Best camera for close up picture and moderate use

[edmundoab]

Hi guys,
I am planning to get a digital camera.
Not too particular about its Megapixels capabilities.
Most important for me is that the camera is able to take clear close up pictures.. In otherwords, focus fairly well on near objects.

and also would be able to take decent photo shots outdoor. Not fantastic ones for sure. I can't get the best of both worlds.
Suggestions would make it easier for me to make up my mind.

What do you guys think about the Nikon 3700 Coolpix? Would that suit my needs?
Easy to carry around for sure.
Budget is below $300. Thanks.

 

[beatle]

DP Review comments on the Nikon Coolpix cameras having the best macro of digital cameras that don't use addon lenses.

That said, the 3700 doesn't appear to have a macro mode, so I wouldn't bother with that. The Nikon 4200 is a 4MP that's slightly larger (it's a compact, not a subcompact like the 3700). It'll do macro down to 4cm. You can get it from Newegg for $265 shipped. The $302 (from buydig.com) 5200 is similar, adding an extra megapixel and a few other features. Image quality will likely be about the same, as they both use the same CCD sensor.

You should also consider Canon, as they make some of the best all-around digital cameras. I have a 4MP A80 that I love. Besides the great picture quality, the A80 and its successor, the 5MP A95, have a flip out LCD. This is the coolest feature, as it lets you position the camera perfectly without having to get down behind the camera to take the picture. This is ideal for macro shots, taking pics with the camera above your head or below your waist, and around corners. You can find the A80 refurbed for a little over $200. The A95 is $300-$310 at places like Amazon.

 

[LED]

Gots to agree with beatle and DP Review as Nikon and Macro= the best results from what I've seen...

 

[Cawchy87]

My canon A75 macro pictures are unreal. I use it insted of scanning pages now (6 month old dell scanner). If the nikon is indeed better than the canon A75-85 then that is one hell of a camera. I couldn't see a reason to get anything other than the canon from my experiance.

My sister also uses it in her bio-chem labs to take pictures through the microscope and they come out crystal clear every time.

 

[edmundoab]

i see, so it seems that my current view on Nikon is positive,
good to hear that

I got a friend who uses the Canon S200, and I tried using it to focus on close up shots, but doesn't do well at all.
Maybe the newer canon models as mentioned would do great.
thanks again for the feedback

 

[beatle]

The S200 has macro that goes down to 10cm, the A series (A80, A75, A95, etc.) all go down to 5cm. The Nikons will do 4cm.

Here's an example of what the A80 can do in macro mode (888KB). It'd be a bit clearer if there were more light. The A95 would have even more detail.

I have another pic (138KB) that is clearer, but it has also been reduced in size. Still, it shows just how clear things can get. Also keep in mind I am pretty much a huge noob when it comes to photography. In the right hands, a good Nikon or Canon could be deadly! :shocked:

While the S200 isn't known for its macro abilities, you should still be able to get decent results if you're 10cm away or further. Make sure you hit the little flower button before snapping a shot or it won't be in macro. This is true of all cameras with macro mode. Any extreme closeup will look awful if you don't select the mode prior to shooting.

 

[beatle]

If you're not in a hurry and you don't mind the non-flipout LCD, Canon will be releasing the A510 next month. It should be smaller and lighter, plus it'll have 4x zoom. The price? $199.

 

[edmundoab]

awesome. I can think about it.
Now what is tempting is actually the Nikon $100 rebate that I can get if I buy it before March =)
I like the pictures that you have taken.
an Ideal situation of what I have been having in mind.

thanks again beatle! This has been very informative for a noob like me. =)

 

[billyjak]

I have the Nikon cool pix 775 and it takes awesome macro shots, not bad for a cheap camera.
Mine is 2 year old technology to boot.
The newer Nikons are much better.
I will buy a Canon though for my next camera.

 

[edmundoab]

already ordered the 3700 CoolPix,
seem like many are leaning over Canon. But nvm.. too late to change my mind now.
Item is on its way to me

 

[Zepper]

I just got an HP 735 per the listing in Hot Deals. At least some of the thing is made by Pentax and according to Steves-digicams.com it does good macro work. Best thing is - only $85. with free shipping. YMMV.
. If you happen to have a 735 kicking around your house, HP has issued an updated firmware v.1.12. To tell what version you have just hold down the Flash mode select button on top while you turn the camera on. The Service Screen will come up on the LCD and the Firmware version will be listed at the bottom. They will also ship you a CD of updated software (they call it a Critical Update) for free by regular Mail or for a shipping charge if you want it faster. In the Support/Download section on http://www.hp.com .

I took some pix outside today as it was the first nice (but CTAWLTIABB) day we've had in a while. I'll post them on my site sometime tonight.

.bh.

:moon:

 

[Zepper]

Here are the pix I posted:
Pic 1
Pic 2
Macro 1
Macro 2

I just got this HP 735 camera yesterday and it is my first digicam (I used an ancient Minolta SRT-101- match needle metering SLR for you young pups -for pix until now..) so don't hoot at my pix so loud I can hear you all the way over here . After all, I don't really know what I'm doing with this newfangled thing yet.

I'm not sure what settings I used for the regular pix (normal or high) but I resized them all to 640x480 and saved them as JPEG at 80% so they wouldn't be too large for a modemer to bother with. I think I cropped the one of the house but that's the extent of my tinkering. They were all just "decide what I was going to do, set the setting and press the big button". One shot each - no mulligans (mulligans=do overs, for you non-golfers)... LMK what you think.

The macro pix were taken at the high quality setting.

.bh.

:moon:

 

[edmundoab]

awesome.
I can't wait for my camera to arrive and try macroing

 

[Zepper]

Hey Edmundo,
. Be patient. If the camera and accessories are very cold when they come to your house, unpack them and let them come to room temperature for a day (note that I live in central NY and I got mine yesterday and was able to resist doing anything but reading the paperwork and manual that came with it until today).
. Note that the "operating temperature" is quite a bit different from the "storage temperature" in your camera's specs. Parts of the camera (LCDs etc.) may be damaged if you try to operate them when they are too cold. When you take it out in the cold, carry it in a padded case INSIDE your coat. Take it out just long enough to take your pix and then put it back in where it's warm.
. Also good to keep it from getting too hot in the summer. NEVER leave it in a locked car in the summer sun unless you're in a hurry to buy a new one and need some excuse . Taking it from the air conditioning out into the heat can cause condensation of moisture from the air onto your lenses and mechanical parts. So try to warm it up before taking it out into the heat and humidity.
. It will work better and last longer if you think of these types of things in advance. Most of these hints are the same for normal cameras but they don't usually have things like color LCDs on them - at least my Minolta SRT doesn't - new ones might, IDK...

.bh.

:moon:

 

[edmundoab]

alright so basically room temperature.
gotcha.
i'll leave it for a while.. but then again.. we need to charge the li-ion battery anyway

 

[beatle]

Oh, the Nikon 3700 DOES do macro. I got all my info from dpreview.com and they said "unknown." Nikon's site says it'll do macro down to 4cm like the other cameras.

 

[edmundoab]

yeap after the sample pics that u have shown me. I like it very much

 

[Zepper]

Hey Edmundo,
. Is that your 3dFX collection? Do you have an STB Black Magic in there?
.bh.

 

[edmundoab]

nope, whatever I have is as shown in the gallery.
Im more towards the Napalm design from Voodoo 3 onwards.
Voodoo 2.. well the STB one in red box.

not going to collect all the brands of Voodoo 2 and Banshees

 

[edmundoab]

Loving the Nikon 3700 for Macro

Here are some examples of what I did...

AWESOME!

surface of PCB

another one

fantastic one

 

[Zepper]

Tons O' Fun, eh...

.bh.

 

[edmundoab]

definately.
never been better.
I had always wanted to take close up and clear pics.. even for any ebay sales.
now it works exactly to my liking

 

[beatle]