Are we talking about the auto focus?
No, I actually never warmed up to the auto focus function which usually is shitty in the macro range. I almost always focus manually
I use the PowerShot SX740 HS. Itās not the worldās best camera, thatās for sure, but itās an overall decent nature camera. Itās got a nice macro setting and a good zoom. It gets a little fuzzy after you cross into the digital zoom as opposed to the optical one, but it zooms well enough to take good photos of far-away things.
Itās also got an articulating screen that goes up and down, for mobility. Iāve found this to be useful in situations where I have to set the camera on the ground and look at the organism through the screen, facing up. It also has some pretty good video stabilization and shoots in 4K, which is fantastic for filming wildlife.
If anyone on this thread happens to be searching for a good long-zoom, macro, and overall useful point-and-shoot nature camera, this (or really any of the recent Powershots) are very good options.
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One camera i just started using is the Akaso Brave 7LE, an action camera similar to a GoPro. It has a lot of nice features, including time-lapse capability and a remote shutter release and for a tiny, relatively inexpensive camera seems to take good quality photos -
California Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma californica) from Lassen County, CA, USA on January 12, 2022 at 03:56 PM by Tom Rickman Ā· iNaturalist
Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) from Lassen County, CA, USA on January 11, 2022 at 03:30 PM by Tom Rickman Ā· iNaturalist
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I recently purchased a Canon SX70HS. Iām satisfied with the camera. The only thing I have problem with is taking pictures of fast moving objects especially swifts and all. Also it would have been better with more zoom.
I have a Canon EOS REBEL T3i, which is a good camera, but a little bulky, so I donāt always carry it with me. Iām using the lenses it came with the camera, as well as I have a 50 mm prime lens and 70-300 mm zoom lens (the cheap one!). I find that changing lenses is a hassle, especially when I have to do it in the field.
Another camera I have is a Canon PowerShot ELPH 360 HS. Itās not that great, but Iāve taken some amazing photos with it. Its main advantage is its size, I can carry it with me anywhere, even in the front pocket of my shirt. The 12x Optical Zoom is very useful, considering the size of this camera.
In 2019 I purchased a Canon PowerShot SX730 HSāfor some inexplicable reason I got it for just over 1/3 of its regular price. I love it: it is compact, has plenty of handy features and a 40x Optical, 4x Digital and 160x Combined Zoom with Optical Image Stabilizer. I especially like the 40x zoom; interestingly, using the digital zoom I was still able to take quite decent photos.
By the way, I joined a local camera club in 2003 (when I bought my first digital camera) and since then Iāve read a number of books & magazines on photography and attended a lot of presentations. I know that whereas better (and more expensive) photo equipment will potentially let us take better photographs, ultimately itās the person behind the camera that plays the most important role. Thatās why several years ago I decided to just focus on taking nice photos, which are watchable, but not really artistic, spellbinding or technically outstandingāand my modest photography equipment reflects that approach.
Edited:
I just want to add that over two years ago I bought a Kaiser Baas X300 Action Camera and it actually came quite handy as I made a video of a Hermit Thrush nest with 3 chicks which was on my campsite (you can find the link to my modest YouTube video channel in my profile).
Just last month I bought a Kaiser Baas X400 Action Camera for just CAN $50/about US$39 (which is an amazing price, considering that the camera boasts 4K resolution and comes with a waterproof case). Iām going to use it this summerāperhaps Iāll be lucky again and will make a video of a nest full of chicks!
Incidentally, Iāve been successfully using my Kaiser Baas X300 as a webcam with my desktop computerāthe picture quality is excellent and nobody has every complained about having issues hearing me.
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Itās the best choice for me, if we talk about casual trips and travels.
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My gear:
-Camera:
- Olympus E-M1 MarkII
- Olympus PEN E-PM2 x2
-Adapter:
- Fotodiox N/G-m4/3/M Helicoid Adapter for Nikon F-Mount to M4/3
- Viltrox NF-M4/3 Adapter for Nikon F-Mount to M4/3
- Viltrox NF-M43X Adapter for Nikon F-Mount to M4/3 (0.71X)
- FOTGA Tilt Adapter for Nikon F-Mount to M4/3
-Lens:
- Oshiro 60mm f/2.8 2:1 LD UNC Ultra-Macro Lens
- Nikon 200mm f/4 Micro-NIKKOR AI & Kenko Pro1D AC Close-Up NO.3
- Sigma 180mm F5.6 APO Macro UC AF & Sigma Achromatic Macro Lens Close-Up
- CL-Mil0838 8mm f3.8 & 2/5mm extension
- Opteka 15mm f/4 LD UNC AL 1:1
- Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 75-300mm F4.8-6.7 II
Flash:
- Andoer WS-25 Slave Flash
- Flash Godox TT350O
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By the way, what do you guys think about sharing photos as NFT assets? For example, I could find TopNFTCollections.com resource with itās top nft collections and it looks that some collections do have a lot of pictures made from actual photos. Do you think is it worth it? Looks like a good options to get some money from it.
https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/nft-nonfungible-token-of-an-observation/21534
Itās far from being ecologically friendly though.
I donāt have a lot of money, so I just use my phone and attach a macro lens onto it. The photos turn out pretty good sometimes
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Now using a second hand Canon EOS 60D with my fatherās 50mm prime lens and extension tubes. I have yet to see any focusing problems.
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Now using a sigma 105mm EX DG macro.
Here is an intriguing setup for very high-level macro photography:
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Ah man, equipment envy! Again.
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I primarily use my phone camera with a macro lens clip, but I also occasionally use an old compact digital camera, and my waterproof polaroid
My wrists are no longer reliable, especially for holding such a heavy camera (Canon 60D). It took thousands of good photos for me. This past weekend I shot an average of 500/day for 4 days. I take so many partly because I canāt see what Iām going to get anymore.
Iām going to get a new, lighter camera very soon - either that or stop taking photos, lol.
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I think image stacking is becoming more common nowadays. My Panasonic Lumix G80 (same as G81 in Germany and G85 in North America) has it and came out in 2016. I would assume that most Lumix mirrorless cameras since then have it too? (I wish I had a macro lens but sadly canāt afford one! I donāt use the image stacking regularly, have just tried it out a couple of times when I first got the camera. Most things I shoot close up arenāt still enough for it to work well)
Do you know about devices like Easyrigs? They are basically a small rucksack with a pole coming out the top and over your head with a line that you hook your camera onto. They are designed for really heavy TV/film rigs, to help with the weight and sometimes for stabilisation. They are mostly very expensive but there are some cheaper alternatives like the Flycam Flowlines. They might be too expensive or not useful for you, but they could be looking into as a way to keep using your heavier camera while taking the weight off your wrists!