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Hello, fellow Dakkrades,

It's time for me to get a new camera. Here's my current camera, which isn't terrible per se, but it isn't too great either. It's got a macro of 2.5" more or less, and specializes in taking pictures that are vaguely unfocused. I've read the manual, and I don't believe nearly anything can be done manually - not f-stop, not focus, etc.

So, I've been thinking about this long and hard*, and here are the ones I am interested in, along with the macro setting, which as I understand it, is the chief stat for photographing warhams. I don't know anything about cameras, other then I need to use a tripod (I do) and I need to go into macro mode (I do). While I do intend to use this for photographing my spacemans, I also would use it as a general use camera: so one that's super awesome at minis and blows at everything else would not be a better choice for me then one that's merely awesome at minis, but also awesome at everything else.

So, the candidates:

Olympus Stylus 5010 - 14MP, Super Macro mode is 2.76". $107. (Specs)

OR

GE Power Pro X500-WH - 16MP, macro mode is 1.97". $135.59. (specs)

OR

Canon Powershot A1200 - 12MP, Macro Mode 1.2". $100 (specs)

If any of you Dakkamigos are camera-literate and can tell me which I should buy, I'd really appreciate it. The price difference between the 3 is not a concern, just included it for a sense of the market I'm in.


*this is an impulse buy I hadn't even been considering an hour ago

I'd have to say the prosumer GE Power Pro.

Also for blurry photos : decrease zoom and step closer, increase shutter speed or ISO

If I had to choose between those 3, I'd choose the GE one too. However, I don't have too much faith in GE products. I'd go with a non point and shoot Canon or Olympus.

Rather then tell you, let me show you, since I might be describing it poorly. I think these pictures are good examples of the kind of issue I have. It's not out of focus, exactly, but all the detailing is kind of muddy and indistinct.


Top right Ork, for example


Weapons on the ground, especially the rightmost;


Look around the flames near the ammo box on the top bike, and the front wheel of the rightmost bike, leftmost ork's dakkagun area.

I don't believe I can adjust the shutter speed, ISO is maxed, and I'm not zooming at all. The minis are usually about 8 inches away or so from the lens. I'm on a tripod using the timer. I'm shooting at 2560xsomething, and then after cropping in photoshop, saving as 1280xwhatever or sometimes 1600xwhatever if I like it.

Also, for what it's worth, at one point I knocked this camera over while it was on the tripod and banged it pretty bad. Since then it no longer beeps regardless of the setting, and the image quality has seemed to decline since then. I'm not a photography expert but I'm not an idiot either and I suspect these 2 events may be related.

This would also interest me - I have an Sony DSC W-55 and am running into the same kind of problems. No zoom, good lighting and neutral background - I even switched to multifocus, so the sensor isn't concentrating on any one area - and in group shots some parts of my picture are not very crisp. There's often some kind of blurriness going on.

Any idea what the problem might be?

I really can`t recommend the Olympus, a relative of mine had it and it suffered from all kinds of technical problems.

If you can spare the money, a DSLR is the end all solution to all your problems. If those three are your only choice, i would go for the Canon.

To the person above me, the blurriness may be caused by limits on the diaphragm in the lens of your camera. This is quite normal actually, and can´t really be fixed other by buying a camera with a wider range of diaphragm. Another solution might be to alter a few settings in the menu (you may have a macro setting) or playing around with distance and zoom.

The problem with non DSLR cameras is that the lens is often not big enough to use a large diaphragm setting (because there would be a lack of light then), causing blurriness. You can counteract this by using a excessive amount of light, but non DSLR camera's can't often handle this.

Btw, max ISO is not good. It causes a lot of noise in the picture. You are better of with more natural light.