Best Digital Camera

[John Shuey]

I don't know if its the best - but I use a Pentax Optio330s.  Its a 3.2 mega
pixel camera with 3X optical zoom and very good macro auto focus (it almost
never misses the correct focal plain).  It also has a "flip-out" view
screen, so that you can literally hold it at your knees and compose a macro
shot (in other words, your head doesn't have to be aligned with the axis of
the lens). This makes taking weird angle shots (like the bug is deep in the
shrubs over your head) very easy.

Perhaps its most important features are its price and size.  It's under
$300 - so its no big loss if you lose it.  (I purchased it as a disposable
field camera for use in the tropics).  And its small enough that it fits in
a shirt pocket (something that none of the 10X optical zoom cameras can do
at the moment).  I find that I carry it everywhere with me in the field, and
that its small enough that it doesn't interfere with collecting equipment.
I've taken so many more photos with it relative to my old 35mm days, that it
is amazing.

The bottom line is that I have absolutely no regrets with how this camera
performs for macro-lep shots.  I do wish it could do better in other areas.

If you have access to the yahoo lep site - go to
http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/tils-leps-talk/lst?.dir=/Belize+UFO%27s
+-+Shuey&.src=gr&.order=&.view=t&.done=http%3a//briefcase.yahoo.com/ to see
some samples - only the image IMGP0905 is at the full resolution - the rest
are greatly reduced - and none of the photos are cropped.  The dead bugs
were shot with this camera as well.


___________________
John Shuey
Director Conservation Science
Indiana Office of The Nature Conservancy
317.951.8818


> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-leps-l at lists.yale.edu [mailto:owner-leps-l at lists.yale.edu]On
> Behalf Of Stanley A. Gorodenski
> Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2004 6:02 PM
> To: LEPS-L at lists.yale.edu
> Subject: Best Digital Camera
>
>
> Minolta makes a 3.2 megapixel camera that has a 10x optical zoom and a
> good (allegedly) macro lens for under $500. The camera can still be used
> for normal photography. Can anyone who takes close up digital images of
> leps (as full frame images) recommend any others, and what other
> considerations there may be, having used one, in making such a purchase?
> Stan
>
>
>
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