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close-up wildlife


Andy-Stone | Asked  over a year ago | Last response was 5 months ago

I'm looking for a camera for my partner, a wildlife officer.  Any type is considered.  It should be a general-purpose camera but with a key specialism - close-up outdoors macro.  Think bugs on leaves rather than birds in the distance.

Budget: probably below £500.

She is has outgrown her Sony Cybershot. I've looked at the current range of cameras and whilst DSLR seems a natural progression, there are 2 issues: bulk (she will be carrying it a lot at work) and quality (compacts seem to be be giving beginner-DSLRs a run for their money sub £500 at the moment?).

I've looked at CSCs but am not convinced: the decent quality ones seem to be so close to a DSLR in size I don't get the point.

A bridge camera possibly?  What do you think - I'm leaning towards compacts as they seem to have come on leaps and bounds lately.

The Fujifilm X10, despite being a bit flash and over-hyped, actually looks good particularly for macro.  What alternatives would you recommend?

Which camera do you recommend for Andy-Stone?

Fujifilm X10 - $504
12 MP|4x f/2.0|2/3" CMOS|2.8" LCD
Canon G12 - $509
10 MP|5x f/2.8|1/1.7" CCD|2.8" LCD
5 Answers
  1. Beginner I
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    5 months ago Sean-Wong recommends the Fujifilm Finepix X10

    I have played with both cameras, and I would have to say the Fuji X10 has very high resolution macro shots that are very close up (1 cm and sometimes closer in bright light!). The colors on the X10 are also much more vibrant. I would definitely recommend it to someone who loves close-up wildlife photography.

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  2. Beginner II
    Fujifilm Finepix X10
    Supporter
    Score
    5 months ago Sebastiaan-van-Stijn recommends the Fujifilm Finepix X10

    For macro, the X10 is hard to beat. Fuji has just announced the X20 which shares the same optics, but a different sensor type, you might keep an eye on that.

    However, owning a X10 myself, if you can obtain an X10, you won't be disappointed 

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  3. Beginner I
    Score
    9 months ago MyLittleEye recommends the Canon PowerShot G12

    I've not used the G12 but what I can say about the X10, while I love mine to bits;

    I would recommend it to everyone for most things...

    ...most things except macro photography!

    Yes, it can focus close but only at it's widest angle, 28mm
    This means that one often gets a lot of distracting background shapes even when they're blurred out. You're also stuck with a wider angle perspective on the subject which may seem a little distorted.

    We want be shooting at the longer end of the the lens, 60mm-112mm but the X10 just won't do that.

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  4. Intermediate III
    cameras Community
    Fair Minded
    Score
    over a year ago John-Kim recommends the Nikon Coolpix P7100

    Any time someone considers G12, I tell them to also consider Nikon's P7100, which has simliar features, capabilities and image quality. Nikon also has more useful longer zoom.

    Advantage of mega-zoom/bridge cameras are that although their form factor is similar to a small DSLR, it has a compact zoom lens with very long zoom capability without the bulk needed with DSLR for similar capability.  The four I recommend are Nikon P510, Canon SX40, Panasonic DMC-FZ150, and Fujifilm HS30 EXR.

    All of them have decent "macro" capabilities as well.  I recommend HS30 EXR over X10 for greater versatility, although X10 is more compact than G12 or any of the bridge cameras.

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  5. Beginner I
    Score
    10 months ago Dave-Hardison recommends the Olympus OM-D E-M5

    I can offer some insight about the Sony RX100 and MFT.  The lens on the Sony is good for close-up work, but the built-in lens and flash combo don't always work well together.  The flash power can be easily reduced, but when the lens extends, it blocks some of the flash.

    If you have your own light, or are using sunlight, the Sony RX100 can be a very lightweight option.  If you are going to get a sophisticated flash, then go ahead and get a micro-four-thirds camera.  The Panasonic G5 is excellent, and the Olympus OMD-D may be even better.

    The key here is the lens.  Panasonic makes a 45mm F2.8 image-stabilized lens that is nothing short of awesome.  It will run you into about $800, but it does amazing macro work, and amazing landscape work as well.  I am not an expert, so you may want to read up on the reviews, but the pictures I have seen are uniformly excellent.

    The downside is that you would be investing more in the lens than the camera.  If you look closely at the life-span of cameras compared to lenses, though, this is a completely rational idea.  A really good camera will be out of date in a year, and ancient in five years.  A really good lens will hold its value much longer than any camera.

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