Macro photography of decals

[Retiarius]

To see how precise the decals produced by the printer we use at my new business Custom Model Decals (https://custom-model-decals.com) are I decided to purchase components to make up a macro-photography system.

Using my existing Nikon D7000 DLSR camera I purchased the following:

• Nikon PB-6 macro extension bellows.


• Xenon flash tube based ring-light. A far more powerful system than the LED versions being sold. This allows for a very short exposure time and small aperture and therefore less chance of camera shake affecting the image and a also providing a reasonable depth of field. Being a ring light fitted around the lens it gives a shadowless light and it allows for TLL (through the lens) metering for a perfect exposure.


• A Cullinon macro photography bar to fit my tripod. This permits the camera to look vertically onto the subject.


• A Nikon 100mm f2.8 manual prime lens. This gives a reasonable separation between the camera and subject.

So now I can easily check and record the quality of our decals in high-resolution. Just like these shown below:

[Tom Haythornthwaite]

Very sharp!

[Graeme Dunbar]

Very sharp!

Yes indeed. In more ways than one! Any rolling stock carrying those decals will be "sharply dressed".  ;)

[Hobby]

Any chance of "normal viewing distance" shots for comparison purposes?

[Retiarius]

Any chance of "normal viewing distance" shots for comparison purposes?

The three photographs were taken using identical settings. What is "normal" viewing distance? If you take a photo at say 2ft then your experience of the images would depend on the device you are displaying the images on. That is why I put the mm ruler in the shots so that you could, if so inclined, shrink the photos to fit an actual ruler and see what they looked like. Using macro photography actually enhances any defect in the decal and I am happy to show high definition images Of my decals..

Below is a high resolution picture of the digital file we used to compare with the First Class plate as pictured above it. We can even print the screw slots!





Here are few other decals

Glynn Valley logo in 7mm



Some 7mm Talyllyn Railway decals