hmmmmmmmm....well my camera fits all the criteria except maybe the price...it is a canon, powershot S60.

a sample shot "the Fairy" close up

{{gwi:743789}}

I think any canon is a good bet.

Lori RosesRred

I'm happy you asked this. I never think of asking it here, but it's the perfect place because so many here get such great close-ups. I love my Canon S30, and am thinking of getting the Canon S70, but I haven't mastered close-ups with it. I know it can do them, but it's hit or miss with me, and I don't know why they don't turn out half the time. I have the same problem with my APS camera, so I know it's me, not the camera. Both have macro settings, which I use. What AM I doing wrong? Anyway, the Canon doesn't fit in your price range, but one reason I like it is that it is small enough to fit in pants or shirt pocket, but not so tiny that it is difficult to hold or use the controls on. When I use some one else's camera that is very small, I find it clumsy to use. So that is something you should try out before you buy. Although I really want a camera with more zoom on it, none of them fit in a pocket, so I'm waiting for a different design on those.

Gee Lori, I was on the phone in the middle of writing my post, so you ended up posting before me, and you are just the person to answer my question, apparently. Because you get great close-ups with (basically) the same camera!

I posed this question to DH (king of toys and has just purchased a new camera so he's recently done a lot of research although for a higher end camera). Anyway, he says the Canon A510, but you'll probably have to get some rechargeable batteries and a battery charger to boot. Mac OS10 will import the photos easily (do you have IPhoto, it's excellent). If you can swing a few more $$, the A520 for $350 was his first suggestion.

I have the Canon S30, but I may take over his old one, a Canon G5, if he can't sell it. It's too much camera for my limited ability and I'm not much more than a point and shoot kinda gal. All that technical stuff makes my head spin! I've gotten some real nice shots with the S30.

I'm attaching a link to Camera Canada, where he landed up buying his new toy.

Here is a link that might be useful: Camera Canada Canon cameras

I have a Kodak Easy Share CX6330. It takes good pictures but i have trouble with close-ups sometimes. The image - usually a flower! - tends to blur in the close-ups. I've read the manual to try to correct this but i can't seem to figure it out. Other than that, i like the camera and am satisfied with it. It cost around $300, i think - i got it a year ago Christmas.

Mine is an Olympus Stylus 410. It is 4.0 megapixel.
For somebody who needs reading glasses the screen is hard to see. It also washes out the colours in sunsets. I much preferred the old film camera for sunsets.

On the other hand it fits into a pocket and has a zoom. It works well as a point and shoot.

Whatever you get, unless you luck into a good used camera, you will probably want rechargable batteries and a better memory card.

Ian

I used to have a Canon PowerShot A10 1.3MP, but then I upgraded to a Olympus 5.0MP C-5000 Zoom last fall, I can't remember the exact price I paid for it and do you think I can find the darn receipt, but yes it was more than $250, but less than $400 at Wal-Mart. I'm still practicing using this new camera, as there are so many functions, modes and lighting yet to learn, I'm still getting some fuzziness in my photos!
I still haven't even gotten to the Zoom lessons yet; I sure need to learn more about that so that I can take photos of my birdÂs outdoors.
With practice you should be able to get good close-ups with any 3.0 digital camera.....it takes time to learn and if you don't have a steady hand, a tripod may come in handy ;)
That's the beauty of having a digital camera; you can take hundreds and hundreds of practice shots and delete them if they don't turn out good ;)

Here are a few samples of some close-ups...

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I have to do identifications for 50 plants. Any suggestions? Do these plants have to come from your garden or do you want photos from ours?

Sharon

Here is a link that might be useful: Olympus C-5000 Zoom

My DH is a computer freak and won't buy anything until he has poured over all of the reviews at PC Magazine. You can check out reviews of digital cameras at pcmag.com, there is a digital camera symbol to click on and that takes you to the review page.

Here is a link that might be useful: PC Magazine

Wow, thanks everyone. You gave me some wonderful information to start from. I'm starting to get a bit of an education on what is important for what I'm looking for. The optical zoom is the important one, not the digital zoom, right? And bigger megapixels just allows you to do bigger prints? I don't need to do anything bigger than an 8X10 so I can probably get away with a 3 or 4 megapixel camera.

Sharon, those are incredible shots. That is what I want to be able to do so I will look at what you have. Everyone seems pretty happy with their Canon cameras and I saw great reviews for them on the web. I looked at the Kodak line and saw one that I liked. But I can't seem to find out if they are PictBridge ready and I have a printer that is PictBridge featured, so I do want that capability.

DH showed a bit of interest tonight but just doesn't want "to spend $1000.00" on a camera. He offered to get his from work for me, but after I refreshed his memory on what my project was, he realized that idea wasn't going to work.

40/50 of the identifications have to be done at the Devonian Gardens with 10 being able to be done out of our own gardens. I'm rather annoyed with that but . . .

Hopefully, in the next few days, I'll be able to show you my garden. Not that there is a whole lot to show yet, although I have beautiful blooms of Gaillardia 'Fanfare' right now.

Shauna

Shauna,

Check out the pentax line....Some of the optios are pretty good. Also Nikon has some very good cameras as well. Have a look at them to see if they suit your needs. Look for one that is comfortable in your hands..some are bigger than others and the designs are different. If you are more comfortable with the feel of a camera, chances are you will use it more. Just about any brand will have a camera to suit your needs...the prices will vary however.

Sierra

You're right about digital zoom--just ignore it. Also, I know very little about the numbers on a lens, but I think that not all 3x zooms actually end up with the same "nearness"--am I making any sense? I have been trying to find out if a lens labeled 12mm-36mm takes the same pictures as one labeled 25mm-75mm (I'm not saying these are real numbers--I just made them up for examples). I don't think so, but I can't find the info I need. Mostly because I forget to look except when I'm in the store. And it seems like any store that has a wide selection of cameras does not have people that know what they are talking about. The only reason I'm looking for a new camera is that ours is really my husband's, and now that we're retired I find we frequently have use for the camera in different places at the same time. I had to go weeks with no pictures of our granddaughter this spring, because he had it out fishing. And a new one would be a business expense, since he takes pictures of his fishing clients and then we email them and use them on our website (guess I need to get hold of that camera today and download the pictures!). And we want more zoom so we can get better wildlife pictures. Which is why I'm so concerned with finding out what those numbers mean!

Mytime....Look at some of the mail order places..... Email them your questions and see what kind of response you get. I have found some here in canada that are very knowledgeable and helpful.

I could answer your question about the zooms/lenses...but I am afraid I would just cause confusion......as I don't use point and shoot cameras.

Sierra

We are the tech household here. A few years ago I bought my olympusc5050 5mp and I'm still learning, but I love it. Unfortunately, it would be over 250, even now. We also have some Some digis can be fitted with extra lenses, either with or without an adapter. I use lens filters with mine.

Basically, I'm saying that maybe 250 might be a bit hard. I know you can get some decent point and shoot models at around $300. Try your local electronics stores, and search digital camera comparisons online. Here are some comparison shots:

This is my good camera, just a quick shot, without using macro or filters or extra lenses, just zoom:
{{gwi:756745}}

This is a cheap digital 3.2mp, but a very good picture for the camera:
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This is a typical picture from the cheap digi:
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check tigerdirect Canada @ http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/Category/category_tlc.asp?CatId=7

My husband and I are both electronic/Telecom Engineers. We own few digital cameras from the most expensive ($7000 in 1996 paid by my employer) to the $65 one from Tigerdirect. I am very satisfied with the less expensive one especially for my garden close-up shoots. To enhance the pictures you can download adobe photoshop program (free). Seham

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/Category/category_tlc.asp?CatId=7

Sony Mavica 1.3 M.P MPEGMovie... 6X zoom... Bought secondhand from friend of friend... Love it.. has a screen big enough to tell if you've taken a good pic right away.. If not delete.. Will do a 3min. movie.. But never tried it.. Always have had good luck with Sony.. Here's yesterdays butterfly

I want to thank you all again for starting my search for me. I have done alot of comparisons, searching, reading reviews, price checking, etc.

Saw a flyer for the Olympus C-5500 Sport for $299.98. Of course, when I went to get it, they were sold out. But, one of the big box stores matched the price and I was in business. I also really liked the feel of the Konica Minolta DiMage Z10 but the Olympus housing seems better and it has more megapixels (5.1 vs 3 for the Z10).

Now, to learn its capabilities and to learn how to post them here properly.

Shauna

Shauna, that's the one I have, and I love it! It's my first ever digital and I found it was very easy to use and to figure out, which is a BIG bonus for me. The only thing I don't like was that it only comes with the advanced manual on CD. I would have preferred an actual booklet that you can take with you anywhere, but I'm very happy with the quality of the prints so I'll overlook the CD part :)
Happy shooting and please post some photos!
Laurie

Totally agree on the CD manual, Laurie. I was a bit shocked to find no "big book" in the box telling me how to run the controls. But, so far, so good when it comes to the point & shoot feature. I like the super macro capability.

Today, I bought a bigger memory and a little tripod. It should be perfect for doing garden shots. What is also great is that we can e-mail each other and learn it together, if we are having problems. It's nice to know someone who has the same camera. : )

Shauna

I'm resurrecting this thread because it's so useful, and yes - I am in the market for a new camera! Laurie and Shauna, still happy with your Olympuses? Did that one have an optical zoom? My cat broke my last camera and I've been using the stills feature of my digital videocam but the quality isn't great especially compared to all you photo buffs! :P

I was also wondering where Adobe Photoshop can be downloaded for free. The Adobe website seems to have trialware versions but you have to pay later.

I absolutely love it. I'm finding the auto mode to be very effective and I still haven't had time to launch the CD manual to study the manual modes. Very comfortable to hold and operate control-wise. One of the things I also did was buy the extended warranty (Best Buy). It was an extra $100.00 for a four year plan. What I like about their warranty program is that it includes accidental breakage. It breaks and you take it in for a free replacement, no questions. When I asked what would happen if the camera was discontinued and mine broke, I was told that it would be upgraded to the next higher level, also for free. Interesting concept. BTW, it was Best Buy that honored the price from London Drugs. Haunt the flyers in the paper for a couple of weeks and definitely shop around.

I don't think you can download Photoshop for free. I got mine many (10?) years ago for well over $500.00. I now have a different HD that I need to load it onto, for which I would have to do a hefty upgrade of the Photoshop software, anyway or buy a new complete program. Same thing with CorelDraw. I am looking for, tho, a cheap program that will let me manipulate my pictures a bit more than iPhoto and Photobucket do. Love my Mac when I can find the software I want, without the price. LOL

Shauna

Good luck trying to find photoshop free.......its an $800..to a thousand dollar program......but if you can find a student .......you should be able to buy it for $400. Many places have the student rate.

photoshop elements 3........its a very good program, and the price is good. $99 at Costco. It will do just about anything that you need it to do.

Hope this helps,
Sierra

As for programs, I've given up. I was furiou sat the free trial I had on my puter. I downloaded GIMP a linux besed photeditor. I'm still on the upside of the learning curve, but I'm getting better each day. That'll teach me to get a new puter!

Thanks guys. I'm going to look for that camera... if it has optical zoom...(?) I'm all about Auto mode LOL! And not coming with a manual is a bonus for me because I will not read it anyway, let's be realistic here... haha.

Photoshop elements is probably what I'm looking for, I dunno. I have PhotoImpression that came with my last camera and it's kinda crappy but ok for cropping and stuff. For some reason it lowered the quality of my pics sometimes even if I saved full quality. Huh. I'm not that interested in doing much more than a bit of colour correction and cropping. And not losing quality. I'll have to look around at software.

Sorry, meant to tell you about the zoom. Here's a site that might get you started with a bit more information.

Shauna

Here is a link that might be useful: Olympus C-5500 Sport

Yes, I'm still really happy with the 5500. The 5x optical zoom is great, and the software that comes with it isn't too bad as well. I still use my microsoft picture it!, as I learned to use it first and want to stick with what I know. For the occasional time you do get red eye, the in camera fix works like a charm, and I'm starting to learn how to take the panoramic photos which are cool too.
Here's one we took while camping in Cypress Hills.
{{gwi:756758}}

The extended warrantee would be a good thing to look at, but as I got mine with airmiles, I only have the regular warantee, so I'll have to be extra careful!
Definitely a good camera with good super macro capabilities for flower pix!
Laurie

Shauna, just wondering which version of iPhoto you have? iPhoto 5 has quite a bit of adjustment capabilities.

Shauna, thanks for the link.

Laurie, oooh what a pretty picture!! I'm jealous of you western-Manitobans, having those pretty hills... it's so flat around here you can watch your dog run away for 3 days - LOL - Mind you I spent the weekend in the Whiteshell and it's pretty awesome too so I shouldn't complain.

Uhhhhh, duhhhhh, . . . . . it came loaded onto the computer when I bought it. It's, ah, ahh, ummm, (hanging head and twisting foot) it's. . . . 1.1.1.

No, you didn't read that wrong and until this very moment of checking, I didn't know that, either. I think I may have found my problem. I'll have to check into upgrading that pretty much right now. Off to take some pictures and then look for the upgrade. Thanks, Pudge. I would never have thought of checking that.

Shauna

Ummm, Cypress Hills is actually in Saskatchewan's southwest corner. Manitoba can't take credit for this one! :o)

Ummm ok well it's closer to you. And you have Spruce Woods. And Riding Mountain. So there. LOL

We're actually heading to Spruce Woods this weekend.......hmmmm I feel another panarama shot coming up! ;)

Northspruce, you were in the Whiteshell? Only a couple of hours away - you shoulda come for a visit! LOL

Yeah Marcia I was about halfway there! Well if you had a ski boat and lotsa booze like the people we went to visit, I would have kept going. I've never actually been to Thunder Bay but once I got lost and ended up in Dryden (blush).

Aaaaah Laurie I love Spruce Woods. Except in woodtick season. Just crawling with em in spring. UUUUGH

I got this thread off topic again. Oops. Still haven't bought the camera yet.

Dryden! You went right through my town! LOL Next time you get lost, stop 25 miles WEST of Dryden, ask where we live at Village Corner, and come on over (you'll have to talk to dh about the booze, though!) Wait, though, last time someone asked where i lived, they were sent to my daughter's. Hmmmm.... :)

I have a compact Pentax Optio 750Z. It was a more expensive camera but was worth the price. It's 7 megapixels with some telephoto capabilities. What's really great about it is the super macro feature--the close-ups are amazing--much better than the eye can see. It's like looking through a magnifying glass. I'd post a sample photo here if I knew how.

Marcia, I thought you lived in Thunder Bay... wow I really did drive past your place, mind you that was at least 7 years ago. Wanna know how embarassingly lost I was? I was going to Rushing River - DUH! Missed the turn!

Motherduck, that sounds like a great camera. I was hoping to get something in the sorta $300-$400 range. Just to keep up with the Jonses you know... if you've seen some of the horrible fuzzy pics I have posted here...

Do you have a Costco near you? They have some pretty good point and shoot digital cameras at some pretty good prices. The local store here has had a large display of them all summer.....with staff there so you could even ask questions.

Motherduck.....pentax is known for very well built cameras and lenses.

Sierra

We have 2 Costcos in Winnipeg but you have to be a member and I'm not. I think it's like $40 a year. Wouldn't use it enough to be worth it. Good idea though. I think I will lurk around waiting for a sale...

Northspruce, i've lived in Thunder Bay, but have been here for (gulp!) over 30 years. Make another wrong turn, why don't you? I'd be glad to meet you!

I bought one! (what a day yesterday... new daylilies and a new camera...) I couldn't find the Olympus 5500 anywhere, so I bought an Olympus Stylus 500. It seems pretty similar but a bit different shape and only 3X optical zoom and 5.0 mpx. And it has 25 auto modes. Anyway, it will be better than what I was using.

That's great......will be waiting for you to post pictures.....no pressure now! LOL
Laurie

Congrats! I know you are going to have fun with it. It is sooo nice to be able to take some half decent shots now with mine and to be able to upload them onto my computer so easily. Waiting, with anticipation, to see all your artistry.

Shauna