Cameras and Smith & wessons

[loc n load]

Okay you photo shooters.....I see some very impressive photo's of your Smith's & gear here and I want to get into the game.
I have had SLR film cameras and boxes of len's for years, and I have a couple of low end digital cameras.....
What I want to know is what digital camera / lens combo you guy's are using to shoot full length shots of long guns, or several handguns, single "portrait" type handguns and up close and dirty images of serial numbers, etc.....can a single variable do it? Or am I going to need a couple of variables like a wide angle and then a zoom? Will probably go with a Nikon or Canon platform... Info needed.....tnx.

 

[Straightshooter2]

The majority of my photos are shot with a Pentax K-10 and either the 18-55 kit lens or the 55-300 Pentax lens. However I can and do use the $35 adapter from Pentax allowing me to use all of my old metal and glass Takumar/Super Takumar/SMC Takumar lenses. It's nice to have in body shake reduction with 50 year old lenses.

If you still have those old slr lenses, find out if they will fit or can be adapted to whatever digital system you buy. My only complaint about both Canon and Nikon is they sell you the shake reduction/vibration reduction over and over again with each lens. Both are great systems but if you buy the cheaper lenses or use older lenses, no SR/VR. You have to buy the more expensive lenses from them to get it.

CW

 

[loc n load]

Thanks

Thanks for ur input...I never get rid of anything..so yep...I still have my box of len's....I started looking at cameras/len's options and it is mind boggling....so I am looking for input from those of you who are taking pic's and posting them. I am not "locked" into any brand, but I have had Nikon, Vivitar and Canon bodies and that is where my background experience lies.

 

[Dennis The B]

Mine are all done with a Nikon D200 DSLR, 24-85 f2.8-f4 Macro Zoom, Nikon SB-800 Speedlight, and a variety of inexpensive small fleece blankets. I just bought 24"x24"x24" portable box to start experimenting with continuous light. Here's one with a bounced flash:

 

[loc n load]

That's what I am talking about.

Thanks for your info.....nice work, good subject.

 

[Tom K]

Take a look at the pictures in this "For Sale" thread, by the Big Gorilla himself: http://smith-wessonforum.com/guns-sale-trade/300680-twenty-two-14-good-guns-sale.html They are more informative than artistic but do they look acceptably sharp, detailed, color balanced, etc? Any reason that with an interesting background and composition, a person couldn't make artistic photos with this equipment?

Here are reversed images of a couple of the pics. It appears to me that Lee is using a humble Canon point 'n' shoot compact with a 20x zoom lens and a tiny "pinhead" sensor chip, that would probably fit in his pocket. Maybe something like this: Amazon.com: Canon PowerShot SX260 HS 12.1 MP CMOS Digital Camera with 20x Image Stabilized Zoom 25mm Wide-Angle Lens and 1080p Full-HD Video (Black): Camera & Photo@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51aKRKKEfSL.@@AMEPARAM@@51aKRKKEfSL

Of course everybody knows that it takes an SLR with a large sensor and thousands of dollars worth of lenses to make good pictures, so I must be mistaken. Maybe if you PM Lee he'll let you in on his secret.

 

[loc n load]

Tnx....

I have come to realize over the years that it is the craftsman, and not necessarily the tools....although good tools usually doesn't hurt either. Will check it out....in information gathering mode now....much appreciated.

 

[JJEH]

I have a Fuji bridge camera and few month ago I bought a Nikon D3100 w/o having prior experience in DSLR. Some of my pictures you can see here Jorge Estrada - Fine Art

I also do sales pictures for gunbroker for a local shop.

All I can say is it's not always the tools you use. It's how you use them and get the maximun out of them. I would like to upgrade (really love the Nikon D7100), but I doubt that my pictures will get better with a different camera. I have to learn every day, even though I tent to get frustrated sometimes b/c I don't like the results...

 

[geoff40]

Absolutely. It really is ALL about the person behind the equipment. One can go out and buy some sort of contraption that is called a professional lightbox, but you can do your own with stuff like twine, an old white sheet or 2, and materials for some framework. Coat hangers, 1X1 wood, heck even duct tape. And if you build a 2nd and then maybe a 3rd one, they will be better functioning than anything coming out of a box.
I've built and seen other excellent light boxes using white/opaque plastic bowls and buckets. Cut a hole in the side that will give your lens, which will poke through it, good angle to take photos.

Explore places like you tube, use their search to look for things like "how to build a lightbox"; same thing with internet searches. Use different terms to find more leads. There are some really excellent photography forums out there with entire sections devoted to DIY kind of stuff. And believe me, the best and highest paid photographers in the world are all familiar with building their own stuff.

 

[arjay]

You can get pretty good photos with a point and shoot and a tripod.The resolution isn't as good as an expensive camera,but it's fun to play with.
A little photoshop helps too.

 

[loc n load]

Input

I appreciate your input guy's.....I agree with everything you are saying about skill levels.....I was very much into photography back in the 70's and 80's....had my own dark room, enlarger, etc.....but from 90- to 2007 my profession required me to travel a lot and I had to get rid of a lot of stuff....and now of course with the advent of the digital technology the old film stuff is archaic.....but the camera skills, lighting, composition, etc. skills are still relevant....I have not kept current on digital cameras and as noted I have a couple low end cameras, but they are not capable of producing the images that I want for posting....thus my original posting....intelligence gathering right now....interested in what you guy's are using..so I can make informed decisions when I start buying equipment...tnx.

 

[loutent]

I use a Nikon D700, usually with my 45+ yr old 55mm/3.5 micro nikkor lens with manual focus. I also have a D200 and Nikon film cameras (F, F2) that I bought in the 60's. As you probably know, the D700 has an FX (full 36x24mm size) sensor providing exceptional high ISO performance. For gun pics indoors under just a couple 100 watt bulbs, I can hand hold at 1/500, f/5.6 or 8 (the sweet spot for the micro nikkor). I hate using a tripod for gun pictures unless just for documenting - I like to move around and look for interesting angles and lighting (the main thing.)

I like to keep it simple - here's my "set-up" that I have shown before here on the forum:

and some results:

 

[Pete99004]

I took these with a Sony HDR-HC9 movie camera - not bad considering.







Pete

 

[chazc]

I learned on a Minolta 201 30 years ago. Loved that camera. But digital is the way to go. Get a good book and experiment. No money wasted on film. That's super. Try out different settings and lighting and such. Can always delete the bad pics. Just learn what works. Good luck and have fun.

 

[Janitor]

Absolutely. It really is ALL about the person behind the equipment. One can go out and buy some sort of contraption that is called a professional lightbox, but you can do your own with stuff like twine, an old white sheet or 2, and materials for some framework. Coat hangers, 1X1 wood, heck even duct tape. And if you build a 2nd and then maybe a 3rd one, they will be better functioning than anything coming out of a box.
I've built and seen other excellent light boxes using white/opaque plastic bowls and buckets. Cut a hole in the side that will give your lens, which will poke through it, good angle to take photos.

Explore places like you tube, use their search to look for things like "how to build a lightbox"; same thing with internet searches. Use different terms to find more leads. There are some really excellent photography forums out there with entire sections devoted to DIY kind of stuff. And believe me, the best and highest paid photographers in the world are all familiar with building their own stuff.

If you use bright enough lights, you don't even need twine or sheets or a lightbox.

Get a white background at the craft store, like a $0.78 piece of foam core and set it up on your table. Take whatever you're using for lights, turn the wick ALL the way up, and point them at the ceiling/walls to bounce light from a large diffuse area onto your tabletop.

Shot on foam core using the method above.

29-2

 

[loc n load]

Thanks to everyone

Thanks guy's for ur input.....am on track now....am looking fwd to posting pic's in the future.

 

[snubbyfan]

I make stuff and it's sometimes necessary to take a pic to show to people. I don't have any fancy equipment just an ancient digital camera with a flash. My background is usually an area on our yellowed oak floor or on our carpet.
I got a nice belt to use as a display for my holsters and knife sheaths.
I also use the floor as a background for my Indian jewelry, pouches and stuff.
Sometimes I'll use our carpet for a background.

 

[JJEH]

My latest shot.

 

[Cpo1944]

I have a Nikon d-800 which is great!
My lens selection is;50:f1.2, 17-35 f2.8, 28-300 -a very versatile lens-, 80-200 f 2.8

The two I use the most are the 17-35 and the 28-300.
the others hardly ever.

Last fall a very clumsy person caused the D-800 and 28-300 to get submerged in a river. Nikon was able to repair it , but it cost me $1000.
and a not so good friend.
I really missed my camera while it was away the "friend " not at all!

 

[David LaPell]

I am just getting out with my new Nikon S5200. I can't believe the resolution on this thing, 16 megapixels.

My Model 649

and my Model 27-2

I have always preferred outdoor shots, just something more natural.

even my Model 101 Savage looks good.