Cameras - Or why did they change it , It weren't broke ?

Tools, Techniques, and Reference Materials Photographing scale models
1

Now ,

Here’s where my stubborness really will be obvious . I own CanonA-620 Power-Shot digital 7.1 M.P. Camera

Well, you might add , why don’t you buy a more powerful camera ? Because I don’t want to spend another couple hundred bucks to get a certain function back . I bought this camera for two reasons .

One it just barely met the requirements for getting a hard copy picture re-printed in a mag .Two , It has a little screen 1-5/8"x1-1/4" on the back .This little bitty screen is the reason I bought this unit . I can sit the camera on a table top .

While on the table top I can set the screen for the picture angle I want , then adjust the camera to see that same angle and shoot away . Now , I have one picture taken that way that amazes everyone .

It’s a picture with a blue , lightly cloudy background behind the Ship in the picture .The angle says it’s being taken from the ship’s motor - whaleboat or crew -launch as it approaches . The background happened to be my textured finished wall ! Of a ship that is now a museum !

This totally surprised me .The lighting turned out perfect as the ships side was partly in shadow .

That screen is the reason I won’t buy new .Oh , I would love a 10 or 15 M.P. Camera . But to get that screen back I need to buy the camera body , then the lens assembly . I don’t use the camera enough to justify the expense .

You see My back is like a chain reaction collision aftermath .So , I cannot bend around looking for the perfect shot and I am not a Proffessionall Photographer . I am just a tired , beat up , Old Crazy former floating , flying fool who built things , and flew things and I choose to keep both feet grounded .

I get down on knees for pictures . Can you say " get the walker please " . I find myself unable to do that ! ! So Canon Saved my life . Now if they would only do it again , in one piece that I can afford .

2

Just a thought, my wife has a Nikon semi-automatic camera with the screen on the back that was only a few hundred dollars. I suspect that Canon has the same. Check your local camera shop or Best Buy and I’ll bet you you can upgrade for less than you think.

Good luck, John

3

It sounds like what you’d really like would be an articulated screen - one that can swing out 180 degrees to the side and pivot vertically.

My Nikon P-520 ($400 two years ago) has one, and I love it. That camera also has a huge zoom range and lots of other features you may or may not want. But you don’t need to spend that much for an articulated screen.

If you’ve got a genuine camera store in your neighborhood, you should check out the possibility of buying something second-hand. Lots of people upgrade their cameras and, if they have access to a good camera store, trade in the old ones. And modern digital cameras are pretty danged durable.

4

Hi Proff !

That’s the kind of screen I am talking about . T.B.

5

The manufacturers still use articulated screens for lots of bridge cameras. And some of the more expensive, enthusiast DSLRs now have them too. The manufacturers certainly haven’t abandoned the idea.

Sounds to me like the answer to your question is: if you like the camera you’ve got, and if it has the features you want, and it has enough megapixels for you - why even think about changing?

6

To me it depends on how much model photography you do. If you use a camera mostly for general use, and only very occasionally shoot a model, then a simple P & S is okay.

However, if you do a lot of model photography, a camera with lots of manual control can improve your model photography. I typically use manual focus and aperture priority for model photography. And manual focus demands either reflex (optical viewfinder) or a super high res electronic viewfinder. Also, a camera for model photography should be able to stop down to pretty high f number.

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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I’ve got two cameras: a Pentax K-10 DSLR with a mere 10 megapixels, interchangeable lenses, an optical viewfinder, a fixed screen, and knobs to control all the manual options one could conceive of; and a Nikon P-520 “bridge camera” with 18.1 megapixels, a 42x zoom lens, an electronic viewfinder, an articulated screen, and all sorts of manual override options buried in the menus. They’re both fine cameras for different purposes, and I wouldn’t give up either of them. (Someday I may spring for a new DSLR with an articulated screen and a higher pixel count, but for now I’m more than satisfied.)

8

Another thought, check out your local camera store. They may have a used camera that would fit your needs with the screen and all for a decent price. Good luck.

John

9

I saw an interesting article in Popular Photography yesterday, on macro photography. The last tip was to carry a magnifier to examine the electronic viewfinder to accurately do manual focus. Seems to me that magnifying pixels does not help much. If the info isn’t there, magnifying blocks won’t help. If one is really doing macro work one needs a camera with manual focus and reflex viewfinder.

10

I wonder if PopPhoto meant to recommend a magnifying glass to examine the image on the screen. That would make a little sense, though I question whether it would really help much.

My little Nikon has a diopter built into the electronic viewfinder to compensate for each individual’s eyesight. I don’t see how it would be physically possible to look through a magnifier at the EVF. But my closeup vision is bad enough that a magnifying glass (or optivisor, or some such thing) to examine the screen on the back might accomplish something. I’m inclined to agree with Don, though: magnifying pixels doesn’t sound like a worthwhile exercise.

I don’t think I’ll ever get entirely accustomed to EVFs and screens. The good ol’ through-the-lense optical viewfinder still gets my vote as the best option - for any sort of picture taking.