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Thursday, May 02, 2024

What you need to take Z scale pictures...

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14 years 7 months ago #6166 by David K. Smith
What you need to take Z scale pictures... was created by David K. Smith
...a Z scale camera.



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14 years 7 months ago #6167 by Socalz44
Replied by Socalz44 on topic Re:What you need to take Z scale pictures...
David, That is great! Glad the strap wasn't longer???:woohoo: Cheers, Jim CCRR

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14 years 7 months ago #6168 by slugger
Replied by slugger on topic Re:What you need to take Z scale pictures...
great shot david. one problem, the lens is alittle long dont you think? :)
just kidding. you do great work.
what kind of camera set up do you have to get that close?

Steve aka "Slugger"

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14 years 7 months ago - 14 years 7 months ago #6169 by shamoo737
Replied by shamoo737 on topic Re:What you need to take Z scale pictures...
Socalz44 wrote:

David, That is great! Glad the strap wasn't longer???:woohoo: Cheers, Jim CCRR


And you call yourself a serious modeler.:laugh:

David, I dont know how you make such small parts.

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14 years 7 months ago #6170 by tealplanes
Replied by tealplanes on topic Re:What you need to take Z scale pictures...
Man oh man, the other scale guys ought to take a peek at this work and others. They would have a hard time criticizing Z scale after seeing some of the stuff us Zeesters are doing......wow!!!:woohoo:
Loren

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14 years 7 months ago - 14 years 7 months ago #6171 by Socalz44
Replied by Socalz44 on topic Re:What you need to take Z scale pictures...
Slugger, I don't know when David might get back to you so here is my answer. If a digital camera has a macro function then you can get these photo results. Unfortuately all camera brands have different minimum focusing distances. Most are .75-1.00 inch. I use Canon cameras because they routinely allow .5 inch focusing. Even this can be enhanced by an extra lens added to the camera. Half and inch is great. Cheers, Jim CCRR:)

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14 years 7 months ago #6173 by David K. Smith
Replied by David K. Smith on topic Re:What you need to take Z scale pictures...
I use a Canon PowerShot SD400. It's a pretty old camera, as digital cameras go, only 5 MP. The camera was a bit less than an inch away from the figure.

As for the model camera lens, it's about the same length as a telephoto lens I have for my DSLR. I may still shorten it a little, though, just for aesthetics (and to avoid long camera lens jokes).

You can see how I made the camera here:

jamesriverbranch.net/detail_19.htm

By the way, here's what the model photographer captured:

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14 years 7 months ago #6175 by goobnav
Replied by goobnav on topic Re:What you need to take Z scale pictures...
David,

That is so cool. Looks like Jim got a dig at you about the lens though. Now, can if you get a picture of a Reading loco going past the mast crossing signal from that little camera that would be excellent. Remember its not the size of the camera, its the person who is using it. Sorry, just had to do it. :evil:

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14 years 6 months ago #6190 by Mr.JA
Is that your camera lens... or, are you just happy to see me? :blush:

Alex

Tokyo, Japan

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14 years 6 months ago - 14 years 6 months ago #6204 by David K. Smith
Replied by David K. Smith on topic Re:What you need to take Z scale pictures...
The shape of the lens bothered me, so I built a new camera. Only takes a few minutes to make one, so it's not like I wasted a lot of time doing it, and certainly not a lot of raw materials.

Before:



After:



Also took a better photo, using my DSLR, a 50mm lens, and 68mm of extension tube (in lieu of an expensive macro lens). A larger version appears at the top of this thread.

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14 years 6 months ago #6206 by slugger
Replied by slugger on topic Re:What you need to take Z scale pictures...
nice job David, the camera looks alot better with the shorter bulkier lens. great photo's
Steve aka "Slugger" B)

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14 years 6 months ago #6208 by shamoo737
Replied by shamoo737 on topic Re:What you need to take Z scale pictures...
David, I think the new lens are a big improvement.

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14 years 6 months ago - 14 years 6 months ago #6219 by Socalz44
Replied by Socalz44 on topic Re:What you need to take Z scale pictures...
I like it. David, what did you use for the strap? Cheers, Jim CCRR:)

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14 years 6 months ago #6220 by David K. Smith
Replied by David K. Smith on topic Re:What you need to take Z scale pictures...
Socalz44 wrote:

I like it. David, what did you use for the strap?


#43 solenoid wire. It's extremely fine, about the same size as coarse hair. You can find wire like this in smaller switch machine coils. One reason to never throw out burned-out switch machines.

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