Macro shots

[mauricio]

Hi everybody,

I came here looking for some help and some advice on previous experiences that some of the people here might have on some cameras.

I'm looking for a small camera for holiday and vacation pictures. I've more or less narrowed the selection to the Canon A85, Canon A95 or Sony P93. One of the things that I cannot read in the camera's specs and that could help make a good decision is the "easyness" of taking macro shots... I have a hobby that is wristwatches and some of them (with domed reflective crystals) are a real pain to shoot and also need good image quality. My question is: can anyone give me some feedback on the macro abilities of any of these cameras?

Thank you

Best regards

Paulo

[Sebastian]

When looking at the specs what you are looking for is "Minimum focusing distance." That value will tell you how closely the camera can focus. In the past, Nikons have had great macro capabilities, as have Sony cams. I had a Canon G5 and a friend has an A60 and both were very poor in close-focus capability.

Also, look for a value for magnification factor or something similar. It will tell you how close you can get to lifesize reproduction on the sensor. A ratio of 1:1 for example would mean that a penny would be iaged just as large on the sensor as in real life, giving you a huge amount of detail since the sensors themselves are smaller than a penny.

[mauricio]

Thanks...

I'm new to the photo world... these things are still a mistery to me... But I'll look up the specs for these points you refer.

Thank you!

Paulo

When looking at the specs what you are looking for is "Minimum focusing distance." That value will tell you how closely the camera can focus. In the past, Nikons have had great macro capabilities, as have Sony cams. I had a Canon G5 and a friend has an A60 and both were very poor in close-focus capability.

Also, look for a value for magnification factor or something similar. It will tell you how close you can get to lifesize reproduction on the sensor. A ratio of 1:1 for example would mean that a penny would be iaged just as large on the sensor as in real life, giving you a huge amount of detail since the sensors themselves are smaller than a penny.