Re: [OT] Digital Cameras

Re: What would I look for in a digital Camera.

For Taking photos of Miniatures/Internet:
a) Ability to take REAL close-ups, down to 1cm
b) At least 640x480 resolution with 24 bit colour.
c) Price
d) Good lens: so get one from a camera maker rather
than an electronics maker.

For general use:
e) Zoom feature.
f) Expandable memory
g) TWAIN compliance

The Ricoh RDC-300Z is a good buy, at $300 US for
all but g).

I got an RDC-300 (no e) a few years ago, and it's really
good for taking pics of miniatures. For example,
http://www2.dynamite.com.au/aebrain/IRR_ROME.JPG
shows a 15mm Irregular figure, with the mirror behind it
showing a picture of the camera.

http://www2.dynamite.com.au/aebrain/EPIC/ORKRHIN.JPG
shows some 6mm figs "up close and personal". The figs are
Evil Empire Orks and a Rhino, with early-model H&R Nato
infantry and a GHQ M-113A1 in the background.

http://www2.dynamite.com.au/aebrain/EPIC/CAPIMP.JPG
is also a goody.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/epic/files/Images/GOFFIK2.JPG
shows how close you can get. This is a 6mm group, remember,
taken from a distance of about 1cm away.

A guy who I went to High School with, and is now a big name in
Photography (mainly Advertising and Fashion Mags) uses a
Pentax $30,000 conventional front-end with a Kodak $20,000 digital 
back end that plugs in instead of a film roll. He said that all of the
Pros use a setup like this. He said one of the great advantages is
being able to convince the Prima Donna SuperModel he's photoing
that she really didn't look so good in that last shot, and she should
look up (or down or sideways) as he asked her to next time.
Actually, he said it was the wannabes that were the worst, the
real top names always co-operated fully first time.