[ceterach]

Hi Jason

Something that I think ought to be considered a priority for macro photography is the presence or absence of an articulated screen. I use an Panasonic FZ30 and found the screen so invaluable would not upgrade to an SLR unless it had such a screen. This cuts down the choice. Both Olympus (e620) and Sony (a550) have recently released such a beast, both a bit pricey but they will come down.

The articulated screen not only physically helps taking macro pictures especially plants but also should reduce the collateral damage caused by idiots who, by lying prone with their tripod have to flatten a vast area surrounding anything they photograph in the field (I am again mainly talking about plant photography).

PS the Panasonic G1 appears to be really good but at the moment is severely limited by the lenses available.

All the best