How Good is CP4500 Without Digi-scoping? (1 Viewer)

GADZOOKS!!!........Ya reckon??

Wow, thanks for spotting that for me, M N Reeder. I think i best go and check.... :eek!:

*thinks about question regarding cp4500 being manually focussed....is that even possible on digital cameras?.....ooops...!!....... B *

tracker

Ok, ive just been to the Pixmania site, and under 'Technical Information', and 'Included Accessories' it seems to indicate that it does come with rechargeable battery and charger. Correct me if im wrong.

The CP4500 can be used in fully manual mode where everything, including focus, is under your control. For macro work I find autofocus is usually fine but it needs a bit of practice to get the settings right.

robinm said:

The CP4500 can be used in fully manual mode where everything, including focus, is under your control. For macro work I find autofocus is usually fine but it needs a bit of practice to get the settings right.

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Thanks for the clarification, robin.... :t:

tracker

Hi tracker

I bought my 4500 from pixmania - you might want to hold out for a while as the price fluctuates - I got mine for £312 + £9p&p. Also if you check out kelkoo.com you can compare prices and they sometimes have special discounts on pixmania prices for 2 or 3 day periods. I got a further £7 off this way.

The camera does not come with a case - but that is a standard omission with the 4500 and not just a pixmania thing. You do get the battery and charger but, being a French company, the charger has a two pin plug. But for the £ saving on the camera this doesn't bother me a jot - you can get an adaptor for a pound or two or even use a shaving point. You also English instruction manuals so no worries there.

Go on... take the plunge!

Regards

Matthew

Thanks Matthew,

When was it that you paid, the £312? and from where can you buy the British plug adapters, do you know?

Only thing stopping me buying this now, is i need to transfer funds to my account.....otherwise, the plunge is a good idea.... :t:

ive just taken your advice and gone to Kelkoo, Matthew, and there is a company called nomatica, doing this gear for £322 inc delivery.

Does anyone know anything about this company?

thanks,

tracker

I got mine last November but only got my hands on it properly at Christmas.

I'm still using the shaving point to charge the battery but I'm told you can get an adaptor from ASDA. Or try a Department Store like John Lewis.

I haven't heard of the other company you mention - but then I hadn't heard of pixmania until November

Matthew

mcapper said:

I'm still using the shaving point to charge the battery but I'm told you can get an adaptor from ASDA. Or try a Department Store like John Lewis.



Matthew

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You're right Matthew. You do get a charger and a Battery. As for the charger plug, just cut the two pin plug off and replace it with a three pin for about 50p.
Just out of interest does your 4500 have the red stripe on the front, rather than the blue?

Mark

M N Reeder said:

Just out of interest does your 4500 have the red stripe on the front, rather than the blue?

Mark

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I read on dpreview that the ones with the red stripe are for Europe and Canada and the model for the USA has the blue/green stripe on it. Other than that the models are identical.
Thats why i was asking earlier about the two models, but that was before i read dpreviews article...........

tracker

I use my coolpix 4500 for general photography as it's fairly pocketable and it takes excellent, very sharp, well exposed shots and also has plenty of useable modes. I have not used it much in macro but when I have the results are very good. In short it is a very good versatile all rounder.

Mark,

The camera is indeed a 'red stripe'. I checked before buying.

Cheers

Matthew

I think its another French company.Will nikon u.k. still repair it if it was supplied by a French company.Worth a phone call to Nikon u.k to find out.I think i saw some where that Pixmania offer a 2 year warrenty of their own.

Have you tried pricerunner.co.uk.They will give you the best price.

Ragna said:

I think its another French company.Will nikon u.k. still repair it if it was supplied by a French company.Worth a phone call to Nikon u.k to find out.I think i saw some where that Pixmania offer a 2 year warrenty of their own.

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Hi Ragna, thanks for your comments. Yes, Pixmania do offer a two year warranty, and Pricerunner points to Pixmania as cheapest supplier....... :t:

tracker

tracker said:

Ive really had my appetite wetted at the thought of being able to bring my scope into service through digi-scoping. But, i was wondering, as i enjoy doing macro photography, how good is the CP4500 on its own?

Also, can this camera, along with a scope, be used for macro work, or is it just for long distant shots?
tracker

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It should be very good. This image was taken with a CP995 and also using a TC-E3ED 3X extender. The bees are a bit out of focus, but this actually looks quite good in print.
http://www.jayandwanda.com/FlowerPics/BeeHeaven.jpg

In general, any added optic will probably degrade the image. However, the TC-E3ED is as sharp at some intermediary zoom ranges as the CP995 is by itself at full zoom. For practical purposes, you can treat it as not degrading the image at all.

Yes, you can do macro with digiscoping rig. I wouldn't call it the ideal setup, but it can work.
http://www.jayandwanda.com/digiscope/rubinar/flutterby_1082.jpg
Images will typically be a bit softer. So you will have to do some Photoshop "magic" to get the most from them.

tracker said:

In fact, why digi, as opposed to standard 35mm SLR'S ?
tracker

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Two big reasons. Overall cost per image and convenience.

I became a digital convert after I bought my Epson 750z. I've never really looked back. I've only been looking forward to more megapixels.

Doug Greenberg said:

The Coolpix swivel models do well for macro work; fact, it's believed by some people that their lenses are actually optimized for this purpose. However, the closest reproduction ratio is, as I recall, about 1:2.5, as opposed to an actual 35mm. macro lens, which will go to 1:2 or even 1:1. Also, to get this maximum close-up one has to get very close to the subject, so for animal life this is not convenient.

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Its been a while since I calculated macro ratios, but as I recall, the 1:2, 1:1 ratios etc. refer to the size of the image on film as compared to the actual objects dimension. If so, then a 1:2.5 ratio (assumed to mean the size of the image on the CCD) would be excellent.

The CCD of a digicam is smaller and resolves much more detail per linear mm than does a 35mm lens and film. The CP 4500 resolves around 130 lp/mm. Probably three times the resolution of a "good" (though not great) 35mm lens. So if the CCD is delivering around three times the detail per millimeter, then it needs only one third the actual macro ratio to give similar detail. That puts it roughly equivalent to a 35mm at 1:1.

A penny is .75 inches (19 mm) in diameter. The CP995 CCD is about 7.1mm wide (so is the CP4500'x). This image was taken with the very similar CP995 and is about as close as I could get to a penny. It seems to agree with the 1:2.5 reproduction ratio you mentioned since the penny clearly extends beyond the image frame. Similar framing on a 35mm would require better than a 1:.5 macro ratio.
http://www.jayandwanda.com/macro/DSCN7099_SM.jpg

Doug Greenberg said:

Even though the Coolpix zoom lens is excellent, it's fixed and when you add "helper" lenses for wide angle and telephoto the image quality cannot help but be degraded somewhat.

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I generally agree, but I can attest that the TC-E3ED is so well matched to the CP995 lens (and presumabely the CP4500 as well) that there is no practical degradation. In fact, the CP995 with the 3X is sharper at some zoom settings than the CP995 lens by itself at other settings. I've heard similar credible reports on the 2X and some of the wide angle Nikon lenses as well.

http://www.jayandwanda.com/digiscope/reztest/reztest.html

The tests of the CP995 at 16mm with the TC-E3ED (48mm focal length) show a sharper image than the CP995 lens by itself with no additional optics when used at 31mm (full zoom).

Jay Turberville said:

It should be very good. This image was taken with a CP995 and also using a TC-E3ED 3X extender. The bees are a bit out of focus, but this actually looks quite good in print.
http://www.jayandwanda.com/FlowerPics/BeeHeaven.jpg

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I love that shot. Theres so many textures and contrasts, and yet the picture holds itself together really well, no conflicts.

The butterfly one too, Jay, that you included above, is a pretty cool shot using your scope and cameras macro facility. I commented on it in my other thread. Thanks again.

tracker