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Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2012 23:04:44 GMT 1
How is it for taking pictures of your ants?
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Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2012 23:32:52 GMT 1
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Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2012 23:52:31 GMT 1
Thats a pretty decent shot. I'd love to have my hands on something like that. I can only use my phone at the moment and it's shockingly bad for pictures. Hopefully I can get myself one of those. What sort of lens do I need for a decent macro shot?
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Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2012 23:54:08 GMT 1
Any pictures of your ants in the foraging tank? I love that picture above, anymore to share?
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2012 1:03:33 GMT 1
For the setup I used (that you asked about) for my ants is a DSLR setup with macro extension tubes. For what it can do, it's comparatively cheap, but still out of your price range at about 350 pounds which is probably just over double what you said you wanted to spend. Here is a guide on how I took those images: www.myrm.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=antpics&thread=5683&page=1#55288. If I were you and could afford a point-and-shoot, I'd get one but research the use of close-up-filters to put on the front. Close-up-filters are a very cheap way to magnify the view of the camera. It's basically just like a magnifying lens! I'm not sure how you'd put them on the front of the camera though, since most of them are designed to screw onto big DSLR lenses. There's a guide on point-and-shoot macro photography here: reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-01/gr/index.php. My only real advice is, whatever road you go down, do your research! Google "best point and shoot for macro" and stuff and read forum posts etc. It can certainly help you make the difference between a good purchase and bad one!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2012 9:42:23 GMT 1
I'll have to shop around. Its not exactly cheap and can be quite costly if I make a bad purchase. I just have no experience with cameras, people have given me suggestions but I look at the technical aspects of the camera and it means absolutely nothing to me what it has.
Thanks for the well informed reply. :-)
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Post by Myrm on Oct 31, 2012 9:54:30 GMT 1
You're probably better off going to a camera shop and telling somebody there exactly what you want it for and they can talk you through their recommendations without all the unnecessary jargon. Get a list of a couple of cameras they recommend and then check to see if Amazon have any good deals on that/those models.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2012 10:46:26 GMT 1
Ill have to find a decent camera shop. I live in kent and don't really know anywhere really. Ill maybe have to check bluewter. Would you think currys or places like comet would be able to give me advice on reasonable cameras?
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2012 11:25:10 GMT 1
My camera s digital and dosen't have attacheable lenses, it just has a setting for macro. Have you tried holding a magnifng glass in front off your phone? I might upload some pics to my journal later if my ants come out
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2012 13:43:37 GMT 1
How do I know if the quality of the camera will be good for macro. Considering if I buy online I can't exactly test it. Also if I got lenses, what mm would you recommend?
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2012 13:58:44 GMT 1
Just looking around. Found a canon S5 IS for £135 and a canon SX130 for £100. Or perhaps the olympus d720 that Plemon mentioned. Any thoughts on these?
Thanks
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Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2012 0:12:45 GMT 1
When looking at specs, don't look at MM so much as "minimum focusing distance" or something like that. That's generally the biggest thing to look for when it comes to macro.
As for those cameras, I don't know much about them so I'd have to wait till I get home before I can have a check if you want some opinion!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2012 0:23:54 GMT 1
An opinion would be greatful, thanks.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2012 6:50:20 GMT 1
Just had a search around for some answers as to the best options for macro with a point and shoot. Strangely, there aren't many great answers on the subject because everyone has their own opinion of how good a certain PAS camera is at macro and it's hard to compare one man's word to another. An advantage of Canon cameras like the Canon S5 IS you mentioned is that there are existing accessories and adapters that exist, that if you want more out of your camera, can enhance your macro capabilites. These include threads that attach onto the front of your camera and allow you to place close-up lenses or other macro lenses entirely. The Canon G12 also has accessory capabilities, looked like a good possibility, it's newer than the S5 and more compact (so less intrusive around normal photograph situations too) but it's +200 pounds which is a bit much. Call me unadventurous, but if it were my money I'd probably go with the Canon G12, or another canon product like the S5 IS, just because if it doesn't work the way you want there are other options you can use to add more to their macro capabilities. But realistically, it looks like many of the point and shoot cameras are all reasonably okay at it, my advice would be to trust someone on this forum if they tell you a camera is good at it, and show you some pictures. Also, another guy on a forum suggested going into a camera/electronics store and testing out the cameras for yourself to see which one has the best capabilities. I'd probably do this myself, and do my best to ignore the salesmen
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Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2012 13:41:24 GMT 1
Ill have to look around in shops. If I'm not impressed than the canon g12 seems like an option.
Are lenses hard to pick up, expensive, and can you attach any lens to a camera to improve the shot?
You've been a great help.
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