A loaded Camera Question

[BeachGuy]

I am setting up a portable photo booth. Cost of the completed project is the main concern. After having read all the post on the forum I still have a few camera questions.
1. Which of the listed cameras in the web site and forum would provide the greatest ease of use without having technical problems needing outside advice on setting it up (using PSremote)?
2. Does the camera need to have a flash or external flash ability, or will booth lighting be sufficient for good quality photos?
3. What would be the recommended height for the camera from the floor for the majority of photos?
4. Will need to purchase a camera to work with this program and am thinking a used Canon for cost reasons.
5. Does the camera choice have anything to do with a preview screen in the booth or is this only a computer hardware device problem?

All replies would be appreciated.

BeachGuy

[cirwin]

We use the Canon S5. It is versatile, easy to set up and has the ability to use an external flash, if you decide that you want to add flash to your booth. You can find them used on Ebay for less than $250. If you plan on renting your booth, you will want two cameras...always plan for a back up.

[warwickwater]

I am setting up a portable photo booth. Cost of the completed project is the main concern. After having read all the post on the forum I still have a few camera questions.
1. Which of the listed cameras in the web site and forum would provide the greatest ease of use without having technical problems needing outside advice on setting it up (using PSremote)?
2. Does the camera need to have a flash or external flash ability, or will booth lighting be sufficient for good quality photos?
3. What would be the recommended height for the camera from the floor for the majority of photos?
4. Will need to purchase a camera to work with this program and am thinking a used Canon for cost reasons.
5. Does the camera choice have anything to do with a preview screen in the booth or is this only a computer hardware device problem?

All replies would be appreciated.

BeachGuy

Time for me to contribute some information rather than just ask questions for once.....

I'd suggest a current model camera, rather than an Ebay bargain. You need at least two now (main and spare) and you will want to replace a broken one ASAP when it happens. I love the Canon G9 for 'it just works' simplicity.

Depends how active your punters are. Drunk and excited you really need a very fast exposure, which means either bright lights (maybe not great in some venues) or PROPER flash. Proper flash means big diffusers so people look 'nice' - this is entertainment not passport ID after all!

The big question on height is are you making a sitting or standing booth. Standing allows more people to cram in, and avoid any 'mess' issues of stained seats etc! Do some experiments drawing on a wall, putting a camera on a tripod and measuring some distances. Note how the zoom affects the quality of the picture.

As for cost, if this is a one off for a mates party, by all means go ahead. If this is business, dont try and save $500 upfront on used gear when you may be charging punters $1000 a night. A poor reputation will cost you far more!

Preview is just that so doesnt matter if its a bit grainy - to my mind it adds to the 'wow' factor when people see the final picture. SLRs give bigger (better resolution) previews compared to the PS cams.

Hope some of that helps, I'm vaguely new so anyone feel free to contradict!

[dfinkel]

2. Does the camera need to have a flash or external flash ability, or will booth lighting be sufficient for good quality photos?

- For a good quality (and quantity) of light, use an external "flash". Actually although you might get away with a speedlite, unless you have an external battery system for it (which is expensive), it will be cheaper and more flexible to use a simple monolight. This will put out way more power and will be a/c powered. Put a photo umbrella on the front of it, or shoot it through some diffusion material (even an old white sheet) and you will get lots of nice soft light.

- The challenge is triggering this with a point and shoot camera. Most mid range and up SLRs have special connectors for external lights. You can use an optical slave (very cheap) to have the dinky light in the camera fire the big light in the strobe. More reliable, if the camera has a hotshoe is to get a hot shoe to PC cord adapter and use a hardwire to the strobe.

For me, I would not want to run the photobooth without a camera that has a hotshoe at the minimum.


3. What would be the recommended height for the camera from the floor for the majority of photos?

Depends on your application - sitting/standing, kids/adults. Experiment first. Generally you want the camera to be at eye level or slightly higher for people to look their best. Shooting from underneath isn't usually flattering.

4. Will need to purchase a camera to work with this program and am thinking a used Canon for cost reasons.

If you are going to the trouble of setting this up for professional use, I would not recommend buying a used Camera unless you know how it has been used. New low end cameras aren't too expensive. An alternative may be to buy a refurb - at least it will have some minimal warranty and you know it has been through a factory recondition.

5. Does the camera choice have anything to do with a preview screen in the booth or is this only a computer hardware device problem?

Per the website DSLRs have a larger preview screen. I experimented with a Canon G9 and a Canon 40D. Both will work fine for the live preview. Unless I was using a very large high res monitor (which you can always set at lower resolution anyway), I wouldn't worry about this.