Rant: I was scanning a trench profile with my phone camera versus a proper DSLR setup.

The phone made everything look flat and muddy, but the DSLR with a polarizing filter showed all the soil layers clear as day near Tucson. Anyone have a good budget camera setup for field documentation?

4 comments

4 Comments

susan_henderson2mo ago

Ugh, I feel this so hard! Tried to take pics of some old server wiring with my phone last year for a work ticket, and the colors just blended into a gray blob. My buddy lent me his old Canon Rebel with a basic kit lens, and the difference was insane, you could actually see each cable. For budget stuff, maybe look for a used older model DSLR from a good brand, that's what I did. The lens matters way more than the camera body being fancy new.

sage5281mo ago

Yeah, Susan is totally right about the lens being key. I grabbed a used Nikon D3400 with the basic lens for cheap, and it made a huge difference for stuff like that.

tessawebb1mo ago

Totally agree about the basic lens making a huge difference! It's wild how a simple upgrade can actually show you what you're looking at, unlike @shah.evan's phone that needs a rock identification guide. You just saved yourself from a lifetime of blurry gray blob photos.

shah.evan2mo ago

Sounds like your phone needs a geology lesson.