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what camera are you using?

  • Thread starter boxofrain
  • Start date
  • #21
Wow, I did not know you could take photos that good with just a point and shoot...
 
  • #22
Canon PowerShot SX130 IS. It cost me somewhere slightly north of $200 the day after Thanksgiving. Actually, the camera was the only reason I ventured outside my secure hidey hole on Black Friday- I needed a new one, and that was where the bargains were.

Anyways, pictures!


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Links to a couple more. These ones were left nearly full size.
http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc221/tippitytwitchit/Critters/Buggies/444.jpg

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc221/tippitytwitchit/Critters/Buggies/479.jpg

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc221/tippitytwitchit/Critters/Buggies/480.jpg

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc221/tippitytwitchit/Critters/Buggies/458.jpg



I think I got carried away........:blush:
 
  • #23
wow! thanks for all the helpful replies!
It looks as though I will be shopping for a Canon.
I have owned a canon in the past...way past, SLR. I did a bit of photography in high school in the mid '70's, but that was a whole other ball game.
stinkpot has some very nice shots with her camera, and it seems to be more within my price range. I'm still thinkin' on it.
Best place to purchase? I live in the stix and have no resources here, so on-line is my only option.???
 
  • #25
I've always had awesome experiences with newegg. Not the best prices, but arguably the best customer service.

EDIT: Oh yeah... try and wait for black Friday... PnS cameras typically have some awesome deals then.
 
  • #26
Yeah, newegg is always good, I've also had good experiences with j&r and adorama
 
  • #27
I'm going to be the oddball in this one. I use an Olympus E-5 with a Zuiko 50mm macro lens, and I love it. The clarity of the photos is incredibly, it has a lot of features (standard shooting modes (aperture and shutter priority, manual, bulb, and program auto), 10 art filters, 3" high resolution display that tilts and can be used to compose the image, etc.). It's a heavy camera though, that's the only drawback. The lens can focus on an object at 4" away, and keep a lot of detail.

If that's not enough to convince you, I'll let the images speak for itself. This beetle was a fraction over an centimeter long.

On Stilts by Wire Man, on Flickr
 
  • #28
If you just want "closeup" photos (which a lot of people call macro photos), a lot of PnS (Point n' Shoot) cameras will do you just fine for between $200-$400, depending on how nice a camera you want.
With all of the good advice you've received, it sounds like you've already decided - but I thought I'd add a comment about the quoted statement above. While most pns cameras will allow close-ups, the quality of the images varies widely between cameras and even between images taken on the same unit. All of the pics that I've posted over the past several years have been from a few types of pns cameras. While some of the shots border on acceptable, the amount of effort, time & frustration that it took to get borderline shots is huge. These little guys sacrifice any control (like specific focus point or depth of field settings) that are really critical to good compositions. Focus stacking (details elsewhere) is also not an option.

As the others have recommended, the Rebel line of dslr Canon cameras has been winning virtually all of the awards for many years. After doing my own research this past year, that is definitely the route that I plan to go ....
 
  • #29
I've taken every shot that I post here with an olympus stylus 1010... point and shoot, and not too bad for the money (something like $100 when I bought it). While you can't zoom in more than 4ish times without it getting super grainy, it's still not bad at all considering the super-macro function. That being said, I've just got my first SLR so we'll see how a Nikon D3100 does in comparison at roughly 5X the cost + extra stuff you've got to buy like SD cards and the like.
 
  • #30
still shopping

Not yet decided which way to go.
I am not in the $ position to spend a Grand all at once on this hobby...(that would buy a lot of plants!) We (the Wife :hail:) has decided I am going to need a bigger GH as well, so I need to think of $'s for that.
I would like to keep it under $400, a nice PnS would do fine for me.
I shuffled through a few sites comparing last night...got confused...went to bed.???
I appreciate all the advice and tips here.
 
  • #31
As Ron said macro/close-up performance vary wildly with P&S cameras. Even the firmware revision can make a difference.

Do you research online and narrow your choices down. If there is a decent local camera store that will take the time to let you do some hands on testing that would be great.

Checking the EXIF data on photos online can often reveal what camera was used. You'd be surprised at the number of stunning close-up/macro photos that are taken with P&S cameras.
 
  • #32
You should be able to get a really nice PnS for under $200
 
  • #33
If you're looking for a good P&S go with the Panasonic Lumix series. They use Leica lenses, which are incredible! I used a 1949-52 Leica IIf for my 35mm photography and the quality of the image blows my mind each time! My Lumix doesn't compare, but it's still incredible for a P&S camera
 
  • #34
I would like to keep it under $400, a nice PnS would do fine for me.
If you'rre comitted to getting a PnS, check out the Panasonic Lumix line. Last year, I wanted a small lightweight camera that I could easily take hiking / biking and not worry excessively if it got trashed (so I wouldn't risk my more expensive Olympus Stylus). My wife picked up a Lumix DMC-F2 for under $100 iirc. Even though it is 1/2 the size of the Olympus, it does everything better (by a lot).
 
  • #35
So i'm finally able to sit down and reply to this.. I'm using a Canon Rebel T1i, and have used every single modle in the Canon Rebel line.. If you're looking for a good cheap entry level DSLR, they're good cameras.. You can get older models for a good price now days, like the XTi. But if your spending the money, why not buy a newer one? You can buy refurbished ones for a deal on KEH if you wanna save a couple hundred bucks, and I believe they still offer a guarantee..

http://www.keh.com/search?store=cam...de=Class&grade=Grade&sprice=0&eprice=0&r=SE&e

I suppose it just depends on if you want to go point and shoot like is previously suggested, or do DLSR and get more seriously into photography. To get TRUE macro, you need a DSLR. But then you also need an actual macro LENS. As Reaper suggested, the Canon 2.8/100mm is a good one.. I use an older Tamron 90mm macro. The lens that most of the Rebel Kits come with is still a good lens.. You will get good crisp images with it.. but for true detail you need an actual macro lens.

Here's an example of the difference between the kit 18-55mm Canon Lens, and a macro lens.. And to properly compare the photos, you'll need to click on them to open them all the way.

18-55mm
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Tamron 90mm macro
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Some cool rose shots.. Played with a bit in photoshop but were taken the macro
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Anyway, sorry for going crazy there.. But hope it helps your decision...
 
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