camera advice

[mekaine]

Right I need to buy a camera which is capable of photographing small object at close range, as in insects and snails.
It shouldn't be silly expensive either as its for a nine year old.
Any advice?
I've been looking all morning and am mainly confused now.

[Tid]

Just get the Phenom desktop scanning electron microscope from FEI. here is an image of a fruit fly foot taken with it...




Granted it might not be all that portable, and the magnification range of 20-20,000 times may be more than you need, and the price may be just a little high running into the several thousand pounds, but otherwise it would be perfect.

I'm such a geek that if I won millions on the lottery, I would actually buy one!

[Micky Teaspoon]

, and the price may be just a little high running into the several thousand pounds, but otherwise it would be perfect.

Can't you pick them up cheaper second hand? Perhaps from a Car Boot sale or something?

Failing that, me and MWTS will knock one up from bits left lying around in his shed. A bit like the A Team - 2 lengths of 4x2, a hanging basket bracket, some rusty bolts and a lawnmower, et voila - a Phenom desktop scanning electron microscope !

[man with the stick]

I can just see the side of a knackered old Transit now:

"Stick and Teaspoon - Phenom desktop scanning electron microscopes a speciality"


As for the actual useful advice - the only halfway decent camera I've ever owned is a Canon Powershot, which I think start fairly cheap. I think one of the serious camera spods will have better advice.

[Micky Teaspoon]

I can just see the side of a knackered old Transit now:

"Stick and Teaspoon - Phenom desktop scanning electron microscopes a speciality"

.

We'll be rich, I tell you. Rich beyond our wildest dreams.

[mekaine]

She has one similar to that and two crappy normal ones. I am trying to disuade the general microscopic bacteria stuff and stick to insects.

Is that the one that got caught under a lorry Tid?

[Tid]

No, the Phenom is MUCH cheaper than the £650,000 that got trashed on the lorry.

In all seriousness, if you have a laptop these are quite good...

http://www.firebox.com/product/2161/USB-Microscope

A USB microscope. I have one at work for taking pictures of samples.

It depends if the insects you are after are dead or alive! Snails are probably alright either way, but insects may well move a bit quickly!

[mitch]

Depends how much you're after spending. An entry-level DSLR could be about £400 but to photograph the things you need you'd also need a macro lens. I want one myself but the best value I've found so far would be about £300 (there are cheaper but I don't want to buy something cheap which won't do the job). For cheaper, you could find a decent compact for a couple of hundred which does macro. I used to have a Fuji that did some great close-ups for what it cost. Be a case of looking at reviews online or going to a shop and trying them out (then buying online where it's cheaper!). I have a Canon Powershot compact which is good, but it's not too good at doing close-up work.

[mekaine]

Thank for that guys.
We have a compact it doesn't really do the job.
It would have to be relatively high speed for the bees and wasps she follows about, three hundred pictures of them on the compact one day all out of focus apart from about five. The butterfly and hedgehog ones were ok.
I have looked abotu at the macro lenses.
If there was a compact that could cope with it that would be good too. I am not adverse to film as I have done plenty dark room work before and rather enjoyed it.
(digital is better as like I would have time for that faffing about)

[glesga lawyer]

I have done plenty dark room work before and rather enjoyed it.