Re: [h-cost] Cameras for photographing costumes in poor light?
Thanks Marjorie! Great tip! Penny Ladnier, owner The Costume Gallery Websites www.costumegallery.com 15 websites of fashion, costume, and textile history FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Costume-Gallery-Websites/107498415961579 ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Cameras for photographing costumes in poor light?
I have a Panasonic Lumix and loved it. Actually, I had two because the one before was a Lumix also. But this past fall my husband wanted a new camera for his birthday and got the Sony Cybershot. The one with 14.1 megapixels and 10x optical zoom. I didn't think we needed it, but it was what he wanted. And now I hardly ever use my Lumix anymore. This camera is amazing. Teena From: penn...@costumegallery.com penn...@costumegallery.com To: Historical Costume h-cost...@indra.com Sent: Fri, May 20, 2011 5:19:58 AM Subject: Re: [h-cost] Cameras for photographing costumes in poor light? Oh Andy...I am still in mourning over the death of my Panasonic Lumix. My husband still has his but won't let me touch it. Penny Ladnier, owner The Costume Gallery Websites www.costumegallery.com 15 websites of fashion, costume, and textile history FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Costume-Gallery-Websites/107498415961579 ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Cameras for photographing costumes in poor light?
To add my two cents, a tripod is extremely helpful but also remember that many museums, while they allow non-flash photography, do not allow the use of tripods. If you have access to actually look at the garments in research areas, not sure what is allowed or not but I've yet to tackle that yet. While my photography knowledge is severely lacking, I would suggest selecting a model thy gives you the beat quality photos without a tripod. That way you'll get good photos in places you cannot use a tripod, but always have the tripod for extra help. Michael Deibert OAS AAS LLS Sent from my iPhone On May 20, 2011, at 0:11, penn...@costumegallery.com wrote: My tripod suggest...make sure it is lightweight for travel. Some can add pounds to your luggage and put it overweight...OUCH! That hurts the pocketbook!. Penny Ladnier, owner The Costume Gallery Websites www.costumegallery.com 15 websites of fashion, costume, and textile history FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Costume-Gallery-Websites/107498415961579 ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Cameras for photographing costumes in poor light?
I went into the store tonight and they offered me a discount on the Canon Powershot G12 - the others mentioned are not available here. It does seem to work well in low light - this is an issue I'm always having problems with. For emergency outdoor family stuff I use my iphone 4 which turns out pretty good. Although the Canon Powershot G12 doesn't seem to be wizz-bang like the others, it impresses me with its small size and low light feature. See how I go, and thanks so much for this discussion - its been mighty helpful. Cheers, Aylwen On Fri, May 20, 2011 at 9:10 PM, michaeljdeib...@gmail.com michaeljdeib...@gmail.com wrote: To add my two cents, a tripod is extremely helpful but also remember that many museums, while they allow non-flash photography, do not allow the use of tripods. If you have access to actually look at the garments in research areas, not sure what is allowed or not but I've yet to tackle that yet. While my photography knowledge is severely lacking, I would suggest selecting a model thy gives you the beat quality photos without a tripod. That way you'll get good photos in places you cannot use a tripod, but always have the tripod for extra help. Michael Deibert OAS AAS LLS Sent from my iPhone On May 20, 2011, at 0:11, penn...@costumegallery.com wrote: My tripod suggest...make sure it is lightweight for travel. Some can add pounds to your luggage and put it overweight...OUCH! That hurts the pocketbook!. Penny Ladnier, owner The Costume Gallery Websites www.costumegallery.com 15 websites of fashion, costume, and textile history FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Costume-Gallery-Websites/107498415961579 ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Cameras for photographing costumes in poor light?
Every group of museums differ. Sometimes even as much as by collection. You never know till you ask. A tripod might not be allowedbut a stool tosit on whiletaking note might be. C,meom McGyver' it is still possible! -Original Message- Date: Friday, May 20, 2011 7:11:31 am To: Historical Costume h-cost...@indra.com From: michaeljdeib...@gmail.com michaeljdeib...@gmail.com Subject: Re: [h-cost] Cameras for photographing costumes in poor light? To add my two cents, a tripod is extremely helpful but also remember that many museums, while they allow non-flash photography, do not allow the use of tripods. If you have access to actually look at the garments in research areas, not sure what is allowed or not but I've yet to tackle that yet. While my photography knowledge is severely lacking, I would suggest selecting a model thy gives you the beat quality photos without a tripod. That way you'll get good photos in places you cannot use a tripod, but always have the tripod for extra help. Michael Deibert OAS AAS LLS Sent from my iPhone On May 20, 2011, at 0:11, penn...@costumegallery.com wrote: My tripod suggest...make sure it is lightweight for travel. Some can add pounds to your luggage and put it overweight...OUCH! That hurts the pocketbook!. Penny Ladnier, owner The Costume Gallery Websites www.costumegallery.com 15 websites of fashion, costume, and textile history FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/page ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Cameras for photographing costumes in poor light?
Only one thing to add, Cin and Alwyen, The LACMA exhibit, Fashioning Fashion, forbids tripods. Not cameras. Nothing about flash. Just tripods! Perhaps for the trip hazard? I don't know. I have a monopod which is a pretty darn good substitute, but they even forbade that when I asked. It wasn't even with me, but I was curious if they were going to be fussy about number of feet on the pod). And the Balenciaga exhibit in SF, which Cin and I just saw, forbade photography, period. Many of the displays were so dark (and on with several black garments) it was next-to-impossible to see construction details, but we happened to think of a tiny LED flashlight, and Cin happened to have one. Talk about a handy museum tool :) Even if we couldn't photograph, we could at least see! It might make photographs easier in cases where flash is forbidden (most cases). == Marjorie Wilser =:=:=:Three Toad Press:=:=:= Learn to laugh at yourself and you will never lack for amusement. --MW http://3toad.blogspot.com/ On May 19, 2011, at 6:03 PM, Cin wrote: Aylwen, I see what you're looking at now. My recommendation: Take several costume pieces to the camera store with you (various textures hue densities). Take your laptop, too. Have the sales person setup the lighting situation(s) you'll be in. Run lots of experiments, perhaps some like these: * Set your camera to ISO 1600, shutter priority shoot your costumes from various distances. * Switch to indoor mode shoot. * Switch to night + portrait and shoot a bunch more. * Noodle around with the white balance. * Shoot thru glass, if you can, to simulate museum cases. * Turn the image stab on off see how things change when you shoot your costumes from various distances. * Add the tripod (good call, Claudine) and do it all again. * Try macro, if there is one... tho I dont see it listed on the features page. * Ask what setup the salesperson recommends now that s/he knows what you're up to. Down load everything to your computer check the result on the bigger screen. Your computer will have much better color depth than the tiny screen. See if you like the results and see if you have all the right accessories (like the SDHC adapter) to dnld pics to your computer. Having done that, see what else the shop recommends given your interests and your price point. --cin Cynthia Barnes cinbar...@gmail.com On Thu, May 19, 2011 at 5:02 PM, Aylwen Gardiner-Garden aylwe...@gmail.com wrote: Sorry about the link - I've shortened it to http://tinyurl.com/ 3nqxqf9 I have access to costume collections overseas that I can photograph without a flash. I prefer Olympus so was looking at this one http://dicksmith.com.au/product/XG6600/olympus-sp-600-ultra-zoom-digital-cameraand wondering if it would work. ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Cameras for photographing costumes in poor light?
If there's a stable surface you can rest your elbows on I've found that does a pretty good job at reducing camera shake (and if you're photographing somethign in a glass case chances are you can rest your arms/elbows against the glass). I also like cameras with an old fashioned viewfinder instead of using the screen as that means it's resting against your head instead of being tempted to hold it at arm's length where the shake is going to be at it's worst. Elizabeth On Sat, May 21, 2011 at 12:16 AM, Marjorie Wilser the3t...@gmail.com wrote: Only one thing to add, Cin and Alwyen, The LACMA exhibit, Fashioning Fashion, forbids tripods. Not cameras. Nothing about flash. Just tripods! Perhaps for the trip hazard? I don't know. I have a monopod which is a pretty darn good substitute, but they even forbade that when I asked. It wasn't even with me, but I was curious if they were going to be fussy about number of feet on the pod). And the Balenciaga exhibit in SF, which Cin and I just saw, forbade photography, period. Many of the displays were so dark (and on with several black garments) it was next-to-impossible to see construction details, but we happened to think of a tiny LED flashlight, and Cin happened to have one. Talk about a handy museum tool :) Even if we couldn't photograph, we could at least see! It might make photographs easier in cases where flash is forbidden (most cases). == Marjorie Wilser =:=:=:Three Toad Press:=:=:= Learn to laugh at yourself and you will never lack for amusement. --MW http://3toad.blogspot.com/ On May 19, 2011, at 6:03 PM, Cin wrote: Aylwen, I see what you're looking at now. My recommendation: Take several costume pieces to the camera store with you (various textures hue densities). Take your laptop, too. Have the sales person setup the lighting situation(s) you'll be in. Run lots of experiments, perhaps some like these: * Set your camera to ISO 1600, shutter priority shoot your costumes from various distances. * Switch to indoor mode shoot. * Switch to night + portrait and shoot a bunch more. * Noodle around with the white balance. * Shoot thru glass, if you can, to simulate museum cases. * Turn the image stab on off see how things change when you shoot your costumes from various distances. * Add the tripod (good call, Claudine) and do it all again. * Try macro, if there is one... tho I dont see it listed on the features page. * Ask what setup the salesperson recommends now that s/he knows what you're up to. Down load everything to your computer check the result on the bigger screen. Your computer will have much better color depth than the tiny screen. See if you like the results and see if you have all the right accessories (like the SDHC adapter) to dnld pics to your computer. Having done that, see what else the shop recommends given your interests and your price point. --cin Cynthia Barnes cinbar...@gmail.com On Thu, May 19, 2011 at 5:02 PM, Aylwen Gardiner-Garden aylwe...@gmail.com wrote: Sorry about the link - I've shortened it to http://tinyurl.com/3nqxqf9 I have access to costume collections overseas that I can photograph without a flash. I prefer Olympus so was looking at this one http://dicksmith.com.au/product/XG6600/olympus-sp-600-ultra-zoom-digital-cameraand wondering if it would work. ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume -- -- Elizabeth Walpole http://magpiecostumer.wordpress.com/ http://magpiecostumer.110mb.com/ ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Cameras for photographing costumes in poor light?
A trick my dad taught me is that if you can't take a full-size tripod, get one of those tiny, table-top tripods. It's best if the tripod can splay its legs out wide or flat. Then you can stabilize your camera against your own chest! --Rachel ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Cameras for photographing costumes in poor light?
Another trick, if you can't take a real tripod, this is unobtrusive and helpful - http://www.instructables.com/id/String-Tripod/ Guenièvre On Fri, May 20, 2011 at 10:45 AM, Galadriel galadrielfi...@yahoo.com wrote: A trick my dad taught me is that if you can't take a full-size tripod, get one of those tiny, table-top tripods. It's best if the tripod can splay its legs out wide or flat. Then you can stabilize your camera against your own chest! --Rachel ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Cameras for photographing costumes in poor light?
A highly flexible and lightweight option is to get a GorillaPod. My partner takes a lot of photos of her knitting and finds this to be very helpful. You can wind it around a chair, cope with uneven surfaces, etc. http://www.amazon.com/Joby-GP1-E1EN-Gorillapod-Flexible-Tripod/dp/B000EVSLRO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8qid=1305910687sr=8-1 http://www.amazon.com/Joby-GP1-E1EN-Gorillapod-Flexible-Tripod/dp/B000EVSLRO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8qid=1305910687sr=8-1 DeNae ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Cameras for photographing costumes in poor light?
A better video here: http://www.instructables.com/id/1-Camera-Image-Stabilizer/ Not sure why your link didn't supply a working video, at least to me. == Marjorie Wilser =:=:=:Three Toad Press:=:=:= Learn to laugh at yourself and you will never lack for amusement. --MW http://3toad.blogspot.com/ On May 20, 2011, at 7:50 AM, Guenievre de Monmarche wrote: Another trick, if you can't take a real tripod, this is unobtrusive and helpful - http://www.instructables.com/id/String-Tripod/ ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
[h-cost] Cameras for photographing costumes in poor light?
I'm hoping to get an Olympus camera - the range I'm looking at is at http://dicksmith.com.au/dsau/navigation/navigation_r esults.jsp?params=omitxmldecl%3Dyes%26fh_maxdisplayn rvalues_brand%3D-1%26fh_refview%3Dlister%26fh_reffacet%3Dbrand%26fh _refpath%3Dfacet_9%26fh_location%3D%252f%252fcatalog 01%252fen_AU%252fcategories%253c%257bcatalog01_25343 74302025483%257d%252fbrand%253dolympus%26fh_eds%3D%25c3%259freset=false and I'm looking for one that will take really good photos of costumes in poor light without a flash. Do you think any of these will work? Or is there a different camera that would be better that I can buy from this store? This is the closest one I can get to at this stage. Cheers, Aylwen ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Cameras for photographing costumes in poor light?
Aylwen, That URL was too long, I guess. I got page not found error. I know a little about cameras, but I cannot tell what Olympus camera you're looking at. My previous digital SLR camera was Olympus, so I do have a soft spot for the camera line. I'm going to assume you're talking about SLRs not point shoot cameras for casual users. Poor light means something very different to cameras to people. Typical indoor office lighting is poor because the color is disturbingly green or blue. Romantic restaurant lighting is generally too dim unless you're willing to be close, use a tripod, and have your subjects be very still. Doesnt make for charming candid shots. Other solutions to dealing w/ poor lighting require tossing piles of money at technical solutions such as fast prime lenses that can shoot at f2.8 or even f1.4. Another is to use image stabilized bodies lenses to get an effective 2 f-stops. I use both. Pro lines of lenses multipliers will get you clearer shots for a price, sometimes a shockingly high price. If your true objection to flash photography is that it looks harsh or creates ugly Hiroshima shadows around the subject, then consider improving your flash setup. The technique of bounce flash is one solution (and it's free). Another is adding a diffuser onto your existing flash (US$25 or less). Both soften the flash lighting. I'm shooting a Canon EOS Rebel. I cannot help w/ current Olympus gear. I have borrowed a friend's 100mm Pro, image stabilized, AF lens for the weekend for an indoor, commercially lit costume event. Will let you know how it comes out. Arent you going to Boston /or NYC this trip? If you're heading into Manhattan, try BH Camera. It's an institution. --cin Cynthia Barnes cinbar...@gmail.com On Thu, May 19, 2011 at 2:23 PM, Aylwen Gardiner-Garden aylwe...@gmail.com wrote: I'm hoping to get an Olympus camera - the range I'm looking at is at http://dicksmith.com.au/dsau/navigation/navigation_r esults.jsp?params=omitxmldecl%3Dyes%26fh_maxdisplayn rvalues_brand%3D-1%26fh_refview%3Dlister%26fh_reffacet%3Dbrand%26fh _refpath%3Dfacet_9%26fh_location%3D%252f%252fcatalog 01%252fen_AU%252fcategories%253c%257bcatalog01_25343 74302025483%257d%252fbrand%253dolympus%26fh_eds%3D%25c3%259freset=false and I'm looking for one that will take really good photos of costumes in poor light without a flash. Do you think any of these will work? Or is there a different camera that would be better that I can buy from this store? This is the closest one I can get to at this stage. Cheers, Aylwen ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Cameras for photographing costumes in poor light?
Everything Cin said, to which I add: get a tripod. Even a little desktop one will do loads for improving low-light photography. Claudine (I don't speak photog, but know what it looks like.) - Original Message From: Cin cinbar...@gmail.com To: Historical Costume h-cost...@indra.com Sent: Thu, May 19, 2011 4:56:43 PM Subject: Re: [h-cost] Cameras for photographing costumes in poor light? Aylwen, That URL was too long, I guess. I got page not found error. I know a little about cameras, but I cannot tell what Olympus camera you're looking at. My previous digital SLR camera was Olympus, so I do have a soft spot for the camera line. I'm going to assume you're talking about SLRs not point shoot cameras for casual users. ...snipped ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Cameras for photographing costumes in poor light?
Aylwen, If you get a tripod or monopod, also pickup the quickmount. If you have impatient boys, you'll be glad for the easier time breaking down your setup. Sunpak makes a super lightweight tripod that's easy to put up take down. I dragged it all over Tanzania last year. It held up very, very well in an adverse environment (camping, a dusty savanna lots of bouncy roads) should be a dream in nice, clean, safe museums. Spare rechargable batteries, too. --cin Cynthia Barnes cinbar...@gmail.com On Thu, May 19, 2011 at 6:03 PM, Cin cinbar...@gmail.com wrote: Aylwen, snip * Add the tripod (good call, Claudine) and do it all again. --cin Cynthia Barnes cinbar...@gmail.com ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Cameras for photographing costumes in poor light?
On 5/19/2011 5:02 PM, Aylwen Gardiner-Garden wrote: http://dicksmith.com.au/product/XG6600/olympus-sp-600-ultra-zoom-digital-cameraand Oooh. Bad choice. Superzoom cameras tend to have sensors smaller than your pinky-nail, and small sensors mean lots of noise (speckles) in your pictures. If you want something really flexible, the Olympus EP-L1 or EP-2 are going to cost more than the SP-600 but the sensor is big and the quality in low light is good. The Panasonic G-series is also a good choice (and supports the same lenses), and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 is very compact. If I wasn't already invested in Nikon equipment, I would seriously consider the Olympus EP-2 or the Panasonic GF1 instead of a digital SLR. If you want small, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 has a big sensor and a fast lens in a pocket size. The Canon Powershot S95 and the Canon Powershot G12 also both have excellent reputations as pro-quality cameras in pocket-size bodies. I haven't upgraded my pocket camera, but if I was going to it would be one of these models. And, yes, those are the Australian model names and numbers, they're the same as the US names and numbers. andy ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Cameras for photographing costumes in poor light?
My tripod suggest...make sure it is lightweight for travel. Some can add pounds to your luggage and put it overweight...OUCH! That hurts the pocketbook!. Penny Ladnier, owner The Costume Gallery Websites www.costumegallery.com 15 websites of fashion, costume, and textile history FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Costume-Gallery-Websites/107498415961579 ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Cameras for photographing costumes in poor light?
Oh Andy...I am still in mourning over the death of my Panasonic Lumix. My husband still has his but won't let me touch it. Penny Ladnier, owner The Costume Gallery Websites www.costumegallery.com 15 websites of fashion, costume, and textile history FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Costume-Gallery-Websites/107498415961579 ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
