Camera Question

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thelemur

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I see a lot of pictures online of cars before and after detailing. I take note of the swirl marks, paint imperfections, and get jealous. There's no way my cheap camera can capture that kind of detail. Are there any specific features that detailers look for in digital cameras?

I imagine megapixel count is one, the other being analog zoom. Anything else?
 
Reflexions of bright buildings, tress and colorfully things give good reflection shoot.
Also a direct shots of the sun will show defects and your improvement.
You can get good shots with your crappy camera. But check your shots on your computer and not your camera. For some reason they look better once there bigger.
And my photographer said to buy the most expensive camera you can afford.
 
what camera do you have? and I am sure you can take a picture of everything with that camera, just need the right angle.. I took pictures of some scratch in my paint with my phone, a galaxy, was not easy but with a dslr of $ 500, will be hard too

checking the pictures were taken with iphone
example

attachment.php
 
I have a Samsung ST65, but I think my Samsung Galaxy S3 might take better pictures.

I will try taking a photo of the sun on my paint - that might work better. Thanks for that.
 
thelemur said:
I see a lot of pictures online of cars before and after detailing. I take note of the swirl marks, paint imperfections, and get jealous. There's no way my cheap camera can capture that kind of detail. Are there any specific features that detailers look for in digital cameras?

I imagine megapixel count is one, the other being analog zoom. Anything else?
Click to expand...

The last things you should be considering are megapixel count and zoom. That's like considering how many cylinders and gears a vehicle has, completely irrelevant to performance.

Lens quality and image sensor size are big players in the image quality equation.

What do you currently have and what is your budget?
 
the problem is not resolution/file size or the type of camera (within reason) as my phone has plenty... the issue is critical focus and depth of focus, depth of field... even a high-end lens will search for focus on smooth metal of one tone/color... understand the crystal clear reflection you see, is at a much different focus distance than the surface itself... camera to car, to reflected object... your camera most likely is not focused on the smooth surface... one trick is to use/include a seam or use a seam to lock focus... or lay down a business card, to focus on... the next thing is lighting, a low angle will show the "surface" scratches in the paint... the most common problem here is using too much light, not exposing correctly, blowing-out any detail of the scratches... sunlight works the best, just find the angle/curve that reflects to you... lastly...if possible, use a tripod...
 
smalltrees said:
the problem is not resolution/file size or the type of camera (within reason) as my phone has plenty... the issue is critical focus and depth of focus, depth of field... even a high-end lens will search for focus on smooth metal of one tone/color... understand the crystal clear reflection you see, is at a much different focus distance than the surface itself... camera to car, to reflected object... your camera most likely is not focused on the smooth surface... one trick is to use/include a seam or use a seam to lock focus... or lay down a business card, to focus on... the next thing is lighting, a low angle will show the "surface" scratches in the paint... the most common problem here is using too much light, not exposing correctly, blowing-out any detail of the scratches... sunlight works the best, just find the angle/curve that reflects to you... lastly...if possible, use a tripod...
Click to expand...

Great advice. :props:
 
yakky said:
The last things you should be considering are megapixel count and zoom. That's like considering how many cylinders and gears a vehicle has, completely irrelevant to performance.

Lens quality and image sensor size are big players in the image quality equation.

What do you currently have and what is your budget?
Click to expand...
^Exactly... megapixel count is WAY beyond what it needs to be for the average consumer. Anything over 10MP and you are fine... unless you are printing posters or something?

smalltrees said:
the problem is not resolution/file size or the type of camera (within reason) as my phone has plenty... the issue is critical focus and depth of focus, depth of field... even a high-end lens will search for focus on smooth metal of one tone/color... understand the crystal clear reflection you see, is at a much different focus distance than the surface itself... camera to car, to reflected object... your camera most likely is not focused on the smooth surface... one trick is to use/include a seam or use a seam to lock focus... or lay down a business card, to focus on... the next thing is lighting, a low angle will show the "surface" scratches in the paint... the most common problem here is using too much light, not exposing correctly, blowing-out any detail of the scratches... sunlight works the best, just find the angle/curve that reflects to you... lastly...if possible, use a tripod...
Click to expand...
^This!

You can buy a $5000 camera setup, but it won't get you any better pictures than a $500 camera unless you learn to use it. I don't just mean learn how to turn it on and switch to "auto mode"... you need to take the time to learn about photography if you want to maximize your results with any camera.

The basics are really pretty straight forward, and anyone can pick it up with the right amount of time and patience (just like detailing!).

Take some time and read through the various sections of this guide... if you feel like it is too much and you have no interest, than a DSLR is probably not for you.

Photography Basics | Learn Digital Photography Basics
 
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