Recommendations for Digital Camera for rocket photography use

Wrong, Chris. Zoom is a squared function. .85 mp with 3x OPTICAL zoom is the equivalent of 7.6MP! And 3MP with a 10x optical zoom is equivalent to 19MP with your 4x optical zoom! That's why I want the bigger optical zoom. Because RSOs WON'T let you sit 40' from a J motor when launched, which is what you'd have to do to get the equivalent of being 100' away with a 10X zoom.

Bob Kaplow NAR # 18L TRA # "Impeach the TRA BoD" >>> To reply, remove the TRABoD!

OK, tell me about the silver "sputnik"ish rocket third from the end...

Bob Kaplow NAR # 18L TRA # "Impeach the TRA BoD" >>> To reply, remove the TRABoD!

That should not apply exclusively to Chris taylor either.

Here we go again........

That's why I bought a camera with a True 4 round quick burst fire. Only reason I bought it.

Bob and all. I just posted four rapid fire pictures taken at 4x optical zoom on my 3mp camera taekn from about 500-700 feet away and 100 feet up higher ground of Mark Palmer's K motor rocket flown at MIS last month. I could have gotten about 150 feet from it, but I wanted to take these shots from far away. I like them that way on the big guys some times.

Their posted on the alt bin model rocket Critic away.

Art

After looking at this thread and then reading about the cameras last night, I would lean toward the Fuji if I were buying right now. The Toshiba uses Cannon optics and its shutter lag is a little better, but the Fuji has more cool features and looks nicer to me. Almost a toss up.

tim

Hey Bob another option for you !!

Ritz Camera has the Minolta DImage S414 camera for $350 !!

4mp 4x zoom (AND you can get 2x and 2.5x tele adaptors fromebay cheap !!) making it possible to get 8x or even 10x zoom from it.

its Compact Flash (good)

you can also get an IR remote for it (nice touch) and a slide adaptor to digitize slides (search ebay with this criteria no quotes "(minolta, dimage) s414"

I would not buy the camera their just accessories later on.

check out steve's digicams for shutter lag and what not (I have not fully read it yet) but it might be a VERY nice option for you at 4mp at that !!

My friend just got it today for $350 at Ritz Camera. I will have a chance to "play" with it tuesday I will let you know what I think.

Chris Taylor

I will hold you to that if your RSO :-)

Chris Taylor

PS a mosquito is not a far comparison. I consider a mosquito to be HPR :-) too much danged motor for too little rocket :-)

ahh but look on ebay for these models. you can get telephoto adapters to easily double that 4x to 8x

now you get the MP AND LENS

But usually anything with better zoom is either expensive or already has a high MP rating.

Either which way you will be using that camera for "rocketry" only a small amount of the time. so for you other normal shots you are punished with less MP for making prints.

Chris Taylor

that might be how the math seems to work out but I have yet to see this in practical application.

ALthough this might have to do with the fact that my 3x is not the same as other expected 3x's

IE the nikon has a VERY wide angle view. so when I zoom in 3x I am first making up for the ultra wide angle (equivalent to 28mm)

this might explain it.

IE even zoom out other cameras are already zoomed in more than I am when zoomed out so to speak.

but I use the wide angle feature far more than I use the zoom feature. Zoom is pretty much only used for slight cropping adjustment and rocketry.

I have a 2x adapter I use so I have in reality 6x zoom on my nikon. I got a

3x adaptor for it too much for the camera IE only the center is in focus. the rest is blurry making it useless.

Completely untrue. Nikon D1 series is what I use, great for liftoff shots and 8x10 prints.

-Rich

Chris Taylor Jr wrote:

With better cameras (Nikon D1 for example), there is NO lag.

-Rich

Jerry Irv> True and digital camera lag is a BIG problem.

Unless AS I ALREADY STATED you are either getting very close of have a long lens you are "not" correct. You also have to account for the fact that the D1 can shoot at 4.5 FPS FAR higher than most consumer level digicams. Oh wait. the D1 is not a Consumer Level Digicam. Oh and that 1/6000th sec shutter speed. Drool. again way out of my league (price wise) when it was at its prime.

that is unless we have differing meanings of "great liftoff" shots.

to me a great lift off shot is one where the rocket is 80% as long as the paper I am printing on so around 9-10 inches) and I see no jaggies.

THAT is a great lift off shot to me. anything les it livable (I can not afford a better camera INCLUDING the D1)

Now the last straw that totally FLOPS your D1.

Hmmm even today of this DISCONTINUED camera. Hmmm ? THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS !!!

OUCH !

No Offense man but that camera does not count anymore than the 1ds counts. they are just simply outside the realm of reality for most of us.

Sure I can catch SOME AWESOME photos with a high end 6x6 but do I have the money for even a LENS for such a camera ? No its likely saying. well just buy a lambroghini or an S7

sure give me the half mil I need :-)

Are you kidding ? their is massive lag on the D1.

It called the lag time from now till when I have 3 grand to plunk down on a

3mp camera :-) hehehe

No offense man but that camera is light years above most normal peoples budgets.

There is no lag with my 30 dollar Yashica FX3 ebay special, either.

;-)

It's hard to beat film!

-Rich

Kurt Kesler wrote:

Currently impossible.