Basic Point and Shoot - Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR)
- Advanced Point and Shoot digital cameras
What to Choose and Why.
For most people who don't have photography as a hobby, choosing a suitable digital camera for model railroad photography can be difficult, with so many to choose from. New camera models are coming out regularly, and prices seem to be falling continually, with more features for less.
First of all, assume that any camera you might buy can and will be used for other duties such as photographing family events, sports, railfan events, everyday camera uses. The camera may be used by other family members too. It may be tempting to shop by price, but remember, "you get what you pay for" most of the time.
WHY A DSLR?
A DSLR - Digital Single Lens Reflex camera - is the ultimate in digital cameras for many reasons, and these reasons are why most photo hobbyists choose them over point and shoot models.
(Click on photos to see larger views)
On the left is a 10.2MP Canon EOS Digtial Rebel 400 XTi DSLR. The camera on the right is a 6 MP Pentax Optio S60 point and shoot model with a 3X optical zoom lens. Other camera makers have similar models, these are shown because they are mine! Note the Canon Rebel has a bottom mounted battery pack that holds two batteries and auxiliary controls. It is an addition to the basic camera and is does not come with it.
One of the major reasons photo hobbyists prefer DSLRs is shown in this photo. The digital sensor on the Rebel is shown on the left, the sensor of a point and shoot model is on the right. Both are 6 megapixel (MP) sensors. The Rebels' sensor is about eight times larger than the smaller cameras' sensor, although both have the same number of pixels. The pixels are larger on the larger sensor, making better images than those from the smaller one.
All point and shoot digital cameras have similarly small sensors, used to achieve their small size.
A MAJOR BENEFIT of using a DSLR is the ability to add different LENSES. These are especially useful for other aspects of photography such as railfanning, family, sports, wildlife, etc. Extra lenses are not needed for model railroad photography, but having the ability to accept other lenses makes the DSLR more versatile.
Most point and shoot digital cameras do come with built in zoom lenses, and some of the more expensive ones have an amazing range, from wide angle to serious telephoto. Some even come with built in image stabilizing features to minimize shake when shooting at longer focal lengths.
YET ANOTHER ADVANTAGE of DLSRs is their ability to accept auxiliary FLASH units. All digital cameras come with built in flashes, such as the one popped up on the Rebel XTi above. They have limited use, usually for subjects within 10-15 feet or less. Advanced (more expensive) point and shoot digitals can also accept flash units too. But flash is not really needed for model railroad photography; it just makes the camera more versatile for everyday uses. Note the Canon flash shown is standing up using the supplied base; this is normally not used in photography, the flash mounts on top of the camera.
Point and Shoot cameras are suitable for much model railroad photography, if you live within their limitations. It would be best to choose cameras from major firms such as Canon, Nikon, Kodak, Pentax, Sony, Panasonic, etc. Usually models with the larger diameter lenses will be the best, because they are higher quality than those with the really small lenses. There are many "no name" simple cameras that probably don't have the capabilities for serious photos.
When choosing a camera, look for one that has manual as well as automatic capabilities. Especially useful is the ability to set the aperture - lens opening - manually. Most will only close down to f/8, which is fairly good for model photography. Smaller openings are even better!
Point and shoot cameras are great to carry with you, and that's the reason why I have two of them. I keep one in the car at all times so I can grab a shot of whatever I want when I want. More recent models have really large LCD viewing screens on the back, which helps to compose photos. My Digital Elph shown above has a fairly small screen, but newer models have them up to 3" diagonally.
Some of these models also shoot digital video with sound too. While not a requirement, it can be fun to shoot your model trains in operation and share them with friends through online video sharing websites.
IN CONCLUSION
If you intend to do a lot of digital photography, with possible submissions to model magazines, want the versatility of removable lenses and auxiliary flashes, then a DSLR is probably what you should be looking at.
If some occasional model railroad photos is all you want or need, and want a general all around family camera, then one of the better point and shoot models is something you should be looking into.
Updated 24 February 2008