my first digital purchase

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I am going to purchase my 1st digital camera for web site work and more. Most shots will be 1'-4' from subject, indoors. Willing to spend $400-$650. Should I go for fixed or auto focus. Flash will be important to me or good low-light capabilities in macro mode. I have read so many reviews I'm totally confused. Help!

-- Bernie Katz (bkpuff@bkpuffnstuff.com), April 12, 1999

Answers

oooh - stay away from Flash if you want good looking close-up work. This is especially true if your subjects have any depth to them. You really should consider setting up regular lights. The truth is they do not have to be professional lights, a couple of el-cheapo reflector floods from your local true-value and you're in business. You might consider 3 lights for Key, Fill and Back lighting. I recommend you go the extra money for a focussing unit - with a manual option. For close-up work you may get rather frustrated at the autofocus's idea of what the important part of your photograph is. If flash is really important you should consider a unit with a flash- sync connection for an external flash. Cameras like the Nikon and Canon do this. We're proably already outside your price range though (perhaps I should be in Real Estate).

Des

-- Dan Desjardins (dan.desjardins@avstarnews.com), April 12, 1999.


Manual focusing is hard to come by in a digicam, I'd actually favor an autofocus. - Fixed focus for closeups, you're going to get frustrated, and most fixed-focus cameras won't cover the 1-4 foot range you've said is important. FWIW, I agree with the comment about using some cheapie lights to improve the shots. BUT, if you use standard incandescents, the white-balance correction will be really important: Check out the pictures of the "indoor portrait" test shot on the Comparometer, at http://www.imaging-resource.com/IMCOMP/COMPS01.HTM.

That shot is taken about 3-4 feet from the model, under about 300 total watts of household incandescent lighting from an bare-bulb chandelier, and one 150 watt reflector flood aimed at the ceiling for bounce-fill. (Trying to simulate a bright but typical domestic indoor shot.) The cameras that look the best to you there will probably do well in your application. FWIW, the little Toshiba PDR-M3 or Fuji MX- 600 (virtually identical units) do reasonably well there, and you have a fair bit of control over the flash & ambient lighting with them. They should just about fit your budget too, and have a zoom lens to boot. - Check the pictures though, as that's what really tells the story!

-- Dave Etchells (hotnews@imaging-resource.com), April 13, 1999.


I have an epson 750Z and have had good luck with macro work with the built in flash. If foreground and background lighting is a problem the 750Z has a slow sync flash mode that help even out the lighting. You will need a tripod for this slow sync mode and the object need to be stationary or the image will be blurred.

-- Bob G. (rgreg88721@hotmail.com), April 26, 1999.

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