Finepix DSLR Body offered, need advice.

atacam

atacam

New member
Hi Guys.

I know there are a few experts here, so I need to ask.

At the moment I'm using a fuji compact for my miniatures pictures.

I have been offered a Finepic S1 Pro body only.

http://www.dpreview.co.uk/reviews/fujis1pro/page4.asp

for £50. This would be my first DSLR.

So do you think its worth the asking?

What sort of Macro lens would people recommend, as this will be primarily for taking pictures of miniatures.

Thanks in advance.

Luke.
 
kathrynloch

kathrynloch

New member
I have a Finepix but it's not a DSLR. It's just a step below. Although with all of the settings I can adjust, it might as well be one. ;) I absolutely love it and it's been a true work horse. I checked out your link, does all the stuff come with it, like the usb cables, battery charger, etc? If so, I would jump on it, if not....well...then I might pass. With a little searching you can find some great deals out there. I found mine, direct from the factory, with all the fixin's, a 2 year extended warranty, and free overnight shipping for $300. And it was direct from Fuji, so no middleman to deal with.

I've been able to take great pics of my figures with just the standard lens. Mine has a Macro and Super Macro setting. If this camera has the same then you should be good to go with just a regular lens.

Just some thoughts for ya.
 
Avelorn

Avelorn

Sven Jonsson
It's probably worth approximately what he's asking but I wouldn't recommend it. It's too old, the sensor uses outdated technology and lens compatibility could be an issue for newer Nikon lenses(?). Any old Nikon lens would work though. I think a modern compact camera with manual functions will be less frustrating to use and deliver equal or better results when it comes to miniature photography. It is preferable if you're not willing to spend money on a newer dslr with a good lens for miniatures. A good compact will deliver more bang for the buck compared to dslr + macro lens.
 
atacam

atacam

New member
Thanks guys. @ Spacemunkie, I was hoping you were still around, as I know you are a bit of an expert in this field.

I was about to take Averlons advice and say no, but I have to admit I am now a bit confused, its not something I desperately need, it was more of an offer chance.
My main worry is the price of said lens, I have got £350 to get one at the mo, and was worried that the body might just sit around and gather more dust.

One last question, is 3.4MP enough for minis? I mean my fujifilm compact is 6MP.

What sort of setup do you guys have?
 
L

Legacy Account

Active member
If you don't go for it and the seller still wants rid, I'll happily buy it :)

Currently use a Canon 1Ds Mark III, Canon 60D, Sony NEX 5, Sigma DP1s and a Canon S90. Just sold a 7D and a 1Ds. Lots of lenses, lots of old film gear too :)

Old gear like this still works damn well - it just has a much narrower window of usability compared to modern stuff. Don't expect to shoot in the dark without a flash and fast lens. Don't expect to crack off 8 RAW fps. Don't expect the LCD to be much use for anything other than settings and a histogram.

That said, use it at base ISO for stuff where speed isn't an issue and that Fuji (with a half decent lens attached) will get you massively better shots than a compact. My S90 is (was) just about cream of the crop as far as digital compacts go and it won't give you results anywhere near that sample I posted. Batteries will be a bugger - this would be my main issue.

350 quid will buy you a much newer DSLR and lens though, so worth having a squiz on Ebay for 10D, 20D, 300D, 350D, 400D and Nikons...
 
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atacam

atacam

New member
Thanks again SM. I only really want it for taking shots of my minis. So its a winner for that then?
 
L

Legacy Account

Active member
I'd say so. You're on a tripod in studio conditions and all that.

Just had a squiz on Ebay - Nikon lenses hold their value well but you should be able to find a decent 55mm macro for a reasonable price:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Nikon-55mm-macr...25631997?pt=Camera_Lenses&hash=item2eb63832fd
http://cgi.ebay.com/Nikon-MICRO-Nik...71333791?pt=Camera_Lenses&hash=item20bab4549f

You can get these for cheap though: http://photography.shop.ebay.com/Di...n+350d&_catref=1&_fln=1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m282
Or one of these: http://photography.shop.ebay.co.uk/...non+g9&_catref=1&_fln=1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m282
Or one of these: http://photography.shop.ebay.co.uk/...20d&_osacat=31388&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313

350 quid buys you a lot of used camera...
 
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atacam

atacam

New member
Thanks again, SM.

OK while I have you attention, what sort of lighting would you recommend, for a small home setup?

I am about to build a light tent, as the same guy gave me a 4 meter roll of the professional lighting film for free to build one with.:)

BTW when are we going to start seeing some more stuff painted by you, big fan here needing a fix....or have I missed some stuff?
 
L

Legacy Account

Active member
You can get away with whatever lights you want really. I use a single on-camera flash these days bounced off the ceiling with some card as reflectors angled up at the mini. Quick and easy as I'm lazy :D

Used to use a couple of halogen desk lamps and a homemade tent. Just colour correct in post or set a custom WB if you're anally retentive.

Haven't painted a mini in years - have been on a sci-fi kit mission...


MPC Snowspeeder by Scott.Symonds, on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/spacemunkie/4413584516/
Colonial Viper MkII by Scott.Symonds, on Flickr


Earth Directorate Thunderfighter by Scott.Symonds, on Flickr


Colonial Viper & Cylon Raider by Scott.Symonds, on Flickr

Have a Babylon 5 Starfury and various other bits on the go. Must try to finish before I start my next paper.... :)
 
Avelorn

Avelorn

Sven Jonsson
Again for miniatures you'll do as well with a compact as with this camera and for other uses I think it will be a bit frustrating. This is an enthusiasts camera as in you need to be bloody enthusiastic with cameras before buying it.

The reason I say that you'll do as well with a compact is that miniature photography isn't particulary demanding and you don't need crystal clear images at full resolution as you're not likely to use it. A thing many people do wrong is comparing images from sensor with different resolution at 100% Try interpolating the 3MP image to 10MP and see then if you catch more details in this camera then a Canon s90 (or just print out to the same sizes). I wouldn't be so sure, but it would be a fun comparison non the less.

Also the smaller sensor is not as big as a disvantage in miniature photography as you usually want the entire miniature in focus which in many cases either means you need to back away with a dslr and/or use a very small aperture setting. The former leading to that only a small portion of the sensor is actually used and the latter to quality deterioration of the image due to diffraction. The smaller sensors of a modern compact is actually better pixel per pixel then the larger ones used in a dslr. This combined is why no one who knows what he or she is doing uses a full frame for extreme macro works.

In the resolutions we normally view miniatures I doubt you can tell much of a difference between a dslr and a good compact. And with this particular model you don't get a lot of the usual benefits from a dslr as Scott points out.

EDIT: That said it won't be a bad buy for the quid and as Scott said the colour rendition might be better then some more modern cameras. I also echo his suggestion on looking for a newer camera if you have the money... but that's if your're interested in other types of photography as well. For miniatures mainly you do not need a dslr.

EDIT2: You might have to clean the sensor for some extra money as well if you're not comfortable doing it yourself or if you're friend can do it for you.
 
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T

TomasP

New member
Spacemunkie said:
Slap almost any Nikon macro on it you can find and you'll be good to go. I'd go for a 60 2.8 I reckon :)
Click to expand...

I'd totally agree with this. This lens is excellent for the price and very suited to what you want to do. Don't worry about megapixels - it's all about the quality of the glass.

If you bought this body and got this lens you could still use this lens on a wide range of Nikon cameras when you've outgrown the S1 pro. (which will likely be a while as it will take some very nice pictures.)

Personally I have an s5 pro and a Nikon 60 2.8 macro lens spends most of its time attached and I use it for a very wide range of things.
 
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L

Legacy Account

Active member
Avelorn said:
This combined is why no one who knows what he or she is doing uses a full frame for extreme macro works.
Click to expand...

Come on! People were doing superb macro work with 'full frame' cameras long before digital came along. Stopping down a lens is quite easy you know. Then there's focus stacking. Or a TS lens on some tubes if you're that serious about plane of focus....

Avelorn said:
Try interpolating the 3MP image to 10MP and see then if you catch more details in this camera then a Canon s90
Click to expand...

Own an S90 (and an S95). I can tell you now that the S90 won't give you anywhere near as good results as that sample I posted. The lens is not great and I'd wager that the S1 would realise as much, if not more actual detail (as opposed to fuzzy mush).

If you can find a cheap lens, then you'll have a great little set up for around 150 quid. Much better than a 150 quid compact for sure!

Again - if you don't want it Atacam, I'll take it off the seller's hands. I've got plenty of old Nikon glass to stick on it. My boy can use it :)
 
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Avelorn

Avelorn

Sven Jonsson
Spacemunkie said:
Come on! People were doing superb macro work with 'full frame' cameras long before digital came along. Stopping down a lens is quite easy you know. Then there's focus stacking. Or a TS lens on some tubes if you're that serious about plane of focus....
Click to expand...

Yes and you can take terrific macro images with a FF, but if you're after getting "as close" as possible FF is not the way to go. The 21MP 5d mark II has the same pixeldensity as an 8MP Canon 30d with a smaller APS-C sensor. So at 1:1 magnification a 7d with 18MP will give you more pixels per spidereye then a 5dmark II. It's likewise when you're photographing birds from a distance in pixels per duck(using the same lens given that it is sharp enough to show a difference).

You can solve the issue with Depth of field on miniatures with focus stacking for sure. If I would shoot a miniature for a large poster I'd use a FF (or if I could get my hands on a mediumformat) and focusstack images, but in general I don't think you need the resolution. I've shot a lot of photographies of miniatures both with my dslr and different compacts and the bottomline for me is that for miniature photography you don't need a dslr it doesn't play to most of the benefits of a larger sensor.

Shooting miniatures with a tiltshift would be fun to try. Not the most cost-effective solution perhaps.

Own an S90 (and an S95). I can tell you now that the S90 won't give you anywhere near as good results as that sample I posted. The lens is not great and I'd wager that the S1 would realise as much, if not more actual detail (as opposed to fuzzy mush).
Click to expand...

Maybe so, is the s95 better by any means? Are you talking jpg out of the camera or RAW btw? The algorithms for noiseremoval can be rather severe...

If you can find a cheap lens, then you'll have a great little set up for around 150 quid. Much better than a 150 quid compact for sure!
Click to expand...

Well you're right. But as I said for minis you don't really need it, a compact will give you more bang for the buck, meaning almost indistinguishable results at the resolutions we look at miniatures in... and for most other stuff I think you'd get frustrated. For say the £350 Atacam has you'd get a setup that is more versatile and suit most situations really, that's why I didn't recommend this particular camera. It's old, slow, outdated sensor with poor low light capabilities, outdated autofokus, poor batterylife, doesn't support RAW and so on. It's worth the £50 but for a first dslr camera I'd look elsewhere.
 
F

finn17

New member
Avelorn said:
Yes and you can take terrific macro images with a FF, but if you're after getting "as close" as possible FF is not the way to go. The 21MP 5d mark II has the same pixeldensity as an 8MP Canon 30d with a smaller APS-C sensor. So at 1:1 magnification a 7d with 18MP will give you more pixels per spidereye then a 5dmark II. It's likewise when you're photographing birds from a distance in pixels per duck......
Click to expand...

:D :D :D

I haven't got the faintest idea what you're talking about, but it made my day...:)

I must check my manual and find out how many pixels per duck I'm currently getting....
 
L

Legacy Account

Active member
Avelorn said:
Are you talking jpg out of the camera or RAW btw? The algorithms for noiseremoval can be rather severe...
Click to expand...

Your ability to teach Grandma to suck eggs knows no bounds... :D

The S95 has the same sensor has the S90, so I doubt it's any better.
 
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atacam

atacam

New member
finn17 said:
Love that Colonial Fighter Scott :D
Click to expand...

Me too those are some snazzy ships, although my fav is the Snow speeder, makes me want to get my AT AT out of its box. :)

BTW thanks for all the help so far. I bought the camera. He found the manual, leads and box and brought it all in, so for a start into the world of DSLR, I'm happy. Thank Scott and Sven.

OK one last thing, I gather this is the sort of Lens I am looking for?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Nikon-Nikkor-...45010041?pt=Camera_Lenses&hash=item3f09a8ff79

I have made an offer on the prelim it is suitable for what I want. Is it?
 
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