hello all any help would be great im going to get a new camera as the one i tryed did not work great no matter what i did... what digital camera's do you guys find that works the best for taking pics of your rods im not to up to date with these .... something with zoom and what mega pixal any help would be great .........thanks Rob

To take the close-ups for rod building photos, you need one with the "MACRO" feature. There's many of them out there. Zoom doesn't work good for close-ups... I personally use a Sony disc camera.

[www.rodbuilding.org]

Putter
Williston, ND



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/12/2005 10:56AM by Randy Parpart (Putter).

Robert, I use a Sony, DSC-F707. It has all kinds of "fun features" on it. The most important one is the "macro" setting. This allows you to get very close to the subject. If you look at some of my photo's, you will be able to count the threads.

thanks guys i'll have to remeber the macro setting so i can share some photos .......... tight wraps ...................Rob

Try doing a search on the internet of ( digital camera reviews ) and you will find a lot of info

Hi Robert

Has anyone told you it is important to get one with a MACRO setting. Just kidding. If you get one with 4 or more mega pixels you can print and blow them up pretty large but if you have no plans on doing that then you dont need to go that high.

hello Doc im probably going to invest in a multy functional camera we have a good camera shop here so hopefully he can help ill just let him know what im doing and mention the macro setting to him that way i have a camera to do pictures on the river too and most of all for the better half...she has been wanting one also so what better time....it would be nice to so my customers would have something to look through in an album....tight wraps to all .....................crabtree's custom rods

take his suggestion and then go on the net, you may just be able to get a better price.
right after Christmas might be your best time.

Or, if the local camera shop gives good advise, buy it from him/her so that they can stay in business giving good personal advise.

Robert, I have the Sony 5 mega pixel disc camera like Puter and has worked well. It's a couple of years old now, depending on your personal preference and by todays standard it's rather large. I've used the macro feature for close-ups as well as for fishing trip and family function photos. Great camera.

We just bought my wife a Kodak Easyshare Z730. I know, Kodak sounds so old school but the end user reviews were about the best we could find. When I research a product I try to rely on end user reviews rather than the manufacturers P.R. B.S. My main end user research tool is Amazon.com because they carry so many products, not just electronics, and offer end user reviews. Common or popular products may have 50 or more reviews. With that may reviews a common malfunction or missing feature is likely to be reported. For just electronics look at cnet.com. One other overlooked resource is Google Groups for communicating on any subject. For instance just type in "digital camera" or "fishing". Notice that Google Groups is different than the regular Google search engine.

Back to the Kodak Easyshare Z730, Sue's main criteria was relatively small and easy to use. It's not the smallest credit size camera but easily fit in her purse w/case. I wanted her to buy the Z740 with the 10X optical zoom for zeroing in on wildlife and such but it was a larger camera. The Z730 is a 4X zoom. Most cameras are 3X zoom.

Many many choice out there just do your homework.

Mike

Get a camera with a good self-timer setting...helps immensely in taking good closeups (eliminates camera shake). Also get a small tripod to mount it on. Set it to self-time, click the shutter, wait 5-10 seconds, rinse, repeat...perfect close-ups every time.

Scott Kinney
The Longest Cast Fly Rods
[www.thelongestcast.com]

the megapixel rating is less important i'd have to say than the macro feature and you can save some money by dropping down from a camera with a 5MP rating to a 4, or even 3MP. my parents nikon coolpix from years ago, a 2MB camera, output such good quality i was amazed and i shoot $6,000 digital cameras on a daily basis. true, the bigger MP rating allows for greater detail in highlight and shadow detail but the extra factors like monitor view, printer and paper used, familiarity with image editing software, etc, tend to negate the importance for the highest MP rating..

pentax offers water resistant dit cameras which seem to be pretty popular on another fly board.

one thing i'd like to add. when posting photos, most people tend to not know what is necessary or overkill. cut your photos down to 72ppi for monitor viewing/email attachments/posting to forums. 7 inches across is fine for horizontals. and then compress well with jpeg settings.

eric
fresno, ca.
photojournalist

For stictly posting photos on the net, you won't need much of a camera. Computer monitors can only display photos in very low resolution format anyway, so don't overbuy. If you do wish to have printed or print your own photos for an album, then it will pay you to consider some other things.

First, a macro feature is great, but not all cameras with macro features will take the same shots. The ability to manually set the aperature, focus and exposure are paramount if you really want to take great shots. SLR cameras enable you to see exactly what you're getting to take a shot of, as you view the subject through the lens. Most "point and shoot" cameras have a separate lens and viewfinder - at close range they do not "see" the same area.

Good for you for relying on a professional camera shop rather than a discounter (camera sales on the internet are among the most shady deals you'll run across - "grey" market cameras save you money, but cause you headaches). Also, the professional at your camera shot can help you try different models and take some actual shots of some rods to make sure you're buying a model that will do what you want.

Don't get too carried away on megapixels - once you go past a certain point on a certain size photo you'll enjoy no further benefit. Read the instruction manual and learn how to set the camera what you're doing. In some ways, there are no bad cameras, only bad photographers. Likewise, an expensive camera won't automatically take great photos.

...............

thanks for all the great info guys ...and yep tom im a firm believer of keeping it in town sales when i can ive seen to many friends go out of business around here in the past few years i guess they will be cryin when they cant get minnows at wal-mart or @#$%& fresh anyway.....lol....thanks again guys ill keep everything in mind tight wraps to all .......crabtree's custom rods

Thanks for the post Robert and thanks everyone for the responces! I am also new to this photography thing and have a hard time
with getting good pics of my rods & stuff to post on the board. The repsonces here will help me alot!

Raymond Adams
Eventually, all things merge, and a river runs through it..

Robert...thanks for this post , as my Sony Cybershot 3.2 mp (DSC-P71) 6X zoom ...did its final two and a half ganor to a hard surface. Its done. ( No, it wasn't me that gave it the forth and final drop test, or drowned it 2 yrs ago!..but a friend recently recommended the addition of getting a wrist strap and extra rechargable batteries as these cameras tend to suck up juice, and take falls when in the wrong hands) ...great responses.


Lots of good info here in this post...most importantly the mention of the "mom and pop" camera shop. ...

Ok, you Rodbuilders/Photographers,,,no one has mentioned about LIGHT,,,,Sun,Dark, White, etc. I have a problem with shadows?

Robert;
I too am looking into didigital camras. I have found this web site to have more than enought information so you can do a little home work before you go to the store, [www.dpreview.com.] Good luck, and let us know how it all turnes out.


Fred Crum
Dixon, Ca.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/15/2005 07:56PM by Fred Crum.

[www.imaging-resource.com] is an unreal tool for comparing and buying digital cameras. You can actually view identical pictures taken with many kinds of cameras and compare them directly.