Digital camera advice…..

[Bill Dewison]

Does you camera have an aperture function Andy?

Cheers, Dewi

[Andy Gorman]

I’ve just found a setting called ‘exposure’. I think I may have to experiment with that. I’d still like to hear any reviews of other cameras though, as this one is a bit cheap and cheerful.

[Nicola McIntosh]

you could try your photoshop skills andy!! 😀 (note no wink) 😛

Nik

[Peter Normington]

Digi Cams are great, the thing is a pro photographer relys on lighting skills.
A light meter is essential for this sort of pic, also a tripod and some other lighting. If you can adjust aperture and exposure settings on your camera, just take as many different ones as you can and maybe you will get the right one.
Try it in daylight also you might get a better result.
Peter

[Andy Gorman]

I’ve tried adjusting the white balance, exposure and also the light type (tungsten, fluorescent etc) but the results are still poor. I may have to use the old Pentax MX. I know I can get a perfect picture with this. Maybe this is something that a digital camera isn’t up to. At least, not the budget version I’ve got.

[John Singh]

Andy: Have you tried looking on the web for a new digi?
I was surprised to see how much the price has fell
but even more remarkably how sophisticated the digi’s are becoming

I think they are trying to add more and more features that we associate with a truly professional camera

[Peter Normington]

try a brownie cant go wrong with them.
peter

[Keith Nilsen]

Big G,

Have you tried different flash settings, or is your cam not able to be adjusted such? I find that with a slower flash setting I can get most of the night shots I need when artificial light is present. It would work fine for the example you posted.

K

[Andy Gorman]

Nah, it’s a pretty basic camera. The only flash settings are on, off and anti red-eye. I think I may have to get a slightly more capable camera. If anyone has achieved the results I am looking for, I’d be interested to hear their recommendations.

[Phill Fenton]

quote Peter Normington:

try a brownie cant go wrong with them.
peter

Surely that’s illegal? Arent they underage?

[Peter Normington]

oops sorry, not illegal just sexist. cubs are just as good

only joking!

[Bill Dewison]

Andy, you could try looking for a camera that was top of the range a couple of years ago but is now going for a bargain 2nd hand price.

I was daft enough to pay for a top of the range a couple of years back and it still serves me well. It has a range of settings and although it is a bit dodgy on focus without a tripod, stick it on a £14.99 wonder tripod from Asda and you’ve got a camera that will do the job you ask it to. It has a decent bunch of settings to get the shot right and with a bit of experimentation, you can get professional quality photographs. Don’t ask me why, but I spent 2-3 weeks in my garden taking pictures of flowers until I’d mastered macro photography and the camera just did what I asked.

Old kit, bargain price, wussy southerner… its a match made in heavan 😉

Cheers, Dewi

[Andy Gorman]

Yeah Dew, that might be a good idea. I don’t mind spending a few squids – I’m a firm believer that you get what you pay for and some things are worth spending the extra on. In a roundabout way I’m trying to steer this reply into me calling you a Northern, muesli eating, bra wearing dance student , but I’m struggling a bit.

[John Singh]

Don’t struggle Andy

[Bill Dewison]

Let me help Andy….

I’m a Northern, Rice Crispy eating, rather nice clothing wearing, self employed gent with an all round glow 😀

There, now hows that?

Cheers, Dewi

[Webeasel]

You need a digital camera that has timed exposure for neon and night time shots – and definately a tripod

Basically a camera that has manual overide

Only thing is, looking like a bit of a muggers target when taking late night pictures – but its something you have to do!!!

try [url]www.dpreview.com[/url] for excellent reviews on all digital cameras

Might be worth checking out ebay after you decide what you are looking for.

[Rodney Gold]

a Camera exposes most shots to a “neutral grey” , thats why at the beach or in the snow , the camera shows the white as a dirty grey cos there is so much white.
In your case , only a small portion of the scene is well lit or bright and the rest is dark. The Camera tries to expose for the dark , lightening it up in the pic however it overxposes the backlit sign.
Essentailly , you have to tell the camera to underxpose so that the light sections are exposed properly. If you had zoomed into the sign very tightly , you may have gor a better exposure.
This modification of exposure can be achieved in manual mode quite easily. The Camera’s light meter should show what is the correct exposure in terms of shutter speed and aperture – you have a choice , a higher shutter speed than recommended by the camera which might allow you to hand hold the shot (most ppl do ok at 1/60th of a sec and up) or a smaller aperture (the smaller the aperture , the more that will be in focus in front and behind the object you are shooting – called depth of field).Any decent Camera will have a manual setting. As one poster said , a tripod is almost essential for this .
Depending on how serious you are about photogrphy , the range of digi cams caters for all. In your case I would buy something that is around 5 mpixels and has a nice zoom lens (3x zoom is useless – cameras are out with 10x zooms and image stabilization – ie the camera compensates for your shaking). You can get something really good for 3-400 quid.
A DSLR will cost you a lot more , but then you have the choice of lenses and if you already have an slr with decent glass , it might be worthwhile looking at the Digital SLR that accepts your lenses. Canon and Nikon are the market leaders with DSLrs , the Canon 300d or the Nikon d70 are the entry models.
Tho you dont need a flash for the pic you are taking , the onboard flashes of most digicams are useless , had you taken the photo with an add on flash on one of the more complex cameras , you would most likely have got a great pic , with the sign perfectly exposed and the background lit up too , the programs that drive the flash and cameras today can account for mixed lighting and complex stuff.
If you do go for a DSLR , you might be dissapointed in auto mode. Most point and shoot type cameras (not an SLR) are designed to be used in auto mode. The DSLR’s , albeit working well in those modes , give better results if you use them in other semi auto modes … the point and shoot might give much better results at Aunt agathas birthday etc. Most point and shoots other than really basic or the cheapys have manual overide etc. The MAJOR bugbear with most Non SLR type digital cameras is the fact that there is a slight delay (or a long one depends on model etc) tween pressing the button and taking the photo , so if you shoot anything moving , the chances of capturing the moment are reduced. It’s really irritating if you are used to the responsiveness of film cameras.
The great thing about digital photography is that these days quality is superb , no film costs , instant gratification and you learn to be a better photographer. You can probably write it off as a business expense as well.
In the signage buz , its a great tool , you can take a pic of a van or fascia and overlay your sign to give a realistic preview of what the finished product looks like. Problem is , a digicam is a lot more expensive than a better or equivalent film camera and one has to get a decent printer for it.
Very much like large format printers in this industry , every model has “issues” , there is nothing absolutely perfect on the market.

[Steve Broughton]

A good model for what you want to do

FUJI FinePix S7000

http://www.pixmania.co.uk/uk/uk/59480/art/fuji/finepix-s7000.html#

[Bill Dewison]

quote Steve Broughton:

A good model for what you want to do

FUJI FinePix S7000

http://www.pixmania.co.uk/uk/uk/59480/art/fuji/finepix-s7000.html#

Is that the camera you have Steve? I’ve got the Fuji finepix 4900, so I’m assuming thats the latest version of what I have, they look very similar. If you do own one, how do you find it? Is it as bad at taking speed shots as the 4900 or have they solved the problem now?

Cheers, Dewi

[Steve Broughton]

the 4900 is about 4 years old mate so I would have thought so? the 7000 is a bloody good camera for a bit over 300 quid.

[johnlewis]

on some digital cameras you have an option to lock the aperture, you focus on the bright part or the part that looks white to the normal eye, with the focal point in the view finder, zoomed in if possible, then press the lock aperture button, then centre the sign and click, i use a cannon 60d i also got a 30d which is about 3 years old (this would be a good second hand option) otherwise look for any camera that you can lock the aperture on a certain part of the subject whilst taking a pic in automatic mode
hope this helps
john

[Shane Drew]

Andy, I know this is an old post now, that seems to have been resurected.

For what it is worth I had a basic 2mp HP digital camera that gave you little choice apart from taking the standard ‘snap shot’. I shouldn’t compain tho, as it was a gift from HP for being such a good buyer of their product 😛

I was getting pretty annoyed with the results tho, when taking shots just like the one here.

Lashed out and bought a Nikon D70, and although you need to be a pilot to steer the damn thing, I would suggest it would overcome any problems in taking the ‘odd’ shot for display etc. If you do wide format printing, it has the added bonus of taking RAW photos, which if you know photoshop, lets you manipulate a shot way better than an ordinary jpg file.

You would need to take the night shot on a tripod, but the results would let you build a fairly impressive photo portfolio over time.

Not sure of the price in your part of the world, but I paid $au2200.00. A bit cheaper in the UK I’d imagine.

Cheers

[Robert Lambie]

just looked up some info on that camera mate…

http://www.europe-nikon.com/details.aspx?countryId=20&languageId=22&prodId=909&catId=91

[Rodney Gold]

Robert , have a look at the new Canon 20d as well.
Go to http://www.dpreview.com. The premier digicam review site.

[Nicola McIntosh]

like the new pic rob 😛 😛

Nik

[Paul Goodwin]

I brought a Canon Powershot G5
great camera, no probs yet , and i can add lenses to it at a later date if i need to. i’m a novice at cameras but this is easy to work and use and imho gives a good picture.

http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/G5/G5A.HTM

[Andrew Bennett]

My 2 cents, for what it’s worth.
Go back and take another photo without using your flash.
THat may give you an effect that you like.

[Terry Bull]

good site for camera revues is steves-digicams.com

Terry

[Robert Lambie]

your right terry i was checking that one out when i was looking at rodneys link.

[johnlewis]

like andy12 said that should do it ! but you’ll need a tripod or you’ll get movement and blur for-sure. press down gently on the shoot button trying not to move the camera on the tripod, exposure set to auto, flash off
(for the record what cam is it)

john

[Andrew Bennett]

Oops, forgot that, well spotted John.

What’s it like where you are this time of year?

[johnlewis]

i bit cold andy but not so bad no snow like a lot of places in the north of spain, never gets that cold here, i also live next to a place called magalluf nearly at sea level makes it a bit warmer too
but id rather be over in the uk better ambient at christmas than here, as most of the places r closed up for the winter here so not many people either
have a good one

cheers Andy

[Andrew Bennett]

Wanna swop dude 😀

[johnlewis]

nope ! 😀