What is the best type of camera to take cleaning pics with? I am rarely satisfied with the ones that I take, so I may buy something new.

I use Fujifilm Finepix A920 camera. Cost a little over $200.
It has 4x optical lens and 9 Mega Pixels. You can also take videos with it too.

Just about any camera with a good lens will do the trick. The problem is that most cameras today have cheesy little nothing lenses. So start by looking at the glass. Does the camera have a larger lens? I know that sounds simplistic, but it's the most important place to start.

After we get past the lens, you will need a camera that has a good digital processor. You'll need to read professional camera reviews to learn about the processor. A word of caution about reviews though: consumer reviews may not always spell out the actual facts - you may be hearing from grandma who just uses the camera to snap photos of the grandkids and isn't looking for critical quality like you are.

Don't get hung up on megapixels. Today's cameras generally come with 10 megapixels or greater. I've even had good results with a very old Canon G4 camera that has just 4 megapixels - but the lens and the processor was nearly "pro quality". In fact, we've used this camera for snapping some of the shots that you see on this website. It's been a good quick to grab and simple to shoot camera.

But in the end, a lot of it comes down to how you're using the camera. For indoor "before and after" photos TURN OFF THE FLASH. The flash will wash out the photo, and you won't see the contrast between the clean and dirty carpet. Rather than using flash, adjust the camera's white balance "WB" setting to match the type of lighting inside the building. It is generally not best to simply leave the WB setting on the Auto mode. In most cases you will be using a "fluorescent" setting inside commercial buildings.

Take your time to position the camera carefully in relation to the area you're photographing. And then hold the camera PERFECTLY STILL. It is best to set the camera on a ledge or a piece of furniture. Stabilizing the camera without flash is critical to get a good shot. Even the slightest breath of a jiggle can create blur in your picture. And you won't usually notice the blur in the tiny viewer on the camera. You will only see the blur when you get it back to your computer.

For what it's worth, this week that old Canon G4 that I mentioned above dropped dead on us. And we needed to get another camera to replace it. We ended up getting a Nikon L110. It is a very good camera for a consumer grade camera. (My nice camera is a Nikon D90, and I've still got a bag of old Nikon lenses that date back to the 1980's.) Here's a look at the camera we just purchased. I think it would do well for what you need it for...

http://imaging.nikon.com/products/imaging/lineup/digitalcamera/coolpix/life/l110/index.htm

Hope this was helpful to you.






Rick Gelinas

Thanks. Great information!!!!!

The easiest way to keep the camera steady and get the picture you want is a tripod. One that is more than enough for our camera/camcorders can be had at the nearest box store for under $50.

Other than that, what he said.

If I want good pics, I call my buddy and have him bring out his rig. Nothing like having a pro as a friend.

My iphone takes decent before and after pictures and it's handy, I always have my phone, but it's easy to forget to bring a camera when you have that amazing before and after shot opportunity.

There are 3 levels of cameras to choose from. Well 4 levels if you want to include true professional cameras like the photo-journalists use. But for practical purposes there are really just 3 possibilities for normal folks like us IMHO.

1. Camera Phone: I have an iPhone and I use it to take quick candid pictures. It is great to have a camera in your pocket (i.e. attached to the phone). But my iPhone is only suitable for low res photos. Indoor shots can look grainy. Even outdoor shots can look grainy.

2. Point & Shoot: I also have a few mid level point and shoot cameras. A good quality mid level point and shoot camera (like the Nikon L110 that I mentioned above) can be purchased for under $300. This level of camera is suitable for getting shots that you can use in web marketing or for brochures.

3. Digital SLR: I also have a nice camera Digital SLR (Nikon D3) which I use for doing more creative stuff. Although it is not a true "professional" camera, it is a very good consumer level camera and I love it.

So there are 3 levels of camera for us to choose from: We have the 2 megapixel camera with the tiny lens on your phone - a handy device that's always with you. Or you might consider a mid level camera with a good pixel count, decent processor, and larger lens - I think this is best suited for before and after shots. And a distant third option is a Digital SLR - but I think that would be too large and too expensive to cart around with you on most job sites.

The Nikon L110 is a sweet camera for the money...

http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-L110-Vibration-Reduction-Black/dp/B0034XIMG4/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

This is also an awesome camera, but it costs a bit more money...

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-PowerShot-G11-Stabilized-articulating/dp/B002LITT56/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&s=photo&qid=1272876837&sr=1-14

Another decent alternative is the this one...

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-PowerShot-SX120IS-Digital-Stabilized/dp/B002LITT3S/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=photo&qid=1272876914&sr=1-11







Rick Gelinas