Wonderful photos!

Joern, I am also amazed at the photos that you can get using a cell phone camera.

As your photos clearly demonstrate! Their smaller sizes also allow the camera to get into tight places that a normal digital camera body wouldn't allow.

Thanks for sharing your photos & insights with us.

Greg

Thanks for the compliment!

Greg, I will take more photos at different viewing angles to see what I can get out of that camera. The smaller size is definitely an advantage compared with a normal camera body.

Joern

Joern

Beautiful photos and I too have been using the new generation of cell phone cameras and finding them to be a great tool for model railroading photography. In addition to the hardware advancements, software for cell phone cameras is maturing. I am currently using an excellent focus bracketing App from Camera Pixels that shoots focus stacks for depth of field enhancement, Reflector for screen mirroring to my computer so I can see what the camera sees and wireless shutter release for when the camera is deep in the layout.

Also a good workbench tool

Of course using a cell phone camera is a great way to share your work with the rest of us. Nice work jpachl. 

For me the biggest gain is at my workbench.  It is amazing the amount of things my eye misses while I'm building a model. But if I take cell pics as I work, I'll review them through out the day and notice details I missed that can be corrected!  It is amazing how obvious mistakes, mis-judgements, and sloppy hand work are when photographed.

Wonderful photos

Wonderful photos

Weathering

Great job on weathering Joern.

Back in the early 1990's helped fellow Scout Master built his layout of the Frisco that took a little over 6 yrs.

We weartherd every thing but the people and livestock,,,  lol.

Is it live or Memorex?  Looks real to me.

Thanks,

Boudreaux B. C. E.  R.R.

three more stock cars to build,,  only about 50 or so rolling stock kits and about 20 engines to build.

Phones are also good for

Phones are also good for close up videos, I've done a few with mine.

Mike Ruby

iPhone closeup

This iPhone picture is of a model tech studios 3d printed diesel.  The lines of 3d printing are noticeable in the closeup view, especially with some weathering.  The tip of a 2-56 screw is magnified, using the phone software. The screw threads are a reference for the 3d printed lines. The model was brush painted with Testors yellow followed by a thin dark wash.  Plenty of light is essential for closeups. 

Cell phone tucked into tight space on layout

iPhone XS, Camera Pixels focus stacking processed with Helicon Focus and Affinity Photo.

Rick great photograph!

Rick, I love that photo! I've never tried stacking images like this before, maybe I should try it.

Greg

Cool Photo

Rick,

Really like those buildings setting in the left of the shot!  Has a lot of detail around building.

My phone/camera went to Browning Heaven a few months ago.  Have simple C/phone for simple me.  Emergency only.

I find C/phones a distraction too often.  Land line  does just fine.

Boudreaux,  B.C.E.  R.R.

Thanks guys!

It's much appreciated.

Ensign: Yup, focus stacking is a lot of fun. Kinda opens up a whole new world!

Boudreaux: Yeah, I'm cell phone challenged too. This one is my first and I bought it for the camera! Don't like to carry it in my pocket.....too heavy....I do take it when traveling but sure is out of the question right now. Love that camera!

Night Photos with DSLR and Cell Phone.

This was taken with my DSLR and was featured as the "Cover Photo" on the "Budget Model Railroader" Facebook page for a week or so.

This is close to the same scene taken with iPhone 7. I realize the 'quality' of the newer phones are superior and the editing program in the phone is better as well but at this level, i like the DSLR better.

Because I have been taking photographs since the late 50's, I still love the 'real' cameras.

Thanks for all the tips!

Joe

Rick,

that's a great photo with an impressive depth of field! A DSLR camera would hardly deliver better results.

Joern

Thanks Joern

Yes, today's cell phone camera is pretty amazing! I still use my DSLR Canon 80D when setting up a shot that would benefit from a larger pixel count and Raw image processing.......but I gotta admit that the cell phone has many advantages (including its small size) and sure holds its own in model photography. The cell phone also has a distinct character in how it captures color.......it tends to give a bit of hand painted look.

 Please keep those photos coming.....they are fantastic!

Background Images for Power Plant and Coal Mine tracks

Rick,
Just ran across that image of your back on page 1 of this discussion,..
 

I'm lost in grasping the technology of how that is achieved, ...but I'm interested to know how difficult would that be to obtain something like that here and here??,..
https://forum.mrhmag.com/post/steel-mill-scene-in-a-corner-now-coke-plant-power-plant-12209837

https://forum.mrhmag.com/post/kit-bashsize-reduction-of-new-river-coal-tipple-12191382

Can it be done with decent digital camera and that software you are speaking about?

Brian

I assume you are talking about the backdrop. If so, the technology referenced  wasn't used for that as it is hand painted. I know some of the editing programs can make a photograph look like a painting but I've never done it in Affinity Photo.

RICK

So that image of yours that I referenced was a painted image, not a computer generated one?

What I thought you were talking about with that image software was how you could use it to add 'depth' to the image / scene. (objects getting smaller and smaller as you look deeper into the image)??

That's what I need for my 1) power plant scene, 2) my coal cars waiting for filling, 3) and likely behind my blast furnace.

Brian

I was probably referring to Helicon Focus which is what I use to give the final photograph the maximum depth of field by taking several exposures at different focus locations and combining them to form an image that is in focus from the front of the lens to as far out as you want.

So does this (new) Affinity

So does this (new) Affinity software have Helicon Focus,...or a substitute?

(sorry if my questions are not too knowledgeable as I just don't know that much about this subject)

Backdrop photo vs. photo of layout

Brian, I think what you’re looking for is a way to make a photo for your backdrop that includes track and buildings and stuff like you see in Rick’s photograph?

You do realize that the track, cars, and buildings in Rick’s photos are actual HO models, not part of the backdrop?  The helicon focus software is for taking a bunch of photos at different focal lengths of a scene with a lot of depth and merging them into a single photo that appears to be in focus over a huge depth of field.  It’s a high tech way to get the same sort result people used to get with pinhole cameras.

Hey Ken

The mention of pinhole cameras really brought a bunch of memories back! That's what I used for years when photographing models and I even went as far as modifying Canon SLR lenses to get f stops in the 200 range. The depth of field was about a half inch in front of the lens glass to all the way out to Hawaii. Still have the cameras but the modern technology makes the job easier, way more flexible and so much faster!

Pin hole

I never actually tried a pin hole camera.  It’s been on my list of things to try ever since I saw photos and an article about it from I believe it was Ben King in MR many years ago.  But the new focus stacking software does seem to make it obsolete - you clearly get great results with helicon Rick!

Ben King

That really rings a bell. I modified the lenses based on an old MR article very possibly by him. The solution was ingenious and required the disassembly of the lens and the installation of a small brass disc with a pinhole. The really clever part was that the disc did not completely block the focal plane (which would have made composing thru the viewfinder impossible) as it was suspended by brass wires that were soldered to a ring of wire that was the size of the lens tube. The suspension wires were bent to allow for adjusting the disc into the center of the ring. Hard to describe but it was amazing. I'll do a simple graphic of the "spider pin hole" that was constructed and placed inside the lens. The assembly is painted flat black before installation.