Sexy Hardware Close-Up Pic Clubhouse.

[sneekypeet]

I'm using my Samsung phone potato - it is the A-20.
I think i'd like to get a decent camera with more settings.
What are opinions on a good camera, either dedicated or phone combo?
Thank you,sneekypeet, I am going to try to experiment with some lighting variances.
I'm so knocked out by the RGB, especially the Thermaltake Quads, I want to get some
Hi Def shots. I like the one above because you can see the mesh in between the fan blades.
I want to get more shots like that but better quality!

I would say to try the "night mode" on the Samsung cameras, but the exposure time is too long and will remove the coloration (makes everything white).
For the above image, I'm using an affordable Sony Alpha (a6300 IIRC) with stock gear and extending the shutter speed (exposure time) a bit to let more light in.

With no external lighting as you are using, you will likely need to extend that even more to not get hotspots and less noise. I think there is a "pro" mode (at least used to be, switched phones recently) on the Samsung cameras too, which allows you to fiddle with such things.

Honestly though, I am a fan of the RAM!!!!!

 

[Secret Rival]

Hi sneekypeet

pro mode is exactly what I used to get the bright lights to calm down a bit!
I'm surprised there weren't many settings to change, but the pro mode, ISO and WB seemed to help
a lot. Until I upgrade I'm going to try to work on light techniques, thank you for the advice.
The RAM is fantastic, I have the Royal Z's also but in gold. I was thinking of mixing a pair of silver in with the gold
But either way, they're among the nicest I have seen, the crystal look stands out for sure.
I made my mind up as soon as I saw them.

 

[Valantar]

I'm using my Samsung phone potato - it is the A-20.
I think i'd like to get a decent camera with more settings.
What are opinions on a good camera, either dedicated or phone combo?
Thank you,sneekypeet, I am going to try to experiment with some lighting variances.
I'm so knocked out by the RGB, especially the Thermaltake Quads, I want to get some
Hi Def shots. I like the one above because you can see the mesh in between the fan blades.
I want to get more shots like that but better quality!

If your phone supports 3rd party camera apps well, my first thing to try would be one of those (one that allows for proper manual settings and some sort of raw capture). Get a tripod for your phone to hold it steady so that you can focus on nailing your setting. Keep your ISO low no matter what, as higher ISO inevitably means lost color.

If you want to get a camera, I would look for a used DSLR or ILC (aka. mirrorless) with a kit zoom lens (typically in the range of 18-55mm or thereabouts). Anything from the past five years should do nicely, and buying new is mostly a waste of money.

Canon and Nikon both make great DSLRs (and I do love my Pentax, but it's a dying ecosystem sadly). Sony ILCs are good, there are tons of choices in the micro four-thirds (MFT) ecosystem (Olympus, Panasonic, etc.). Almost regardless of age and price that will already be miles better than a phone camera. If you want to step beyond that, add a cheap "nifty fifty" 50mm wide aperture (f1.8 or lower ideally) lens to that kit (if you're new to photography, make sure the lens has the same lens mount as your camera - nearly every manufacturer uses a different lens mount). Again, buy used if you can find it. Lenses age beautifully if handled with some minor care.

If you go MFT, that should be a ~35mm lens instead, as their smaller sensor means the full-frame equivalent focal length is longer (on a full frame camera a 50mm lens has a focal length of 50mm; on an APS-C camera it's ~75mm, and on MFT it's 100mm - well into telephoto territory). A wide aperture ~35mm lens is going to be very good for larger sensors too for this use, but is likely to be more expensive.

Shoot in manual mode for the most control, in raw, make sure you have enough ambient light, and try your way forward. Remember that lots of shadow detail can be rescued from a high contrast image with a half-decent editor, but burnt-out highlights can't be saved.

 

[sneekypeet]

Hi sneekypeet

pro mode is exactly what I used to get the bright lights to calm down a bit!
I'm surprised there weren't many settings to change, but the pro mode, ISO and WB seemed to help
a lot. Until I upgrade I'm going to try to work on light techniques, thank you for the advice.
The RAM is fantastic, I have the Royal Z's also but in gold. I was thinking of mixing a pair of silver in with the gold
But either way, they're among the nicest I have seen, the crystal look stands out for sure.
I made my mind up as soon as I saw them.

I know it is a long read, but https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/the-tpu-darkroom-digital-slr-and-photography-club.76565/
Anything you could want to know is in there, and also a better place to get into the finer points of photography and what to use to do so.

 

[madness777]

Full res pic really shows off the texture

 

[Dinnercore]

I wish I had more of those. Just one kit is not enough.

 

[Secret Rival]

Thanks for that article, sneekypeet, not long at all and thank you also Valantar
Really digging the G Skill. Going to look for a tripod later.

 

[Mussels]

Sexy controller is sexy

 

[Valantar]

Thanks for that article, sneekypeet, not long at all and thank you also Valantar
Really digging the G Skill. Going to look for a tripod later.View attachment 170669View attachment 170683

Well damn, that's an improvement! You even made me think TridentZ Royals look good, which is quite the achievement.

 

[Secret Rival]

Well damn, that's an improvement! You even made me think TridentZ Royals look good, which is quite the achievement.

Thank you very much for that. Yourself and sneekypeet were kind enough to share some really good advice
and articles/threads. Both of you helped me take that picture. I'm going to keep trying and find something other than RGB lighting to snap
but in the meantime, I thought this was pretty good. I just bought a 3 pack of TT quad/120mm. They look fantastic, but my Notos O120
fans look pretty similar....for a 3rd of the price!

Thanks again, guys!!!!

 

[Valantar]

At least trying to put my money where my mouth is, so to speak. Bit of a cross-post from the show off your new toys thread, but this is obviously where the cooler pics go. Shot on my Pentax K-70 with the dirt-cheap Pentax smc DA 50mm f/1.8 lens. Handheld, aperture priority (= automatic ISO and shutter speed), raw, f/1.8 except first photo + one shot below. Cropped in Lightroom, minor exposure adjustments + a slight tone curve. Natural lighting through a window + the IKEA Floalt LED panel in my ceiling (here's where the adjustable color temperature comes in handy!).

Sadly the Aquacomputer Quadro really doesn't lend itself very well to sexy close-up shots, at least not in this lighting.

Also a bit of a demonstration of the effects of aperture: top pic is f/4.0, bottom is f/1.8. Taken this close (as close as the lens lets me focus, so about 50cm) the wider aperture makes everything a bit too blurry, and f/4 gives plenty of nice bokeh.

There is of course something to be said for even the boxes <10cm behind the focal point being completely out of focus though.

 

[Animalpak]

Almost a year with him, give me at least 3 clean no upgrade years and i will be happy.... I keep you 60-65 degrees on load ( gaming ) so you owe me plenty years of service.

My 4790K lasted 6 years as my main gaming pc.

 

[stinger608]

My 4790K lasted 6 years as my main gaming pc.

Yep, that is about how long I've had my 4790K and it's still going strong. Awesome chips.
Probably should sell the dang thing as they are bringing a premium on fleabay right now.............But damn, I just can't seem to part with it.

How's that go? "If it isn't broke, don't fix it."

 

[lexluthermiester]

Yep, that is about how long I've had my 4790K and it's still going strong. Awesome chips.
Probably should sell the dang thing as they are bringing a premium on fleabay right now.............But damn, I just can't seem to part with it.

How's that go? "If it isn't broke, don't fix it."

To be fair, quad core CPU's are nearing the end of their usable life in mainstream gaming.

 

[Mussels]

To be fair, quad core CPU's are nearing the end of their usable life in mainstream gaming.

they have, with 4C8T being the current 'minimum'
my dads 4770k is aging really well with its overkill 32GB DDR3 2000, but we're seeing games start to have FPS limits due to the CPU maxing out, even at 4.4

 

[Valantar]

Quick and dirty phone cam shots:

 

[HammerON]

Now that is some sexy hardware close-up pics

 

[Dinnercore]

Does this count as sexy hardware too?

 

[HammerON]

Sure does!

 

[Valantar]

Does this count as sexy hardware too?

Absolutely! Though I'm frustrated by the underutilized potential for sweet photos of that pot (Some sharper light from the side would have really made the frost pop, and the framing could be improved.) But I also understand that one might have other concerns than lighting and framing when there's an LN2 pot in play

 

[Dinnercore]

Absolutely! Though I'm frustrated by the underutilized potential for sweet photos of that pot (Some sharper light from the side would have really made the frost pop, and the framing could be improved.) But I also understand that one might have other concerns than lighting and framing when there's an LN2 pot in play

This was from my first ever Session, only on DICE tho. Actually this was afterwards, when I just poured the iso out of the pot. I could have improved the lighting indeed, but I went for this to create some picture noise in the fog inside the pot. Atleast I hoped it would show some serious grain from choosing ISO800 but it didn't really turn out the way I wanted.

I will come back to this tho, next time I bench on subzero I will plan some time with my camera.

Biggest problem is, during this time of the year the natural light going in my flat is very low and there is no chance for direct sunlight. So I have to use artificial light sources, but I don't have studio lighting equipment which makes things difficult to arrange and shoot.

 

[sam_86314]

Disassembled one of my 120GB PNY CS900 SSDs out of curiosity.

It has a Phison S11 controller and four 32GB TLC NAND modules, most likely from Micron for those who are curious. No DRAM cache, unfortunately.

It still works after reassembling it.

 

[Mussels]

1. lego. it's hard? so it kinda counts
2. samsung jellybeans!

 

[Valantar]

2. samsung jellybeans!

I dont think I would eat those if I were you. Just saying.

 

[lexluthermiester]

Disassembled one of my 120GB PNY CS900 SSDs out of curiosity.

It has a Phison S11 controller and four 32GB TLC NAND modules, most likely from Micron for those who are curious. No DRAM cache, unfortunately.

It still works after reassembling it.

Yeah that look like a standard SSD layout. Those chips are very unlikely to be Micron. The Micron symbol would be on them.