01-18-2015, 01:10 PM
Thanks for your kind words, Richard, but I think that the proper word is "cheapskate". 
Unless you're planning to shoot in some really tight places, there's no need to disassemble the Optivisor - simply place one lense of it in front of the camera's lense and take the photo. I've used it with the camera on a tripod or with it sitting on the layout.
The nice thing about taking photos of our models is that we can control what shows in the final picture, either by careful placement of the camera or by editing it after the fact. While I usually post photos as-taken, I'll occasionally crop-out some extraneous stuff, such as the layout fascia or out-of-focus stuff on the periphery of the image. I don't have photoshop, though, (and probably wouldn't be able to use it competently if I did) but do have a free (came with the computer) condensed version of Picture-It, which allows some tinkering with photos.
As for lighting, my layout is under fluorescents, 29 4' double-tube fixtures, all with cool white tubes. I'd like to replace two of those fixtures with double 8'-ers for a more even distribution of light. Pretty-well all digital cameras have a setting called "White Balance", which, either manually or automatically compensates for the type of available lighting, yielding an acceptable version of "daylight". Without that compensation, fluorescent lighting yields a greenish cast to the colours, while incandescent bulbs make everything appear yellowish-orange.
While most people dislike Cool White lighting (probably part of the reason for that is because it's what's used in many workplaces
), it is good for layouts because it yields the most light (lumens) per watt of electricity consumed. The odd thing is, it doesn't really take that long for your eyes to compensate for that quality of light, and to begin to see it as "normal".
Even most simple point-and-shoot cameras can compensate for poor lighting, usually a + or - setting. + allows more light into the camera, while - limits that amount. Since we're not paying for film or development, it's often adviseable to "bracket" your shots, taking several shots of the same subject while adjusting the +/- between shots. You'll soon develop a feel for which setting works best in different situations. Higher end cameras allow adjustment (manually or automatically) of the size of the lense opening (F-stop) and of the duration the lense is open (exposure). The best of them have an option to keep those adjustments independent of one another.
Whatever camera you use for model photography, make sure that the camera doesn't move while making the photo. Use a tripod where applicable, or place the camera on a solid surface. This can be directly on the layout or on something suitable placed on the layout: I have a number of wood and plywood scraps of varying thicknesses to allow camera use even on the irregular surface of scenery or simply to elevate the camera to a suitable height. Keep in mind that the closer the shot, the more pronounced will be the effect of any camera movement. If your camera has a timer, use it for such shots.
Wayne
Unless you're planning to shoot in some really tight places, there's no need to disassemble the Optivisor - simply place one lense of it in front of the camera's lense and take the photo. I've used it with the camera on a tripod or with it sitting on the layout. The nice thing about taking photos of our models is that we can control what shows in the final picture, either by careful placement of the camera or by editing it after the fact. While I usually post photos as-taken, I'll occasionally crop-out some extraneous stuff, such as the layout fascia or out-of-focus stuff on the periphery of the image. I don't have photoshop, though, (and probably wouldn't be able to use it competently if I did) but do have a free (came with the computer) condensed version of Picture-It, which allows some tinkering with photos.
As for lighting, my layout is under fluorescents, 29 4' double-tube fixtures, all with cool white tubes. I'd like to replace two of those fixtures with double 8'-ers for a more even distribution of light. Pretty-well all digital cameras have a setting called "White Balance", which, either manually or automatically compensates for the type of available lighting, yielding an acceptable version of "daylight". Without that compensation, fluorescent lighting yields a greenish cast to the colours, while incandescent bulbs make everything appear yellowish-orange.
While most people dislike Cool White lighting (probably part of the reason for that is because it's what's used in many workplaces
), it is good for layouts because it yields the most light (lumens) per watt of electricity consumed. The odd thing is, it doesn't really take that long for your eyes to compensate for that quality of light, and to begin to see it as "normal".Even most simple point-and-shoot cameras can compensate for poor lighting, usually a + or - setting. + allows more light into the camera, while - limits that amount. Since we're not paying for film or development, it's often adviseable to "bracket" your shots, taking several shots of the same subject while adjusting the +/- between shots. You'll soon develop a feel for which setting works best in different situations. Higher end cameras allow adjustment (manually or automatically) of the size of the lense opening (F-stop) and of the duration the lense is open (exposure). The best of them have an option to keep those adjustments independent of one another.
Whatever camera you use for model photography, make sure that the camera doesn't move while making the photo. Use a tripod where applicable, or place the camera on a solid surface. This can be directly on the layout or on something suitable placed on the layout: I have a number of wood and plywood scraps of varying thicknesses to allow camera use even on the irregular surface of scenery or simply to elevate the camera to a suitable height. Keep in mind that the closer the shot, the more pronounced will be the effect of any camera movement. If your camera has a timer, use it for such shots.
Wayne