ChitownRC

I already have a digital camera. But I am thinking about upgrading to something better. I have tried to take pictures indoor at the track and they turned out like junk. Same for most of the other pictures I take. I see people post pictures here all the time and they look great.

So what is a decent camera that I can use? I dont want to go nuts on the price which is why I say decent lol. I believe TMC just took some great shots. What camera is that and what would get me close to those results?

I have a Casio Exilim. 5.0 Megapixel, does the job.

Casket man, What camera (and how many MegaPixels) are you using? The best cameras for High Speed pics, are regualr SLR (Film) cameras, but good pics can be taken with a decent Digital. A couple things to help with taking pics with Digital....

1. IF you have a Shutter speed adjustment, set it to the fastest setting. The slower the shutter, the longer the shutter is "open", resulting in a blurrier pic. Sometimes these pics look cool, because they give a feel of the speed the car is moving, but you also want to get some clear pics also.

2. Set your ISO to a higer number. Most camera's default setting is auto. The lower light indoors will cause a lower iso AND shutter speed, so you have to manually adjust them, and make sure to use FORCE FLASH. This will guarantee that the flash goes off, regardless of how much light the camera senses.

3. Pre-focus the area where the pic is being taken. This is done by slowly pressing the shutter button down, till the camera starts to focus, then hold the button in that position. When the car/truck enters the screen, press the button fully. The purpose of this, is IF you press the button fully, without locking the focus, the camera tries to focus the shot THEN take the pic, which results in a lot of missed pics. If you Pre-Focus, and hold the focus on an area, there is very little delay when you fully depress the button.

4. Don't try to over-zoom for "Better" close-ups. This gives you a smaller margin of error to get the shot. With any camera with over 2 MP, you can take the pic at a lower zoom, then crop and enlarge the pic on the computer.


There's a few tips to get you started, hopefully this helps.

Keep in mind, great pics won't come right away, it will take a little patience and practice.

These were taken on a 3.1 MP Olympus camera:

i just got a canon powershot A410 3.2 mega pixel camera and it takes great pics

Drew, what's your budget range? Nikon just came out with a new DigSLR, the D40, $600, and loaded with features.

http://www.bestpricecameras.com/prodetai...did=789877

Get the 7.2 MP sony digital camera with the Carl Zeiss lens. It is only $250 or so and takes beautiful pictures. (I miss mine.) They have an 8.x version of it out now that may have replaced it though...

Take a day, do a lot of reading on the subject, then go to Ritz or wolf and talk to a salesguy. They will educate you on the best choices. Explain you want it for action shots in low light (indoors) as well as outdoors.

It's the salesmans job to educate you so you can make the right choice, and they give free classes on how to fully utilize the new camera.

Worth a look. I've purchased 2 cameras thru them and am very satisfied with their expertise.

talk to robh His shots are the sh!t

AddictedtoNITRO Wrote:talk to robh His shots are the sh!t

I also think that his current camera approaches if not passes the 4 figure mark.:eek:

I have a canon powershot a75 3.2 megapixel.
And a canon s2is 5.0 Mega Pixel.Which i cant get it to take a good picture.
There always blurry. I think i have to adjust the shutter speed.

From what I see, Default is Auto. I have ISO 100,200,400
I am screwin around here in the room with it and from just looking at the light in the camera. I rather have no flash,but they come out blurry.

Casketman Wrote:From what I see, Default is Auto. I have ISO 100,200,400
I am screwin around here in the room with it and from just looking at the light in the camera. I rather have no flash,but they come out blurry.

I believe that is caused by to slow of a shutter speed.

Yeah. In low light pictures the camera auto adjusts the shutter speed to stay open the longest to try and "catch" the most light. If you are shooting something still off of a tripod or steady surface, this is great. For shooting RC cars in low light it sucks. If you can, speed up the shutter speed and it should make a HUGE improvement.

And I dont see anything that will allow me to change the shutter speed.

http://www.overstock.com/?page=proframe&prod_id=2149533

Not mine,but looks like it might get the job done.

Or this one LOL
http://www.overstock.com/?page=proframe&prod_id=1952705

With no flash, the shutter is open longer, which will capture ANY movement as a blur. Set the ISO to 400, and turn the flash on. Before you go out and spend a couple hundred dollars on a new camera, practice with what you have. A $2000 camera, with poor camera skills, will still take bad pics.

It may sound strange, but if you have a ceiling fan, turn it on med, and take a few pics of the fan blades turning, with different settings, and flash on and off. You will see a big difference in each pic. This will give you a better idea what the different settings do.

Also, work on pressing the button half way, wait for the camera to focus, then press fully.

Make sure to keep the camera steady for a second or two AFTER you press the button. There is a slight delay from when you press the button, till the pic is taken. Believe it or not, this is one of the most common reasons for blurry pics with a digital cam. People assume that as soon as the button is pressed, the pic is captured, and bring the camera down. When they do, they are actually moving the camera while the image is still being captured, and the image is always blurry. I would guess that if you are taking pics of stationary objects, and they are coming out blurry, THIS is the reason.

Ya,I noticed the slow part of that. I watch the little light on the back. Once it starts to blink. I know it has taken the shot and I get a beep too.

I have noticed the half way thing too. The 4 corner frames go green or red. Most of the time green then I finish pushing.
But thats what I am doing right now and maybe this weekend. Screwing around with it,take some notes and see how they look when I download them. Then I will decide if I can get away with it. Or if I need to get something that gives me the option to customize it more for what I need.

I just did some of that fan testing.
400ISO
force flash(although the auto seemed to do well too)
5m
spot metering
quality-fine
sharpness-normal
white balance-auto
And +2.0 EV
Just a touch of blurr,so we shall see how it works next time at the track.

I get the feeling that if I wish to get the shots I really like and want. A new camera with the correct features will be needed.

I never thought of using a fan. I guess it has everything though. Clear lines, motion, depth, shadows.....

Well I am sure the light helped alittle. But I tried to get shots of the edges of the blades. To keep the light out of the picture. I will do more tomorrow during the day so the light is off and see how it turns out.

FreeRideFrosty Wrote:I never thought of using a fan. I guess it has everything though. Clear lines, motion, depth, shadows.....

I said it sounds wierd... lol

I have seen a few pics of R/C Heli's in flight, and depending on how the camera was set, sometimes the blades would show motion, sometimes they looked like they were not turning at all. Not everyone has a Heli to try this, so the fan is the next best thing...

Casketman Wrote:http://www.overstock.com/?page=proframe&prod_id=2149533

So if this one isnt up to doing the job that I wish. Will this one get the job done as I would like?

That camera will work. Just remember, the camera alone won't produce better pics. You have to work with it, to get the best results.