George, I see a couple of others have already responded to your inquiry about cameras and no doubt many others will as well. There has been a lot written on this site and in the modeling press on the subject (see the sidebar I did on taking photos in the 2011 GREAT MODEL RAILROADS) but I always enjoy sharing what I know. Picking a camera is very much a matter of personal preference and experiencing them in person at a camera store is important, remembering that a given store will try to sell you the brands they carry. Also you should search for reviews by professionals/magazines of a specific camera on the internet, but ignore comments made by amateurs...they mostly complain. I would be glad to discuss the subject off-line with anyone who would like.
What's most important for 'vacation pictures' is how big a camera physically you are willing to carry around and how much zoom you want. Almost all digital cameras, even tiny pocket models, these days take good pictures in daylight and have image stabilization systems. Don't get hung up on megapixels counts. Unless you plan to make prints bigger than 11 x14" or do substantial cropping, 14 MP or so is fine and most cameras exceed that today. For layout photos, the top requirement BY FAR is that the camera allows you to manually set the aperture because for good depth of field at close focusing distances you must set the camera for the smallest aperture (largest f-stop number) if has. In the $400+ range most, but not all, cameras have manual modes. After much research I just recently purchased what has proven to be a very versatile camera in the relative new class called 'super zooms'. It is a Fujifilm HS30EXR. It has a zoom that goes from 24mm-720mm (believe it or not!) and has fully manual controls, yet it is MUCH smaller and lighter than a digital SLR (because the lens is not interchangeable) although it won't fit in your pocket. It's not perfect (none are) but I've gotten nice general photos, photos of grandkids playing sports (it can shoot 6 frames a second), and it takes HD video. I have also just finished shooting both a set of layout photos and a set of close-ups of a scratchbuilding project both for publication using the manual controls. The pictures are crisp and clear with good color rendition. I hesitated because Fujifilm is not one of the bigger brands, but the reviews were good and it has a nice set of features overall. I've been very happy so far. All the major brands now offer 'super zooms'. My second choice was the Nikon P7700 (not a super zoom) but it was not available when I made my purchase. Good luck...and do lots of research before laying down your money. I can recommend buying from Best Buy as they have a 30-day return policy (no questions asked) which I have used...twice. Again, I'd be glad to discuss off line. Brooks Stover --- In [email protected], "gsc3" <gsc3@...> wrote: > > Group, > > I received money for a digital camera for Christmas. Anyone recommend a > all-purpose camera $500 and under that would still take decent layout shots? > Anyone have such a animal? Most of the photos will be vacations and such. > > Thanks, > George Courtney > ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/S-Scale/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/S-Scale/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
