what cameras

[Hadier]

Hey you guys, im trying to find out what camera you all are using i have an old Nikon D100 and its not working i only have 1 lense and its a wide angle/telephoto im looking for something sorta cheap im a FT student so im living off loans :(

[Kannan Fodder]

I'm using a Sony Cybershot, 10.1 mp, DSC-N2. Outdated now. I bought mine right before they started coming out with HD and "face recognition". It's about 5 years old now, but still a great little camera for most things.

 

My biggest problem is adequate lighting. I need to invest some time into getting a functional light box.

 

~M

[Hadier]

yeah i already bought a box of daylight bulbs and have 1 lamp i just need 2 more and then buy or build a light box

[Spike]

I have a Canon Eos XSi, but since macro lenses are pretty pricy, I often use my little Canon Powershot point-&-shoot A480 in macro-mode for close-in work. It's 10 megapixel and can deliver pretty good results, especially if using timer-shooting and a tripod to improve stability. Last time I checked you could get one new for under $100. On Amazon I've seen used ones as low as $60. It's a good little camera that takes nice snapshots of the kids and flowers too.

 

As for lights, you're on the right track with daylight bulbs and multiple lamps. I might also recommend the natural-daylight CFLs. Now that most P&S cameras come with a manual white-balance adjustment, you can get a fairly true-to-colour shot even with florescent light.

 

When shopping for a camera, be sure to check for the following features

1-macro shooting mode

2-manual white-balance as well as other WB options

3-timer shooting OR remote shooting (either wireless or cable shutter release)

4-options for light metering (spot-metering, evaluative metering, etc)

5-a threaded tripod mounting hole

 

IF you can find a camera that does these things AND stores memory on an SDHC card, and your PC or laptop has a card-reader, this will make file transfer much faster and easier.

 

Also, I highly recommend models that use lithium-ion batteries. My Powershot does not...which is virtually my only complaint about the camera. LI batteries just tend to last longer, and when comparing price to lifespan, are far less expensive than AAs.

[Doug Sundseth]

I have a Nikon D5000, which works just fine. The D5000 can use the same lens you're currently using on the D100, as can any other Nikon DSLR, though if it's not an AF-S lens, you would have to manually focus.

 

Before making suggestions for a replacement, do you want to do anything other than take photos of minis? My suggested replacement will vary pretty wildly depending on intended use and budget.

 

On lighting:

 

Any type of bulb will work fine, especially if you're shooting in RAW (.NEF file extension for Nikon DSLRs), but make sure that all of your lights are the same type. It's trivial to correct a color cast caused by a single color of light but it's impossible to correct for two different colors of light.

[Bumble_B]

I have a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40 and I love it. Had the FZ35 before it and i loved it too.

[dargrin]

I use the Kodak Easyshare. I dought that you can get it anymore but it does the trick every time.

[Anne]

I use Kodak Easy Share too, Z740. It's pretty useful, even though a bit older.

[Corlock Striker]

I have a Nikon D100 as well. Probably the biggest problem you're going to find with that camera, is that unless you have the MB-D100 Battery Pack attached to the camera, you can't get a remote shutter release, which means you're never really going to get rid of Camera Shake, even with a tripod. I personally love Nikons, so I can't really recommend getting away from them, as in my opinion they have the best lenses, other than Leica. So, I recommend you look into Remote Shutter Releases for Nikons and see which cameras they work with, then choose your new camera based on that. A third party infrared shutter release that I got, to use with my dad's D5000, was about $20 US, I believe.

 

A lot of the infrared ones will work with multiple different cameras, so you can probably find one that will work with one of Nikon's digital point and shoots, as well as one of their Digital SLRs. If you decide to buy one of their point and shoots, just make sure it has a macro mode, then get yourself a good tripod, and you should be good to go.

 

Now, if you want to stick with a Digital SLR, which is what your D100 is, it gets a bit trickier. Pick a Digital SLR body you like, that'll work with your remote shutter release, then we need to discuss what I think might be your second issue. My guess is, that the second issue you're having with taking shots is that the lens you're using doesn't have a Macro mode on it, I could be wrong though. Won't know until you give me more details on said lens. You should probably invest in a lens that either has a Macro mode, or is a dedicated Macro lens.

 

Sadly, all the official Nikkor Macro lenses are hideously expensive. I personally have a Tamron Telephoto lens with a Macro mode that I use to my satisfaction. It wasn't too pricey. I'd still prefer a true Nikkor Macro Lens, but I'll make due until I can afford one. This Tamron Lens has a Macro mode and isn't too expensive as far as lenses go.

 

Combine the remote shutter, with a compatible point and shoot with a Macro Mode, or a compatible Digital SLR with a Macro Lens, and a tripod, and you shouldn't have any more issues other than lighting ones when taking pictures of your minis. Trust me, the remote shutter release will be a huge help to you. So pick one of those that's in your price range first, then pick a camera that's compatible with it.

[Hadier]

thank you all this has given me a lot of options and i need to look into them all i would love to buy that d5000 that was suggested but 700.00 is a bit much as a student =)

[TaleSpinner]

Canon A series

[Corlock Striker]

Well, as I said, look at the Nikons that are compatible with the remote shutter release that fits your budget. This one is compatible with many Nikon Models, the D3000, is $500, and the other d series cameras it works with are even less than that, I'm pretty sure. Nikon can in fact compete with Canon price wise, even though people might tell you differently. And again, I'm also just a Nikon fan, so of course I'm going to recommend Nikons over other cameras.

[Spike]

As for DSLRs and dedicated macro lenses...yep, they're expensive, but you can shoot macro type subjects with a kit lens too. My Canon's 18-55mm kit lens has a minimum focal range of something like 7 inches at wide-angle, which isn't too bad, though you get a bit of distortion at the edges of the frame. If you have a bit of room to back up from your subject, you can zoom in from a distance of 4 feet or so and get a decent close-up with less distortion, though it's not truly macro.

 

Here's an example

 

Dwarf ladies by spikepage, on Flickr

 

Here's the Exif data

 

 

Exif data

Camera Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi Exposure 0.167 sec (1/6) Aperture f/4.5 Focal Length 30 mm ISO Speed 100 Exposure Bias -1/3 EV Flash Off

 

PS those dwarf ladies were painted by Marie "Rastl" Bayer

[Corlock Striker]

Yes, but it's typically better to get a lens that is a telephoto that's at least got a macro mode. They tend to be able to focus on small objects much better. The one I pointed out by Tamron is less than $150, which for a lens with a macro mode is actually really reasonable. In this thread you can find links to some photos I've taken using a similar Tamron lens. The first set of photos was taken with a D100, without a remote shutter release, and they're a bit blurry due to what I suspect is camera shake from pressing the shutter. The second set of photos was taken with the same Tamron lens, on my father's D5000 with a remote shutter release. So, those are the results you can get using that kind of set up.

[Kannan Fodder]

My sister has one of those "professional looking" Nikon camera bodies (D series, I believe) and a bunch of lenses to swap out. I use it from time to time, and it's a great camera. Got some great photos this past weekend at the NHRA drag races (some cars hit 300+mph), even with the manual shutter release. She also has the macro lens, and has gotten some creepy extreme close ups of things like spiders and caterpillars.

 

I do have to point out that while she has some newer lenses, she can also use the older ones that my grandmother used on her old manual focus Nikon 35mm film cameras. She also has a Nikon FunPix point and shoot, which takes great shots, and has a macro mode. (The one that Aston Kutcher advertises.)

 

While I tend to favor Sony - due to great experiences with my Sony products - I can vouch for Nikon. My Sony Cybershot was around $350 back when I bought it. There are a lot of very good, less expensive, digital point and shoot cameras out there. I'd go to a place like Best Buy and check them out in person, then decide on what you want to buy based on your budget and needs. You can also look at the current Nikon D series.

 

One thing to keep in mind if you already have a digital camera is what kind of memory card it takes. My camera and my sister's don't use the same cards.

 

It was also brought up about daylight bulbs. I recently bought a couple Ott-Lites, and I've noticed a drastic improvement in my work. I got the flip lid task lights, one is a plug in light, the other is a portable battery powered that also has an AC adapter. The thing with Ott-Lite is that they are "day light" or "true color" light sources. They have a clean white light, with no glare, and don't cause eyestrain. I use mine for photography when I can't use actual natural daylight, in addition to painting and jewelry making. The drawback is that they are expensive, but they are the brand name. There are several comparable, less expensive, versions out there, and I highly recommend them.

 

~M