Topic: Camera Qs

I am looking for a digital camera now and I am going to use this thread to ask questions
as they occur to me. Here the first.

What do i need in camera to take pictures like this one by Shi: http://www.ozoneasylum.com/Forum20/HTML/000053.html

__________________________
"Show me a sane person and I will cure him for you."-Carl Jung
Eagles may fly high, but beavers don't get sucked into get engines.
tj333- the semi-Christ

I have the Sony 707. The only thing you really need to do a shot like that is macro mode and most digital camera's now have that. I'm very happy with my camera but I am going to buy the Canon 10D soon.

I was asking the same questions myself at the beginning of the year. There are so many models to choose from that it can seem a little daunting at first.
I set myself a price bracket to work within, then listed the features that I most wanted out of a camera (( for me the main one was to have a good "Macro" (close up) function)). Then the next step was to see what was available in my locality. The choice I made was a Fuji S304 (£300 approx) I think it goes under a different name "across the pond". One of the main drawbacks I have found after using it for a few months was the ISO setting (100) That means that I really need a good light source or the photos can turn out blurred if I don't use a tripod. The higher the ISO the lower the light levels you can work in.
I hope that is of some help.
tao
[edit] Remember tho' Shiiizzzam's excellent photography comes mostly from her "eyes" not the hardware! [edit]



[This message has been edited by Taobaybee (edited 11-26-2003).]

Next feature with a Q is weather resistent.
Camera such as the Olympus Stylus that are "all-waether" seem like a good idea for shooting in the rain or just incase it gets wet.
Any body have much experience with "all-waether" cameras, Olympus or otherwise? As good as they say or kust a little extra piece of mind incase someone spills a drink?

__________________________
"Show me a sane person and I will cure him for you."-Carl Jung
Eagles may fly high, but beavers don't get sucked into get engines.
tj333- the semi-Christ

Do you have an approximate price range? I've looked into what's out there in a couple of price ranges, for friends, and might be able to narrow the list a bit.

Thanks Das.
I am looking for something around $600-1000 Canadian dollars range. So that is about 400-700 USD. But for something really nice I would go higher.

__________________________
"Show me a sane person and I will cure him for you."-Carl Jung
Eagles may fly high, but beavers don't get sucked into get engines.
tj333- the semi-Christ

I been talking to some of my friends about this and one of them has said that a glass lens makes a lot of difference. Such as the Canon Rebel.

Any comments on this?

__________________________
"Show me a sane person and I will cure him for you."-Carl Jung
Eagles may fly high, but beavers don't get sucked into get engines.
tj333- the semi-Christ

Check out this article.

and see some of his work.

I am so blown away that he's getting these shots with just a Canon G3.

Frank

Well, it's not really just a G3. He's using an adapter ring, a reversed add-on lens, etc. It sounds like it must look pretty wierd: big ol' 35mm camera lens, backwards, attached to a compact digital camera.

Sorry I didn't get back to this sooner. Unfortunately, the price ranges I checked out were lower ($200-300) and higher ($1000) than your target price range. The cameras that my friends bought were the Canon A70 and the Canon Digital Rebel, respectively.

Regarding your friends recommendation of a glass lens, I think most every digital camera in your price range will have a glass lens these days. Plastic lenses have been phased out except in the case of the cheapest cameras.

I'd recommend deciding on the form-factor you want, first. Pocket cameras don't offer as many features as the SLR-like cameras, but you might get more photos with a pocket camera if you end up carrying it around more often. If you only plan on taking pictures when you specifically set out to do so, a larger camera would probably be better.

One camera that has cought my eye lately is the Minolta DiMage A1. It intro'd at $1200, but the Canon Digital Rebel seems to have shoved the price way down very fast. I see it at about $750 at reputable online dealers.

Of course, I recommend the Digital Rebel/300D to anyone considering the really high-end point-n-shoots. A real SLR gives you so much versatility, it's hard to recommend a more expensive camera that locks you into one lens. The SLR is also much much faster than most P&S cameras. And has a much wider ISO range. Etc. Etc.

I have a Canon 10D myself, and find shooting with my P&S (a Canon S50) a chore, by comparison.

One final tip: www.dpreview.com has reviews of a relatively small selection of cameras, but the reviews include test shots. One of the test shots for P&S cameras is always a macro shot of a watch face. If the cameras you're interested in are reviewed there, you can use those shots to see how good they are at macro work.

Hi,

I live in London Ontario and I purchased a DSC-P72 for $399 CND a few weeks ago. I realize that you are looking for a more expensive camera, but I just thought you might be interested in what can be accomplished with a P&S that has a macro (liek teh camera that I have). Here's one I took with a friend's camera this summer.




Bill