I may have to break down and get a decent camera.....??
Just for grins, what does everyone use now??
I use a Cannon S3 IS point and shoot camera. It is nothing special compared to some of the DSLR's out there, but it takes wonderful photos. It is capable of taking better images than my skill allows me..... LOL You can pick one of these up on E-Bay for a very reasonable price these days.
(http://www.mugwump-fish-world.com/images/s3is.jpg)
Dennis
I use an older Canon Digital Rebel XTi or my little Nikon Coolpix P300.
I now use a Canon T3i, but would like to get a T4i (or better).
I am kind of an optics freak and some friends who are professional photographers and over many years have gone through a series of cameras, going from film SLRs to point and shoot digitals to digital SLRs.
Here is my analysis:
Good lighting, clean glass and water are a major factor. Optimal lighting (bright white light, diffused to some degree, and set up to not reflect back to the lens) is biggest factor in getting good shots. This often means not using the flask on the camera, either having bright lights going at an angle, for flash units not on the camera. If I were going to throw more money at this stuff, I would seriously think about getting a real powerful flask that could be fired by the camera without using a cable. I think its by an infra-red signal.
The main reason I have a Canon rather than a Nikon (the two major brands) is my photographer friends say that Canon makes the best lenses (glass they call it). The Canon sensor is also highly rated. However, I am not sure I can detect that difference. Olympus is another major company, but they may be going out of business.
I like SLRs because you can get special lenses (like a macro close-up lens) that can better do what you want. On the other hand I have taken nice highly detailed pictures with a point and shoot digital that had a very short focal length, in a plexiglas box I built using a very bright light. Plexiglas is optically clearer than a lot glass, but of course you have to be more careful of scratching it.
The first dSLR I had was a and XT which is a fine camera, but I got a new version to get a larger sensor, and the ability to make movies, and I could use the same lenses on the new camera since it was from the same company. Big sensors are better. Sensor size is considered different from pixel number. Pixels can be big or small.
Getting a used camera could well be your best choice for price but you would have to get it from a trusted source or take pictures with it and check them out for problems (scratched lenses, bad pixels, or ??).
There are also now a lot of new types of cameras that have a lot of the advantages of dSLRs. These are new and I don't know much about them.
Here is a good website for camera reviews in general:
http://www.dpreview.com/ (http://www.dpreview.com/)
Here is that site's buying guides:
http://www.dpreview.com/articles/category/buying-guides (http://www.dpreview.com/articles/category/buying-guides)
Thanx, Bill...I'll look em over...no hurry here... ;D
I use a Nikon Coolpix P100. It's like a compact version of a DSLR.
Just wanted to show-off my point-and-shoot Cannon. I was getting all geared up to try and get some Oto fry photos and took this image of a rotifer in the Oto tank.....
(http://www.ballaquatics.com/images/rotifer/640x480-rotifer-002.jpg)
Using the manual setting where you can choose shutter speed, aperture setting, etc. and the super macro setting it can take some really cool pictures. I think if I had proper flash units, this might be all the camera I need???
Dennis
That's great!
Great picture, looks like a cyclops though (a copepod)
https://www.google.com/search?q=cyclops+invertebrate&safe=off&client=firefox-a&hs=KJe&hl=en&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=DndwUc3gKqTUiwL19IHADw&ved=0CDcQsAQ&biw=1339&bih=711 (https://www.google.com/search?q=cyclops+invertebrate&safe=off&client=firefox-a&hs=KJe&hl=en&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=DndwUc3gKqTUiwL19IHADw&ved=0CDcQsAQ&biw=1339&bih=711)
They are good food though. For some marine fish they seem to be essential for larval survival.
I have some big deal Nikon. It's what was recommended to me as the best camera. I have 2 lenses. Dang thing cost a bundle. I know that's a really good camera, but to get the most out of it you need a broader knowledge base about cameras than I have. I don't much care for it, but it's not the camera's fault.
My gentleman friend has a point and shoot. I THINK it's a Cannon. Cost about $500. He loves it. He's had his photos in National Geographic. If anyone wants to trade a fancy dancy camera with 2 lenses for a high quality point and shoot, I'm game.