly expose your pictures learn to use the metering mode on the camera. hope this helps. any questions please ask. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockin365 Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 Another note on megapixels. if you want to print an A4 picture you really need 7megapixels or more. if you are ok with 6"x4"'s a 5 megapixel is ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyK Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 If you dont want to be messing around with lenses and settingsthe canon ixus range is ideal particularly the 950is. Has a brilliant idiot mode! If you want to experiment with photography a good starting point is canon 350D or you can get a 300D for cheap money now and is a real good camera. Personally I own a Canon 1ds. It's my life. rule of thumb is under a 30th of a sec shutter speed will require a tripod. F22 will give you great depth of field (sharp picture throughout) but will give you a slow shutter. F 4.5 will give you narrow depth of field (blurred background) but will give you a faster shutter. film speed 100iso is a slow film speed good for very bright situations (studio) 200 iso slightly quicker film speed good for very bright days. 400 iso quicker again good for duller days ie living in uk! blah blah you get the idea. basically every time you increase the iso you are in turn gaining more light into the camera enabling faster shutter speeds and the ability to use a higher numbered aperture ie if you were using 100 iso at 5.6 and had a meter reading of 30th sec you would be able to get F6.5 or next f stop up from 5.6 if you switched to an iso of 200 or you could stay at 5.6 and get the next increment in shutter speed ie 50th sec NOTE:- the more you increase the iso the grainier the picture will be. if you shoot at iso1600 you will suffer lots of noise in your pictures. If you want to corectly expose your pictures learn to use the metering mode on the camera. hope this helps. any questions please ask. Glad to see SOMEONE is still using bonafide film once in a while. Too many Kodak moments have been lost while I wait for the !()#$@#&*$ digital camera to boot up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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