Need advice about a new camera

[OhPleaseJustQuit]

I hope this is the right forum for asking for camera advice.

I have a new hobby of making 1/12th scale dollhouse accessories and I need to get a camera that will be suitable for taking good quality extreme close up photos.

Ideally, I don't want to spend more than a few hundred bucks, if possible. The photo below is the camera I'm using and it's not quite giving me the detail I want.

Ease of use is also an important factor. I'm a total beginner.

Any suggestions? TIA.

 

[progressive hunter]

I hope this is the right forum for asking for camera advice.

I have a new hobby of making 1/12th scale dollhouse accessories and I need to get a camera that will be suitable for taking good quality extreme close up photos.

Ideally, I don't want to spend more than a few hundred bucks, if possible. The photo below is the camera I'm using and it's not quite giving me the detail I want.

Ease of use is also an important factor. I'm a total beginner.

Any suggestions? TIA.

I worked for this guy over a few yrs, hes probably one of the highest in the field of miniatures,, hes crazy good

William Robertson Fine Scale Miniatures artist, speaker, teacher, tools

William (Wm.) R. Robertson fine scale miniatures artist, speaker, craft teacher, museum designer, antique tool historian and collector. Uses 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th century tools to create his miniature art. Works in 1/12th scale, 1" to 1 foot, built the dollhouse Twin Manors.

www.robertsonminiatures.com

sorry got no advice on the camera,,

 

[pknopp]

You can get a super nice used SLR camera with a close up lens for a few hundred bucks. I like the Nikons because you can still use most all the old film lens. Many of them have macro capabilites. Just a quick look shows you can get a nice good working Nikon D5100 for less than $200 bucks.

Do some searching and you can find a suitable lens for under $100. You then have the capability to expand into other things from there.

 

[OhPleaseJustQuit]

I worked for this guy over a few yrs, hes probably one of the highest in the field of miniatures,, hes crazy good

William Robertson Fine Scale Miniatures artist, speaker, teacher, tools

William (Wm.) R. Robertson fine scale miniatures artist, speaker, craft teacher, museum designer, antique tool historian and collector. Uses 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th century tools to create his miniature art. Works in 1/12th scale, 1" to 1 foot, built the dollhouse Twin Manors.

www.robertsonminiatures.com

sorry got no advice on the camera,,

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Wow! Takes my breath away!

I've been to a few miniature shows and yes, there's some talent out there!

The Art Institute of Chicago has a collection called the Thorne Miniature Rooms, that broke my brain.

Thanks for the link.


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[Faun]

You can get a super nice used SLR camera with a close up lens for a few hundred bucks. I like the Nikons because you can still use most all the old film lens. Many of them have macro capabilites. Just a quick look shows you can get a nice good working Nikon D5100 for less than $200 bucks.

Do some searching and you can find a suitable lens for under $100. You then have the capability to expand into other things from there.

I got the Nikon D3500. Works great. For $400 and something, it came with a bunch of accessories, including a telephoto lens and a fisheye lens. And they have an app that automatically downs pictures onto my phone as I snap away. Bought a second one for my daughter who loves photography.

 

[progressive hunter]

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Wow! Takes my breath away!

I've been to a few miniature shows and yes, there's some talent out there!

The Art Institute of Chicago has a collection called the Thorne Miniature Rooms, that broke my brain.

Thanks for the link.


.

to watch him work in person was amazing,, he has a ted talk on youtube thats well worth watching,,

he is also a consultant for the Smithsonian on early american tools and was the one that re-equipped the edison museum with tools and also the wright brothers workshop,

I have a few of my tools in the edison workshop,,

 

[progressive hunter]

 

[task0778]

Look at something like this from Amazon:

4K Digital Camera, 48MP Vlogging Camera with 3.0’’ 180 Degree Flip Screen, 16X Digital Zoom, Wide Angle Lens, Macro Lens, 2 Batteries and 32GB Micro SD Card​

The macro lens tells you that closeup images are possible. I dunno how extreme you want your closeups to be, but this camera sounds like a good deal

 

[TNHarley]

I would suggest any brand with a warranty that covers the glass breaking when taking selfies.

 

[OhPleaseJustQuit]

Look at something like this from Amazon:

4K Digital Camera, 48MP Vlogging Camera with 3.0’’ 180 Degree Flip Screen, 16X Digital Zoom, Wide Angle Lens, Macro Lens, 2 Batteries and 32GB Micro SD Card​

The macro lens tells you that closeup images are possible. I dunno how extreme you want your closeups to be, but this camera sounds like a good deal

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Thanks for the advice! I'm getting excited about being able to photograph my work well.


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[OhPleaseJustQuit]

to watch him work in person was amazing,, he has a ted talk on youtube thats well worth watching,,

he is also a consultant for the Smithsonian on early american tools and was the one that re-equipped the edison museum with tools and also the wright brothers workshop,

I have a few of my tools in the edison workshop,,

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Fascinating!

I love tools. I have a few miniature tools made by a company called Sir Thomas Thumb and they are beautifully done.


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[OhPleaseJustQuit]

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Incredible perspective, which is what miniatures are about. I will look for more of him on YouTube.

Thanks! My afternoon will be full.


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[progressive hunter]

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Incredible perspective, which is what miniatures are about. I will look for more of him on YouTube.

Thanks! My afternoon will be full.


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theres not much out there on him,, fine woodworking has a big article and audio/slideshow with him narrating,,

 

[OhPleaseJustQuit]

I got the Nikon D3500. Works great. For $400 and something, it came with a bunch of accessories, including a telephoto lens and a fisheye lens. And they have an app that automatically downs pictures onto my phone as I snap away. Bought a second one for my daughter who loves photography.

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Thanks. I will check it out. That's in my price range.


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[progressive hunter]

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Incredible perspective, which is what miniatures are about. I will look for more of him on YouTube.

Thanks! My afternoon will be full.


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hope he doesnt get mad at me for this,,
but he was a hippie car nut in the 70's and his dad forced him to help his mother with a big doll house she got for xmas or to get his car stuff out of his house. when he got done with it he went to florida,, long story short he saw an upper scale miniature show while he was there and ran back home and told his mom and dad how much they were charging for it and told them he could do that,
his dad said I hear you talking but dont see anything happening so he made a small couch table and his mom took him to a shop in NY where they asked what he thought it was worth and when they offered 4 times what he wanted he sold off all his car stuff and never looked back,,

 

[OhPleaseJustQuit]

hope he doesnt get mad at me for this,,
but he was a hippie car nut in the 70's and his dad forced him to help his mother with a big doll house she got for xmas or to get his car stuff out of his house. when he got done with it he went to florida,, long story short he saw an upper scale miniature show while he was there and ran back home and told his mom and dad how much they were charging for it and told them he could do that,
his dad said I hear you talking but dont see anything happening so he made a small couch table and his mom took him to a shop in NY where they asked what he thought it was worth and when they offered 4 times what he wanted he sold off all his car stuff and never looked back,,

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Wonderful story.

I used to work for a well known miniaturist, slogging out copies of her work. She was amazing, but not like the detail of this man's work!


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[progressive hunter]

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Wonderful story.

I used to work for a well known miniaturist, slogging out copies of her work. She was amazing, but not like the detail of this man's work!


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keep in mind everything he makes works just like the larger versions,, if I recall he can do 300 threads per inch and cut 32nd of an inch dovetails free hand,,

 

[OhPleaseJustQuit]

keep in mind everything he makes works just like the larger versions,, if I recall he can do 300 threads per inch and cut 32nd of an inch dovetails free hand,,

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I am humble.


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[Bob Blaylock]

I hope this is the right forum for asking for camera advice.

I have a new hobby of making 1/12th scale dollhouse accessories and I need to get a camera that will be suitable for taking good quality extreme close up photos.

Ideally, I don't want to spend more than a few hundred bucks, if possible. The photo below is the camera I'm using and it's not quite giving me the detail I want.

Ease of use is also an important factor. I'm a total beginner.

Any suggestions? TIA.

Much depends on how much you are willing to spend, and how much you want to learn about photography.

I would tend to agree with those who suggest a used Nikon DSLR. I'd suggest the D3200. The D32xx line has been the base of Nikon's DSLR line, and the D3200 seems to be about the peak, as far as image quality and resolution, vs. features being dropped to encourage consumers to buy higher-up models. From the D3300 onward, it seems that all they really did was remove features, while doing nothing to improve image quality. Going to higher-end models will get you more features that you don't really need, but until you go to MUCH higher models, you won't really get any improvement in image quality.

And, as mentioned before, it can use nearly all of Nikon's F-mount lenses, going all the way back to 1959. (Nikon claims that only their DF model can use Non-AI lenses, but my D3200, my three non-AI lenses, and I, very much disagree with Nikon on this point. There is an issue with some of the higher-end DSLRs, that can actually be damaged by mounting non-AI lenses, but the D3200 is not affected by this issue.)

The camera that you show in your OP is a basic point&shoot camera. With the D3200, and most likely with any modern DSLR, there's an automatic mode which is nearly as easy to use as a basic point&shoot, but will produce better images. But if you go the DSLR route, then there is a lot that you can learn about making much fuller use of it, to produce even better images.

 

[OhPleaseJustQuit]

Much depends on how much you are willing to spend, and how much you want to learn about photography.

I would tend to agree with those who suggest a used Nikon DSLR. I'd suggest the D3200. The D32xx line has been the base of Nikon's DSLR line, and the D3200 seems to be about the peak, as far as image quality and resolution, vs. features being dropped to encourage consumers to buy higher-up models. From the D3300 onward, it seems that all they really did was remove features, while doing nothing to improve image quality. Going to higher-end models will get you more features that you don't really need, but until you go to MUCH higher models, you won't really get any improvement in image quality.

And, as mentioned before, it can use nearly all of Nikon's F-mount lenses, going all the way back to 1959. (Nikon claims that only their DF model can use Non-AI lenses, but my D3200, my three non-AI lenses, and I, very much disagree with Nikon on this point. There is an issue with some of the higher-end DSLRs, that can actually be damaged by mounting non-AI lenses, but the D3200 is not affected by this issue.)

The camera that you show in your OP is a basic point&shoot camera. With the D3200, and most likely with any modern DSLR, there's an automatic mode which is nearly as easy to use as a basic point&shoot, but will produce better images. But if you go the DSLR route, then there is a lot that you can learn about making much fuller use of it, to produce even better images.

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Thanks for the wealth of information Bob!

I'm also getting excited about taking bird pictures. My new home, in a new part of the country, offers a lot of opportunities to become familiar with bird species I've never seen before and I have longed for a better camera with a zoom lens so I might be able to get pictures without having to startle the birds.


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