a noob to photography

**icefire** · 5th Dec 2010, 21:26

hi everyone. im planning to get a decent camera to take pictures of my shrimps. can anyone suggest which camera to buy? budget will be around 1.3k! please include other stuff needed to take the pics eg macro lens(cost and model please!)
thank you to all in advance

**icefire** · 8th Dec 2010, 23:25

uh no one available to advice? o.o

**HockeyPisces14** · 25th Dec 2010, 03:03

To recommend a camera for you would be very difficult, as there are so many options. It will mostly depend on what else you want to use the camera for. I shoot with a Nikon D70s SLR, but this does not mean that there aren't tons of other good/better options out there.
One word of advice for your shrimp photos, though: Invest as much as you can in a really good macro lens. Get one with the highest light throughput (i.e. smallest aperture number) you can afford. My now fairly old 105 mm 1:2.8D AF Nikkor has been my best friend for a long time, and by now there are better ones out there.
Good luck!

**eviltrain** · 25th Dec 2010, 18:28

For me i just use a usb micro scope to take my shrimps photo. Maybe out of 10 pictures taken, only 1-2 will turn out nice. When you take their pictures, you needs alot of patiences. Try to lure them with food closer to the tank side to take bigger image of them.

**porky0516** · 25th Dec 2010, 19:35

actually iphone micro shots are quite impressive

**icefire** · 17th Jan 2011, 14:17

thanks everyone for their reply(: I got a second hand canon 400d(I think) from my friend and now would like to ask which macro lens to get now?(: pricing you all can pm me! thanks so much hahas(:

**icefire** · 17th Jan 2011, 14:18

Originally Posted by porky0516

actually iphone micro shots are quite impressive

agree about 70% as the picture will turn blurry and pixalated if you magnify it to 200%(;

**eviltrain** · 17th Jan 2011, 14:55

that is due to the digital zoom, always best to get optical zoom for best results.

**icefire** · 17th Jan 2011, 17:47

hmm but still iPhone camera not that good as compared to dslr(:

**desmondekker** · 20th Jan 2011, 12:38

IMHO for 1.3k you can get an entry level DSLR with kit lens. the rest is up to your skill. i have a friend who takes amazing shrimp pictures with the 550D by reversing the kit lens. i tried the method myself, not easy to master. the high ISO performance on the entry level DSLR these days are pretty good, provided you compose them tightly and with minimal cropping during post processing.

a dedicated macro lens that will definately exceed your budget.

just my 2 cents worth.

cheers!

**desmondekker** · 20th Jan 2011, 12:56

just to illustrate the result of a reverse 50mm set up. once again, it's all about skill

**icefire** · 27th Jan 2011, 01:19

hmm reversing kit lens? how is it done? looks totally interesting

**benedetto13** · 27th Jan 2011, 03:04

Originally Posted by icefire

hmm reversing kit lens? how is it done? looks totally interesting

It's tough but worth a try!

**desmondekker** · 27th Jan 2011, 15:44

Originally Posted by icefire

hmm reversing kit lens? how is it done? looks totally interesting

basically you just use the kit lens the reverse way. meaning to say the lens is not mounted on to the body. there are some adaptors in the market that you can mount the kit lens the reverse way.

however, you won't be able to control the apperture electronically. you have to set the desired apperture before dismounting from the body. (not very sure about this part, but something along this line

)

**Huggable** · 2nd Feb 2011, 09:52

Apart from mounting a single lens reversed, you can actually stack 2 lenses, in the reversed manner. The first lens (mounted on the camera body) still maintains Autofocus and zoom, while the reversed-mounted 2nd lens acts as a close-up adaptor. Can get 2 kit lenses (with 52mm front thread), use a 52mm reverse mount ring to screw the 2 lenses together.

Easier to use for newbies.