Camera help

[Nonayforever]

I'm looking to buy a second hand camera on eBay or similar to do a specific task but am unsure what to look for.
I want to set the camera up on a tripod ( permanently) and take pictures of various small objects ( from a distance of 1 MTR approx ) and load them up to a website.

The image needs to be perfect if possible, the area is well lit, the objects will be placed on a white surface which can be swiveled to enable 3 or 4 pics from different angles.

I have been looking at DSLR WiFi enabled camera's but don't know much about lens and focal lengths etc etc.

Are there any knowledge camera buffs out there ?

[keith1879]

I'm looking to buy a second hand camera on eBay or similar to do a specific task but am unsure what to look for.
I want to set the camera up on a tripod ( permanently) and take pictures of various small objects ( from a distance of 1 MTR approx ) and load them up to a website.

The image needs to be perfect if possible, the area is well lit, the objects will be placed on a white surface which can be swiveled to enable 3 or 4 pics from different angles.

I have been looking at DSLR WiFi enabled camera's but don't know much about lens and focal lengths etc etc.

Are there any knowledge camera buffs out there ?

I'll kick off but I recommend you wait until a few people have contributed.
If you are wanting pin sharp images from any distance then what you mainly need is a large (ie with a large diameter to let in plenty of light) good quality lens. (All the megapixels in the word can't make a blurred image better and when it is displayed full screen or printed on a glossy page the difference can be quite shocking).

One way of getting this is certainly an SLR (and with a good quality 50mm lens you should be able to focus down to much less than a metre)....but if you are talking about a minimum distance of 1 metre then a compact digital camera from one of the big name companies might be good enough. Obviously you need to see some test shots before buying.

In terms of lenses for SLRs the big camera names such as Canon, Nikon should be OK - Sigma usually make good lenses too. I'm not a professional and hopefully you'll get some other responses. Good luck!

[Nonayforever]

Cheers Keith, every bit of help is gratefully received and hopefully will minimise any mistakes I might make.

[Bosscat]

I'm looking to buy a second hand camera on eBay or similar to do a specific task but am unsure what to look for.
I want to set the camera up on a tripod ( permanently) and take pictures of various small objects ( from a distance of 1 MTR approx ) and load them up to a website.

The image needs to be perfect if possible, the area is well lit, the objects will be placed on a white surface which can be swiveled to enable 3 or 4 pics from different angles.

I have been looking at DSLR WiFi enabled camera's but don't know much about lens and focal lengths etc etc.

Are there any knowledge camera buffs out there ?

I use a Canon Powershot SX60 nice camera and takes fantastic pictures.

Wifi enabled its not a DSLR but acts like one

Heres a review (its a yank review one but tells you quite a bit)

https://www.photographyblog.com/reviews ... _hs_review" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Pstotto]

I had to buy a second-hand camera because mine was kaput after dropping it in the dishwater. I bought a Sony 100 X compact digital camera (the new one that cost £279 (other models up to £700) for £169 from a local camera shop because it had a one-year guarantee and if anything went wrong or if i needed any help i could go to the shop for after-service. The new one only has a 2-year guarantee with certain retailers.

It's got RAW file if you need it but I use jpeg for my needs. 20 Megapixels gives an over 50 MB image if you want, which is pretty good for most folk's use.

Very good quality pictures, satisfied with image quality as a semi-professional user of cameras.

Small enough to fit in a pocket, plus macro-lens can take pictures 1cm from subject,not much zoom, I don't need one.

Bloke in shop said it's best in class, though I'm having difficulties loading movies on to i-photo, not sure why, could be me, classified as 'specialist' in shops.

Personally I didn't dare buy tech from ebay.

I used SLRs for decades, this is fine for me, as you see what you shoot and it can go on a tripod, all cameras have the scewfix as far as I know.

No wi-fi or gps on mine, but I'm a 20C person so I don't even know what that's about.

I haven't used the flash so I can't comment on that.

[cricketfieldclarets]

Best advice... go to hayhursts in nelson. Dan or his dad will sort you out with everything you need to know and everything you need.

[Dyched]

I’ve got an old Fujifilm x100 i’m gonna get rid of. Bought it 2nd hand but I’ve used in once.

Have a look for specs etc for it.

[aggi]

For that I'd agree with the first response. Get a DSLR and 35mm or 50mm prime lens.

I wouldn't worry too much about getting the latest camera or loads of megapixels. A lot of the recent developments are in low light performance and noise reduction which isn't going to be important and for website use you don't need lots and lots of megapixels.

You could easily get a decent camera and prime lens for under £250.

I'd also think about the lighting. If it's just brightly lit as in it's a bright room I'd look at getting more lights. You don't want shadows or uneven lighting.

It's also worth learning to use some editing software just to clean up the pictures and fine tune them.

Edit: LCE are decent for secondhand stuff, I've bought a fair bit from them

https://www.lcegroup.co.uk/Secondhand-Search/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[LoveCurryPies]

Agree with above. Buy wisely, secondhand and sell the camera when finished. Get most your money back.

[Millertime v1.7]

Lads, he needs a bridge camera. He doesn't need all the fancy features, he's a salt of the earth punter trying to make his way in the world like everyone else. Dont break his budget. All he needs is the Sony dsc-hx350

[Vegas Claret]

single most important thing is the lens, if you have a 5 grand camera and stick a 100 quid lens on it your pics will be shite compared to something with a good lens.........and shoot RAW if you have the ability to open them and edit, if you are going to shoot jpeg you might as well stick the 100 quid lens on too

[HunterST_BFC]

Stable same position shots - same light - fixed position (tick)
From 1 meter (tick)
White background (tick)
Small items (tick)

I could echo some or most of those mentioned above.
That said.
I appear to do regularly what you want to do.
I've several cameras but for this job I always use (a cheap) Sony DSC T50 - they are just 7.2 Mega Pix but with a Carl Ziess Lens.
Set the white balance properly - set to macro - (other tweeks if needed) - turn flash off (use white boards for reflective lighting / kill shadow).
Avoid mayor zoom (move camera instead)

By far the quickest simplest camera with superb results. Especially if the end pictures are just for a website.
A screen that works as how you actually see it.
It's my go to "quick" Camera often I use this even when lugging other kit with me.
Has tripod screw for shoe.
(No wifi just cable or mem card which I prefer).

Price?
I actually got a spare one recently for £20 including battery, charger and cables.
Save your cash.

[Nonayforever]

Thanks for all the comments.

I don't want to do much, if any, editing as that's not my thing.
Also I want a system, if that's the right word, that transfers the pics quickly from camera to website as there's a lot of images to upload.
Cheers.