Camera for up close coil pics...

[Nate Rager]

I am putting together the extra bedroom in my house as a vape room. Going to put all of my gear in there, a coil building station, and a computer for YouTube and the forums. I also want to have a good camera to take good pictures of coils and mods for posting and to have blown up to large size for decorating the room.

I know there are people from all walks of life and all types of hobbies on here. Figured i would ask here before I went to a photography forum. Some others here could use the information as well as is evident by so many pictures on this forum.

So, all you photographers out there, what is a decent camera that doesn't cost an arm and a leg that's suitable for the task?

 

[Hiding]

I can't recommend any specific camera's but research Macro photography.

 

[mujuru]

... research Macro photography.

YUP! ... Funny that one expensive hobby (vaping) is leading you to yet another expensive hobby (photography)... lol.

For all the coil close ups, you'll be dealing with macro photography. I'm not sure how good the point-n-shoots or mirrorless cameras are for macro these days, but any of the macro lenses that do 1:1 or close thereto should be good. And of course, skys the limit in terms of the body you choose. But generally speaking, any of the modern dslr would probably meet your needs. Unless you're really planning on delving into photography heavily, macro equipment tends to be pretty pricey.

Alternatively, research macro photography using extension tubes... a relatively inexpensive way to mimic and get close to true macro... but probably won't get you to 1:1. But will likely suit your needs. There are draw backs, but they may or may not be relevant for you.

Its hard to give recommendations when it comes to photography as there are many ways to go about things... you can throw money at it (buy equipment for the task), or use a little ingenuity and save a buck (but requires some know how and a bit more patience).

I'm certainly no expert, but do tend to research photog stuff as much as i do vaping... lol.

Glad to help if i can...

 

[Dampmaskin]

Any entry level DSLR should do. Finding the right lens (that does not cost an arm and a leg) is where your real challenge lies.

 

[RaceGun59]

Some call it macro, others use the term "micro". You want a lense that will focus really close. I'd suggect at least 8 MP (megapixal) or higher MP if you want photos above 8 X 10 size. What are you calling an "arm and a leg"? $200-$300, $400-$500? I have a Canon IS5 that takes great macro. Look for the Canon Powershot line like the Canon SX510. Nikon has some good point and shoot that do good too.

 

[coalyard]

If you think vaping is expensive...I use my DSLR with a macro lens myself, but almost anything but a cell phone should do an acceptable job. Get a mini tripod too. With macros, if your camera is 12+MP, just shoot at a comfortable distance from the subject, and crop at 100%. Like this, but it's not a coil, it's a bee. Shot with my backup camera, Canon T3i with a 50mm prime lens.

 

[TheJakeBailey]

Op, you are really going to regret asking this question. lol Asking about camera gear is 10x worse then asking about the best vape gear! In my honest opinion, 33% of photography is the camera/lens, 33% is knowing how to use it to get the result you want, and the other 33% is lighting. You can have the best dslr and lens in the world, but if you don't know how to use it... Same for lighting. if your subject is correctly lit, you can take great photos with a point and shoot camera. if you think you might use the camera for other things, or this might be something of a hobby in it's own, I would get an entry level dslr. I would also get a light box kit. You can find them at any camera site, and they are what ebay sellers and the like use to take photos of products they are selling. If you just want the camera for this, I would NOT drop a bunch of money. I would get a decent point and shoot. Look for the highest "optical zoom" as opposed to "digital zoom." get yourself a light box, or other light setup. then you'll have to figure out how to use it! Good luck!


eta. The other missing 1% is luck! Many of my absolute favorite photos were nothing but luck!

 

[catalinaflyer]

Check your local pawn shops for a decent DSLR, get a small tripod and practice. There are some EXTREMELY expensive ways to shoot macro but with some practice you can do it with decent priced equipment. I have a Canon EOS Rebel T3i that I use a lot and here's a picture shot with the standard lens on a tripod. The lighting was horrible but you'll get the idea.

 

[mujuru]

Well... everything sort of depends on what the OP wants out of his photos and his level of acceptability. Also... how large is a large print? In my head, i definitely was not thinking an 8x10. And 100% crops will definitely look nice onscreen, but enlarged?... and again, what's the intended size?

A lot of variables, so its not an easy question to answer.

 

[rurwin]

You probably don't need to go a full DSLR, although that would give you the option of getting lens accessories to get very close in. On the other hand, it may force you to get them.

The bridge or super-zoom cameras can be very good for close-up work. You're limited to the one lens, but it's often good enough. I'll take some pictures tonight and post them up. The modern example might be the Fujifilm Finepix S1; it focuses as close as 1cm and takes 12MP images. An Amazon review tells me that's good enough for printing at A3 size. The same review points out that you will not get the same level of detail as you will with a DSLR, but one of them will cost at least as much even for entry level, and then you'll need lenses on top.

If you think you might want to take up photography as a serious hobby, it might be worth going straight to DSLR with something like the Canon Rebel T3 (EOS 1100D). If all you want is to take a few art-prints now and then, and have a camera you can carry around easily to point-and-shoot the family photos, then something like the Fujifilm Finepix S1 is probably a better bet. If you try to use a DSLR for a point-and-shoot, you'll find you never have it on you, because it's so much weight and bother, and even if you have it it will have the wrong lens on.

Remember, even with a bridge camera, there's more to buy. You'll need a tripod at least.

You can see what my Fujifilm FinePix S3400 can do here: Soronlin's photosets on Flickr Unfortunately no macro shots there; I'll try some tonight.

 

[Steamix]

If you just wanna snap still without getting really involved into macro photography ( which is a fascinating hobby alright ) , 35 bucks get you there :

$32.70 USB Powered 25X-200X Digital Microscope w/ 2.0MP Camera - w/ 8*LED illumination at FastTech - Worldwide Free Shipping

Hope the mods don't view this is ad - got one myself, for the purpose of taking a real close look at gunked up coils (yeeech ) it's fine.

Cuz like previous posters hinted at, ging into macro photography big time can blow your budget - big time.
But then again: do dem brats really nned to go to college ?

 

[rurwin]

Or you could just use your phone.

Neither of those are suitable for printing at any size though.

ETA: I do have a closeup from the SX3400, but it's cropped and probably scaled right down for web use. This is the same subject as the phone picture -- An EVOD head, but this time of a destroyed stock coil:

 

[sneakerpimp]

olloclip macro, telephoto, wide angle, fish-eye, and polarizing iPhone photo lenses

 

[rurwin]

Here they are then:

Fujifilm SX3400 in Super Macro mode. So close that the subject is almost touching the lens.

Full Picture: DSCF0940 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Cropped to subject: DSCF0940-crop | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

That last one is only 1760 x 1364: 2.4M pixels. So it will not blow up to poster size, or even A4. I doubt that any ordinary or macro lens will do what you need. I think you would have to use a microscope attachment. I suppose if you could find a good camera with a resolution of 60M pixels, that would serve, but it would be a huge waste.

ETA: I would love to be proved wrong if someone with a DSLR can do better.

 

[RogerWilco357]

try buying a used camera like Canon's dslr's and A macro lens like the 100mm they have the 300.00 used lens and probably 800 for the 100mm L series lens. I hang out a lot on the forums for these types of buys..try p.o.t.n. pictures on the net forum mainly canon stuff and Fred miranda's site for nikon and other types of cameras ...I use the 5D2 and 90mm Tamron for macro or the 100L but that is very expensive..not sure but I know there are a lot of point and shoots under 200 that can get your macro shots ..good luck Photograpy is very expensive at over 2k per lens very expensive....

 

[Robino1]

olloclip macro, telephoto, wide angle, fish-eye, and polarizing iPhone photo lenses

What a cool lens for the iPhone! Wow!

Here they are then:

Fujifilm SX3400 in Super Macro mode. So close that the subject is almost touching the lens.

Full Picture: DSCF0940 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Cropped to subject: DSCF0940-crop | Flickr - Photo Sharing!


That last one is only 1760 x 1364: 2.4M pixels. So it will not blow up to poster size, or even A4. I doubt that any ordinary or macro lens will do what you need. I think you would have to use a microscope attachment. I suppose if you could find a good camera with a resolution of 60M pixels, that would serve, but it would be a huge waste.

ETA: I would love to be proved wrong if someone with a DSLR can do better.

Those are amazing pictures! Thanks for sharing

 

[Nate Rager]

Here they are then:

Fujifilm SX3400 in Super Macro mode. So close that the subject is almost touching the lens.

Full Picture: DSCF0940 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Cropped to subject: DSCF0940-crop | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

That last one is only 1760 x 1364: 2.4M pixels. So it will not blow up to poster size, or even A4. I doubt that any ordinary or macro lens will do what you need. I think you would have to use a microscope attachment. I suppose if you could find a good camera with a resolution of 60M pixels, that would serve, but it would be a huge waste.

ETA: I would love to be proved wrong if someone with a DSLR can do better.

Those pictures look great. That is what I am looking for with the ability to blow then up to poster size. It's clear that the arm and a leg restriction won't work here. I'll just call it part of my vaping hobby.

So do I need a microscope camera or a dslr with a macro lense?

 

[Benzin]

I dont think you need to spend a fortune to take pictures of your setups, look at these pictures (click to enlarge), they are from a microcoil + silica wick i made, and they were taken with my galaxy s3 mini phone. You just need good lightning and a steady hand.

Granted, they are not "Cover of National geographic" quality, but i think there good enough.

 

[sneakerpimp]

the latest iphone, droid, etc. have high enough resolution and image quality so i don’t believe it’s necessary to get a fancy new camera kit.

 

[rurwin]

Might be simpler than a microscope...