How to shoot sharp handheld macro/close-ups...

First off- thanks to everyone who's responded in the thread. I'm glad some have found it useful.

Originally Posted by Menhir

Thanks Brian,

But hey - the more often I say, that a prosumer camera is a good choice for people that do not want to spend lot's of money in lenses and lot's time in photography theorie, the louder the people scream that have a DSLR and can distingush wether a photo was taken by a DSLR and which was taken by a prosumer, because of the significant difference in quality...

Yes...I think people often want to be able to justify their expensive purchases. I photograph semi-professionally (gallery exhibits/fine art sales as an on-the-side thing) and I've shown images from a 20D that people had sworn had to be medium-format, and images from a lowly S30, for example, that people swore had to be 35mm.

It is definitely true that SLRs are more versatile, and have higher image quality. But it is not always *relevant* for any given image. High-ISO? go dSLR. Less chroma and luminance noise? dSLR again. Large prints? dSLR. Low light shooting? dSLR still. Fast-action shooting? Yep- dSLR again. But the interesting thing is that so many people I know purchase dSLRs and have no intention of ever shooting above ISO100 or printing anything larger than an 8"x10". In fact, I know many people these days who do not print at all, preferring to view on their monitors instead. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, but you are correct- for many people, a fixed lens digicam would actually be preferable.

Ultimately, as long as people are happy with what they have, I guess that's really all that's important.

Kind Regards,
Brian

Originally Posted by Spiritmist

It is definitely true that SLRs are more versatile, and have higher image quality. But it is not always *relevant* for any given image. High-ISO? go dSLR. Less chroma and luminance noise? dSLR again. Large prints? dSLR. Low light shooting? dSLR still. Fast-action shooting? Yep- dSLR again.

Definetly! But - the newer the prosumer camera is, the more you will be able to also fit these situations. I think that about 90% of the "normal job" can be done by a prosumer camera. The other 10% need special possibilities, that a normal prosumer cam doesn't have. I think it's important to explain people, that it's only a low percentage of situations were they can't use their prosumer and that on the other hand, the DSLR won't solve these problems without the user having the right knowledge.

That's why I appreciate your thread, cause it explains how to manage a situation without saying "get a better camera". The better you learn to know what you want to photograph and the more you know about the right techniques, the more you'll be able to decide what you really need.

Greetings
Michael

P.S.: The picture of the gecko was taken with a Sony DSC-S70 (bought in 2000) with the worst AF on earth. The gecko has a body size of 4cm or about 1.5 inch.

WOW! Thats an awesome picture!

Ha. I feel like such an idiot. I bought myself a Nikon D50 a few months back...knowing nothing really about photography, but really wanting to learn and be able to take up close and macro shots. I read your posts...and since they were mostly greek to me, have decided I need to find myself an intro to photography class...or two...or three...LOL.

Hello Jenn,

Originally Posted by jennrosefx

Ha. I feel like such an idiot. I bought myself a Nikon D50 a few months back...knowing nothing really about photography, but really wanting to learn and be able to take up close and macro shots. I read your posts...and since they were mostly greek to me, have decided I need to find myself an intro to photography class...or two...or three...LOL.

No need to feel that way- we were all beginners at one point, right? Whether you take a class, read a book or just decide to learn by doing, make sure you remember to have fun with it. The truth is, there is not a lot of technical knowledge that is *required* to be able to shoot good pictures. It's the artistic side that tends to trip people up. I would highly suggest learning about composition also, and spend *at least* as much time on that as you do on any technical issues.

Just my two cents. Best of luck in your endeavors!

Kind Regards,
Brian