New camera requirments

[jimmy001]

Hi,

Just registed to these forums and was hoping I could get some help on buying a new camera.

I am going to do a digital matte paiting of a outdoor city scape shot. Probably from the furtherst distance I can get up on a hill looking down on the city, I want to get most of the city in the shot.

I am needing to purchase a digital camera, for this project what features should I look out for. I plan on doing a camera projection and would like to work at double fim res (4096 pixels).

I plan to use the source photo as the main composition and add detail modify buildings roads e.t.c

So basically I have to work with the photo as a whole, therefore would a high megapixel camera be essential? Will my limitations be through the camera (if I have a 6mp camera 3072x2008 how would I resise to 4k without losing quality or would I have to extend the shot.

When buying a camera what should I look out for? Obviously high megapixel but what would be acceptable for my project. Also would I need lossless compression camera.

If you could recommend some cameras within a budget of NZ$600 (US$300) that would be much appreciated.

For an example of what I plan to do:

Matte Painting:
http://img314.imageshack.us/img314/6127 ... ingae6.jpg (http://img314.imageshack.us/img314/6127/mattepaitingae6.jpg)

Source Photo:
http://img380.imageshack.us/img380/6993 ... otokt8.jpg (http://img380.imageshack.us/img380/6993/originalsourcephotokt8.jpg)

Thanks

Jim.

[rockhoppermedia]

If you want to do it justice mate and you have the money I would suggest borrowing or hiring a camera for that shot.

Camera suggestions

Hasselblad h1
Nikon D2x
Mamiya digital ?

Budget requirements are quite tight, i dont how much cameras retail for in NZ so i am working blind but the Nikon D80 / D70 are good cameras. The D70 is my backup camera and my main two cameras the D2x are too expensive. There is a D200 on the market but I dont know what the prices are but the CCD is the same as the D2x which is 10mp. My rule of thumb is anything over 6mp is a plus. Prehaps a camera club or college could help you out by lending you one. Not much help but pm me and I can help you out further

Good Luck Rich :wink:

[RiKToR]

On my nikon d50 the images are 6.1 mp but also at 300 hundred dpi so some heavier detail is there. You can resize it to 4k 1% at a time and cause no real loss in quality, if you do more then 1% enlargement at a time then you'lll get some degredation because it has to estimate more pixels.

[rockhoppermedia]

Photoshop handles Interpolation and resampling quite well and I have never had that much problems. Trick is to shoot in RAW as the jpeg has been calculated by the camera software with compression thrown in. RAW on the other hand has no compression thrown in but the file size will be substantially larger. I have been shooting for magazine/editorial on D1x which is 5.7mp with noticeable noise only with low light conditions and a few tweaks and post image editing they would only be noticeable by an expert. You have to be really technical about how you are shooting a scene and very thorough. I normally recce a site which can be an hour sometimes. For the image you have chosen this is how i would approach it.

Recce the site, check the weather in the paper and local news, if you have a GPS look for sunset and sunrise times. This is the best ime for the golden hour which in reality is fifteen minutes of fantastic lighting and short shadows. Camera will be fixed to tripod which has been bubbled (made level). Lens and camera set up in manual mode, lightmeter checked with relevant LOW ISO 50/150. Camera set to RAW. Nikon white balance set to colour temperature FLASH. Gray card will be shot for colour reference. Synch lead ready to go and wait for the light and moment to its optimum and snap away. I if time permits and card space is maximum, Camera set to bracket at nine different stops and camera set to aperture I will take the last nine shots. The last nine shots are for a technique called High Dynamic Range. The lens will be set at manual and autofocus turned off. The last shot of the shoot will be a 17% gray card with kodak colour scale chart. Then back in your digital lab crack on with the matte.

This is a basic shoot for me, that is why I charge my clients a substantial fee for architectural/landscape photography. You dont have to be so technical as me but you might realise what steps and banker shots you can get by being prepared. If you find a camera where you are email me and I can help you before buying with the pros and cons of that model

All the best

Rich :)

[jimmy001]

hey thanks for the replies, Ive found a Canon Eos D60 2nd hand with 28-80mm and 28-200mm lenses, he says that the auto focus doesnt work with them but is usable with manual settings with lowest aperature. Do I need auto focus while shooting? Would it be worth buying this camera, what do you guys think? Thanks.

[rockhoppermedia]

I will do a check hold of till i have finished

Rich

[rockhoppermedia]

Looks like a good camera from the specifications, I am a bit dubious about the autofocus problem with the lenses. For a model of that spec i would expect the lenses to have EF. Check with the manafacturer the lenses are not film lenses from a analogue camera. Or ask the seller to give you the specs of the lenses and then do some research. The camera looks fine as a slr and is rated quite highly for a 2003 camera. Do the normal checks for the Battery/manual/charger/usb1.1 lead. Photograph a white sheet or card and look for ccd dirt. Check the lens mount for corrosion or metal wear and tear (cheap alloy metal on the mount) carefully look at the camera for wear and tear. Try it out see if it feels right in your hand.

I dont except reponsibility but dont buy the first camera you see and i am worried about it having no autofocus what else is wrong? It is a good camera but four years is along time with camera with camera tech.

Good luck and be carefull

Rich :wink:

[jimmy001]

OK this is the auction specs:

Package includes
EOS D60 camera looks like new, neck strap, Battery Pack BP-511, Compact Power Adapter CA-PS400, AC power cord for CA-PS400, DC Coupler DR-400, Video Cable VC-100, Interface Cable IFC-200PCU, Canon Solutions software disk, Adobe Photoshop 5.0 LE, Camera user's guide, Camera quick operation guide.
Canon EF lense 50mm 1:1.8f, 0.45m MFD worth $300, Canon EF lense 28-80mm 1:3.5-5.6, 0.38m MFD with filter worth $100, Tamron EF lense 28-200mm 1:3.8-5.6, 2.1m MFD worth $600

Total replacement value over $2500

Focusing modes One-shot AF, AI Servo AF with focus prediction, AI Focus AF, and manual focus
Focusing points Wide-area AF with 3 selectable focusing points

35-zone Evaluative metering linked to all focusing points
Centerweighted average metering
9.5% central-area particle metering

Metering range EV 2-20 EF 50mm f/1.4 USM, ISO100)
Shutter speed 1/4000 sec. to 30 sec plus Bulb
X-sync at 1/200 sec.
Continuous photography: approx 3 FPS up to approx 8 frames, when camera is set for Large/Fine recording.

Built-in flash E-TTL Retractable-type. Guide Number is 12(in m)/39(in ft.) at ISO 100, 18mm lens coverage
Flash contact Accessory shoe for (E-TTL autoflash); PC socket also built-in Flash metering Supports E-TTL, FEL and FP flash (high-speed synchro) with built-in flash and EX-series Speedlites

Digital Section
Imaging elements High-sensitivity 6.29-million effective pixel CMOS sensor.
(Total pixels-6.52mp: 3152 X 2068)
(Effective pixels 3072 X 2048)
aspect ratio 2:3
Sensitivity Equivalent to ISO 100-1000
White balance 7 type, including auto and custom
Recording media: CompactFlash card, Type I or II, single slot
Microdrive compatible
Recording methods JPEG and Canon RAW (12 bit)
Resolution/Compression
settings Large/Fine ~2.5MB(3072 x 2048)
RAW Lossless compression ~7.4MB(3072 x 2048)

Bulit-in LCD color monitor
USB; Video Out: NTSC/PAL (switchable)

N3 remote control socket, PC terminal for studio flash.


These are the seller comments


Seller Comment: please look at this link for more info http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/canon/d60-review/ 8:59 pm, Sun 31 Dec

Seller Comment:
Note Auto Focus for 28-80 has just stopped working and 28-200 will only work with complete open aperture. I haven't had time to look at the lenses but they still work fine in Manual setting. This has not been used often as I do use another camera. 9:01 pm, Sun 31 Dec

Seller Comment:
Just to state clearly the lenses 28-80mm and 28-200mm do have faults with them but are usable in manual with lowest apeture

Seller Comment:
Battery Pack BP-511 lithium ion

As it is an auction I cant really take any photos although I did ask if he could but he didnt respond to the question.

Is there anything else I should ask him before bidding on the camera?

Thanks alot rockhoppermedia!

[rockhoppermedia]

For landscape and architecture I use a 17-35 mm lens, So I think you may have to fork out for a new lens. The 28 -200 is a good lens for zooming in for detail and at the 200mm end is good for portraiture and compressing the background into shot. The fact it does not have a autofocus says something is wrong for this lens and if you decide to use it for action photography it would be useless.

The camera sounds good and remember it cost a bomb when it first came out. The specs sound really good. If you can afford it later on you may be able to get it repaired check to see if it is covered by warranty.

The most important thing is to go out and have fun with it. Try it out with the manual mode explore the effects that the f stops can give you. Play with colour and light. Make mistakes learn from them. I am only on the end of an email if you want any advice.

Check out the link below and look at the shots i have got in the last year, my working shots are not on there as copyright issues with my current employer are in negotiation.

I look forward to seeing your images, you might be the next Ansell Adams!

Rich :D

[eddie46]

If you are unsure about which product is best check read expert reviews.
Using PriceGrabber.com (http://www.pricegrabber.com/info_expertreviews.php/masterid=7139451)
I came across a cool site that list all expert reviews for a product in a single page. I hope this helps: http://www.smartratings.com/photography/digital_cameras