I'm not quite sure what you want, but some guidelines might help you..

If you mean you want to take photos of small detailed sections - the size of palm of your hand or a flower head, then you're talking about Macro photography. The area size you need to capture is quite important. To get a good shot of an area you really need to take quite a few macro shots, as typically only a small area near the center is in focus. This is unavoidable..

A tripod ( even a small one ) would be useful as it is the best way to improve sharpness. Use a tripod with a timed exposure..

If you need to take photos of damage you'll need a flash. Flash, however, is not great with macro, and proper macro work uses a ring flash ( we're getting rather expensive here )..

Some of the bridge cameras are quite good. Have a look at the Fuji S6000/6500 which is a very versatile camera with good low light performance. The canon S3 might be a good choice - it has a very high magnification on it's macro mode and is also a very versatile camera..

Given that the camera sounds critical to the work, why would the size be an issue ? This sounds like putting the cart before the horse..

StephenG.

Fuji S9600Fuji S5200Fuji F30Fuji E900Canon A710ISPCLinuxOS..

It neesd to be as compact as possible as people fly with thesedomestically and internationaly.

Try the Canon A570IS. It has an optical image stabiliser to help with hand-held shots, will focus as close as 1cm, and has manual controls so you can, if necessary, set a small aperture to get better depth of field for macros..

And it's pretty compact without being tiny..

Androohttp://Androo.smugmug.com..

Thanks for the advice stephen. to answer your question about size, the smaller size is ideal since people are traveling with these and they don't need to be weighed down with a large or bulky camera. the cameras aren't critical to the job, they just make documentation, when needed, much more ideal..

Thanks again!.

Sjgcit wrote:.

Given that the camera sounds critical to the work, why would the sizebe an issue ? This sounds like putting the cart before the horse..

StephenG.

Fuji S9600Fuji S5200Fuji F30Fuji E900Canon A710ISPCLinuxOS..

How do people feel about the Nikon Coolpix 4500? it seems to get high ratings on macro capability but the LCD is super small. is there another camera worth looking into that's similar to this one?..

Hgarner wrote:.

How do people feel about the Nikon Coolpix 4500? it seems to gethigh ratings on macro capability but the LCD is super small. isthere another camera worth looking into that's similar to this one?.

Steer clear of this ancient camera unless it's for about $1. You'll find it very slow compared to modern cameras, it has no image stabiliser, and as you say, the LCD is small..

You know, just about any decent camera on the market will do what you want. Nikon always used to get good ratings for macro because they let you focus as close as 1cm, but others have equalled or bettered that since then..

If you don't have the opportunity to use a tripod though, you should seriously consider a camera with an optical image stabiliser to give you a better chance of getting the clear photos you want..

To give you an example that you don't need anything special, here's a shot from a little Casio camera I've been playing around with that has no pretensions to being good at macro. Do you need better than this?.

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Androohttp://Androo.smugmug.com..

Andrew Butterfield wrote:.

You know, just about any decent camera on the market will do what youwant..

Well, to further reinforce the point, pictures below were taken by total amateur (me) with a camera bought because it was on sale:.

IMHO, that more or less proves that unless we're talking about literally microscopic details, almost any camera made by reputable manufacturer would work. And if we're talking microscopic details, we need very different equipment anyway..

Although, stabilization and/or skill are very desirable. Or else it would be like in the last image....

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Comparison with matchbox....

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Actually, I've searched web for photos made with that camera.

Http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/minolta/dimage_xg-review/index.shtmlhttp://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/XG/XGA.HTM#pics.

Ok, those aren't great, but not all that terrible for a camera this size. I'm starting to suspect that you are overlooking something..

What are lighting conditions at the places your people usualy take shots? (indoor, outdoor, night, etc.)Is whatever they photograph firmly fixed? or is it moving?Are your people trained to take pictures properly?.

And yes, simply adding megapixs won't fix whatever is your problem, actually it may worsen it. (if you really need low noise at high ISO instead, for example...)..

Wow! that is exceptional!! i'm wondering if we're not doing something correctly.....

I'm starting to think the same....

Lighting is almost always indoors (gallery-type space with low-level lighting), objects are always stationary and not moving and the training varies..

Ablack wrote:.

Actually, I've searched web for photos made with that camera.

Http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/minolta/dimage_xg-review/index.shtmlhttp://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/XG/XGA.HTM#pics.

Ok, those aren't great, but not all that terrible for a camera thissize. I'm starting to suspect that you are overlooking something..

What are lighting conditions at the places your people usualy takeshots? (indoor, outdoor, night, etc.)Is whatever they photograph firmly fixed? or is it moving?Are your people trained to take pictures properly?.

And yes, simply adding megapixs won't fix whatever is your problem,actually it may worsen it. (if you really need low noise at high ISOinstead, for example...)..

I took this macro shot with an older pentax WP. They have newer versions but they all focus closely and capture a lot of detail..

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Wow, that looks so clear! so, I guess we're supposed to change a setting on these to help with macro shots??? i'm so not used to this and we no longer have the manuals to the cameras...sorry for my ignorance!!..

Hgarner wrote:.

I'm starting to think the same....

Lighting is almost always indoors (gallery-type space with low-levellighting), objects are always stationary and not moving and thetraining varies..

That's bad... Monkey with a $5 camera can take decent shots outdoors. (Ok, I'm exaggerating  ).

Indoors are very different. Maybe you need new cameras after all..

Less expensive ideas..

Maybe your people can use (mini-)tripods? That would allow longer exposures, and that may improve results even with current cams. (According to specifications there are EV bias and ISO controls built in, so if cam's software does not use that advantage it could be forced, I suppose.).

Training. Maybe a seminar or two with pro photographer/in-house enthusiast to cover the basics..

What to look for in new cameras:.

High ISO (sensetivity), low noise. Not something you find often in compacts, unfortunately."Fast" lenses (ones with as low "f/?" number as possible).

Flash performance (if it's ok to use it. Macro and standard flashes do not work well together.)Stabilization...

I second the Canon A570 for your use. The 4X lenses on the Canon A series have been superb with excellent macro. If you dont need a long telephoto or wide angle lens the combination of a sharp lens, stabilization and a decent flash range will give you a lot of bang for the buck: http://cameras.pricegrabber.com/digital/m/33724725/search=canon+a570 BuyDig and Abes are both reliable..

If you need more zoom range the A710 is also stabilized with a 6X zoom..

If you need something smaller the Canon SD700 is a good buy now that the SD850 is out. The SD850 is basically the same camera with more pixels, which you probably dont need. They are both 4X zoom with stabilization and excellent lenses..

If you have found yourself in tight spaces where you cant get back far enough to get everything you need in the photo you might consider a wide angle. The SD800 is a very good wide angle small camera but you forfeit telephoto to get the wide angle..

I dont own a Canon BTW. Im willing to put a little more work into shooting and post processing. But if I were choosing a camera to be used point and shoot by numerous people and wanted the shots useable right from the camera I would get a Canon...

Lit by a single ~60W light bulb and computer screen (only first 4 shots)..

All taken with camera set on a self-timer and placed on the table (unless noted otherwise, first 2 shots are obviously handheld.) Mode (unless noted otherwise): "Program" settings: ISO 200, WB "tungsten" preset, EV varies..

EXIF: Jpegs produced by cameras (normally) contain info on the way they were taken (in IrfanView press E to see this.) When noteworthy, I placed this info directly onto the image..

Lessons learned:You can do that. Man, some shots are _over_ exposed!.

Unless you are some sort of cyborg, you can't hold camera still for 1/2 seconds, which gave best results here. In fact even pressing shutter myself, not using self-timer worsened the result significantly..

My camera isn't exsactly like yours (looks like mine's ISO 200 quality is better slightly, and that extra mpixel and different software might or might not affect things as far as clarity is concerned.) But you can do similar tests yourself, and figure ou better settings..

Also, how do you post-process images? Do you crop or resize them? What are JPEG settings when you save? Any other operations?.

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Http://ca.konicaminolta.com/.../digital_cameras/dimage-x/dimage_xg/D_XG_E.pdf.

If link is blocked:.

Ca (DOT) konicaminolta (DOT) com/support/manuals/digital_cameras/dimage-x/dimage_xg/D_XG_E.pdf.

2.5 MB PDF..

Pay attention to pages.

40 (EV) As I said, biasing EV may be needed to "convince" camera that it's stable and can select longer exposures. (Ok, it's not like pro cameras "priority" modes, but can do the job, as my "pictures" post proves.).

46 (self-timer They don't say it can be used sor steadiyng shots, thou.).

48 In the age of cheap memory cards no need to complicate things further with low resolution (check compatibility before bulk purchases!!!).

50 WB (not sure if you need to use that.).

52 ISO. Auto mode only goes as high as ISO 160 on dImage XG, although reviewers say that ISO 200 is still usable, and ISO 400 is available, but noisy. You need to figure it out yourself...

Thanks. You might need to find your macro setting and use it. Some cameras don't focus this close though. Usualy the ones with the internal lens will allow you to do this..

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Thanks for all the tips everyone! I think i'm going to focus on the two Canons (A570 IS and SD700) recommended here. and, we're going to have a training session on taking macro shots.....

If $250-300 price range is ok, Fuji F31fd should be considered too..

At least review here shows better high-ISO quality than one of Canon A-series. No stabilization thou...