Rockdogger
starting to shine!
Member since October 2010
Posts: 28
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Post by Rockdogger on Dec 28, 2010 10:31:57 GMT -5
I am posting this to show a couple of my finished rocks. I know they are not the red and white striped lakers, but I was practicing on a bunch of ones with quartz in them to get better at tumbling. I am also practicing posting pictures to see if I did this correctly. But I do have a question. What is a good camera that is inexpensive that will take nice pictures close up? I am using a Kodac Easy Share and it seems to have difficulty on close up shots, the pictures I have taken seem to be blurry and not much detail in the macro setting. I have seen some great photos on this site and am wondering how to do the same. Thanks in advance!--Rich
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Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Dec 28, 2010 10:37:34 GMT -5
Hi Rich,
Your camera should work fine, but you might want to try using a tripod.
Also, try adjusting your white balance by setting it to incandescent (maybe indoor) to remove the yellow cast.
Chuck
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Post by Toad on Dec 28, 2010 16:44:01 GMT -5
Hi Rich. Welcome. Nice shine on those.
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carloscinco
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2008
Posts: 1,639
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Post by carloscinco on Dec 28, 2010 19:51:51 GMT -5
A stable platform like a tripod or minipod is key and use the timer to eliminate shake when the camera snaps the picture. You also benefit from using the timer if you use a home made base as long as you aren't holding the camera when the picture is taken. Nice shine on those agates, tumbling agates with quartz can be tricky.
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Rockdogger
starting to shine!
Member since October 2010
Posts: 28
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Post by Rockdogger on Dec 30, 2010 8:15:13 GMT -5
Thanks for the advice. Here are some ocean tumbled jaspers and quartz from Washington,(from eBay), kind of a test pic to see if everything is working. These also comes from my first successful tumble. Thanks for the help!--Rich
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Rockdogger
starting to shine!
Member since October 2010
Posts: 28
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Post by Rockdogger on Dec 30, 2010 8:16:47 GMT -5
But now the picture is oversized, grrr.
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peachfront
fully equipped rock polisher
Stones have begun to speak, because an ear is there to hear them.
Member since August 2010
Posts: 1,745
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Post by peachfront on Dec 31, 2010 11:31:09 GMT -5
I have a Kodak Easy Share as well. It kind of stinks. It is not appropriate for close-up/macro. I don't know if all point-and-shoots "fail" the macro test but considering the bad photos I've seen around the internet, I wouldn't expect much. If you already have a tripod/monopod (as I do), sure, go ahead and try it. I think you will be flummoxed trying to figure out how to set the timer so that the camera takes the picture without any shake. I don't seem to have ever figured that out, I gave up and went back to using a "real" camera for my stone photos. The Kodak Easy Share is, in essence, a point and shoot, which is now out-dated because everyone has a cheesy point and shoot in their cell phone. Anything your cell phone can't do...the Easy Share probably can't do either. I'm sorry to phrase this so strongly but the Easy Share was NOT Kodak's finest hour. Keep it for tourist photos and forget about close-ups. Its strength is photographing a person, not too close, in a scenic setting. I don't use the Easy Share software; I use PhotoShop. Either way, you can set the size of the image in the post-processing. Although, in the case of my monitor, your second picture would be the perfect size if you'd just done a crop function to remove some of the blurred bit at the top. However, for most purposes, you can easily re-size photos using Photobucket's Edit feature. Here is an Easy Share photo "re-sized" to small in Photobucket Edit: Sorry for the subject matter but I don't have any good stone photos taken with the Easy Share. Nary a one. Every photo you see in my posts of a stone has been Olympus SP 55-OUZ, a descendent of the old Olympus UZI. It's what I would consider adequate, not great, for macro. Example below with Photobucket re-size set to Medium: I don't mean to sound discouraging, but I would not expect much from the Easy Share when it comes to photographing your stones. If you do find a good technique using this camera, PLEASE come back and share it with me, because I would truly appreciate it. Also, to the other folks in this thread, do you folks have this camera or is this just the generic "use a tripod/timer" advice? I would love any hints!
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Rockdogger
starting to shine!
Member since October 2010
Posts: 28
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Post by Rockdogger on Dec 31, 2010 11:48:17 GMT -5
Peachfront, my last photo is with the tips that were given, tripod,lighting and timer. It is an improvement over my first picture, I guess I could do better with more practice. I would like to purchase a new camera, but not enough funds after the holidays.--Rich
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peachfront
fully equipped rock polisher
Stones have begun to speak, because an ear is there to hear them.
Member since August 2010
Posts: 1,745
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Post by peachfront on Dec 31, 2010 13:59:50 GMT -5
Oh, absolutely, the improvement is huge. Especially the color balance. Much nicer! Maybe I'll get inspired and experiment with my Easy Share again after the holiday.
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Post by frane on Jan 1, 2011 22:32:10 GMT -5
I think you really nailed the colors with that second photo! Lets face it, lakers, any lakers are beautiful and those really do look like great stones in the first picture. The second really shows off the variety that you had in there and they look great! Fran
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Post by Bikerrandy on Jan 1, 2011 22:47:28 GMT -5
Very nice variety and great job!!
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Post by rockrookie on Jan 2, 2011 19:12:22 GMT -5
nice batch !! welcome to RTH !! --paul
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