Point & Shoot for Macro Work

[pia_gandolfo]

I was hoping someone could point me in the right direction.

 

My father takes a lot of pictures of small die cast airplanes and the current

camera that he has is not doing a good job of capturing details. He has tried

the macro setting and it sometimes makes it worse. My sister and I are hoping

to get him a new one for Christmas but are not sure what to get.

 

The only requirements are that it take good macro photos, and be relatively

light and compact point & shoot. We are pretty much a Canon family and have

used a few olympus before (which we really liked) but in this case brand is not

an issue.

 

Thanks for all the help, and Happy Holidays

 

Pia

[phule]

What camera does he have now? What exactly do you mean by "not doing a good job of capturing detail" and "sometimes making it worse" ? Is he using the zoom and trying to use the macro mode or is he using the widest angle of view and the macro mode?

 

Almost any digital point and shoot made in the past 5 years should have no problems with macros. So I have to wonder if perhaps a better choice for your father would be a tripod?

[j_smith6]

PowerShot S5 IS (it has hotshoe which is really important) + any 50mm f/2.0 lens (e.g. an old one from M42 system) mounted reversed on S5 IS using reversing ring + any E-TTL hotshoe flashgun with home-made diffuser.

 

That's the set for really big magnifications. Tell me what kind of macro pictures are going to be taken and what's the maximum price of whole set.

[pia_gandolfo]

Hi Rob,

 

I think he is using an older version of something similar the Canon PowerShot A570. At least I remember it looking like the A570.

I'm including a picture that I've been able to get that he has taken with that camera for your reference.

 

He actually has a really nice Bogen (I think) tripod that I bought for him when I broke his other one while taking a class in college (oops) but he rarely takes it out since it's so big and heavy. I'm planning on getting him a lighter one soon, that way he'll start using it again, and I can steal the other one ;-)

 

Thanks for the help

 

Pia<div></div>

[pia_gandolfo]

Michael,

 

I've uploaded a photo that he has taken before for reference. As for the price, probably $400 for the absolute tops. I know it's not much these days, but one of us is a poor student and the other is a poor working semi-adult. Ha

 

Pia

[andy_szeto]

Most of the Canon p&s digital cameras make pretty good macro photos. To get real close, the lens should be in the shortest zoom and in the macro mode (flower icon). Then you can get the lens as close to the subject as 2 or 3 inches, or even closer. May be the Bogen tripod is too big and your dad cannot get his camera close to the subject. How about a small tablepod? For about $20, you can get a decent tablepod and can really get close to the small subject. Just a thought.

[albert_smith]

I have been doing a series on spiders, and while I have a full-up Nikon (film)system with macro lenses and flashes, I decided to do the whole thing on digital. I use the Canon A630 P&S, and have not been let down. The camera has a single button to go into macro, but I use manual focus and adjust the focus by moving the camera into the subject until it is sharp on the LCD. This camera also has a pivoting, swing-out LCD which is nice since the camera can be held for the composition while viewing can be from any good position independant of the aim of the lens.

 

My "hit rate" is pretty high after some practice, and after I learned to wear my reading glasses while checking the LCD.

 

I will post a reduced size JPEG and some details sections from that image to show the sharpness, but trust me... the computer image pales compared to the 11 X 14 inch print that I made straight from the SD card.<div></div>

[albert_smith]

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[albert_smith]

/./.<div></div>

[jcuknz]

There is no NEED to buy another camera just go to the local discount store and buy a pair of cheap plastic hobby glasses [about US$7 dollars in my locality]. These will permit him to use the zoom to get tight framing. I suggest a pair of 3 dioptre. You can stack them to get 6 dioptre which will be more than he needs. But he does need to appreciate that he has very little "depth of field" when working this close.

 

A possible solution is to organise a pinhole in a blacked disc to fit close in front of his camera lens. which will give him plenty of DoF but does require a tripod, I suggest the Slick minitripod 8555 for table top work [uS$28 perhaps, there will be cheaper I expect but that is what I have] and for him to always use the 10 second delay and leave the camera untouched during the countdown and taking of shot.

 

You could spend more money on a proper photographic quality CU lens but so long as they don't get scratched the plastic versions work well. I cut the top screw portion off a bottle and glued a sheet of plastic over the cut to make a screwtop container. In some areas you likely can buy such things for a dollar or so, but not where I live :-)<div></div>

[jcuknz]

Actually that CU lens was quite expensive becuase I bought a s/h skylight/UV filter and smashed the glass to fit the hobbyglass lens as I wanted the 55mm screw thread. [The shop charged me about US$14 for the UV filter].

[summitar]

Yikes, I don't want to get that close to spiders.

 

I have progressed through a series of Canon powershots, A80, A95, A620 and now A650IS. These are all great take anywhere cameras, and for more serious photos, I use a Nikon SLR. The A650IS lists for $399.95 and is available for less than that with no sales tax from a reputable online site like buydig.com. I would go to a local camera shop that has the A650 and ask for a demonstration. I know it is tacky to not buy from the same shop but I do make it up to them in accessories, film processing, etc.

 

I have taken closeup macro shots with the A650 and others and it functions well for me. I wonder if there would be depth of field considerations for the model airplanes since they are obviously 3-dimensional.

[jobo1]

I don't think it is a case of the camera being the problem here. An adjustable tabletop tripod and a slave flash (perhaps with a diffuser), plus the time to learn to use the above, should suffice to get a good picture. Maybe some magnifying lens(es) as suggested above, if the planes are really small.

[pia_gandolfo]

Wow!, Thanks so much for all the advice. My sister and I will go thru it and make our decision from there.

We are still going to buy him one since he has been using my mom's camera, his broke over a year ago, and she always complains that she doesn't have it, even though she never used it while she did have it.

 

Thanks again

[ralph_jensen]

Another vote for the Canon A650 (the A630 and 640 having been discontinued).

[Andy Collins]

The A650 is a great choice, but also look at the Canon A720IS as well. In fact, read Bob Atkins review of this camera on his site and see how highly he speaks of it, and then shop around. I got one today at Office Depot for $179.00. It performs beautifully in the macro setting, but most of the PowerShots do.