Camera fell in the washing machine

[T L]

So I need to get a new camera. What do you recommend for a point and shoot for good macro pics. Please no SLR or DSLR camera suggestions.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Michael_E]

I use a Nikon L22 for most pictures. It has a small case, large viewing screen and a small objective lens so that you can get more light closer to the object being photographed. The resolution is something like 12MP and the cost is in the $65 to $75 range now. Very light, easy to use and gives great macros for not just gems, but flowers and that sort of thing, (springs coming). Oh, it also has a fairly wide range of EV adjustment, which is great to reduce those overbright glaring images that you can get with a non adjustable camera. If you insist on spending more money, then I would suggest getting a copy of Photoshop or Corel as they allow you to adjust your colors in all parts of you pictures to get closer to what you actually see.

 

[LD]

Nothing sensible to offer in terms of camera suggestions but ............... how on earth did you manage to put a camera in a washing machine????????????

 

[T L]

Nothing sensible to offer in terms of camera suggestions but ............... how on earth did you manage to put a camera in a washing machine????????????

Well, when your family thinks you're the maid, and leaves you big messes, and you're jumbling things around, s*it happens. That's all I can say.

 

[VapidLapid]

I know this guy who made cameras out of washing machines

http://www.photographsdonotbend.co.uk/2010/07/steve-pippin-laundromat-locomotion.html

 

[m76steve]

knowing a little about u as i think i do im sure ur camera was really clean to begin with-now beyond reproach-sorry @ ur loss-point & shoot cameras r plentyful-im using a nikon coolpix & works very well & cheap-steve...

 

[Arcadian]

so you found a way to get rid of that one huh?


I vote on lumix. they have great glass, plus I think they're quite good at the macro stuff. The sensors however, well.. I would play around with those cameras. the sensor in My lumix is different than the ones in the point and shoots so that may be a good option for you.

There's also the Sony point and shoots. I have a cybershot which I really like and still use quite a bit.

-A

 

[Treenbean]

panasonic with the lumex lens takes nice macros.

 

[T L]

so you found a way to get rid of that one huh?


I vote on lumix. they have great glass, plus I think they're quite good at the macro stuff. The sensors however, well.. I would play around with those cameras. the sensor in My lumix is different than the ones in the point and shoots so that may be a good option for you.

There's also the Sony point and shoots. I have a cybershot which I really like and still use quite a bit.

-A

Is lumix good at taking color macro photos, or is it good at just getting in focus shots. I prefer the former. I find my current, now dead, camera left a lot to be desired in the color department.

I just got a Nikon coolpix s6000 at Costco (they have a 90 day return policy). It has 14.2 megapixels, and as I was testing it at the store, it seemed to take more saturated photos of my gems, but I can still return it if need be.

 

[PrecisionGem]

I would look for something that has a manual focus over ride. Most cameras with a marco lens have a hard time focusing. There is a webiste www.dpreview.com that will tell you just about everything you want to know about almost every major camera.

 

[Arcadian]

Some of the panasonic Lumix cameras have Leica Lenses , some do not. Leica glass is some of the best in the world IMO. But hey I'm a rank amateur, what do I know right?

I will say I think they're under rated in any regard, and you get a lot of camera for the money in the point and shoot area.

I think they do quite well in the point and shoot area as well as with Macro depending on the model you get (they have many) I would say they're worth trying out if you have the chance (Someone here has one that I would have gotten if I didn't have the Sony)

Gene is right, dpreview is a great site to do side by side comparisons with. My current main squeeze camera is a Pansonic Lumix G1, which is a Micro Four Thirds Camera, so its a whole other animal altogether.

-A

 

[T L]

Some of the panasonic Lumix cameras have Leica Lenses , some do not. Leica glass is some of the best in the world IMO. But hey I'm a rank amateur, what do I know right?

I will say I think they're under rated in any regard, and you get a lot of camera for the money in the point and shoot area.

I think they do quite well in the point and shoot area as well as with Macro depending on the model you get (they have many) I would say they're worth trying out if you have the chance (Someone here has one that I would have gotten if I didn't have the Sony)

Gene is right, dpreview is a great site to do side by side comparisons with. My current main squeeze camera is a Pansonic Lumix G1, which is a Micro Four Thirds Camera, so its a whole other animal altogether.

-A

Thanks to everyone so far for their responses.

Arcadian,
This Nikon s6000 I just got has a Nikkor ED glass lens, but I don't know how that differs from a Leica lens. The s6100 is coming out soon and will replace this model, so I got a good deal on it. The s6100 is 16 MP, and the s6000 is 14 MP. Aside from that, they're identical.

 

[Largosmom]

My lumix does great macros. It does have issues with some colors, but I think that is not unique to the brand. It also has awesome image stablization.

I have the Lumix ZS5, which replaced my ZS1....current model is the ZS7, I think. Check out the reviews, and try them out in the stores if you can. This model has a macro zoom function and you can get within 2 inches of the subject.

Laura

 

[T L]

I think I'm going to return the Nikon, the macro mode pics are just as bad as my older Nikon. Very fuzzy, and the color isn't there.

I have to check out the Lumix, because you do take nice photos Laura.

 

[PrecisionGem]

Are you using a tripod? Fuzzy pictures are either camera shake, or out of focus. Autofocus and macro are two words that don't go together well. I shoot all my pictures with a Nikon D700, 105 mm macro lens, tripod, and the manual focus.

 

[T L]

No tripod, but many people who post photos in this forum don't use a tripod, and still get nice clear shots. The lighting in my kitchen is also terrible and very yellow, I hate it. I have to see how this one shoots outside.

 

[Treenbean]

My MIL has a lumix and it takes killer macros. Some of her flower shots are really beautiful. I have the Leica digilux which takes beautiful pics.

 

[iLander]

Nothing sensible to offer in terms of camera suggestions but ............... how on earth did you manage to put a camera in a washing machine????????????

Well, when your family thinks you're the maid, and leaves you big messes, and you're jumbling things around, s*it happens. That's all I can say.

LOL!

For me to finally break down and do the laundry, I have to have a full head of steam, which looks like this:

Then I grab everything that isn't nailed down and throw it in the washer. I've washed ipods, quite a bit of money, a couple of wallets, and --almost-- the cat.

So, yes, I can relate.

ETA: almost forgot the original question: I usually take my pics with my phone, so I'm not much help on this.

Didn't Kenny have a thread on photography a while back?

 

[iLander]

I know this guy who made cameras out of washing machines

http://www.photographsdonotbend.co.uk/2010/07/steve-pippin-laundromat-locomotion.html

This is a very cool link! I love that the guy had a horse run through a laudromat!

How awesome is that?

 

[Rae~]

I recommend the Canon G10/G11 (or whatever the latest model is, if you like).

It's a great leave-it-on-auto-and-get-good pics camera, but still has some over-riding manual controls if you wish to use them. It's a little larger than the ultra-small pocket cameras, but still compact enough for a handbag, at least.

 

[T L]

Didn't Kenny have a thread on photography a while back?

Kenny is the last person I want in this thread. No offense to Kenny, as he takes the most beautiful remarkable photos ever. However, I can't understand one iota he says about photography, and I don't have a bazillion dollars to spend on photography equipment. I just want to take nice clear, semi-decent photos with an easy little point and shoot. Is that asking too much?

 

[stci]

Nothing sensible to offer in terms of camera suggestions but ............... how on earth did you manage to put a camera in a washing machine????????????

Pouhaaaaaa! I think TL was tired out of this camera and oupsssss.... let it plunge in the lessive machine. Hussy girl!

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

I recommend the Canon G10/G11 (or whatever the latest model is, if you like).

It's a great leave-it-on-auto-and-get-good pics camera, but still has some over-riding manual controls if you wish to use them. It's a little larger than the ultra-small pocket cameras, but still compact enough for a handbag, at least.

+1. I have the G11 and LOVE it.

 

[ooo~Shiney!]

Didn't Kenny have a thread on photography a while back?

Kenny is the last person I want in this thread. No offense to Kenny, as he takes the most beautiful remarkable photos ever. However, I can't understand one iota he says about photography, and I don't have a bazillion dollars to spend on photography equipment. I just want to take nice clear, semi-decent photos with an easy little point and shoot. Is that asking too much?

I'm with you there!!!!!
I really enjoy everyone's wonderful pics, but Kenny's post had me going ..... ommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
after about halfway thru

I just take pics with my iphone and hate them.
But it's easy to point, shoot, and upload to my computer.....
I like the suggestions here, and am in the market myself....
And oh, yeah.
I dropped my previous iphone in my coffee...
But I have fished ipods, wallets, money, pens, calculators etc etc out of the washing machine in the past too!
It's part of being a Mom, I guess.....

 

[Pandora II]

I have the Canon G10 and while I haven't taken bling photos with it yet, it is a great little camera.

 

[Largosmom]

The reason the lumix point and shoots take good macros in addition to the glass and it DOES autofocus that close, is that it has a good image stabilization capability. None of my photos are taken with a tripod, though I do have a small one.

Yes, it is a good idea to use a tripod, and yes, a manual control will allow you to take more successful shots. However, I generally take shots at my office, where my lighting is better and I don't want to set up a tripod there, I just close the door during my lunch and take a few shots. I do get a lot of fuzzy shots, but I also get some in focus. Colors are sometimes on, sometimes off...but I also have fluorescent lights there, so the greenish tinge can cause problems with the camera sensor, so I cannot blame the camera all the time, I am more likely to blame the lighting.

I recommend going to your local electronics store and trying out what is there. Camera brands change over time and vary from model to model. I had a nikon 950 a decade ago...my first digital camera that shot the best macros. Lately, I haven't found a nikon point and shoot that could get as close as I want it to. I want a camera that can get within a couple inches and autofocus. Others want manual controls so that they can focus it themselves. Your requirements may be different than mine.

Laura

 

[cellentani]

Ugh, I'll bet that was a sinking feeling when you realized what had happened to your camera!

Up until last December, all my photos were taken with an old Canon SD1000 - nothing fancy, and no image stabilization. Right before Christmas, I got a Canon S95 - still considered a compact camera, but it has IS (although I think that's a standard feature on most cameras now), a larger sensor, and can shoot in RAW. There are manual options for focusing, shutter speed, aperature, etc, but if you don't want to bother, the auto features are fairly reliable.

I do feel that the larger sensor contributes to better colors, but there are still some cases where I can't capture the exact colors I see. I still have difficulty capturing the saturation level of emeralds, for example, but for some reason, the indoor shots in the Smithsonian weren't half bad. Maybe it was the lighting? I shot another emerald in sunlight, fluorescent, indirect natural light - all were horrible and washed out.

I now shoot exclusively in RAW (but the S95 has options of RAW, jpeg, or both). It does takes up more memory, but rotating between two 8GB memory cards gives me plenty of space. The camera comes with Canon Digital Photo Processing which I use to crop, edit, and convert to jpeg files. It's not any more complicated than the Picassa program I was using, and the difference in image quality is worth it.

I have a love/hate relationship with tripods. I know that a studio setup with a tripod will yield the sharpest images, but I never use one. I like the freedom of using natural light, then walking over to incandescent light without having to breakdown and set everything up again. Plus, I like to photograph my gems in the lighting I would naturally see them in - not through filters or a translucent dome. Having said that though, stabilizing the stone and the camera is KEY. Image Stabilization can only make up for so much wobble. Even then, your photos may be passable, but they'll still suffer some loss of sharpness, and this will be most noticeable when you tightly crop.

One other thing to note: my old camera had a silver body, and the S95 has a black case. I really notice the black being reflected in the gemstones, so I have to compensate for this by either backing away, shooting through a hole in paper, or photographing the stone at an angle. I wish cameras came in white for this reason, but I doubt they'd be very popular.

ETA: in addition to dpreview, I also like snapsort.com. There's another site too, but I can't remember the name....

 

[FrekeChild]

I'm starting to look into cameras myself, so this thread should prove informative.

But TL, I'd recommend getting a gorillapod. It's a tiny tripod that you can manipulate very easily and when I use it, it improves the quality of my photos tremendously. I think it's like $20 on Amazon.

 

[Michael_E]

I have a love/hate relationship with tripods. I know that a studio setup with a tripod will yield the sharpest images, but I never use one. I like the freedom of using natural light, then walking over to incandescent light without having to breakdown and set everything up again. Plus, I like to photograph my gems in the lighting I would naturally see them in - not through filters or a translucent dome. Having said that though, stabilizing the stone and the camera is KEY. Image Stabilization can only make up for so much wobble. Even then, your photos may be passable, but they'll still suffer some loss of sharpness, and this will be most noticeable when you tightly crop.

One other thing to note: my old camera had a silver body, and the S95 has a black case. I really notice the black being reflected in the gemstones, so I have to compensate for this by either backing away, shooting through a hole in paper, or photographing the stone at an angle. I wish cameras came in white for this reason, but I doubt they'd be very popular.

I don't use tripods because it's such a hassle to set up and then getting close and adjusting everything just takes forever. I find that if you get enough light into the subject, the shutter speed is fast enough to eliminate most problems with blurring. One other thing that I do is to use a small piece of styrofoam with a hole cut into it which just fits the outside of the camera lens, (tight enough to push on and yet come off easily if I forget it and the lens retracts). The white styrofoam is reflective and gets a lot of light onto the subject and the bottom edge can be rested on the table surface to act as a "mini tripod". Don't like the height...stick a book or two under the edge of the styrofoam.

Color is more difficult, but most of the camera's that I've had will change their color reaction based on the background color and varying backgrounds can affect how some stones look, so try different colored backgrounds. Good places for background materials are tile shops, (great for different textures and surface finishes), craft shops, (for different colored papers), and of course fabric shops.

 

[T L]

Thanks to everyone for all your suggestions, and making them easy to understand (I'm photo-stupid).

The sun hasn't come out for days, but why do the Nikon models focus so much better in natural light than in artificial light. I took a bazillion photos last night in my kitchen in my incandescents, and they all came out fuzzy. I take some photos in my grey interior car today on a snowy overcast day, and look at this stone, you can even see the dirt particles very clearly. This is better focus than I could get with my old Nikon camera, but still, I'm sure the photography can be improved. I will never get to test this camera in the sun until Spring. It's been cloudy here for eons.