Advice on buying a camera to take texture pics

[skAt3f0r71f3]

not a lot of money
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=7694082

OR


pretty pricey
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=7856421


my mom has the second one and it is very good!

[ctrl+S]

I've owned 3 digitals in my life.

They were/are all good for texture shooting.

And I always find myself tweaking in Photoshop anyway.

Just get at least a 4megapixel and you'll be fine.

My old Casio 4mp was awesome. Wish I never sold it.
You hear Casio and think junk, but it was very nice and easy to use.
Super crisp photos.

Now I have a Sony 7.2 mp Cybershot and it rocks. Was only 150 bucks.
Got a 1 gig mem. stick and I can take thousands of photos.

Bottom line:
Almost all digital are good.
I do avoid Canon products however.
Long story.

[carlg]

Thanks guys, for the advice. :)

I was thinking, maybe there could be a thread where people could post reviews of the the cameras they own -- like it could become sort of an informal buying guide. We seem like a pretty professional bunch, so I'm confident it would't turn into a "Brand X vs. Brand Y" shouting match...

Who would I suggest something like this to?

[Marcel]

What you are looking for in a camera for photographing textures is:

- sharpness
- corner sharpness
- resolution
- low distortion

Sharpness is the most important factor, even more important than resolution. I rather have a 4MP sharp image than a 12MP blurry image.

www.dpreview.com (http://www.dpreview.com/) has very good reviews on digital cameras. Download some full res samples and you can quickly see wether the camera has high enough quality.

[Mr. D]

If you go for a less expensive camera also see if you get glass or high density polycarbon for your lense system (poly carb is what most people call high impact plastic). Though not bad plastic lenses tend to distort and fog with time, especially if left in sunlight for long periods.
Second optical zoom is better than digital. If a sales person tells you you have 3x optical and 3x digtal for a total 6x zoom, you actually have a true zoom of 3x optical, the digital zoom is like zooming into a section of a bitmap in photoshop; more like interpolated magnification than zoom.

Mr. D

[wolfSage]

From what I've heard you still cant beat old fashion film for good quality textures, this means you can scan the negatives in at any resolution. Plus with a 50mm lens you will get minimum distortion around the edges or your picture.

I've heard you can get 50mm lens on 35mm film equivalent digital cameras though.

And I agree with crtl+s, more mega pixels don't mean better quality pics so 4mp is enough. Go for a good quality lens with a big light sensor as its that that records the image.

Hope that helps..

[softdistortion]

Mostly people think about the camera first, but the lens/s is/are also important, maybe even more important. A basic body with a good lens is better than going the other way around.
Also the sensor is an important consideration.

DPreview is a HUGE assist as mentioned. Spend lots of time there to get initial info on various cameras in your price range. Look at the unsharpened versions of the sample shots to see what the sensor can really give you.

Narrow that list down to 2 or 3 cameras/ lenses. If they are new models still in stores, then buy a memory card that fits the cameras and go to the store and ask to shoot some samples with them. When you get home do your own comparisons.

What type of textures you intend to shoot is a consideration when choosing lenses. Can you get in close to shoot, do you need a telephoto to zoom in for some shots?
If you can get in to shoot at a fixed distance, your best lense will be a prime lens 50mm etc.
They are sharp dues to few glass elements in them and fairly inexpensive for the same reason. The downside is that they cannot zoom in or out.

Also if you need to quickly get in and out of the areas you are shooting, and or be unobtrusive...that will also affect your choice of gear, as you need small light equipment.

If you aren't rushed and or shoot in low light, and even if not, you should also price in a good tripod and a cable remote shutter release (check ebay) for longer exposures.

I'd also recommend a good backpack that can hold your camera gear, strap on your tripod if you decide to use one, and also hold a laptop later if you decide to add that to your onsite tools. I found a great pack at BestBuy for $25 /clearance.

[carlg]

Thanks you all, guys (girls? I hate sounding sexist). I will continue to research (AKA scrounging money ;)), and just wait -- in a month or so I'll be posting about the most awesomest camera ever!!! that everyone already knows about.http://forums.cgsociety.org/images/icons/icon11.gif

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