I use a Nikon D60s, it's an SLR, with a non-digital auto-focus Nikkor 60mm,
and natural light.

In fact, my set-up probably runs about $15, not counting the camera and the
actual house with windows. We have some windows that face west (I'm not a
morning person, otherwise east would work as well). I put a table in front
of the windows, out of the direct sun (happens to be our dining table, but
any decently sturdy table works). I often paint quite large pieces, so I
need a decent size table and paper, but for mini mini's, you don't need
much. Then I paperclip a background paper to a stiff piece of cardboard, in
my case a 16x20 mat board that I've had forever. The clip is a freebie
picked up a cancer meeting by my mom. I do splurge on paper - I buy rag
paper in soft colors. I like a medium brown best of all, the warm colors
seem to show my pieces best. Then I drape the paper onto the table (well, in
my case, a fancy trivet/cutting board that lives on the table and I'm too
lazy to move) so that there's no sharp line between the piece and the
horizon. The windows are behind me as I photograph. Given the strong light
here in Texas, I don't usually use a tripod, but you can.
The results:
http://s203.photobucket.com/albums/aa255/Sweetdefensefr/New%20Horses%203/
The first piece is 1/7th scale, the second about 60mm. I can see I should
have cropped one of the photos where the background ran out, but you get the
idea. The pieces are about 2-5 inches in front of the background paper,
depending on how big the piece is. You can probably get better results with
lights and a photobox, but this is so much cheaper and easier to deal with.
I can set this up in two minutes and remove it for dinner just as quickly,
which means everything gets photographed - that may not happen if it's a
complicated set-up.

For true minis if you want extreme details, I'd probably up the lens to a
true macro rather than a micro. True macro reproduces 1:1 on film, micro is
something more like .5:1, all on a 35mm negative. I'd also use a tripod
because the closer you get, the greater depth of field you need. I do highly
recommend a true micro/macro lens rather than a "macro" setting on a zoom or
non-SLR camera - those simply allow you to focus closer, but they start to
vignette around the edges if pushed and aren't as "flat" as a true macro, so
you get some bending of the lines in some cases. True macro/micro lenses
have more glass and are more heavily worked than a zoom with a "macro"
setting. Used equipment is a real possibility with SLR's - I wouldn't with
point-and-shoots.

Beatha

----- Original Message -----
From: "David Rosenthal" <david@...>
To: <mini-painter@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, October 11, 2008 8:43 PM
Subject: Re: [mini-painter] camera


> Photography has been an enigma for mini painters for years, and there's
> lots and lots of tutorials on it... check out coolminiornot.com or even my
> website. My opinion -- any digital camera over 3 megapixels is probably
> okay, as long as it is able to focus on things 8 inches or closer. The
> most important thing is light. You can never have too much light for
> photographing miniatures, or for painting them for that matter.
>
> Cheers,
> -- David
>
>
> --
> Be a Cheddarmonger!
>
> http://www.cheddarmongers.org
>>
>> Look for one which has a very good macro (it represented by a flower on
>> some cameras). I went to Circuit City and tried out several on that
>> setting to find which would serve me best. I came up with an Olympus
>> sp-500uz add in a good camera stand and lightbox (check walmart for a low
>> cost one) will serve you well.
>>
>> Jim
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: CLIFFORD LINTON <bathead@...>
>> To: mini-painter@yahoogroups.com
>> Sent: Sat, 11 Oct 2008 6:53 pm
>> Subject: [mini-painter] camera
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> I realize this is an old subject, but what digital cameras can you all
>> recommend for taking pictures of minis? It must be a decent overall
>> camera
>> for regular picture taking as well. Not too expensive, either.
>>
>> Cliff
>>
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------------
>>
>>
>> Yahoo! Groups Links
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>>
>>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>