Camera for good close ups of wildlife

[diggleken]

Originally Posted by marvin

hi

the following pics were all taken with canon a720 is. not in the same league as a dslr but decent. you can get teleconverter and macro attachments too.

Online Digital Details











cheers
tim

All mine are with this camera too Powershot A720is - terific macro , to 1cm too for my close work fungi shots - at the price, its a cracker.
Superseded now though by a newer version, still pretty much the same though.
We can't both be wrong tim.......not a DSLR, but really good.
Cheers
Ken

[Jim Ford]

More very good shots from the Canon A720 IS!

Macros can be problematical for DSLRs - the bigger the sensor the more D.O.F. problems you encounter. When I used my Nikon Coolpix 995 for macros, the very short focal length meant that I was able to get a flower sharp from front to back quite easily.

Jim

[marvin]

Originally Posted by diggleken

All mine are with this camera too Powershot A720is - terific macro , to 1cm too for my close work fungi shots - at the price, its a cracker.

indeed...manual controls and fits in the pocket too.

tim

[squishy]

i love my fujifilm S9600. (you cant buy it new anymore, but you can get the higher S100fs model)

i use it on a tripod and sometimes with a raynox DCR250 to get 1:1 macro. (the camera itself only does 1:2 or 3.

with a bit of practice these are some of my best shots:
*


i've found it a great camera for learning

hope that helps

*on some photos you have to click again to view them at full sharpness

[Jim Ford]

Some good shots there, 'Squishy'! There's are other users of Fuji cameras that have some nice work in the Gallery.

Jim

[andrewinpompey]

I second what Squishy says. I used to use exactly the same combination of Fuji S9600 and Raynox DCR-250. The Fuji's screen flips out which is useful for low down macro shots. Just by itself, that camera is good for macros. You might get it second hand for around £200. Not the smallest camera ever, but that does actually make it easier to handle for those tricky shots.

Buying second hand from reputable camera shops is a good idea - less risk than eBay, but much cheaper than buying new (useful list of shops here - Used Cameras from 89 specialist Camera Shops in the UK).

[grey:squirrel]

I'm under the camp that compacts are sometimes best for macro. This photo was taken with a Fuji FinePix E510 on super-macro mode. Fuji's seem to always be good with their macro modes.



I must add this was before I bothered about photography so I realise how poor it is lol.

[acherontia]

Originally Posted by grey:squirrel

I'm under the camp that compacts are sometimes best for macro.


I must add this was before I bothered about photography so I realise how poor it is lol.

Only sometimes - ie if you have a limited budget and don't want to get very serious about macro - which is quite fine as each to their own is the best way.
Anything that helps us appreciate the marvels of small things is good. Unfortunately, or sometimes fortunately, the better the camera and lens and the more skilful the user (never forget that skill is important and not just the equiupment) the more marvellous they get!!
If that snail is when you weren't bothered are we going to see some 'bothered' ones? Do you still use the same camera?

AA

[grey:squirrel]

Originally Posted by acherontia

Only sometimes - ie if you have a limited budget and don't want to get very serious about macro - which is quite fine as each to their own is the best way.
Anything that helps us appreciate the marvels of small things is good. Unfortunately, or sometimes fortunately, the better the camera and lens and the more skilful the user (never forget that skill is important and not just the equiupment) the more marvellous they get!!
If that snail is when you weren't bothered are we going to see some 'bothered' ones? Do you still use the same camera?

AA

I agree, some of my favourate photos were taken on macro mode with my old compact but the pro's take it to another level (When you can see the detail on the flys eye, you've gone close enough in my opinion). I'm certain though cannot pinpoint who, that one profesional tog used her compact all the time for macro shots though.

Fraid the compact is now pretty dodgy so I barely ever use it, I have a D40 now and would love a decent macro lens but my bank account says otherwise for the time being.

[GFM]

Thanks everyone, eventually got a canon powershot A720IS, seems great.

However the batteries isssue is what I now need advice on as it seems to eat ordinary AAs and I hear mixed reviews of the recommended Canon AA-size NiMH batteries.

Any info on which are best and cheap suppliers etc?