Post by RSD99If anyone was watching the 04/12/04 episode ... the camera they were using was quite
clearly a Nikon, with what looked like a Nikon TTL Ring Flash and a relatively "long"
(maybe 100 mm) lens that had a front element that rotated when it was focussed. That could
have been a 100 mm Macro lens ... which would be consistent with what some 'real life'
evidence collection would use.
[In case anyone still gives a seite ...]
Also, Re: "...
Also, how does it compare, if you might know, with real crime scene photo
equipment?
..."
I would LOVE to have a ringlight on a 100mm macro, on ANY decent
camera body. Macro work is difficult enough, without having to fight a
standard flashgun in the process. But if that's all you have, then you
deal with it.
A large number of agencies are going to digital. There are some very
good cameras in use, like the Nikon d1 series and D100, or similar
digital SLR's. You won't see a lot of them, because the initial outlay
for the gear is very high compared to a 35mm outfit. There are also a
lot of crappy point and shoot digitals in use. One local department
has a bunch of Kodak DC2000 "ruggedized" 2MP cameras that they use for
general photography when they don't call out the Crime Scene people.
The problem is that the camera has a dinky little built in flash with
a guide number of about 9, and it just can't put out enough light for
an outdoor night shot, like a traffic accident. The Crime Scene folks
carry Nikon CoolPix 5000 5MP cameras, with real flash guns. They have
a guide number of about 165. The 5000 was a compromise between cost
and capability. 2 years ago, when those camera kits were purchased,
there just wasn't anything better on the market that could do the
things that the lab folks needed done. Now there is, but the
department is balking at spending another 2,000 to 2,500 dollars each
for the kits.
I have also seen ancient, full manual, 35mm gear in use. That isn't
necessarily bad, as long as you have someopne that understands how to
use a manual camera properly. The regional lab still teaches 4x5 view
cameras in its crime scene technician school. And they are still the
best thing going for shoe prints and tire tracks, due to the amount of
detail you can pull out of a negative. But they aren't used anywhere
else in the area, that I am aware of.
Real crime scene folks have a LONG wish list of photography gadgets
and doodads and this camera and that camera. Usually though, it
depends on what your department provides, or how well you can schmooze
the guy that writes the checks to pay for the equipment!(G)