digital close up camera

[thrax]

Is there agreement on which digital camera is best for extreme close ups?
the info on the forums seems vague

 

[pmfs]

Norm, any fujifilm finepix (bridge camera) are good for that purpose have good lenses and are cheap.
I like also the canon Sx120/130.
cheers

 

[Einion]

Is there agreement on which digital camera is best for extreme close ups?

No.

There are loads of good cameras with decent macro ability, including point-and-shoot and prosumer models with a built-in lens all the way to bridge cameras and above with interchangeable lenses (close-up ability then has nothing to do with the camera, it's totally up to the lens).

If you're looking at getting a new camera given the state of the market at the moment a word of caution - don't fall into the trap of buying the highest res you can afford, unfortunately this is not a 'bigger is always better' kind of thing. You do need enough, but often when you pass a certain number (8, 10 or 12) there's zero improvement in the image quality. It can even drop compared to older models from the same maker with the same basic functions.

Einion

 

[thrax]

interesting ... how many times zoom is enough for our special 75mm detail shot the range is wide up to 20x

 

[Knikki]

It is not a case of 'how big the zoom' is it is a case of how close a lens will focus.

For example a manufacture does a lens with a zoom of 100-400mm. This is great for getting head and shoulder portraits and sports BUT as the closest the lens will focus is on 1.8m then your 75mm figure will look very small in the image.

If your looking at camera specs then you need to look for something that will focus closer than say 30cm.

The best thing to do is if you have a camera in mind, find a shop, take a figure along and a memory card and take some pictures to see how close it can focus and how much detail you can get.

To achieve the type of thing you discribe would require, I think, a DSLR and specilised lens.

 

[Harvey Pincis]

The question is NOT which camera; the question is which lens... Either get a short telephoto that can close focus or alternatively by mounting a ring between the body and the lens one can get very, very close and fine detail. One is talking about a SLR and not a compact.

 

[Einion]

interesting ... how many times zoom is enough for our special 75mm detail shot the range is wide up to 20x

It's not really about zoom amount, although this can be related to how large you can get a small area to show up in the photo. The primary thing is usually (not always, see below) how closely a lens will focus, which is what macro means essentially.

Unfortunately it's not just about macro either, since a larger image that's not as close can equal or exceed the shot another camera with a better macro can take. Sorry to make it sound so complicated but it's a complex subject! Google closeup photography for more, specifically in relation to digital since resolution becomes important in direct like-for-like comparisons.

If you want to just look at macro as a specific feature, many of the digicam review sites (e.g. Imaging Resource) test this and show the results.

There are cameras that will take decent macro shots from sub-$100 all the way through to a thousand bucks, and much more... and that's before you buy a lens.

Einion