Subject:
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Re: What's a good camera?
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.animation
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Date:
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Mon, 9 Apr 2001 20:24:58 GMT
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Viewed:
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3491 times
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Hey Wayne,
We have had many discussions about this over at Brickfilms. Here's a few
helpful tidbits:
* A web cam like a Logitec Quickcam costs only around $30 in a lot of
places. It can give you max 640x480 pictures, which are pretty nice. The
disadvantages: No auto focus, focus ring kind of sucks, it's pretty cheap
(flimsy), and it has a bad tendency to give weird colors and grainy, dark
images. But for the price it can't be beat.
* If you are looking for a firewire solution to capture straight into your
PC, you cant' go wrong with Sony. They, I believe, were the first to accept
firewire as a standard in their cameras.
* If you want to spend a little more, buy a home videocamera that can do
firewire or USB images to your PC. Then you get color balance, autofocus,
the works.
* Another consideration not mentioned much is light and the ability to mount
it. IF you get more into stop motion animation you will want to do complex
shots with cranes and such, and you must consider how to mount it.
* I would HIGHLY, if not EMPHATICALLY recommend you buy a camera that can do
full-motion video. Here's the difference between that and still images:
Still images you save every shot as a .jpg or other format and string
together. This takes FOREVER and can lead to very confusing projects. 15
fps x just a one minute film is 900 pictures.
Full motion you capture individual frames with a software program and
when you finish a "session" or "scene" you push a button and it saves all
those frames as usually an .avi file. Thus you can string together these
"clips" into one movie. Much easier to work with.
Thomas Foote has written a great primer on this subject and I also address
it. Go to "resources" to see both articles.
------
If you are just getting started, I'd go with a web cam that can attach to
USB and is cheap and easy. The one that comes with Studios and Vision
Command is not bad, but overpriced in that box and the software is rotten as
it stands.
If you need specific camera recommendations, email me and I'll do some research.
Jason
brickfilms@yahoo.com
Also, check out the "Discussion Forum" on the below site and look for people
talking about cameras. There are a few recommendations there.
http://www.brickfilms.com
In lugnet.publish.cinema, Wayne McCaul writes:
> Hi.
>
> Okay, it's apparenly in my nature to obsess over things. So this
> stop-motion-lego-movie business is no exception (mostly because it appeals
> to the days when I used to try stop-motion clay animation with my Super-8,
> oh so many years ago). I spent the weekend using my digital camera to create
> a few seconds of animation that weren't half bad.
>
> Unfortunately, the camera itself is defective and going back for repairs in
> the next couple of days. Lord knows how long they're actually have it.
>
> So, my question is, what would you recommend as a good camera for this kind
> of work? I don't want to spend a ton, but getting something that can record
> real-time might be a bonus as well. I don't think I have enough to blow on
> the Lego Studio, but is that the best around?
>
> I'm looking for something to fill the void while my digital's away or
> something better to take it's place. Now that I'm obession-boy, I've got
> plans, big plans... [Insert Insane Laughter Here].
>
> Thanks
>
> Evil Wayne
> __________________________
> There's a fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness".
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | What's a good camera?
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| Hi. Okay, it's apparenly in my nature to obsess over things. So this stop-motion-lego-movie business is no exception (mostly because it appeals to the days when I used to try stop-motion clay animation with my Super-8, oh so many years ago). I spent (...) (24 years ago, 9-Apr-01, to lugnet.animation)
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