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All Forums > Tech Talk > Tech Talk Forum Page 33 > Digital still camera advice please
AuthorPost
conquistador
Deactivated User

Hellhamster.
2947 Posts
10/03
Posted - May 4 2007 : 4:29PM
Hello

I'm interested in buying a new digital camera (in the price range of around 250-300$ CDN) and I need some advice. I have been looking at review sites and there are too many options for me to compute.

The main requirements are:

Fits adult male human hands. A Sony cybershot is what I am using right now and is very difficult for me to hold for extended amounts of time. I want a camera I can get a solid grip on without having to pinch it.

Is good for macro photography which is mostly what I use it for. The one thing I really *do* like about the SONY is "Magnifying Glass Mode for subjects as close as 1cm (0.4 in.)"
It's very useful for hamster pictures.
Do any other brands have a similar feature?

5-6 mega pixels is fine with me, much higher then that and I can't reliably tell a difference.

Some kind of image stabilization would be nice also.
Thanks.

EDITED for clarity and to add american dollars

250.00 CAD = 225.917 USD$

300.00 CAD = 271.101 USD$

Edited by - conquistador on May 4 2007

cobalt60
Knuckle Dragger

2046 Posts
2/03
Posted - May 4 2007 : 7:16PM
jayo All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

2117 Posts
7/04
Posted - May 5 2007 : 2:42PM
I know someone who has that camera, and it's a helluva camera. If I wanted a point-n-shoot, that's the one I'd get.
You really ought to go somewhere and handle the cameras you're looking for. Everyone has different ideas of what fits, what's well balanced, whether the controls are easy to get to, etc. I always recommend people physically hold a camera before they buy it, don't just buy it from reviews you read on the net.
saschaxx
Member

germany
49 Posts
1/05
Posted - May 7 2007 : 1:36AM
Hi, get urself a used Nikon coolpix 5000 on ebay, SUPER-MAKRO, excellent lens, 5 Megapixels, flexible monitor, CF1+CF2 - cards, metal ( magnesium ) - body. Lots of features . Price when new on the market was about 1300.-- EUR. , about 200-250,-- EUR. is normal pricerange on ebay in good shape. 2nd. choice : Canon G3 , makro is not sooooo good, my buddy owns one, I got the Nikon + wont change no more. NEVER take any *no-name-cam* ...made that mistake myself. The Canon is a bit *bigger* but the Nikon.
conquistador
Deactivated User

Hellhamster.
2947 Posts
10/03
Posted - Jun 14 2007 : 7:58PM
I ended up with a (free) Canon Powershot A95 from my sister.
I have had it for a few weeks and I still can't get any nice macro (see my photo page here) photos of it that haven't been washed out.
I'll figure it out.
Does anyone else use a canon close-up lens package?
Should I get it? It's fairly cheap.
I just wish I could have better control over flash intensity.
 
jayo All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

2117 Posts
7/04
Posted - Jun 14 2007 : 11:35PM
I don't have much experience with digitals and the point-n-shoots. I learned on film cameras you had to set yourself. I know someone who has a Canon S3 and has the close-up lens for it (which was around $80, I think). It's quality. Not sure about accessories for the A series, but usually Canon sells good stuff.
For the flash: I'd try neutral-density filters. They're gray so they don't change the color of the light, but they cut the intensity. But don't put it in front of the lens, put it in front of the flash itself.
If you have a real camera store you can deal with, see if they have neutral filters that are in sheets you can cut (like the kind you can use for enlarging). You can take a .1 density sheet, cut it up, and stack them to increase the density to what you desire. If you cut them into little rectangles, you could make a holder for them that'll fit over the flash. Or you could tape them in place temporarily.
If you want to really play, order a sample pack of filters from Roscolux. They have a free "swatch book" of several dozen sample filters in thin sheets, about 3/4" by 2", in various colors. Put them over the flash to tint the color. If you're using mainly ambient and flash as fill, or vice-versa, you can get some interesting effects.
conquistador
Deactivated User

Hellhamster.
2947 Posts
10/03
Posted - Jun 15 2007 : 12:18AM
jayo: Woah, Thanks
These are some great ideas. I'm a cheapskate so I am going to try cutting and layering filters first. This effect sounds like exactly what I want.
Most of the pictures on my page are from a Sony Cybershot and I want the same look from my Canon, if I can find it.
Thanks again.
EDIT: Spelling.
Edited by - conquistador on 6/15/2007 12:19:11 AM
RandomPrecision
Senior Member

Enjoy!
8175 Posts
3/06
Posted - Jun 15 2007 : 3:20AM
You might also try some kind of very fine grey nylon mesh (if you can find it. I don't really know where you might) for diffusing the flash. I've even experimented with 1 layer from 3 ply toilet tissue taped over the flash. But my Olympus gives pretty good control over the flash intensity. Still, there's much to be gained by softening the flash. For the kind of stuff you like to do, you might check and see if they sell an external flash for your camera. They probably don't and if they do, it's probably a tad on the expensive side but more control over the flash is always a good thing.
dhay
Member

14 Posts
2/04
Posted - Jun 15 2007 : 7:15AM
My current camera is a Fujifilm Finepix S5200. It fits my hand well and easy to manipulate - and I have fairly average hands, maybe a bit thicker than average.
If you go to my photo site and look at the nature photos - the photos of the irises, the dandelion, the columbine, and the lilies-of-the-valley were all taken with it.
The only thing I'd change on this camera is to add a hotshoe to it so I could use a variety of flash attachments/systems.
Edited for grammar and list of flowers
Edited by - dhay on 6/15/2007 7:45:24 AM
You Wish
Member

Last person please turn off the lights
85 Posts
7/07
Posted - Jul 11 2007 : 4:45PM
My mom bought me a kodak easy share 8mp camera for christmas. It really rocks for such a tiny thing. I think it is a 875.



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