How can I improve these photos of my model railway?

[Jameswright83]

Extreme novice photographer here.

I've built a model railway and am needing to get good quality photos of it, for a magazine article it's due to appear in.

The only camera I have access to is a Lumix DC-FX82, and I've tried all the different settings but the photos I get are just very disappointing. I want a good depth of field,, so the foreground and background are both in focus, but this isn't happening. And the overall resolution is looking pretty poor too. I'm getting better results on my phone camera (though of course they would look terrible in print in a magazine).

I'm shooting at F8, the largest F-stop the camera can do (I think). Is this too low to get the depth of field I'm after?

I'm using a tripod, with a 2-second delay, shooting in a conservatory with natural lighting (bright but overcast).

Can anyone familiar with this camera suggest the best settings to use in order to get the best possible photos of my model railway? Especially getting both the foreground and background into focus, and making the overall picture sharper. Or is the Lumix DC-FX82 simply not right for what I'm trying to do?

Thanks for your help.

 

[Sangoma]

You have already seen the problem, the aperture on that camera (I have one) has a very limited range.

You will need to choose the main subject and focus on that

 

[Jameswright83]

You have already seen the problem, the aperture on that camera (I have one) has a very limited range.

You will need to choose the main subject and focus on that

Thanks, so do you reckon this camera isn't suited to the sort of image I'm wanting to capture (fore and backgrounds both in focus), so I won't be able to achieve it even if I twiddle with the settings?

 

[Mr Perceptive]

Thanks, so do you reckon this camera isn't suited to the sort of image I'm wanting to capture (fore and backgrounds both in focus), so I won't be able to achieve it even if I twiddle with the settings?

You can achieve it but it requires several images (at different focus points) and merging in a suitable editing tool - focus stacking

 

[tijuana taxi]

You can achieve it but it requires several images (at different focus points) and merging in a suitable editing tool - focus

Have a look in the menu, I think your camera has something called post focus stacking..
That could well solve your problem, its similar to what Davd has suggested above
This is from a FZ82 review
The new Post Focus Stacking function enables users to take multiple images of the same frame with different areas in focus, then combine all or selected focus areas into one image.

Nice models, post some photos please when you get it sorted out.

 

[Sangoma]

Thanks, so do you reckon this camera isn't suited to the sort of image I'm wanting to capture (fore and backgrounds both in focus), so I won't be able to achieve it even if I twiddle with the settings?

Yes, no, for what you are trying to do it is not ideal, but does it all have to be 100% in focus all the time?

And there is the suggestion for focus stacking which will work.

 

[DemiLion]

The best photographs of model sets are usually taken with a tilt/shift lens and enhanced saturation but that won't help you get front to back focus.

 

[AndrewFlannigan]

Or is the Lumix DC-FX82 simply not right for what I'm trying to do?

I'm sure it is adequate for the job. Many of the fine pictures in magazines such as Railway Modeller, over several decades, were made with much simpler cameras than the FZ82.

Why not write to the editor and ask if they have any issues in their back numbers covering layout photography? I remember having seen articles on the subject when I read the magazine.

 

[tijuana taxi]

@Jameswright83 Any thoughts on the suggestions above?

 

[Phil V]

Thanks, so do you reckon this camera isn't suited to the sort of image I'm wanting to capture (fore and backgrounds both in focus), so I won't be able to achieve it even if I twiddle with the settings?

In real life, the vast majority of photo's don't have front to back focus. So, trying to replicate that isn't the answer to making the models look more realistic.

In real life, if you were shooting a train, you'd more than likely be looking up at it, that's the first thing you need to replicate, the angle of view. Next thing is that in real life, photographers like to shoot in interesting light, the lighting you have is very flat, you need to think about that a bit more.

Your camera isn't the best for this subject - but it's not the thing that's having the most effect on your images. F8 with that tiny sensor is the equivalent of a very high F number on a FF SLR., Your problem is the viewpoint and lighting.

 

[Snapsh0t]

In addition to what Phil has said you need to get closer and use the shortest focal length you can to make the perspective look more realistic.