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Nikon 4500 macro replacement for P&S macro (1 Viewer)

Mícheál

Well-known member
Hi all,

This is an odd request.

I work in a veterinary laboratory, and I am looking for a cheap camera for routine macro photography, mainly of post mortem specimens.

I have been using my own trusty Nikon Coolpix 4500 for this as I did not think much of the lab's camera for macro work (a Canon Powershot 590). I use the Coolpix for 'bird in the hand' shots also, and a friend uses it for moths. fantastic little camera. It is now time to replace the Canon in the lab, and I want to get it right this time.

Is there a compact camera that will match the 4500's macro performance, reasonable flash, can be held in one hand, decent screen, under €500?

Also has to be easy to use, as these are 'record shots' and a lot of them are taken pretty casually, and the camera will be shared by more than one user for pretty identical work. So ideally a camera that can be set up and will hold settings when switched off.

I am not asking for much am I?

Mícheál
 
Hi Micheal, I used to have a 4500 & like you say the macro is/was great. From there i progressed to a Canon A640, every bit as good as the Nikon image wise & with an even closer 1cm macro & still with a tiltable screen & a custom mode setting. This was replaced by the A650 with image stabilisation & a more than adequate 12 megapixels. I`ve just seen on ebay that a company has 10 of these for sale at just under £137 pounds each inc. p&p,used of course. I think one of these would more than fulfill your needs.
 
I omitted the canons from my answer because:
1 Macro needs to be activated each time the camera have been shut off
2 In macro mode on a canon, you cannot zoom in, and you cannot focus on anything a little further away.

However, I agree that canon have made some good ones, I used a canon A95 for a while.

Niels
 
Hi Niels,
In answer to your points.
1.You can set macro permanently in the custom function
2.why zoom in? you can go as close as 1cm & the camera focuses on the subject. For more distant objects just press a button & the camera is out of macro again. As the talking Meerkat would say "simples" ;)
 
Thanks to you both, that discussion covers the issues alright, and that macro self-cancelling issue was a heartbreak on our Canon. I never knew it might be possible to change it in custom functions, will check that.

Thanks so much for taking the time and for your advice.

Mícheál
 
Micheal,
For an inexpensive camera that provides high quality pictures and focuses as close as 1cm, there is the Nikon L100 (recently upgraded to the L110)

For my primary camera, I use a Nikon D300s with an assortment of Nikon's Micro-Nikkor lenses as well as a few other running from the 55mm out to 400mm effective focal length as well as the PB-6 Bellows.

I also have the Nikon L100 and often find the L100 much easier and quicker and is always ready to go to use than wasting the time it takes to set up the D300s. As the L100 is light weight, I often hold it in one hand and the subject material in my other hand and get amazingly decent photographs. And I get almost as high in quality pictures as I would had I set up the D300s with a tripod...

Case in point is a series of early spring tree buds I photographed this year and being able to point and shoot with my right hand as I steadied the branch with my left letting my wrists press up against each other to steady the shot, its something I'd never attempt with a D300s...

Here in the States, the Nikon L100 sells for about $240 last time I looked...

Hope this helps...
Mitch...
 
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