Best deal for a good camera to take your photos

[BLACK BLΠFLY]

What do y’all recommend for a good digital camera ?

[RWJP]

Honestly, if you have a modern smartphone, the cameras on those are more than good enough for taking photos of minis. Any iPhone, Samsung Galaxy, Google Pixel etc released in the last few years will be more than enough.

Going beyond that, actual cameras are expensive. There's no point going for the "Point and click" style cameras as those are no better than the cameras on smartphones... Once you start getting into Mirrorless or DSLR, you start spending a lot of money, fast. Introductory packs of a camera plus a single lense are around £500.

Obviously if you intend to do more than just photography of miniatures, then going up to a mirrorless or DSLR could be worth it.

If you haven't got one already, I would recommend getting a Lightbox first. You'll see a bigger step up from smartphone to smartphone + lightbox than you would from smartphone to DSLR.

[Firedrake Cordova]

I can't speak to the compact cameras, but if you're looking at interchangeable lens cameras (mirrorless or SLR), and want maximum quality, then a macro lens with a focal length equivalent to ~100mm on 35mm is the lens you "really" want (shorter focal lengths will generally give you insufficient working distance, longer focal lengths tend to be more expensive). Unfortunately, this means you're looking at a £350-£1,100 for the lens alone (depending on brand). If you don't need absolute maximum quality, you could use a "kit" standard- or telephoto zoom lens that reaches ~0.25x magnification or better and cropping out the parts of the recorded image which don't contain the model.

 

One thing to add is that whatever you end up using (phone, compact, SLR) lighting is important, and light boxes are trivially easy to make.

Edited March 12, 2022 by Firedrake Cordova

[sibomots]

It turns out that the modern and recent cell phone cameras are quite good.   A "cell phone" tripod type rig may be all you need (to keep it steady).

 

For Digital SLR photography, I buy used.   The local camera shop (Glazers in Seattle) sells Nikon/Sigma etc.. with steep discount used.    I stress using a camera shop for used equipment and one that is known for their reputation as a camera shop.

[Warhead01]

I've stopped looking for a camera. When I had to upgrade my phone I made sure to find one with a decent camera. It shoots in 1080P that's better than my last phone and my old digicam was 1080P. I'd looked at good cameras but for the money the phone was a stronger buy and I'd just buy a new phone for a better camera at this point. 

[Soldier of Dorn]

I abhor cell phone post-processing on my miniature photos for the most part: I currently use a Pixel 3a, which isn't any small shakes in the camera department, but the wide-angle lens (I believe it's somewhere around a 18mm full-frame equivalent) and the inherent HDR that comes about as a necessity of the small sensor size makes the camera a poor choice for lightbox photography, at least to my tastes, and perhaps to yours, although it suffices more often than not for quick workbench snaps. For a long time I used a cheap mid-2000s point and shoot solely circumvent that effect, despite its lack of quantitative resolution.

 

For recommendations, I'd say if you know you're going to be using it primarily indoors for miniature photography, older/entry level hardware, the sort that appeals to students, will fulfill your needs handily: you're not going to need weather sealing, in-body stabilization isn't going to be a huge factor and honestly anything above 12MP or so is more than enough, as long as it's got decent dynamic range (which most interchangable lens cameras produced in the past fifteen years or so will have.) A kit lens (the default lens that often comes with a camera) will be more than sufficient although I do enjoy using primes in my own mini photography, and in terms of brand you'll probably have the best luck looking for a Canon, as there's just so many of them floating around, especially the budget Rebels -- you can get a T2i or T3i for less than $200, complete with lens, on eBay with not a whole lot of difficulty. Another good suggestion might be the 5d Classic if you can get it in the low-to-mid $200s range --  it's a beast of a camera that will see you through model photography with ease.

[sibomots]

My DSLR setup

 

Nikon D3100 body (used, about $200)

Nikon A F S NIKKOR 18-70mm DX lens  (used $150)

Nikon A F MICRO NIKKOR 60mm lens  (used $100)

Tamron SP A F   MACRO 90mm lens (used $120)

 

For most work, I hate to say it but I get better results actually with my cell phone camera (Motorola Ace 5G)  but only for a certain kind of portrait, not macro-work.

 

For true macro photography the DSLR does prevail.  Lighting has a lot to do with the result.

 

I also know next to nothing about photography so some wikipedia on focal length, lens dynamics, etc.. would be something to check.

 

Then again, those camera shop clerks do know what they are talking about.  Look for the shops that sell photo gear end-to-end (self develop supplies, paper, lenses, bodies, etc..)   The good shops will walk you through the trade-offs.

Edited March 13, 2022 by sibomots

[Brother Christopher]

I have no idea about the prices in your country, but I'd recommend a micro four thirds camera with a 30 mm lens (either an Olympus f3.5 or Panasonic f2.8 lens). You should be able to get a cheap camera the likes of a Panasonic Lumix G7 or Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II cheap. Personally, I'd go with a Panasonic body - the UI is much better. Due to the sensor size, you won't have as hard of a time with the depth of field and the other drawbacks of the system shouldn't apply to studio-like photography.

[sibomots]

It's a good problem to have "how to take better pictures" -- which means the Frater have things to take pictures of.    So, that's the silver lining.

 

Please report back on your conclusions reached on photography.

[NiceGuyAdi]

I take my miniature stills on a setup worth approaching £1500: a fujifilm X-T4 with a vintage 50mm lens. That’s silly money, but that’s because it’s a sunk cost for work equipment to me.

 

All the big camera manufacturers refresh their lines every year which enthusiasts and professionals will buy, so there’s always a glut of used kit on eBay.

 

You could get an early generation Canon 5D or 6D with a 50mm lens and a mini tripod for less than £200 which would take better photos than a smartphone once you learn how to use it.

[MegaVolt87]

If you have a good smart phone, it should have a decent camera. Then just get an app to touch up the photo's. 

[BLACK BLΠFLY]

I hear Canon calling my name !!