Welcome to the Austin Seven Friends web site and forum

As announced earlier, this forum with it's respective web address will go offline within the next days!
Please follow the link to our new forum

http://www.austinsevenfriends.co.uk/forum

and make sure, you readjust your link button to the new address!

Welcome Austin seven Friends
This Forum is Locked
Author
Comment
View Entire Thread
Re: Camera recommendations

A few things have not yet been mentioned

A powerful flash will help illuminate dark recesses under the car and in the garage

I would always recommend a viewfinder, but it will be helpful to have a fold out articulated rear screen so you can hold the camera underneath looking upwards without being right underneath yourself!

Ability to focus at close range will help with recording small details

I wouldn't go for touch screen operation as you will almost certainly have dirty hands at some stage and cleaning them and/or the screen mid job will be a pain

Your budget is more than adequate, give some thought to additional computer software to organise your photos to provide a captioned story of your work

If you have a camera club/photographic society nearby, get in touch to gather recommendations of a good dealer, the best ones will give a guarantee on used equipment which may well suit your needs. You may also find someone who will see this as a good subject for their portfolio and who can be with you in the garage

Hope this helps

David

P.S. I've just seen that you are in Hereford, I'm often in the area, pm me if I can be of more help

Location: Under my dog

Re: Camera recommendations

Get the most simple camera you can find
With poor eye sight you will absolutely hate trying to configure the menus and have disappointing results.
The amount of "widgets" on modern cameras for just about everything in my experience = by the time you get the setting right what ever it was you wanted to take a picture of has long gone!.
I'd also say if it's for a work shop type environment get the cheapest - no matter how hard you remember you put it right by the open bucket of oil, your be amazed how the spanner dropping on the tyre leaver, pinging the jet wash hose, flipping the hammer and jolting the camera into the oil works every time.
With care the SD card is recoverable !.
So I am told because of course I'm not that stupid - right?

Re: Camera recommendations

A waterproof camera might be the answer, then you can at least wash the oil off. Most are also dustproof and waterproof.

For a simpler and cheaper ones look at those that are made for children.

Location: Oxfordshire

Re: Camera recommendations

Andrew,

If you're going to buy online, I can highly recommend Wex Photographic in Norwich. They're an excellent company to deal with and offer both new and used cameras and other photographic equipment - check out their website. I subscribe to 'Which' consumers magazine and Wex were voted 'Best Online Shop' of 2014, beating the likes of John Lewis who are also very highly regarded.

http://www.wexphotographic.com

http://www.wexphotographic.com/cameras/c2017

Jeff.

Location: Almost but not quite, the far North East of England

Re: Camera recommendations

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR USEFUL INFORMATION ,SOME OF THE THINGS I HAD NOT CONSIDERED, WILL START TO LOOK AROUND ARMED WITH THE IDEAS GIVEN.

I HAVE BOOKMARKED THAT WEB SITE JEFF,

ANDREW

Re: Camera recommendations


I had a spell writing for a woodwork magazine. His "pro tips" were to use ANY digital camera BUT to keep it in a box to keep the dust off when not in use and to always use a tripod.

Something else to consider is that in the last few years cameras have been able to "see in the dark" better than people. With a good camera you no longer need a flash...

I've had one of these (Sony DX100) the last two years and been delighted with it:

http://www.johnlewis.com/sony-cyber-shot-dsc-rx100-hd-1080p-20-2mp-3-6x-optical-zoom-3-lcd-screen-black/p231683057?sku=231683057&kpid=231683057&s_kenid=31738fc1-e5d0-ebe8-e3e3-000018271dee&s_kwcid=402x22548&tmad=c&tmcampid=73&kpid=231683057

Excellent with low light and wide angles.

David

Re: Camera recommendations


My dad is a "camera every year" person and a big fan of WEX in Norwich also.

If not taking for a magazine don't bother with the tripod.

If wanting to take a magazine COVER that's another game entirely...beyond me... My articles were of the hands-on step-by-step type with a couple of photos of it all finished for the header.

David

Re: Camera recommendations


The case (link below) seems expensive but I was so pleased with it than when I lost the front section I bought another. A friend with the same camera was delighted with the base and strap. What I do now is if "out and about" taking a lot of pictures I remove the front and leave it in the car or a pocket.

The case and camera have an "old fashioned feel". The camera is metal, the controls are solid, the screw fixture is firm, the two poppers on the cover have different resistance, the strap hasn't worn. "They do make them like they used to" but at the same sort of price that they used to be. The camera it replaced was also a Sony, also with a case, and they're still going strong 12 years on. I'm pleased with the upgrade and could think "every ten years isn't so bad for a camera" when handing over the money for it.

http://www.johnlewis.com/sony-lcj-rxf-camera-case-for-sony-cyber-shot-rx100-i-ii-iii/p1929690?sku=234321433&kpid=234321433&s_kenid=31738fc1-e5d0-ebe8-e3e3-000018271dee&s_kwcid=402x23870&tmad=c&tmcampid=73&kpid=234321433

Re: Camera recommendations

Sorry David, neither of those John Lewis links works.

Ian Mc.

Location: Shropshire

Re: Camera recommendations

The term to google is "Sony RX 100"

Let's see if the Amazon link works better:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-Cybershot-DSC-RX100-Digital-Optical-Black/dp/B008CNMZDW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1428498991&sr=8-1&keywords=sony+100+rx

This should give the range of cases:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=case%20for%20sony%20rx%20100&sprefix=case+for+sony+rx+1%2Caps

Re: Camera recommendations


Something else I remembered - can use a torch for extra light.

Re: Camera recommendations

Personally I wouldn't bother with a flash. On the little cameras/phones they make all the pictures look terrible. For taking pictures of car building things you don't need one, other light sources will work as David mentions. If I am in the garage and need extra light I have inspection lamps on leads that work fine. Most of the little cameras will have a little flash these days. I just set mine to be off all the time (I think most default to automatic).

I have nearly 2500 pictures of my Austin 7 build in my gallery now and I think there would be very few flash pictures in there at all.

That said you do have to be practiced at holding the camera steady at slower shutter speeds! I take a lot of film photos still so I get a lot of practice there.

Simon

Location: Auckland

Re: Camera recommendations

I use the camera on my fairly basic nokia mobile phone,no flash but seems to work at most light levels.
Using the zoom tends to lose's detail, but as its usually in my pocket its always handy.
We also have a basic Sony camera with viewfinder which is looking a bit battered but still takes great pictures.
Andy