Digital Cameras

[kestrel]

Good morning everyone

ReefGuy posted some very nice pics of his corals last night, and that has started me searching through threads...

What kinds of cameras do ya'll (yes, I'm a southerner) have? Any recommendations for good cameras? And warnings for bad ones?

Thanks
Daryl:santa:

[MontanaRocknReefer]

Hi kestrel! I have the Nikon Coolpix 990 and it is a very nice camera and will be even better once I get it all figured out. Here is a pic:

[reefguy]

i bought the sony dsc-s75. it's 3.34megapixel camera with 3x optical zoom and tons of other features. it was a great buy for the money, now if i could only get my photographic skills (if you want to call them that) in line! lol

i also recommend, if you can afford it, looking into a dye sublimation digital photo printer. there are several good models on the market (i again bought a sony) and they print your photos with such detail and quality that you absolutely CANNOT tell the difference between digital and film (seriously, i'm not exaggerating). hope this helps...

[Gary D]

How much money are you looking to spend? I'm a photographer and use the Nikon D-1 in my studio. But that's 5000 bucks. The big advantage is it uses all my Nikon lenses. If you have 700 to 800 to spend look at the Olympus D-40. Very nice! The Nikon coolpix cameras are very good also. My wife has a $300 Olympus Camedia 450. It has taken great pics of our tank.(I'll try to attach an example) We have gotten 11x14 prints off it! Not alot of bells and whistles, but a easy to use camera. One thing I would recomend is a card reader like the Zio I have. It makes downloading pics to your computer so much easier. If you are looking for user reviews go to www.photographyreview.com. Go to the digital camera section and read reviews by actual users, not a magazines opinion.:santa:

[reefguy]

here is another really good, impartial site:

http://www.dpreview.com

so, gary d...you're a D1 user, eh? a guy i work with has one and so far he's still on the learning curve. the only reason he got it is the same reason you gave--he has tons of money invested in nikon lenses i heard they're really great cameras, but i just couldn't justify parting with 5 grand over a camera

[Allyson]

Hey Garyd....is that picture taken with the Olympus Camedia? Beautiful!

Allyson

[MontanaRocknReefer]

Hi! I just took this pic with the Nikon Coolpix 990:

[asmith]

I have a Nikon Coolpix 995. It is a great camera. Here are a few examples of what it can do. I know that I will be able to get better pictures once I really learn how to use the camera and get a tripod, but it does a great job even with an inexperienced photographer.

Here is a picture of an acropora frag. It is about 1 inch tall.



And a picture of a C. Varians sea slug.



I took this photo through a microscope. We viewed a slide with some of our aquarium water placed on it.



And finally a macro shot of some flatworms on the glass of my tank.



Andrew

[asmith]

Here are a couple more great pics. The first is of a Purple Tang. Sadly we lost her a couple of months ago. The other is a shot of a Banggai Cardinal egg.





Andrew

[Gary D]

Yeah, 5 grand is alot for a camera, but much cheaper then 20 grand for a digital back for my medium format camera. ( I can buy a ton of film for 20 grand!) The nikon stays in the studio. I use the little Olympus for all myn shots at home. We went to The Monterey Bay Aquarium and took some cool shots. Some tanks had very little light and I still got good images. The crab shot was in a display that simulated depths of over a thousand feet. So there was almost no light! It's fun with this digital stuff because I don't have the cost of wasted film, just erase!:santa:

[Gary D]

Yeah, 5 grand is alot for a camera, but much cheaper then 20 grand for a digital back for my medium format camera. ( I can buy a ton of film for 20 grand!) The nikon stays in the studio. I use the little Olympus for all myn shots at home. We went to The Monterey Bay Aquarium and took some cool shots. Some tanks had very little light and I still got good images. The crab shot was in a display that simulated depths of over a thousand feet. So there was almost no light! It's fun with this digital stuff because I don't have the cost of wasted film, just erase!:santa:

[Gary D]

I'm not sure how to attach more then one pic, so her's another from the Monterey Aquarium

[Gary D]

Yeah, 5 grand is alot for a camera, but much cheaper then 20 grand for a digital back for my medium format camera. ( I can buy a ton of film for 20 grand!) The nikon stays in the studio. I use the little Olympus for all myn shots at home. We went to The Monterey Bay Aquarium and took some cool shots. Some tanks had very little light and I still got good images. The crab shot was in a display that simulated depths of over a thousand feet. So there was almost no light! It's fun with this digital stuff because I don't have the cost of wasted film, just erase!:santa:

[opihi]

does anyone out there have a digital ELPH camera? i got one earlier this year for a present. it's a great point and click camera, but unfortunately i can't seem to take any good macro photos.

is anyone out there using it and getting any results? what kind of conditions are you taking your pics in?

TIA,
jeff
:santa:

[pbrown]

My vote is for the Canon Powershot G2. Probably the best point and shoot available today.

4 MP
compact flash or micro drive supports
great optics
plenty of accessories

And here is another good review site.

http://www.pcphotoreview.com