Star Wars picture taking

I wanted to take a few pictures of my Star Wars upright before I give it
away. If anyone collects pictures, visit the URL below (type it into the
web browser exactly as you see it). *Very high* resolution, some halfway
interesting shots:

ftp://ftp.galstar.com/users/jmccorm/arcade/

PC220264.JPG - Screen Shot. A little fuzzy, but decent vector glow.
PC220287.JPG - Coin-door and upwards.
PC220294.JPG - Control panel and up. Best picture of the group?
PC220308.JPG - Flight yoke and screen. Kinda artsy? Annoying scratches.
SW1.JPG - Full body shot.

Some things I learned about taking a good picture of a Star Wars upright:

A high resolution digital camera is *by far* the way to go. Digital is
excellent for this purpose because you have to do a lot of playing to get
the right level of brightess to capture both the cabinet and the vectors.
And there is a bit of playing, especially on the screen shots, because you
want to capture a vector glow, and you don't want to shutter it too fast
where some vectors are missing. The instant feedback is incredibly
valuable. (This kind of thing can't be done quickly and easily with a
conventional camera unless you are a photography guru or you burn a lot
of film.)

(For those that regularly sell games on eBay, a high-end digital camera
with 35mm features will more than pay for itself in the long run.)

The following conditions worked best with an Olympus C2000Z:

Indirect and dim lighting. -2.0 exposure compensation.
Approx 1/10th second shutter. F2.2. No flash. Simulated 100 film speed.
Minimal to no zoom.

Seemed to be good for capturing the screen *and* the artwork with a
realistic brightness and color. Biggest problem: getting the right shutter
speed. You want to be able to capture a good amount of vector glow. And
you don't want it to be so short that some of the vectors are missing.

[NOTE: Simulated 400 speed not used because the grain and color error just
ruin the picture. Unless you're taking a picture of your upright rolling
down a hill or tumbling down a flight of stairs, you want the detail of
100 speed. A tripod was not used, but I can recommend one. That failing,
use the delay feature of your camera so it'll take a picture about five
seconds after you press the button. That'll allow you to minimize the
hand shake that can take away picture detail. Also brace yourself against
an object, where possible.]

Pb280046.jpg - Here is a low resolution shot I did when I was playing
around and taking pictures of a Tempest. Almost complete darkness. Very
long exposure time. The huge "target" image on the screen is from a test
mode screen. The long exposure time fakes the effect of an ultra-long
decay phosphor.

These images are public domain. Use as you wish.
Just don't let me see it on eBay. :)
Photography tips may or may not apply to any specific situation.

Also...

sc1224.jpg - Off-topic. An Atari home computer monitor (model SC1224)
connected to a JAMMA cabinet.

-- 
jcm
jmccorm@galstar.com