Taking Pictures for an inspection

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"Megapixels are megapixels" ... well, not really. Just as important, not all that relevant.

I strongly reccomend the book "Digital Photography For Dummies." I found it of value, and I don't have an SLR.

I also reccomend a free editing program called GIMP. "Free" is a bit misleading, as I also found it worthwhile to spend $30 to explain all the possibilities of this tool.
 
renosteinke said:
"Megapixels are megapixels" ... well, not really. Just as important, not all that relevant.
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A pixel is a pixel is a pixel. It works and functions the same whether it's in a $30 camera or a $3000 one.


renosteinke said:
I also reccomend a free editing program called GIMP. "Free" is a bit misleading, as I also found it worthwhile to spend $30 to explain all the possibilities of this tool.
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Who charged you $30, and what did you get for it?
 
Fair questions, and I have to accept some blame for thinking faster than typing ..... (I'm a very slow typist!)

As is well explained in the "Dummies" book, a pixel isn't always a pixel. How the camera processes the pixels matters - in many cases, the 'pixel count' is a very inaccurate measure of what the camera can actually capture.

The $30 was for a book that explained GIMP in great detail. Well worth it - and I still have only touched on the capabilities of the software. The book was obtained from a bookstore.
 
I've recently read that there is definitely such a thing as too many pixels.

480sparky said:
If your camera allows more then just shooting in AUTO, all the better. If you have a MANUAL mode(s) on the camera, learn to use them and take control of the camera.
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Do you feel the same way about driving? ;)
 
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The book is: "Beginning GIMP: From Novice to Professional" by Akkana Peck. Another book, "GIMP Bible," by Jason van Gumster, appears very similar.

There's a different book out called "Gimp for Photographers" that is completely useless.

The other book is "Digital SLR's and Photography for Dummies," by David Busch. I see that there is also a 'point and shoot' version of the book, but I want to point out that I found the "SLR" book quite helpful, even though my camera is not an SLR. It's avery nice point & shoot, but still not an SLR!
 
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FYI, I wouldn't recommend a newbie to photography jumping feet first into GIMP. It's an editing program, and while very useful and loaded with features, it's not worth getting into if you're new to cameras. If the OP is looking for documenting what he finds on a job site, then GIMP is like hunting mosquitos with 50-cal.
 
I will agree that GIMP is capable of far, far more than most of us will ever try. Indeed, I'm still something of a novice to it, and there are simpler editing programs out there. I admit that I primarily use the software to size and crop and crop my pictures.

I promised in my first post to produce some pictures that would illustrate the difference a camera can make. The pictures I will show here have been edited only for size, possible cropped some .. I have not played with the contrast or colors at all. They are pictures of a cat, whose white fur and pale blue eyes had proven difficult to photograph.

This first picture was taken with a disposable camera, and the flash was used. Notice how the fur and eyes are 'washed out:'
550Motzie20atop20door-1.jpg



Now, look at the same cat, this time using a $250 "point & shoot" camera with a decent lens, automatic exposure controls, and no flash:
MotzieEyes.jpg


FWIW, this camera also has 'macro' capabilities, which allow you to take a picture when you would ordinarily be too close to the item to focus.
 
renosteinke said:
I will agree that GIMP is capable of far, far more than most of us will ever try. Indeed, I'm still something of a novice to it, and there are simpler editing programs out there. I admit that I primarily use the software to size and crop and crop my pictures. ..........
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Try FotoSizer. Quick, easy batch processing. And it's the same price as GIMP.
 
I think a lot of the responses are over-complicating the level of photography needed in this case. I've done catalog photos, scale model photos and art photos over the years and there's a lot to know about that level of work that I don't really think applies to inspection photos. First off a simple program like Picassa should be more than enough to edit/prepare photos from an inspection. Secondly, I don't recommend DSLRs for anyone who doesn't have a decent grasp of what the camera is doing - it will ultimately cost a lot in wasted time on a jobsite fiddling around to get a decent photo.

There are three things that you need to understand to get usable inspection photos.

1) Keeping the camera as still as possible. Brace against something. This is 99% of a good photo.

2) If you have to use the flash, make it work to your advantage. Choose an angle that doesn't reflect the flash directly back at the camera. All you usually need to do is move slightly away from dead center and angle the camera a little bit and you shouldn't get a flare or washed out objects. Getting as much ambient light on the subject as possible also helps your camera meter and focus better.

3) Focus. Most P&S cameras have landscape and macro modes. Choosing macro mode for close-ups is important since it will allow the lens to focus much closer than landscape mode. Test your camera in macro mode to find out what the closet focus distance is. Your blurry shots may just be that you were closer to the object than your lens could focus. Like someone else mentioned, you may be able to use the zoom to get the effect of a close-up photo while also keeping the flash back far enough not to burn the image.

Anything more than a point and shoot will require a large investment in equipment and learning and I personally don't think this kind of photography warrants the economic investment, but the learning part is worth it.
 
Things have changed quite a bit since this thread started.

For example, I have several young engineers working with me, and they're providing me with some excellent pictures taken of machine components that they took using their cell phones. Cell phones sure have changed!
 
renosteinke said:
Things have changed quite a bit since this thread started.

For example, I have several young engineers working with me, and they're providing me with some excellent pictures taken of machine components that they took using their cell phones. Cell phones sure have changed!
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I am amazed at how good the pictures my latest cell phone takes.

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