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Post by Nicole on Mar 16, 2007 12:12:34 GMT
I hope this is not too off topic. I am starting to think about a new camera, I would like one that makes taking closeups of my plants fairly easy, but -- and here is the surprise -- I don't want to spend a whole lot of money -- under $200. It doesn't have to have a super duper macro lens, lets say I want to get about an inch or two away from the plant. Any suggestions ?? Thanks
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Clint
Full Member
Posts: 808
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Post by Clint on Mar 16, 2007 21:27:06 GMT
Not OT but in the wrong place. I'll move it for ya. I've got a cybershot, dunno how much it was. I thank my parents for that
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Post by Not a Number on Mar 18, 2007 16:23:16 GMT
I've seen some amazing close-ups people have shot with the Canon Powershot SD600 which can be had for under $200 US. There's probably a new model but sometimes newer models don't have all the features that made a camera great.
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Post by philliptan on Mar 20, 2007 5:48:17 GMT
I'm not sure if this is sold in the US, but my wife's got a Canon Powershot A430 and it's like Singapore dollars $249 (abt $150?) and it's got a 1cm macro... really close. Only drawback is that it's a fixed focus at 1cm so you have to hold the cam at 1cm away from the subject and maintain focus that way.
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Post by vft guy in SJ on Mar 20, 2007 19:34:03 GMT
I use an Olympus C4000 zoom. Its a 4 megapixel cam and takes macros within .7" of the subject. Its an older cam but can be found at a reasonable price on e-bay.. I saw several there today in the $100-200 range. Check out the review pages here: www.steves-digicams.com/2002_reviews/c4000.htmlCheers Steve
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Post by costaricacultivator on Mar 31, 2007 13:05:38 GMT
i'm getting today a digital camera so i can share pics of my plants with you guys. after doing a little market research i've come up with the impression that for the same price-range, all brands are pretty much the same thing. that is except for the lumix which has an image stabilizer in case your parkinson's really kicks in, which is not the case. yet. i might post some pictures later today and you decide if i made a good buy.
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Post by pinglover on Mar 31, 2007 13:26:06 GMT
I'm interested in seeing what you share. I'm also interested in knowing which camera you choose.
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Post by costaricacultivator on Apr 1, 2007 16:57:41 GMT
hey pinglover! thanks for the interest! let me tell you, either i'm the worst shopper on the planet or i met the greatest salesman ever. i bought the first camera offered in the first shop i went into. lol. so much for my decision of going to a bunch of stores to check features and prices for different cameras before deciding. the guy talked me into getting a canon a530 and an extra 1gb sd memory card. it has a load of features and i paid less than $20 (plus 15 thousand credit card miles), so i think i made a nifty deal. here's the first picture taken with it: drumroll please, soon i'll be posting some pictures of my nepethes plants so people can tell me if i got their names right. carlos
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Post by Not a Number on Apr 2, 2007 17:07:13 GMT
As far as macro capabilities go there is considerable variation between cameras even within the same price range so if you want to do close up work you need to do a lot of comparison shopping.
What I would look for related to close up work: - Manual Focus - often times the best composition places the subject outside the focus hotspot, some cameras have a focus lock where you focus on the subject, keep holding the shutter button down halfway and recomposing - hard to do with a tripod. - Optical magnification (zoom) - the higher the better. The less digital magnification (zoom) you use the sharper the image - Minimum macro focus distance - generally the shorter the distance the higher the optical magnification
Camera support of some sort (i.e. a tripod) is more or less a must when dealing with higher magnification and short focus distances.
The Canon A530 looks like a nice little camera with excellent macro capabilities.
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Post by costaricacultivator on Apr 3, 2007 16:02:40 GMT
thanx not a number!
the guy who gave me the sales pitch was very emphatic on the macro features and capabilities. that and the possibility of isolating a color in a shot while the rest is black and white and then being able to change the color in the picture for another is what moved me to buy the a530.
carlos
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Post by glider14 on Apr 4, 2007 2:45:13 GMT
I've seen some amazing close-ups people have shot with the Canon Powershot SD600 which can be had for under $200 US. There's probably a new model but sometimes newer models don't have all the features that made a camera great. thats what i have. i love that thing! its got a super macro mode(well...thats what i call it) its so usefull i dont even use regular macro anymore! i reccomend it! Alex
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Post by Nicole on May 18, 2007 15:16:38 GMT
Lots of people here seem to have Canon cameras and love them. Other have also recommended them, but there seems to be a very common problem with the lenses. A LOT of people report an E18 error, which is a problem retracting the lens. To add insult to injury, Cannon does not admit this is a 'design flaw' and will only fix the camera if it is still in warranty.
Has anyone experience this problem with a Cannon. It sounds like a good camera for a reasonable amount of money, but I don't want to buy one if after a year or so I am going to have to throw it out because of this problem.
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Post by Aidan on May 18, 2007 20:06:54 GMT
Which model are you referring to? It's pretty hard to go wrong with models from either Canon or Nikon. Cameras are well made and importantly they use good glass. I have used both makes, film and digital for about 25-years and have no complaints. For in-depth reviews of many cameras, check this site: www.dpreview.com/
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Post by maraxas on May 20, 2007 13:35:05 GMT
For a cheap used camera, if you can find it for sale on ebay or somewhere else, I recommend a Nikon 4500. It is older but it's a great camera. I use it as my "grab and go" camera. The lens swivels around the base which is great for tough positions. In addition, it has amazing built in macro capabilities. It is not an SLR, but it does have a threaded portion for adapter lenses. I get great macro shots (.5" is about the closest) and it does have a manual mode, which I hardly ever use. Once the camera is set to macro mode not much skill is needed to take great photos. The site that Aidan posted is a good site that I use. Here is the review from them: www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikoncp4500/
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Post by Nicole on May 25, 2007 15:31:19 GMT
Which model are you referring to? Well, I did some research and the E18 error seems to be endemic to many Cannon cameras. The problem appears to be so bad, there is a class action suit pending against Cannon. Someone recommended the Cannon A640, and this is one of the cameras listed as having this problem.
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