Hi guys,

First off, thanks for all the previous posts on camera selection, I've done quite a bit of research based on the information posted. Unfortunately I think my particular needs don't quite fit in with what I've been able to find.
I'm looking for a camera with great macro abilities to shoot individual model pieces (resin cast parts) that I will be selling. All the parts, weapons and accessories are 1/24 scale so they are larger than the standard parts yet have super detail that I'd like to show up in the photos. Most all the photos will be of the unpainted pieces.
The camera doesn't have to be able to do birthday parties or shots of that weekend getaway---just the parts. I'd like to have the price come in at $400 USD or below for the complete camera. I'm willing to put in the trial and error time and a bit of lighting/fabrication time as well to get the best results, but the camera needs to be out of the box capable. No sense in putting this much time and effort into creating this stuff with so much detail if no one gets to see it.

Thanks for your help!
Jim
Large Scale Armory

I use two cameras, one is a Panasonic Lumix LZ2, 5.0 Mega-pixel, the other a Panasonic Lumix FZ8 7.2 Mega pixel. The LZ2 you can now pick up pretty cheap, (Under $200.00) the LZ8 went for about $400.00 when I bought it.

Here's a fast shot I took earlier today of two 54mm figures I got for Christmas. Nothing fancy or a fancy set up, just the figures set on a bath-towel, on a folding snack-table next to the computer desk, lighting was nothing more than the daylight through the front window (very over cast rainy day here) and a 15 watt fluorescent desk light. Camera was the FZ8, set on auto, using the self timer, Macro lens, sitting on the table, approx 6 inches from the figures.



HTH

Hi
The need for an affordable camera that could still take some nice pic's of my model's has been something that I've been looking into for a few month's. I picked up a Canon Powershot S2 IS digital camera off of Ebay for under £100.00 just before christmas & have been testing it out on various subjects the last few days with some nice results.
I have been painting the figures to go with my PT boat diorama & I ook a few pic's of them. There not bad for a 1st attempt at close up with the new camera.
They were taken on a piece of cloth with a single desk lamp fitted with a daylight bulb. They were taken at about 5-6 " from the figures. The camera was on a tripod using its self timer. The instructions say that the camera can also do super macro which is as close as 0." Yep right up to the subject being taken. Not tried that near yet.
I'll be adding some more to my build site at a later date.
So I would recommend the Canon .

Thanks guys!

Those examples are much closer to what I'll be doing and what I need to have a camera capable of. The all important price is where I can manage it a bit easier too. The detail in those shots should be fine for pulling out the detail in the parts I'm producing. I'm also considering using a faint weathering wash over the cream colored resin parts (production parts are gray) to really bring up some of the depth of detail in the stuff.
I really, really appreciate your input on this, it does help tremendously! It's been very frustrating talking on the forum about this stuff and not having any way to show what I'm talking about. With a bit of luck I should be able to post some pictures of some of my junk in the near future.

Thanks again!
Jim
Large Scale Armory

I use the Canon Powershot A460. Like most powershot cameras, it has amazing macro/super macro abilities. I picked it up for about £80 over here, So i'm guessing about $160 for you lot over the pond.

It's a pretty cheap camera, but it performs excellent in super macro and macro mode, I believe this should do the job.


This picture was taken on macro mode, I don't have the settings to hand.