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WHat cameras do you guys prefer for taking pictures in the OR? I'm currently in the market
Camera
- Thread starter GreatSaphenous
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I haven't been too happy with the point & click variety of digital cameras for this kind of stuff. I have a Canon Powershot and it's pretty good, but I've been unhappy with some of the images. Their macro settings don't always focus well on some of the structures that I want. I've transitioned to a digital SLR. I'm currently using a Nikon D300 with a Nikkor Micro 60 mm f2.8G ED lens. I sometimes use the integrated flash, but I also have a Speedlite 400. The quality of my photos is dramatically improved -- I can actually focus in on discrete structures and get really nice images.
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During my plastics and craniofacial training, I had a Canon IS S3. It took very nice pictures and had a flip screen for taking shots at weird angles. I agree with Max that the macro wasn't always as crisp as I would have liked.
I now have a Nikon D200 (they don't make them anymore so I got it new at a reasonable price) with a Nikor 24-85mm 1:28-4D with a macro switch. Since digital picture formats are slightly smaller than film (and the high end digitals) an 85mm is like having 127mm lens. If you don't understand this, then you need to read about it. Anyway, 100-105mm is great for portraits and the macro is great for close ups. I use this camera in the OR, in clinic, and when I travel.
They (Nikon) came out with the D90 right about 6 weeks after I bought my D200. If I had known about the D90, I would have gotten that one instead as it has live view and can shoot video. It's also smaller.
With all this being said, you really need to know something about cameras to get the best pictures. And I mean things like focal length, aperture settings, white balance, etc. Most of the SLRs will take good shots on auto, but you can do so much better when you understand the individual components. I know that the quality of my shots with my old Canon point/shoot went way up once I figured out which settings worked best in what environment.
To that end, I would recommend some books by Scott Kelby on how to shoot with a digital SLR (and it applies to P/S cameras as well). There is a web site by Ken Rockwell (http://www.kenrockwell.com/) that has a lot of good stuff, although not everything he says is completely accurate . Finally, there are a couple of articles by plastic surgeons:
Digital photography for rhinoplasty
Plast Reconstr Surg 2002
Gregory M Galdino, Dennis DaSilva, Jack P Gunter
Standardizing digital photography: it's not all in the eye of the beholder
Plast Reconstr Surg 2001
G M Galdino, J E Vogel, C A Vander Kolk
I now have a Nikon D200 (they don't make them anymore so I got it new at a reasonable price) with a Nikor 24-85mm 1:28-4D with a macro switch. Since digital picture formats are slightly smaller than film (and the high end digitals) an 85mm is like having 127mm lens. If you don't understand this, then you need to read about it. Anyway, 100-105mm is great for portraits and the macro is great for close ups. I use this camera in the OR, in clinic, and when I travel.
They (Nikon) came out with the D90 right about 6 weeks after I bought my D200. If I had known about the D90, I would have gotten that one instead as it has live view and can shoot video. It's also smaller.
With all this being said, you really need to know something about cameras to get the best pictures. And I mean things like focal length, aperture settings, white balance, etc. Most of the SLRs will take good shots on auto, but you can do so much better when you understand the individual components. I know that the quality of my shots with my old Canon point/shoot went way up once I figured out which settings worked best in what environment.
To that end, I would recommend some books by Scott Kelby on how to shoot with a digital SLR (and it applies to P/S cameras as well). There is a web site by Ken Rockwell (http://www.kenrockwell.com/) that has a lot of good stuff, although not everything he says is completely accurate . Finally, there are a couple of articles by plastic surgeons:
Digital photography for rhinoplasty
Plast Reconstr Surg 2002
Gregory M Galdino, Dennis DaSilva, Jack P Gunter
Standardizing digital photography: it's not all in the eye of the beholder
Plast Reconstr Surg 2001
G M Galdino, J E Vogel, C A Vander Kolk
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Interesting topic. So I just got accepted into med school and start in the fall but I'm a big photography buff with a D700 and about 5k worth of lenses. I've worked mostly weddings and have been wondering how I could integrate photography with medicine. Early on, I was thinking I could work with the department at my med school to take really high quality pictures of cadavers in anatomy lab. Maybe this could be made available for free to help med students everywhere.
What exactly are you guys using cameras for? Before and after pictures? I'm looking for some ideas and since you guys have been there, maybe you can make some suggestions. How would high quality pictures have made med school easier for you? I'm out in Socal so I'd gladly lend my services for some time in the OR!
What exactly are you guys using cameras for? Before and after pictures? I'm looking for some ideas and since you guys have been there, maybe you can make some suggestions. How would high quality pictures have made med school easier for you? I'm out in Socal so I'd gladly lend my services for some time in the OR!
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The qualities of the ideal camera for the plastic surgery resident include small size, lightweight, cheap, good quality photography (good enough for M&M conference or a talk within the department, not to be used for for publication), large screen size on the back of the camera (so that you can show the pictures to your colleagues/chief quickly and easily while running the list in the resident room after rounds without downloading them to-from a computer, for example) and ease of transfer to a computer for storage. Non-proprietary memory chips are nice (sorry, Sony). Also, inexpensive since they are with you and get used every day.
Im on my second Canon Powershot. They're cheap too, 200 or so for 10MP+.
The resident pics taken during rounds and on consults in the ED or OR aren't for publication and they're not going to be printed or projected onto a billboard so resolution greater than 10MP is unnecessary.
Im on my second Canon Powershot. They're cheap too, 200 or so for 10MP+.
The resident pics taken during rounds and on consults in the ED or OR aren't for publication and they're not going to be printed or projected onto a billboard so resolution greater than 10MP is unnecessary.
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I agree with Moravian that you really need to learn how to use a camera's settings in order to get better photos. Before I invested in a nice DSLR, I maxed out my ability to manipulate settings on the Powershot. It was pretty good for most things, but you can't manipulate depth of field nearly as well with the P/S models. Having something cheap and easy to carry around is good, but when you need to document your before & after photos (as I think about my collection period), you really need to be able to consistently get good photos. In order to do that, you should read about photography, practice with the camera, and then invest in equipment that will get you the images that you need.
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I'd also suggest getting a camera with a variable flash or a detachable higher-end flash. Not all fields are equal, and different rooms may have different types of lighting, so you may want to be able to adjust for just the right amount of flash, as that could have a sizable impact on the overall quality of the images taken. This could also allow you to use a more appropriate f-number for your specific images.
