Cameras

[Neff]

I soon plan on finishing up some of my T-Sons and i want to post pics of them on the site. My main problem is is that I only have a kinda cheap digital camera. Pictures are okay on it but I cant get alot of detail on my models with it. Any suggestions?

[wittdooley]

It's not about the camera; it's about the staging. Most importantly, lighting. Let me see if I can drum up a lighting tutorial for you.

Personally, I use my iPhone to take most of my miniatures pictures, and it works great.

[Neff]

Awesome. Thank you so much. That make me happy to know also.

[Okidus]

Canon powershot is an excellent point and shoot, it is what I use.
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-PowerShot-SX210IS-Stabilized-Black/dp/B0035FZJM6/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1299806212&sr=8-5

Lighting is everything though, outdoor/natural light is the best with a screen.

Shoot near a window with the lighting at your back, add some point and fill lights.

Retouch in photoshop is pretty easy, use auto levels and curves to lighten, maybe a touch of saturation.

[TSINI]

does you camera have a macro setting? the little flower symbol, which gives better detail close up

I've seen some pretty cheap cameras with this function popping up, around £30-50 even

[Neff]

It does but the pic just doesnt want to come out clearly.

[chromedog]

Could be you are just one of two things then.

Too close (yes, it is possible to be too close for macro - depending on the lens and ccd used)
Too far away (Macro is a very specific range).

Do you have your camera's manual. The macro focusing distance should be shown in it.

For example, with the standard lens on my DSLR (50mm), on macro program mode, I can't go closer than 28cm to the subject without it fuzzing up. This is in the tech specs page.
{ With a proper macro lens, I can go to 12cm. This is the advantage of a DSLR. }

With the wife's compact camera, it has a 10cm macro mode and a 40cm macro mode.

[ScrutMaster]

I use a blank sheet of printer paper proped up behind the model with my desk lamp turned on over head and take the pictures with my phone which has an 8 mega pixel camera. For better results you could make 3 "walls" with white printer paper a back wall and 2 side walls and a floor with a bright white light over head. Doing this allows my camera to focus on the model infront of it and not everything else around it.