Image Overlay in Live View?

[paul_butterworth1]

<p>Hi there,<br>

I'm in the market for a new camera for a project I'm looking to undertake. Having just moved into a new house, I came across some old pictures of the local area from 100 years ago and I'm wanting to find the exact locations of these pictures and take a look at them a century later.<br>

I'm wanting to morph old to modern as a video eventually as my final result and as such I'd really like to capture the image as pixel perfect with the original's position as I can, so I think the best solution to this would be if I could line the image up exactly on the digital camera's LCD to take the shot. Are there any camera's that can do this? and also, could you recommend me one with a high resolution screen to improve the accuracy - I can spend upwards of £1000 if necessary, so the better the quality the happier I will be.<br>

Finally, I know these old images will have been taken with at least a 35mm camera, maybe medium/large format, but I presume as long as I use a zoom of equivalent to 24-70mm then I should be able to get most focal lengths that were used despite the different sensor sizes - is this right or will the different sensor sizes affect the position of objects / buildings in the frame?<br>

Many thanks in advance for your replies - I can't wait to start this project, so I hope you can help :)</p>

[James G. Dainis]

100 years ago enlargers were not in common use. A large negative was made, laid on photo paper and exposed to light to make the print. A 3 Folding Pocket Kodak (118 film) would produce a 3-1/4 x 4-1/4 negative. A 2 Brownie (120 film) would produce a 2-1/4 x 3-1/4 negative. They all used a "normal" lens that gave a perspective equal to the viewer's eye much like a 50mm lens on a 35mm camera will do today. Larger prints were made with large format cameras also mostly using a normal lens and contact printed the same way.

 

With an APS-C sensor on a 1.6 crop digital camera, standing in the same spot you should have the same angle of view and perspective with the lens set at 35mm or so. With a full frame digital camera a 50mm lens setting would do the same. That should be no problem.

[ed_v.]

<p>I don't know of any cameras that will let you superimpose images on the back LCD, but one simple way I can think of right now is to use any good-quality camera with live view capability. Take a photo of the original photo as carefully as possible (you could google ways to do this properly) then proceed to the locations. Using the playback mode, view the "old" photo on the LCD screen and make your way around until your view is as close as possible in framing and perspective. You could toggle back and forth between playback mode and live view mode.</p>

[ed_v.]

<p>Paul, after re-reading your post I think you probably thought of my response already. I apologize in advance if that's the case.</p>

[sravan]

<p>Paul,<br>

The perspective is what is important for you. Standing at the same view point and then changing the angle of view using zoom would be the best bet.</p>

[jim_momary]

<p>Get some transparency stock made for inkjet printers, like we would make up an acetate sheet for an overhead projector (remember those). The ones for inkjets have a coating on them to allow the ink not to bead up. Staples or elsewhere usually has it.</p>

<p>Size your print to fit appropriately to the camera's rear LCD. Print it and cut it out to make an 'overlay' transparency. You can hold it against the LCD or use a bit of scotch tape. Then match the 'live view' with the 'overlay' by walking around until they are superimposed.</p>

<p>I've done the same with satellite images and overlaid that on a USGS topographic map. I've also made lots of overheads for school board stuff this way before the availablity of projectors that run off a pc. Don't fall in a ditch or get creamed by a school bus while you are engrossed in your new 'coincident rangefinder toy'<br>

:o)</p>

<p>Jim</p>

[paul_butterworth1]

<p>Thanks for your replies and suggestions people - I really like Jim's idea of using transparency film - I didn't think of this. It was also suggested in another forum to do the same sort of thing but externally tethered to a tablet - I was thinking of getting the new iPad, so maybe this option could be good, though is it possible to live view on an iPad? I'm not sure. Maybe I'll just use the iPad to double check the captured images.</p>