HP Forum Archive 14

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how to best take pix of my hp's! Message #1 Posted by linter on 25 Jan 2004, 5:38 p.m. I'm trying to take a bunch of pictures of my ebay-heading hp's but all I get are weird reflections, camera shake, uneven lighting and the like. Can any guys here say how best to light a calculator for the best pictures? I'm using a pretty good digital camera (canon elph 110), but I suppose I ought to go out and spring for a mini tripod. But it's the lighting that's killing me. If mikesdavis is out there, maybe he can offer some suggestions, because the pictures in his auctions are superb.

Re: how to best take pix of my hp's! Message #2 Posted by David Smith on 25 Jan 2004, 8:41 p.m., in response to message #1 by linter Try taking them under an overcast sky... best light there is and it's free.

Brrrrrr. Message #3 Posted by linter on 25 Jan 2004, 9:59 p.m., in response to message #2 by David Smith i'd like to do it outside but the temperature right now is 18. and that's not counting the wind chill! too cold for me.

Re: Brrrrrr. Message #4 Posted by David Smith on 26 Jan 2004, 3:29 p.m., in response to message #3 by linter No pain, no gain...

Re: how to best take pix of my hp's! Message #5 Posted by db(martinez,california) on 25 Jan 2004, 9:38 p.m., in response to message #1 by linter Dave Hicks once said that he took some very sucessful calculator pictures under a "tent" made with white bedsheets to cut the suns glare and reflection. I remember this because until then i didn't know they had direct sun in Western Oregon.

Climate in western Oregon and other places Message #6 Posted by Karl Schneider on 26 Jan 2004, 12:14 a.m., in response to message #5 by db(martinez,california) db(martinez,california) stated, Quote: Dave Hicks once said that he took some very sucessful calculator pictures under a "tent" made with white bedsheets to cut the suns glare and reflection. I remember this because until then i didn't know they had direct sun in Western Oregon. This resident of Dave's metro area says: Ooh, a slam! I didn't know that the Bay Area could see the summer sun through the omnipresent chilly fog! ;-) (Actually, I did know, from meteorological training and having visited SF and the region on four occasions since 1980.)

Re: Climate in western Oregon and other places Message #7 Posted by db(martinez,california) on 27 Jan 2004, 9:44 p.m., in response to message #6 by Karl Schneider Karl; Yes. The S.F. area is known worldwide for it's chilly winters, and especially the freezing summers :-) I don't go over there to the suburb often. I prefer it here in the big city. I haven't seen your area much. I passed through on I-5 a couple of times and "survived" an SF-shameing fog around Ashland. I went there twice just to climb Mt. Jefferson and i remember that Eugene had real good radio. People always brag about the "thing" in their area: skiing in Utah, surfing in Hawaii, being wet in Seattle. If i had lived in Corvallis in the 80's i would have been saying "there's HP, CMT, TDS; we got world class dumpster diving!"

Re: how to best take pix of my hp's! Message #8 Posted by Larry Corrado, USA (WI) on 26 Jan 2004, 7:28 a.m., in response to message #1 by linter Hello! I've done a little digital photography and have a few simple things I've found successful. * Get your outside light from a window. I have a bay window that faces south which works fairly well. (I was snapping pictures the other day at temperature 2 deg F.) * Add an extra light source from a lamp of some sort. I try to have light from several directions to minimize shadows. * To keep reflections down, experiment with different camera angles. Also, try propping up the calculator (so that it doesn't sit flat of the background surface.) * Try different flash settings (including off.) * Try different camera speeds. * I have no camera mount either, but I try to lean the camera (or myself) on something rigid as I take the picture. (People walking by outside sometimes wonder why we have a foot stool in the bay window.) Holding the camera close to your body is helpful, as is holding your breath when you press the button. * Digital photos are cheap: try different things, and throw away the bad shots. Hope this helps. Good Luck! Larry PS, I've found these tips also work with TIs and Casios :-^

Re: how to best take pix of my hp's! Message #9 Posted by Kevin Schoedel on 26 Jan 2004, 1:18 p.m., in response to message #1 by linter If you don't want to get a tripod, use the self-timer mode to eliminate camera shake, and/or get a short bolt and nut (probably 1/4" / 20, but possibly 3/8" if it's a very small camera) to attach the camera to anything convenient. Lighting depends on how much work you want to do, and on what lamps you have available. In any case, you want the light to be diffuse, which among other things, rules out flash. If you can set up a light tent - an old sheet on some sort of frame - all around the calculator, with movable lamps (e.g. swing-arm desk lamps) shining through, that would be nearly ideal. If that is too much work, you could still do well with a few movable lamps with diffusers, e.g. sheets of paper taped over (not too close!). I would suggest starting with one lamp to the upper left face, and another dimmer or further away to the lower right. If you don't have any aimable lamps, just get the room as bright as possible, and make sure nothing shines *directly* on the calculator. Make sure the background is plain, preferably white and without visible edges or corners (a sheet or large piece of cardboard will do) and if possible don't have the calculator lying or resting directly on it - support it at least a few inches away. (Double-sided tape is your friend.)

Re: how to best take pix of my hp's! Message #10 Posted by GE on 26 Jan 2004, 7:29 p.m., in response to message #9 by Kevin Schoedel Probably the pictures would be even better if the machine is obviously switched on and working. As a buyer, I would put strong confidence value on a picture with your ebay name shown on the display or something quite unique, to assess proper working status, brightness etc. Some people like bright LEDS... ! So this raises the topic of how to make the LCD and LED displays clearly visible while colors anf sharpness of the image are preserved. Easy for you photo pros ?

how important is it to show 'em lit? Message #11 Posted by linter on 27 Jan 2004, 4:54 a.m., in response to message #10 by GE it's backbreaking work putting together auctions. last night, i did the photos for about 17 calculators and let me tell you it's not a whole bunch o' fun and it would have made it much less fun had I been fiddling around with batteries and chargers and what not, to take pix of the calculators all lit up. Exactly how important is it to buyers to see them with the lights on? I've looked at some of Mike's auctions, and many of them he does get the calcs up and running, others he doesn't. Should I go back and shoot them all one more time?

Scan it Message #12 Posted by M Currie on 26 Jan 2004, 10:48 p.m., in response to message #1 by linter If all you need are front and back, stick it on a flatbed scanner. I just tried this with an 11C and a 35. Both came out sharp, evenly lit, with all the flaws obvious, and displays clear, though the HP-35 display looked a little dimmer than it really is. A scanner has adequate depth of field for the contours of a calculator face.

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