Camera Advice

purplespider23

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jul 23, 2011
Messages
27
I want to start taking pictures of insects and T's but i'm not sure what kind of camera i should get or what kinds of specs are recommended. Whenever ever i see everyone else's pictures, they're just so beautiful :cry: . can anyone help me out? feel free to post pictures.
 

Quazgar

Arachnoknight
Joined
May 11, 2011
Messages
257
Figure out your budget and how serious you want to get with it. I've seen some surprisingly nice shots taken with point and click cameras if there is a nice lighting setup. If you're wanting to go dslr, which will definitely be advantageous if you're going to go take pictures of wild bugs as they don't have the delay between pushing the button and havin the shutter activate, then either Canon or Nikon have a wide range of good choices. Fujifilm also has a decent line that uses Nikon lens mounts. I would recommend looking at getting a cheaper body with nicer lenses than an expensive body and cheap lenses. Say, for example, you decided to go big and give yourself a $3000 budget, you could either get a Canon 50d and one or two top of the line L series lenses which will give you great results or a 1d and some cheapy lens that you won't be happy with.
 

Formerphobe

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Feb 27, 2011
Messages
2,336
I have a HTC Aria that takes pretty decent pics. :) But, will be watching this thread with interest because I really need a decent multi-purpose camera.
 

catfishrod69

Arachnoemperor
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 1, 2010
Messages
4,401
i have a fujifilm finepix S700...i can take pics that are a mile away or 1/4" away and they turn out mindblowing....its a 7.1 megapixel with a 10x optical zoom..the optical zoom is what you truly want to go by...you want a high number like 10, that is what will get you your amazing pics...i got mine on sale at walmart 2 years ago for about $130..good luck
 

telaranabella

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jun 7, 2011
Messages
31
I agree with the above statement about putting more toward the lens than the body. A macro lens is a great thing to have with insects but can also be quite expensive. I've done wildlife photography for about 10 years now and just got a Nikon and a 105mm macro lens about a year ago. I love the camera and lens but it was definitely an investment. I've previously used Pentax and was always happy with the quality of photos. I also have a nice pentax point and shoot that actually works underwater and takes pretty good video (its nice for social events as something you can just throw in your bag or your pocket). If you want to experiment with different lens etc there are also companies that will rent out camera lens (not sure about camera bodies) and if you have a local camera store you can usually mess with the various lenses in store.
 

hassman789

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 2, 2009
Messages
576
If your going for a dslr you can get an entry level one for like 600 I think. But you can also get good results with a point and shoot. I also used the fujifilm finepix for a while and it did a good job!
 

catfishrod69

Arachnoemperor
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 1, 2010
Messages
4,401
yes the fujifilm finepix is amazing...i have the macro which is pics up to 3 ft., super macro pics to 1/4", and then regular pics...i have pictures of gravevine that was iced over, i set it to super macro and held the lens all the way against the ice, then backed it off just a hair and took pics, and they turned out mindblowing..
 
Top