Looking for a camera for Archaeology.

Irish Jester

Hey,

I'm an archaeology student and I have read the FAQ and scanned through a good few threads but being new to cameras I'm pretty lost. I realise you must get what camera to buy question threads all the time so I hope this Is not just some annoyance taking up space.
Pretty much I'm just looking for advice, maybe not specific cameras but ranges or types although if you can think of something specific ones that would be great.

Archaeology can be wet work and I'm looking for a somewhat compact but damp resistant camera. The main thing is that in Archaeology its particularly useful to be able to differentiate soil colours in our contexts which can be subtle changes. With variable light conditions added to this it can get hard trying to find one to suit. So anything you could suggest would be of help. Around 150 euro is what I wanted to spend but if I'm not going to get what I need from that it would be great to know.

Thank you for any advice given

zerohamster

Irish Jester wrote: »

Hey,

I'm an archaeology student and I have read the FAQ and scanned through a good few threads but being new to cameras I'm pretty lost. I realise you must get what camera to buy question threads all the time so I hope this Is not just some annoyance taking up space.
Pretty much I'm just looking for advice, maybe not specific cameras but ranges or types although if you can think of something specific ones that would be great.

Archaeology can be wet work and I'm looking for a somewhat compact but damp resistant camera. The main thing is that in Archaeology its particularly useful to be able to differentiate soil colours in our contexts which can be subtle changes. With variable light conditions added to this it can get hard trying to find one to suit. So anything you could suggest would be of help. Around 150 euro is what I wanted to spend but if I'm not going to get what I need from that it would be great to know.

Thank you for any advice given

Mostly a point and shoot will do an ok job regarding arcaeology and there are a lot of different models that will do a similar job but don't get the cheapest one with the highest Megapixels as the lens is most important in this regard (there are water resistant models too) if you can't push your budget.
On overcast days a P&S will do an ok job for you when it comes to getting the exposure correct in trenches are there are no big shadows being cast causing bright and dark areas.

When it comes to trenches in sunlight then you start having some problems with the P&S cameras as they can't handle the dynamic range of the bright sunlit ground and the shadow filled trench.
They also usually don't have the controls to raise the exposure enough to get the trench in detail (if you are taking the photo from outside the trench). If you are in the trench then you are generally ok though as the exposure issues wont be as bad.

Ideally you will want a DSLR however as you will really really need the manual controls when it comes to getting correct exposures on a sunny day as mentioned above. Even the lowest end DSLR will do the job and the kit lens will suffice. The colour from a DSLR will also generally be more accurate (white balance mode dependant).
You will need to learn the manual controls of a DSLR though as on Auto mode you will still have the same problems as you would with a P&S with over/under exposure when it comes to a dark trench. The manual controls let you tell the camera to expose by a certain amount which is crutial when the camera is confused by the lighting and won't expose as you want it.

My girfriend has a degree in Archaeology and that is what the Archaeologists doing the field schools recommend for the same reasons.
In this case you will really just have to have a good waterproof bag for the camera and take it out as needed as you won't have or need it in the open all day (you can use a plastic bag to cover the camera with a hole at the front for the lens optics when in use if raining).

I would recommend at the very least a Canon 1000D or 1100D (considering your budget) and would not recommend a Nikon DSLR as they have recently cut back majorly on parts availability for repairs (means more trouble for you when something goes wrong) where as Canon are great with parts and is something you should factor in when buying into a system. There are other brands of cameras of course that would do the job but There is a much higher chance of picking up a deal on one of the common brands.
Try www.adverts.ie for that model and remember to factor in batteries,bag,tripod if needed and memory cards (Sandisk "Ultra" are a good reliable and fast card)

Alternatively have a look at the Canon G9/10/11 as they have manual controls but are a good bit more compact than a DSLR (they are the same price as a low end DSLR though).

Conclusion:
Basically your budget needs to stretch to get a DSLR even to €200 where you could pick up a second hand DSLR kit and lens as this is the tool you will need to do the job right
You can get a P&S and much cheaper than a DSLR but you are going to come out with inferior images due to lack of exposure controls and lower quality optics and are going to have a hard time getting the correct exposure/detail in trenches or showing the soil layers so I would push a little and get a DSLR (by all means don't take just my word for it and ask a lecturer and they will recommend the same if they haven't told you what to get).

I hope this helps and sorry for the essay.
There are a lot of reasons why a DSLR will perform better in the situations mentioned but the lighting is the most important factor with Archaeology.

zerohamster

Just to note.

In saying all that, my girlfriend did get through the whole course with a mediocre P&S but it made it very difficult for her to get the shots she needed due to these issues and certainly made a lot of photos completely unusable due to the trench coming out too dark or the ground above being way to bright.