A couple more test photos of an N-scale Atlas (BLMA) crude oil tanker. The painting, printing, and overall details on these cars is slightly above average for N-scale.
The first is the standard glamour shot composed of four images photo stacked. The micro text print is kinda legible, but not too sharp. The actual print on the model, particularly the capacity and weights, is pretty dang small.
The second is the closest and maximum zoom I could get with the 18-55 mm lens. The printing is a little easier to read, but still not as sharp as the actual printing on the car when observed through a 10x loupe. I don't plan a whole lot of these kinds of closeups, but I just wanted to see what I could do at this early stage.
When and if I take more photos of this nature, a photo stack setup would be necessary due to the printing on the rounded tank. I would also need another type of true macro lens, possibly a prime lens. But in any case, no camera can add detail or clarity that the subject does not have to begin with, so there is a limit out there as to what can be done.
Robert
LINK to SNSR Blog
gmpullman Don't be so rough on yourself, Robert. You will certainly want to document the progress of the layout with plenty of photographs. It is never too soon to start taking photos. Cheers! Ed
Don't be so rough on yourself, Robert.
You will certainly want to document the progress of the layout with plenty of photographs. It is never too soon to start taking photos.
Cheers! Ed
Hey thanks, Ed. I don't think I'm really being too hard on myself, I'm only just joking around.
The fact is I like my new toy, I like playing with my new toy, and I like writing about playing with my new toy. I see it as just another branch of model railroading, and I can see a lot of new possibilities opening up. Doing this at this particular time is not really subtracting from the other things I could (or maybe should) be doing. On the contrary. It helps focus my attention on what needs to be done next and what can be done next, whether on the layout itself or on scratchbuilding projects that are currently on the workbench. All of this stuff falls into the fun category. There's a reason they call this the World's Greatest Hobby.
I like learning new things, and I expect that not too far into the near future I might actually turn out some pretty decent photos. Maybe not Pulitzer Prize winning stuff, but stuff I won't be ashamed of either. Model railroading is a very visual sport, particularly when it is shared over the internet of things. Whether writing or drawing or photographing or publishing or whatever, I plan to keep piddling along with my meager tools and my limited talent. And have a ball while doing it.
gmpullman...Don't be so rough on yourself, Robert. You will certainly want to document the progress of the layout with plenty of photographs. It is never too soon to start taking photos....
I agree with Ed. Beyond that, I wouldn't worry too much about anomalies in your photos, such as lighting or even depth of field, if you're showing an on-going project to us here. It's a real distraction to document any project, whether it's a layout build or a scratchbuilding project, and in that case a not-so-perfect photo is preferable to no photo. If you're taking the photos for publication, though, that's a different story.
Wayne
The lighting should be the same colour temperature, prevents weird shifts in places.
You can probably do a custom white balance and apply that to the pictures, something that should be in the manual, somewhere. A quick search on the internet should find a page with helpful hints on settings you should use with your camera as well.
I did read something regarding depth of field (DOF): Put the camera in aperture mode, set the iris to f16, and let the camera figure out the rest.
ROBERT PETRICKHere I am playing with a new toy taking photos of a layout and structure that are no where near 'camera-ready' when I should be spending time and energy actually working on the layout. Oh well.
Here are a few more photos taken just for fun. Well actually, this activity could fall into the work/study category. It is fun and it isn't really very much hard work, but the purpose is to familiarize myself with the camera and the software and try to figure out how to push all the buttons and ring all the bells and whistles. Tough job, but somebody's gotta do it.
There is a D5300 manual, like DoctorWayne referred to, but it is only 105 pages long and the first twenty or so are lawyerly disclaimers and safety notices. I can never figure out how or why anyone would try to eat this camera or any part of it, but apparently you have to tell them not to.
I cleared off the workbench, but I didn't vacuum or clean up the dust. I figured that wouldn't do much good, and it might just accentuate the oldness of the workbench/door. Workshop, remember.
As an indication that I am actually learning something, I know what caused that annoying discoloration at the near end of the bridge in the third photo. All photos so far have been taken using available ambient light, and this room was getting pretty good sunlight through an east window. That yellowish pall is a shadow from the window frame while the rest of the bridge is getting a decent amount of filtered sunlight. That was hard to notice with the naked eyeball, and at the time I thought it was just lack of clarity of the on-screen image because the preview window in Helicon Remote is only 640X480 or something. Exposure for these photos was f5.6, 1/2 second shutter, ISO 125.
Back to the work/study/fun business . . . this post pretty much illustrates one of my basic issues in life: I have a tendency to put the cart in front of the horse. Here I am playing with a new toy taking photos of a layout and structure that are no where near 'camera-ready' when I should be spending time and energy actually working on the layout. Oh well.
Graham Line That's a pretty impressive bridge. Plastruct and Evergreen should be offering you a lifetime discount. If the overhead light is strong enough, there's no reason not to use it. The light-colored walls are giving a nice bounce fill effect. White foamcore panels make nice reflectors for directing light to even out shadows. If you can avoid mixing lights of different color temperatures, you can rely on the camera's auto-balance and auto-correction capabilities.
That's a pretty impressive bridge. Plastruct and Evergreen should be offering you a lifetime discount.
If the overhead light is strong enough, there's no reason not to use it. The light-colored walls are giving a nice bounce fill effect. White foamcore panels make nice reflectors for directing light to even out shadows. If you can avoid mixing lights of different color temperatures, you can rely on the camera's auto-balance and auto-correction capabilities.
Hey Graham-
Thanks. I agree with your comment about Plastruct and Evergreen. I think it is a pretty good idea, but some retailers get a little finicky about giving away their stuff.
I also like the idea about home-made sort of lighting equipment. I'm not photographing Christy Brinkley or trying to hide Jennifer Anniston's blemishes, so there's no reason to get all gung-ho about fancy and expensive stuff. I plan to get a couple of portable shop lights. I'm talking about those simple light-bulb-and-a-wire kind of things. They have a cone-shaped shiny aluminum pie pan reflector and a big barbecue tong sort of clamp so that they can be attached to a ladder or a bookshelf or something and easily repositioned as needed. Maybe add a cheese cloth curtain to drape in front to diffuse the light. I plan to use LED bulbs. Speaking of which . . .
The train room is lit by fourteen 15-watt LEDs in adjustable track-lighting fixtures on the ceiling. They are all 5000K white daylight, or some such designation. There is plenty of space along the track rails to add at least twice again as many. They use very little electricity and generate almost no heat. The room is about 25 feet by 24 feet with a fairly high ceiling (9'-4" ceiling, benchwork nominal height 52" above floor) and has a pleasant bright sunny sort of disposition to it. I plan to use the spotlights and reflector panels (as you suggested) when composing scenes for future photos.
My question is do I have to have all lights the same 5000K color? I set the white balance of the camera to 'Auto', or rather it came that way from the factory and I didn't change that setting. Plus, and more importantly, is there something about LED lights that make these photos unusable to publishers (either traditional paper publishers or electronic e-zine publishers)?
Don't worry about that USB cable connection to the camera. It is pretty much standard from what I understand. What you have to be careful of, because it is so small, is forcing it in upside down.
Bear "It's all about having fun."
Here's a photo taken using Helicon Remote. It has six focus points (front to back). Settings as described in previous post. This is in the work room (aka spare bedroom) and not in the layout room. The ambient light in there is 2700K I think. The .JPG image was saved at 80% to keep the file size low.
All photos taken so far have been using ambient overhead room light and not the built-in flash. No reason not to use the flash, but I figure taking a lot of photos will drain the battery pretty quick. The only other lighting fixture I have is a hot-shoe flash attachment. It has a swivel and tilting 'cobra' head. In the old days I would generally point it up at a 45-degree angle and let the flash bounce off the walls and ceiling. For my latest adventure, I will check into more 'professional' lighting arrangements as my limited knowledge advances from zero to minimal.
I'll update my layout build thread with some more info regarding the subject of this photo.
The camera arrived yesterday safe and sound. I got a pretty basic kit: camera body, 18-55 mm lens, 64 GB memory card, battery and charger, USB cable, and hand strap. Some dealers offer kits with a bunch of little accessories, but while those are nice and might be useful, they don't seem to be worth the extra $100 or so.
I downloaded the 30-day-free-trial version of Helicon Focus and Helicon Remote. Both work pretty much as expected. I was able to connect the camera to the laptop and control pretty much all the settings required. I was able to take multiple exposures at various focus distances and combine the images into a single image. The two shots I have done so far look okay (not great, but demonstrated the features as expected), but I will have to fiddle around a while to see what's what.
I also took a closeup shot of a single N scale tank car: about 12" focus distance, f13, 4.5 aperture, 1/2 second shutter speed (tripod mount, 5 second shutter release delay, ambient 5000K room lighting), ISO 200. The purpose was to see how clear and sharp and legible the micro-text printing on the car would come out. Not bad, but some more fiddling to do in that area. Some sort of special macro lens might be needed at some future date for that kind of closeup work.
The setup works while tethered directly to the laptop via USB cable, but there is also an internal WiFi device in the camera that will allow wireless roaming as well. That is particularly attractive because I'm expecting to have some awkward setups in tight spaces and dangling a cable could be a real nuissance. Plus, the supplied USB cable is short, really short! 24" short. There are longer ones available (sold separately, of course), and I'll look into those. Plus the camera connection end of the cable is tiny, really tiny! I think it's called USB Micro or USB C, or something. I worry about the stress and strain of plugging and unplugging that thing. Wireless is what I'm hoping for.
I found some more literature about model railroad photography on the MRR website and within the forum archives, plus the links that were provided earlier. Thanks to everyone involved. Making progress.
carl425 SeeYou190 So who were the "great" model railroad photographers? No such thing. Model railroad photography whether film or digital is purely technical. With some instruction and practice anybody can do it well. I wish I could remember the exact quote and who said it, but the jist was "great photography is 90% about being in the right place at the right time and recognizing it when it happens". With model railroad photography, it's always the right time and place so the 90% is done for you. All you need to do is not screw up the 10%.
SeeYou190 So who were the "great" model railroad photographers?
No such thing. Model railroad photography whether film or digital is purely technical. With some instruction and practice anybody can do it well.
I wish I could remember the exact quote and who said it, but the jist was "great photography is 90% about being in the right place at the right time and recognizing it when it happens".
With model railroad photography, it's always the right time and place so the 90% is done for you. All you need to do is not screw up the 10%.
Well dang! Now I'm depressed at taking up such a dull hobby.
I suppose I could always do this with one hand tied behind my back while standing in a hammock just to make it a challenge.
carl425 bearman He used a 35 mm Leica and a 50 mm lens for just about all of his street photography. There is nothing humble about a 35 mm Leica and a 50 mm lens. In his day, that was the best "walking around" camera money could buy. Even today, a 50 year old used M4 will set you back more than two grand.
bearman
He used a 35 mm Leica and a 50 mm lens for just about all of his street photography.
There is nothing humble about a 35 mm Leica and a 50 mm lens. In his day, that was the best "walking around" camera money could buy. Even today, a 50 year old used M4 will set you back more than two grand.
SeeYou190So who were the "great" model railroad photographers?
I have the right to remain silent. By posting here I have given up that right and accept that anything I say can and will be used as evidence to critique me.
bearmanHe used a 35 mm Leica and a 50 mm lens for just about all of his street photography.
So who were the "great" model railroad photographers?
.
My mind goes to John Allen, Malcolm Furlow, and Ben King. All these guys used conventional film.
Is there a "great" model railroader photographer that stands out in the digital age? If not, that might be a good thing. That means all of us are capable of publication quality photographs now.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Perhaps the most interesting photographer that I ran across was a Frenchman, Henri Cartier-Bresson from back in the film days. He used a 35 mm Leica and a 50 mm lens for just about all of his street photography. His work is stunning. Kinda makes one humble in light of today's digicams with bells and whistles all over the place.
ROBERT PETRICKHow will these files be transferred via e-mail or something, and how will they be posted on sites such as this MRR forum when the sticky regarding posting photos specifically says to limit files to 1 MB? And if the 'normal' 24 megapixel photos are compressed or saved to (say) 30% quality, what is the point of having 24 megapixels to start with?
It is standard practice to save the RAW files and then create a copy in whatever format or resolution is required for the application du jour. Think of film where you save the negative, then print a wallet size for your wife to carry around, a 5x7 for the grandparents to put on the mantle and a 16x20 to hang on the wall.
In the OP I used the phrase 'Publication-quality' to describe the photos I'm hoping to create. It might not mean what it says. At my day job, we produce engineering drawings and documents and the options on the output printer have names like 'Draft Quality', 'Presentation Quality', 'Maximum Quality', etc. I used publication quality along those lines; what I meant was high-quality, but that sounds a bit high fallutin. We also use the phrase 'Camera Ready' output when preparing documents, but that would sound a bit silly when I'm talking about actual cameras. So, high-quality it is . . .
I have had articles published, and I would like to have more in the future, but that is not really the topic of this discussion thread. But it does bring up an important point: how will all these photos and electronic files containing photos be used?
I'm not exactly sure, but I think the uncompressed RAW files of the 24 megapixel photos I plan to take will be in the 45 to 50 MB range, maybe more. The JPG versions (whether coarse, medium, or fine) might be in the 10 MB range. I dunno. How will these files be transferred via e-mail or something, and how will they be posted on sites such as this MRR forum when the sticky regarding posting photos specifically says to limit files to 1 MB? And if the 'normal' 24 megapixel photos are compressed or saved to (say) 30% quality, what is the point of having 24 megapixels to start with?
I'm only just now wading into these things, and I admit I have a lot to learn, so I hope the advice keeps coming. Another topic on my mind . . . lighting.
Thanks.
SeeYou190...When I was working with an MR editor on an article, he requested all the images be in JPG....
That may still be the case. When I submitted photos to MR (many years ago) they were required to be original slides, not copies, and I was asked to re-shoot them with better lighting before they were accepted.When I submitted some photos, as JPGs, to RMC a few years ago, their response was very enthusiastic, but wanted them re-done in RAW format. I didn't have a camera capable of that, but was able to borrow one, and shot a whole bunch of what were probably very acceptable images. However, it then occurred to me that I didn't have much of note to show, as it's pretty-well all appeared on-line...a much simpler process, albeit less lucrative. I never bothered re-submitting the photos, and the magazine has since gone to a different publisher, with a much revised format, the focus of which would be ill-served by what I had to offer.
ROBERT PETRICK ....I'm getting into this hobby (and this branch of our hobby) with open eyes, and I do not expect miracles to happen all by themselves just because I managed to get myself a new toy..... ....I've no idea how things will shake out, but I'm approaching this adventure like I approach any other: with gusto and high fives all around. Robert
....I'm getting into this hobby (and this branch of our hobby) with open eyes, and I do not expect miracles to happen all by themselves just because I managed to get myself a new toy.....
....I've no idea how things will shake out, but I'm approaching this adventure like I approach any other: with gusto and high fives all around.
Robert, I wish you the best of luck and success in this endeavour.
doctorwayne In my humble opinion, you can have the best camera available (and the knowledge to fully utilise its features) but if your sense of photo composition is lacking, you won't be successful. Wayne
In my humble opinion, you can have the best camera available (and the knowledge to fully utilise its features) but if your sense of photo composition is lacking, you won't be successful.
Hey Doc-
I agree. Wholeheartedly. I'm getting into this hobby (and this branch of our hobby) with open eyes, and I do not expect miracles to happen all by themselves just because I managed to get myself a new toy.
Pianos have 88 keys; guitars, 6 strings. A lot of people can plink out serviceable tunes on either, but there are those who can make those bits of wood and wire sing.
I've no idea how things will shake out, but I'm approaching this adventure like I approach any other: with gusto and high fives all around.
doctorwayneI have heard that one of the prime requirements for publication-acceptable photographs is that they be shot in RAW format.
When I was working with an MR editor on an article, he requested all the images be in JPG.
He was very clear that there was to be no manipulation of the photo prior to submission, not even cropping. The art department handles that.
Steven Otte has a very good sheet he can send with the requirements for photographs. He also provided and excellent checklist in another thread. All this was very helpful for me.
ROBERT PETRICK....Very small to extremely small subject matter Double extra small for N Scalers. Whether it's rivets on the bulldog nose or handles on the hatches or micro-print on the builder's plate, I want to capture and show the extreme detail our hobby offers nowadays. That means I'll need a camera capable of producing macro closeups in crisp sharp detail.....
While the photo below (showing 3D rivet decals about to be applied individually) is certainly not of publication quality, it was done with an old, fairly simple, point-and-shoot camera and a loupe....
carl425 Graham Line The lens does .38 magnification which roughly means you can make an image roughly 1/3 lifesize. Another way to look at this is that since the sensor is 22.2 x 14.8 mm, you can fill the frame with a subject that is 58.4 x 38.9 mm or 2.3 x 1.5 inches (the face of a n-scale locomotive will fill about 1/4 of the frame). If that's good enough for you, you may not need any other lens.
Graham Line The lens does .38 magnification which roughly means you can make an image roughly 1/3 lifesize.
Another way to look at this is that since the sensor is 22.2 x 14.8 mm, you can fill the frame with a subject that is 58.4 x 38.9 mm or 2.3 x 1.5 inches (the face of a n-scale locomotive will fill about 1/4 of the frame). If that's good enough for you, you may not need any other lens.
My plan is to use the 18 - 55 mm lens for a while to see what's what. I seriously doubt I'll ever get anywhere near to exhausting the possibilities, but I have a few scenarios I want to explore.
Some close up "macro" images where the subject is a single N scale car or typical activities on an industrial loading dock. Vignette scenes that are about 12 inches by 12 inches or so. Maybe a little larger or smaller.
Slightly larger scenes that show a pretty good length of train or an entire consist of a dozen cars or activities along a street or siding. Maybe 5 feet long by 12 inches deep.
Even larger scenes showing the end of a peninsula or a broad sweep of benchwork. Maybe ten feet by eight feet. Slightly elevated perspective to get the overall impression of the vicinity.
These are typical images that have been produced countless times over the years by many others. I'm hoping that I will come up with new and creative ideas as I go along.
You guys are helping. Thanks.
Graham LineThe lens does .38 magnification which roughly means you can make an image roughly 1/3 lifesize.
BTW: Technically "macro" photography is when the image on the film/sensor is larger than life size - magnification > 1.00. Very few of the lenses called "macro zoom" actually do that.
I think that exhausting the possibilities of the 18 - 55 mm zoom is a good idea before venturing into any other lenses.
That's why I suggested the OP exhaust the possibilities of his new 18-55 before he buys additional lenses. He may never need another lens.
You don't need often macro mode for general layout photos. You do need it if you want to photograph details. The photo below was made to illustrate the difference between Code 110 and Code 88 wheelsets.
How often does everybody use Macro shooting for model railroad subjects?
I have never done this. I have found shooting at a normal distance on a high resolution mode, then cropping the picture to the detail I want works fine for me.
I have used Macro for shooting my wife's jewelry stones and some other neat subjects, but not model trains.
bearman One more thing, Robt. I believe that the camera has various shooting scenes, try the close up (blossom) scene first, and check your results.
One more thing, Robt. I believe that the camera has various shooting scenes, try the close up (blossom) scene first, and check your results.
Hey Bear-
Yes, this model has quite a few pre-set and pre-loaded modes and scenes and has the ability for users to create and store additional customizable modes and scenes to fit their particular needs.
I think Nikon included these features for several reasons. First, they did it because they could; after all, this is a digital device more or less like any other digital device. And second, they are marketing this camera to new users and beginners and advanced beginners as well as serious ameteur professional photographers, and the modes and scenes pre-set the automatic features to settings that aid and enhance the popular and easy to use point-and-shoot style.
The pre-set modes have names such as 'birthday party', 'romantic candle-lit dinner', '4th of July fireworks display', 'high speed action sports on a bright sunny day', 'blushing bride on her wedding day', and so forth. Goofy? Yes, but descriptive and someplace to start for your own customization. In fairness, the pre-loaded scenes don't actually have names like I listed, but they have names (and little icons) that are like that.
And for the serious photographers who skoff at the frivolity, they are free to push the button and go into hard-core manual mode and take this baby out for a spin. I am certain it can deliver.