 BetterPhoto Member |
Macro for Digital Cameras Any suggestions on the best digital cameras for shooting extreme close-ups (macro) on flowers, plants, etc., that will give great clarity and also few problems with what you see in the viewfinder vs. the recorded image?
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Brendan Knell |
Do you want a point-and-shoot or a DSLR? If you want a DSLR, then if you get a decent macro lens, the camera shouldn't make much of a difference.
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Stan Lubach |
One plus (for me, at least) about using a DSLR for macros is that you are looking through an optical viewfinder and straight through the lens. The LCD screens on P&S cameras don't really have enough resolution for picking up subtle focus changes, which are important in close-up photography.
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robert G. Fately |
Barbara, Stan's point is well taken - the digital viewfinders in the digicams with non-interchangeable lenses are low resolution - it's like trying to focus on a tiny TV screen. In the world of macro, most shooters don't rely on auto-focus due to the very thin depth of field and the desire to be quite precise with exactly what will or won't be in focus. For serious macro work, a DSLR is the only way to go. That said, as Brendan points out, a good macro lens is the next step. Macro lenses come in three basic lengths - 50-60MM, 100-ishMM, and 200-ish MM. They all can focus close enough to get the tiny flower to a life-size image on the sensor; the difference is the longer lenses can be used from a greater distance. So you could take a shot from 6 inches away with a 60MM lens, or 12 inches with a 100MM. Same final image projected on the CCD, but the latter gives you more working room.
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Kelvin Teoh |
Hi, was wondering, if the different focal lengths described by Bob contribute differently to the amount of off-focused fuzzy background (Bokeh)?
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David T. Hughes |
If you're looking only at digital cameras to avoid the extra expense of add on lenses, I use the Olympus 756. It has a macro setting with two close-up options. I find that these settings provide a very good image without the loss of much integrity. I use a little tripod so that I can avoid the LCD view. But, I certainly agree with previous answers in re DSLRs. David
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robert G. Fately |
Kelvin (Lord Kelvin?) - the depth of field at macro distances is so thin that virtually everything more than an inch away is out of focus, On the other hand, within the narrow limits of that reality, the 50MM macro lens will afford more DOF than the 200MM Macro, when both are used to capture a small object at 1:1 reproduction. But we're talking perhaps a millimeer of difference. By the way, Bokeh is a term used to describe the "creaminess" or smoothness OF those out of focus zones (beyond the DOF focus area). In other words, you could have two lenses of the same focal length (macro or otherwise) set to the same distance and aperture, and one could show a more asthetically pleasing out of focus area. This hasn't to do with the focal length, but rather with the design of the lens (the optical design, the number of blades in the diaphragm, the types of optical glass used, etc.)
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Lucia De Giovanni |
Hi Barbara - all of the above are great points - I do a lot of macro work and use Nikon N90 for film, Nikon D70 for digital and interchangeable 60mm and 105mm macro lens for both - the lens is the most important piece of equipment in my humble opinion - try to get a relatively "fast" lens, f2.8 - and unless you have a very steady hand, always use a tripod and shutter cable, when you shoot very small objects even your breathing can cause a blurry picture! Whatever you choose, have fun and keep shooting!
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Kelvin Teoh |
thnx bob for the clarification...heh...don't think will ever become a lord thou...heh heh...
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robert G. Fately |
Ahh - so you're not related to the guy they named the temperature metric after? My mistake ;-)
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Vinubhai Desaibhai Patel |
Barbara, I'm using a Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ20 digital camera. It has f2.8 lens and tele range is 32-436. In macro mode you can shoot 5 cms off the subject. I think I'm satisfied with what I get. Can you try camera this?
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- Carolyn M. Fletcher  Contact Carolyn M. Fletcher Carolyn M. Fletcher's Gallery |
I use a Sony DSC-F717. You can practically set it down on the flower petal and it takes pretty good closeups. Check out my website in the flower category for examples. And no extra lenses required.
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Michelle E. Miller |
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Michelle E. Miller |
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