Need a decent macro camera.

[HedsSpaz]

So basically any camera with a macro capability should work.

To an extent.... I'll post some pics tonight to show why. I use a Canon 100mm Macro on my 10D for all my macro work. The biggest difference between the shots I can get and the shots taken with non 1:1 macro lenses, is that I can produce similar images as far as to what is in the frame, without cropping. The result? A much higher level of detail. Thats not to say you can't get great results from a good tele lens, I used a 70-300 Sigma for many many years to do my closeups, but it's not true macro. And now that I have a real macro lens, I tell ya, I could never go back.

So, it's all a matter of what you are trying to do, and what level of quality you require in your end results.

Ian

[az]

The above is particularly true for cameras with large sensors (especially APS-C and above, ie. DSLRs), for smaller sensor sizes (consumer and prosumer cams), macro is less of a problem.

Guchi, I would, but I don't know WHAT to post macros of.. I don't have any at the moment

AZ

[az]

Note of warning: While most good digital cameras have no problems with macro, some do, so it's still advisable to go check before you buy (either bring your own memory card and ask to be allowed to take a few pictures to take home, or check sites such as dpreview).

AZ

[HedsSpaz]

Ok, I've got a small gallery up. Had to play with things for quite a while before I was able to get a compression level that was acceptable to me, heh. The gallery is mostly flowers. On the second page you'll see on of my favorites, a nice close up of an ant. These are full res pics so be warned, they ain't small. pbase does automatically create smaller thumbnails though so you don't have to view the full size shots. I've done limited post processing on them, a little white balance and leveling, but not much else.

http://www.pbase.com/ian_lee/galleries

Ian

[GNEP]

Nice pics Ian

[az]

Some macros of random stuff I had lying around (the thumbnails are 1:1 crops, click on them to see the original, unretouched files - warning, those are fairly big at ~2 MB each).


Cheap 100 Mbit PCI network card


A hair of me on a paper tissue


Backside of a german 2 Euro coin


A screw (about an inch long)


A 5 Euro bill


A postage stamp


A piece of cardboard

AZ

[GuchiGuh]

Am lost for words!!
THATS JUST AWESOME!!!
Az what camera are you using????

[az]

Minolta Dimage 7i. Its predecessors are the Dimage A1 and A2, both very excellent cameras. It's as close as you get to a DSLR for half the money and in a smaller package.

AZ

[VJ]

Just thought I'd chip in ... I don't do many macros, but just to test the camera, I have also made a macro of a 10 Euro bill.

The overall image is 3008x2000, below is a scaled version of the picture (just to give an idea what is on the picture).


These are some 100% crops from this image.
Somewhere in the middle (near that star).


Somewhere bottom left:



Equipment:
- Nikon D100
- Nikkor AF 24-85D f/2.8-4 IF (set to macro, duh... )
- Speedlight SB800 (set as remote wireless flash (SU-4), fired in sync with onboard flash: close distance gives difficult lighting, a remote flash helps... )

Subject:
- 10 Euro bill
- distance : < 3 cm (lens axis virtually perpendicular to bill)

Postprocessing :
- whitebalance set to Flash (was Auto)
- EV +0.17
- conversion from NEF to TIFF (16 bit)
- conversion from AdobeRGB -> sRGB
- crop
- save as jpg (quality 100)

Exif-info:
- ExposureTime : 1/60
- FNumber : 32/1
- ExposureProgram : 3
- MeteringMode : 5
- LightSource : 0
- Fired : True
- Return : 3
- Mode : 0
- Function : False
- RedEyeMode : False


Jörg

[Nappe1]

I'll post some experiments I have been doing with my good old C990-Zoom in this evening. (I have a trick in sleeve that allows me take picture with 6x optical Zoom in macro mode without big distortion. (camera has only 3x optical Zoom.)

[Fred H]

Hand held Nikon Coolpix 995, from 3 cm, 1/30, 1:7.1, 25W white halogen light (no flash):


Fred

[az]

Ah, Nikon Macro

Very impressive!

AZ

[az]

Your photo inspired me to play around with the camera and some of the electronics stuff I just got (Though my macro is far less impressive than yours!)


Shiny


Who says you can't have shallow depth of field with a digital camera?




Solarisation

AZ

[gt40]

wow, those are all amazing pics.
I'm still having a look at all my options, and those pitures make me want to buy something more than I need, but a simple 2.1 Mpixel camera with a macro capability is adaquate for my requirements.
I'll let you all know what I decide on.
But pls keep posting those pics, they are all awsome.

[Fred H]

@az
I like your solarization picture. I like it very much.
Please more datails, which program is your favorite for editing pictures?

Fred