What digital camera would you recommend?
Monday, April 26th, 2010 at
12:24 pm
I’m looking for a decent digital camera to use primarily for shooting flower arrangements against white backgrounds. Quality and focus are the major concerns here as most of the work will be closeup/macro. A good zoom lens and SLR are a plus for general purpose shooting. What camera(s) would you recommend in the under 0 price range?
Tagged with: Digital Camera • flower arrangements • general purpose • Zoom
Filed under: Digital Camera
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I recommend to anyone seriously contemplating the purchase of a new digital SLR camera to consider these two primary questions:
1. How much money do you have to spend???? $500.? $800.? $1,500.?
2. What level of photography do you aspire to "progress to" in the coming years ? (i.e. basic beginner, intermediate, or professional/business use).
For most beginners to intermediates I usually suggest one of these two manufacturers: Canon vs Nikon
1. Canon EOS Rebel model XSi. (Also known as the Canon 450D in Britain) The "kit" package comes with an 18-55mm zoom lens. The camera has pop-up flash, 12.2 Megapixels, and shutter speeds up to 1/4000th, 100-1,600 ISO sensitivity, 7 auto exposure Scene modes, PLUS Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority and Programmed Exposure Modes and Manual. It also has a 3 inch LCD screen, 3.5 frames continuous per second max., 9 point AF system, Live View Functioning and the ability to record photos in 3, 6 or 12 Megapixels PLUS numerous other great features found only on more expensive cameras. Wal-Mart is also selling them now for about $799. Sam’s Club also has them for $729. I also think that Amazon dot com has them for around $650.
I bought one of these 6 months ago and use it as my "back up" camera. I absolutely love it. I have gotten some fantastic photos with it and cannot praise it enough. I routinely enlarge my photos to make 8×10′s and 11×14 size enlargements with no noticeable distortion or loss of detail in the pictures.
2. Nikon D-90: If you prefer to use Nikon equipment I strongly recommend the Nikon D-90 which has 12.3 Megapixels, 3 inch monitor with Live View, 200-3,200 ISO sensitivity, 11 point AF system with Face Priority, 4.5 frames per second in continuous mode, 5 advanced Scene modes for auto exposure plus Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Programmed Auto plus Manual. The D-90 sells for around $900-950. (Body ONLY. The 18-55mm lens cost an additional $150.-175.) Typically, Nikon equipment is slightly more expensive than Canon equipment, but (having owned both Nikon and Canon cameras), I have seldom noticed BETTER quality results using Nikon equipment.
You might also consider the Nikon D-40 ($499) kit that comes with the 18-55mm lens. Another great choice is the Nikon D-60 kit ($649) which also comes with the 18-55mm lens. All of these Nikon’s can be found at Best Buy or Amazon dot com for a very low price.
These selections are probably the best choices for any beginner to intermediate skill level, offering the most lenses and other accessories, dealers and places to purchase. Both manufacturers have a good selection of macro lenses, which is just what you need for taking close up photos of flowers.
I strongly recommend that ALL beginners buy a good book on digital photography AND take a class or two from a Vocational school or Community Education Center in your area.
You can learn more about the technical specifications of each of these two cameras at these websites:
http://www.usa.canon.com
http://www.nikonusa.com
Good Luck
Nikon CoolPix.
Canon 40D
Canon 40D
For that kind of photography, you need close focusing lens. For DSLR close focus lens are EVERY expensive (some times MORE than the camera).
So I would suggest sticking wih high end P&S (as they alway can do close focus). Canon G10 is a VERY good camera.
good luck…
P.S. I am a Nikon user. So for me to recommend Canon, you know it has to be exceptional.
canon 40d