I went to Target today to try out some new cameras. Right now, I've been using my wife's Sony Cybershot which is at least 4 years old and only a 4 megapixel. I've liked how it works, but I get tired of changing the settings every time I want to use it. Every camera I picked up at Target would not focus down on the penny I took in to test with unless I held it way back and then the penny only took up a small portion of the picture. I played around with settings on a few, but just couldn't get it to dial in on a good focus up close, even in macro mode. I simply can't believe that these cameras are less savvy than the one I've been using. Thoughts? Am I doing something terribly wrong? Or, can someone recommend a decent camera in the $100-$150 range? Thanks!
Let your wife pick out a new camera, keep the cybershot that you like. (Your wife thinks she is getting a present, win..win.)
Look for a "macro" feature on the camera. Some cameras will can achieve close focus automagically, others require a menu or dial setting, and still others don't offer a close focus feature. Two models that come to mind in this price range are the Canon A2200 and the Nikon S4200, but it's not a market I know particularly well.
or get a usb microscope. I currently use a sony cybershotH20 and the usb microscope camera will be my next upgrade.
I recently purchased a Pentax from target and it takes really good macro pictures (focuses at 1mm) it is the Pentax WG-10
@Jester, the cameras you're picking up are most likely DSLRs based on your description (or the big, bulky, black ones that will always be the best. Lol.) The reasons this is happenning are due to the fact that they all come standard with the 18-55 lenses which are meant for normal ranges and the macro setting will not change that. What the macro does is reduces your ISO so you get a nice short range focus at the same length (so, lets say it's for flower photography or model cars.) What you will need to do with one of these cameras to use it for coins is to either pick out the one you like and purchase a short range macro lens seperately (a very, very short one.) Or you could buy a very long lens with a minimum focal range of around 150 or 200 so you can just zoom way in on the coin and use your camera for some nice landscapes as another advantage. Or you could purchase a camera with a very high megapixel count (somewhere around 24 megapixels, i really like the Nikon D3200s if you go for this option) so you can just crop way in on the coin without losing any details. All these options will do the same thing but they are all going to be fairly expensive (i'd say you'll be spending somewhere between $600 and $1,500) but they will all be great investments to do. If you really want a good purchase, i'd say you should go with a Nikon D3200 or a Canon EOS T3i and pair it with a long lens (i love the 18-200 Nikors); this way, not only will you be taking some stunning coin photos but you could also use it for a side-job of photography and make some nice money shooting weddings and cars to fund your coin collection. That's what i do and it's really fun. Anyways, hope this helps.
If you have an apple phone, they have a camera app it is called camera+ here is the site http://taptaptap.com/ has great features, and is what I have been using since I got it. I have one of the original Sony cyber shots with a Ziess lens and a fujiflim fine pix I am using the camera almost exclusively. It has a 6x digital zoom that works as a macro. Here is a photo with it. If you have an apple phone it is a cheap fix. I still haven't got all the things figured out that this app can do. If you have a micro center near you they have a great selection of cameras plus a good on line selection. Micro Center Online | the center of .computer shopping
I ended up taking over the Sony and told my wife to go buy a new camera. Seems like the easiest way to solve the problem. If I had $1500, I'd get a nice SLR and lens, but I don't.
Zipscope seems to be a good price for what you get. [h=1]Aven 26700-300 ZipScope USB Digital Microscope with 2 Mega-Pixel 10x-50x Optical, 200x Digital Magnification[/h]
10-50x optical may be a little too much magnification for coins. For Christmas, my wife bought me a low-power Trinocular Microscope from Amscope, which maxes out at 4.5x before taking the eyepiece into account. For a camera, I use a Nikon V1 with a relay lens purchased on eBay. This is the result at full zoom, both full frame and a 1:1 crop.
Does that need additional lighting, or does what it come with work well? Any OS restrictions? I remember looking at one of these USB Scopes in the past and Win7-64bit wouldn't work with it.
I use a Nikon coolpix s9100. That definitely falls in your price range. I think it does a pretty good job.
