Hi guys

Apologies if this sort of topic has come up before, though I was wondering what sort of cameras you guys use.

I have had a couple of articles accepted in the past year or so, though an issue which I am conscious of is that my camera isn't quite up to the task.

I bought a Fuji S1000 about a year ago, though the macro function is poor in my opinion, achieving a very shallow depth even with the lowest F stop setting.

I now have around £300 and was wondering what options I have open. Would that stretch to say a digital SLR with facro lens? or am I better off spending more on the unit itself.

I look forward to exploring some options

Stuart

you don't need an slr and for 300 quid you'll not get a great one. Unless you want
to go 2nd hand. Canon or Nikon have the best optics so I'd get the best one of those
brands you can afford. I just use an old Canon Powershot and get decent macro function
even for 1/72.

Are those picks of the Jeep as close as you can get with the Fuji? Canon
Powershot will get much closer than that.

One thing is to beware of is plastic lenses. Even some good brand name cameras cut cost by using them. I have a couple Sonys. One is an old, but reliable, Sony Mavica FD 95 which records to floppy disc. I still use it with a floppy adapter and a memory stick. It was right at $1000 in its day, but can be found for under $100 these days. The disc adapters and memory sticks are still readily available, too. It has outstanding zoom and takes superb closeups of the tiniest details. It had MPG abilities as well. Here's an overview of it: http://www.steves-digicams.com/fd95.html

I also use a newer 9.1 megapixel Sony Cybershot DSC-H50 which was reasonably priced. I paid about $300 for it on sale when it was brand new. For all the features it has which includes 15X zoom I think it was a good buy. I bought a 4 piece filter set for it for about $40. I really like it and it has proven to be a hell of a camera. Here's an overview of this one: http://www.steves-digicams.com/camera-reviews/sony/dsc-h50/sony-dsc-h50-review.html

I use Corel (formerly JASC) PaintShop Pro Photo X2 for my image processing. This program rivals Adobe's flagship imaging product at a fraction of the price. Go here for a free trial download. I recommend the Ultimate version with the background removal tool:
http://www.corel.com/servlet/Satellite/us/en/Product/1184951547051#versionTabview=tab1&tabview=tab0

I use a Fujifilm Fine Pix S700 with 7.1 mega pixels and get really great pic's with . The camera was around 500 bucks but well worth the price .