Detailed Images - Tamiya 1:48 Mossie.

[Plastickitbasher]

Look's great

 

[Doug Hughes]

Wonderful build, beautiful photos! Thanks for sharing your photography tips too, Graham.

 

[PhilJ]

Questions for Graham
Graham: Your photos are extremely sharp. Could you please tell me about the quality of your lens? My bottom-of-the-range Nikon D3100 with kit lens is OK for holiday pics but I cannot get near to your sharpness with manual focussing on a model with a variety of lighting (although using a flash but an umbrella instead of a soft box).


-- Do you think that your lens is of much higher quality than mine as regards sharpness (ignoring the tilt-shift feature)? and


-- Is it a macro lens? and


-- What does "still life curve base" mean (I have searched).


Thanks

Hi Steve
The lens that I use is of very high quality and costs upwards of £1k. It is a prime lens, as opposed to a zoom and therefore inherently sharper.


It is not a macro lens.


Having said that, your kit zoom should give you sharp images. bear these points in mind.


If not using flash, keep the shutter speed high to avoid camera shake.


If possible, do not stop down to your minimum aperture as this introduces softness caused by diffraction.


I shoot raw files and sharpen in post processing.


The still life curve is just a graduated background that hangs behind the model and curves underneath for the base. you can get the same graduated effect by careful positioning of the lighting.


Here is the setup


View attachment 126853


I hope that helps.


.

Graham, what a absolute cracker mate it's fantastic and I love your setup too. How was the kit? I like 1/48 and really want to do a mossie at some stage.


In reply to Steve as well if you don't want to pay out for lighting equipment and prime lenses, why not try using a similar setup to Graham's with a tripod under natural daylight. Your kit will be more than good enough, try and keep your aperture at around f.8 as this will be the sharpest point then adjust your shutter speed and keep your ISO low to keep the exposure balanced and natural. I also shoot in RAW like graham and this does help to capture the most detail although there is a little more work to do in post processing. If you do want to get a prime Nikon do a 50mm 1.8 I believe in a auto for a decent price and it is a great lens I use a sigma 1.4 in a 50mm which is incredible but a bit dearer. You will find that by using a 50mm (or any prime) it will make you work/move for your images whatever you are shooting and this will bring you more satisfying images.


Regards


Phil

 

[BigZimmo]

Wow, Graham.......that's really a great build.......and superb photos.....well done, mate!!!

 

[bazers]

Fantastic model Graham and brill photos

 

[Laurie]

Very nice model Graham as per usual. A very crisp finish. Now are you going to do a build for us.


I would like to see how you go about it to share with us your skills.


Laurie

 

[geegad]

one stunning looking build and your photos really show it of to its full..


and can i bring my models round to yours for you to take your amazing pictures

 

[Scuff]

Thank you all for your generous and kind comments.

 

[Vajled]

speachless for work and fantastic pictures and studio

 

[Stevekir]

Hi Steve
The lens that I use is of very high quality and costs upwards of £1k. It is a prime lens, as opposed to a zoom and therefore inherently sharper.


It is not a macro lens.


Having said that, your kit zoom should give you sharp images. bear these points in mind.


If not using flash, keep the shutter speed high to avoid camera shake.


If possible, do not stop down to your minimum aperture as this introduces softness caused by diffraction.


I shoot raw files and sharpen in post processing.


The still life curve is just a graduated background that hangs behind the model and curves underneath for the base. you can get the same graduated effect by careful positioning of the lighting.


Here is the setup


View attachment 126853


I hope that helps.


.

That's really useful. I have never come as near as you have to such a really sharp image. I must practice more in getting sharper pics using my kit lens. On pixels I have enough of those: 14 Million. When examining my pics I see fuzziness long before pixelisation starts.


Another approach would be to buy a prime lens just for closeups.


Bearing in mind that my camera (Nikon D3100), introduced about 2010 or a year earlier, is close to the bottom of the DSLR range, would it be capable of handling the greater sharpness of a, say, £500 prime lens?


I was particularly interested in your lighting setup. I have never used frontal flash. Perhaps it gives a sharper image (with the soft box to lighten the flash's shadows). I will try it.

 

[My Model Car Workshop]

Beautiful Model and and what a great way to present it.

 

[Stevekir]

Graham, what a absolute cracker mate it's fantastic and I love your setup too. How was the kit? I like 1/48 and really want to do a mossie at some stage.
In reply to Steve as well if you don't want to pay out for lighting equipment and prime lenses, why not try using a similar setup to Graham's with a tripod under natural daylight. Your kit will be more than good enough, try and keep your aperture at around f.8 as this will be the sharpest point then adjust your shutter speed and keep your ISO low to keep the exposure balanced and natural. I also shoot in RAW like graham and this does help to capture the most detail although there is a little more work to do in post processing. If you do want to get a prime Nikon do a 50mm 1.8 I believe in a auto for a decent price and it is a great lens I use a sigma 1.4 in a 50mm which is incredible but a bit dearer. You will find that by using a 50mm (or any prime) it will make you work/move for your images whatever you are shooting and this will bring you more satisfying images.


Regards


Phil

Thanks for that. Very helpful. I will think this thing through after more practice with my present setup. I am a champagne perfectionist with a lemonade income!