Good compact camera for macro?

[pablo_s]

I'm looking for a compact camera which has good macro capabilities (compared

to the competition, I know there's no way to match an SLR with dedicated macro

lens).

 

I've been looking into the Ricoh Caplio 4. This camera is not marketed in the

US, though Adorama sells it. Can focus really close throughout the zoom range

(1cm @ 28mm, 10cm @ 200mm), allows manual selection of focus point in macro

mode, and macro is claimed to be the strong point of Ricoh. On the downside,

this camera doesn't allow manual control of aperture, which is a big minus.

 

Any alternatives?

 

Thanks in advance!

[phule]

Canon S3 IS can focus down to 0 cm. Yes, you can focus on the front lens element. :)

 

But it lacks the 28mm wide-angle of the Ricoh.

[Sanford]

Anything with a moveable monitor has an advantage in close up work. I have a long discontinued Olympus 5060 and find it useful being able to use the camera at a low or high angle and twist the monitor to where I can see it.

[jcuknz]

It largely depends on what you mean by 'Macro'. Only a DSLR is capable of true macro which is recording images at 1:1 or greater magnification. But if you simply mean getting great big close-ups then ignore the marketing hype about how close a camerra can focus which is very un helpful.

 

The simple solution is to use a Close-up lens which while it keeps you back from the subject it permits the use of the zoom to get a tight framing. So the suggestion of the long zoom Canon is a good one, not becuase it focuses close but becuase of the zoom. But there are several other cameras with swing and tilt LCD which you could choose.

 

When they tell you you can focus to 1cm they don't tell you 'but only at wide angle' when the wideness of the field of view defeats the purpose of getting close for a tight framing.

 

Most P&S and Pro-sumers are capable of getting good close-ups, but it depends on just how tight a framing you want. Filling the screen with the head of a caterpillar is not on, but showing the whole body quite possible with the help of CU lens. I use a 2 dioptre.

 

Depth of field remains pretty much the same whatever focal length you use for close-ups.