Displaying image in viewfinder for matching?

Joined: 23 Oct 2006 Posts: 2

I have one old picture and I need to take another picture from the exact same spot so the pictures are virtually identical. This is a task that I will need to repeat over and over for my work. It would be much easier and faster if I could display the image that I want to match in the viewfinder and have it overlayed on top of the live view so I can see in camera exactly how they are lining up. Any suggustions on how to do this would be great. I am open for any suggestions, the only requirement I have is that the camera must be a digital camera. Thanks.

-bnvm

Posted: Mon Oct 23, 2006 2:38 pm

bnvm wrote:

I have one old picture and I need to take another picture from the exact same spot so the pictures are virtually identical. This is a task that I will need to repeat over and over for my work. It would be much easier and faster if I could display the image that I want to match in the viewfinder and have it overlayed on top of the live view so I can see in camera exactly how they are lining up. Any suggustions on how to do this would be great. I am open for any suggestions, the only requirement I have is that the camera must be a digital camera. Thanks.

-bnvm

Don't know of a way to do that but most DSLR's have a way to display a grid in the viewfinder. You could use that same proportional grid pattern on a copy of the photo you wish to duplicate and carry it with you as a reference indicator.

Joined: 06 Jul 2006 Posts: 420 Location: South Florida, USA

You might be able to do something with two non-matching images using post processing software.

Could you be more specific as to what you are trying to photograph and how exact does it need to be?

Joined: 23 Oct 2006 Posts: 2

This cannot be done in post in needs to be done out in the field. The match needs to be very close since we will used this matched camera placement to locate items in the orgininal photograhs which are no longer there.

Joined: 10 Aug 2006 Posts: 49

have you thought of printing the old picture onto a traspart piece of paper such as acetate, the picture size should match the size of your camera LCD (if digital) you can then hold it over the LCD and compare the images!!!!

i think this should be useful??

good luck

Posted: Tue Nov 14, 2006 3:37 am

Don't know if this would work or not, but some digital point and shoots have a "panorama" mode where they display at least part of the previous shot for you to match up the next one.

I have a feeling they'll only display one half of the image though, and I'm not sure if you could convince the camera it wanted to do it with a picture you uploaded to the card.

best of luck with this one