Camera for photographing LEGO to be used for comics?

[Suproc]

Hello,

I apologize if this isn't the place. I was thinking about posting to already established threads in the sticky but many of those haven't been posted in since 2013-2014 and I would assume some of the information would be outdated.

I thought I would be able to use my Galaxy S6 phone to take decent photos but it's simply not working out. I can only focus on one small area at a time and the zoom is simply terrible so I am in need of a real camera.

I'd like to spend less than $300 but all I care about is taking really good photos. I have decent experience with Photoshop and other tools but I would prefer to have my photos looking great and then added to with post rather than taking alright photos and making them adequate.

One thing that's important is focus for me, I'd like to have everything in focus, or certain areas, or pretty decent zoom-ins.

Has anybody made comics with LEGO and achieved good results? I have lights, decent backdrop setup, etc but all I'm missing is the camera.

Thanks for the help in advance.

[Darkdragon]

Thanks for the help in advance.

Brick Flicks & Comics is the appropriate forum for these sorts of questions related to making comics.

If you are hoping for a specific camera model/name/etc, there are plenty of options out there and they are constantly changing. It's not really helpful to have a post saying "go get this camera" because the next time somebody reads the post the info will be outdated.

There is an examination of different types of cameras http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=73917 and you'd need to figure out what you can afford and source the camera.

General advice is to buy something with full manual control: aperture, shutter, focus, ISO, and color balance. This means a beginner dSLR at the minimum as most pocket cameras with these controls actually would cost more. For your $300 budget you might have to look into a used camera, a "last year's model".

[Suproc]

Wow, that was a fast reply. Alright, a lot of that made sense to me from that link.

So, something like say https://www.amazon.com/Nikon-Coolpix-Digital-Optical-3-0-Inch/dp/B00THKEKEQ would be good? It's strange because as far as I can tell, it seems like a really good camera for only $189 so maybe I'm missing something about it which will negatively effect me or something.

Well, thanks for the help. Photography has a lot that just goes completely over my head.

[Darkdragon]

Wow, that was a fast reply. Alright, a lot of that made sense to me from that link.

So, something like say https://www.amazon.com/Nikon-Coolpix-Digital-Optical-3-0-Inch/dp/B00THKEKEQ would be good? It's strange because as far as I can tell, it seems like a really good camera for only $189 so maybe I'm missing something about it which will negatively effect me or something.

Well, thanks for the help. Photography has a lot that just goes completely over my head.

I was only able to take a few minutes, but couldn't find any details on how manual you can go with that camera. It seems like it is mostly auto-focus which will cause you problems, as well as the large Maximum Aperture of ƒ/5.9 (that means when you are taking close up shots you won't be able to get much in focus). You'll want to try and find some detailed reviews on a photo website (not amazon reviews) and get more details if you want to be safe with your money.

You don't need a lot of zoom for lego. You need to be able to focus close up (minimum focus distance), control focus point, and change aperture and shutter speed.

One last suggestion is go to a store like Best Buy and try out the cameras there, take some lego and do some tests. Bring your own memory card (most use SD or CF cards), then when you find one you like you can look on Amazon and get it.

[BrickCurve]

Wow, that was a fast reply. Alright, a lot of that made sense to me from that link.

So, something like say https://www.amazon.com/Nikon-Coolpix-Digital-Optical-3-0-Inch/dp/B00THKEKEQ would be good? It's strange because as far as I can tell, it seems like a really good camera for only $189 so maybe I'm missing something about it which will negatively effect me or something.

Well, thanks for the help. Photography has a lot that just goes completely over my head.

. For that specific model, no, it isn't the best choice. The basic rule of thumb for super zoom compact, (non interchangeable lens), cameras is that the more zoom you have, the more you sacrifice image quality for convenience, as to fit all that zoom in, the manufacturers have to make the cameras sensor really small, so Houghton lose low light, (high ISO performance).

Overall, I think buying used for a DSLR camera such as a Canon 60D, (or older model if that comes in over budget). The image quality in a DSLR is going to far greater than the camera you linked too. In regard to buying used, if you are careful, and check for dust inside the lense and on the sensor, (as well as exterior damage of course). Good luck!

[Master_Data]

The Canon EOS Rebel series is great. You should be able to find an older model out there for around that price, maybe slightly higher (you might need to buy the body and lens separately to get the best deal).

[makoy]

As others have mentioned, getting a 2nd hand entry-level DSLR camera will get the job done. If you're still on the fence which model to get you may search Google for "DPreview camera buying guide" since they have all the technical details to compare and make your well-educated decision.

You don't really need a DSLR to get the job done...there are many smaller sensor cameras out there that can make amazing pictures out of camera without the need to edit them. DSLRs generally give you that "out of focus look" or blurred background (bokeh) and if you want everything in focus, you need to use aperture value F8 or even higher. For a beginner starting to use all manual controls and figure out how to do it, you need to be prepared for that learning curve -- but once you've learned it, it's going to be worthwhile.