What Kind of Cameras?

[fortran42]

Howdy all, was wondering is there are any suggestions on cameras (digital) that you all have found that produce good macro/close-ups for mantids or other small critter pictures...Currently use a kodak easy share 10mp but the close ups are always blurred and the flash puts a terrible glare on the non-macro shots. Don't want to spend a fortune but any thoughts,suggestions would be greatly appreciated..Thanks!

Ps-the kodak camera i have has typical macro, scene, vid clip modes and a 3x zoom i believe..was about $100. The camera does fine on outdoor shots where subject is say 3ft away or more...anything less than 2ft becomes a problem...

 

[Malti]

don't know your budget, but I'd go for a Canon SLR...thats around $2k I guess with a good lens...

if its too high, try a fuji finepix...I got mine with extras at around 450€ thats like $700

 

[mantiscraze]

See how far you can push your kodak easy share, test its limit.

Depending on the size of the mantids, i.e., how close you want to get, I would play around with various lighting options you have (flashlights, LEDs, sun). Find out the limits on your camera, test out how close you can get with a stationary object. To reduce blur, set it on one of those mini tripods or homemade support (duct tape or couple books), set it on timer, press halfway to focus, and then take a shot. Use the camera flash, if it's too harsh, use a diffuser, try to play around with translucent materials and place it in front of your camera flash and other light sources. Or just bring the mantis outside and have it illuminated with natural sunlight. If you aren't satisfied with the result, then a dslr + macro lens would be the way to go.