Some of you post amazing close ups of flowers and panoramic views of
gardens. What camera do you sure?
I listened to an experienced photographer some 2 years ago and got a
Fuji finepix 602 but it is incredibly complicated for what I want to do
, what with macro switches, manual controls, close up and fast and slow
speed settings etc. It is also heavy and quite bulky though I have no
doubt to an experienced photographer it is the Bees Knees.

Would like to get a new camera (flog the old one - we're not a 2 camera
household!) something I can use on flowers plus getting panoramic views
of gardens and our club shows etc to put in the newsletter. (As Editor
and printer I have to resort to drastic measure sometimes to get content
for the pages!)

Brother suggest a Panasonic dmc tz3 and the original friend who is also
photographer says to consider a canon umix 750

Any recommendations?

Janet
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

"Janet Tweedy" wrote in message
...
Some of you post amazing close ups of flowers and panoramic views of
gardens. What camera do you sure?
I listened to an experienced photographer some 2 years ago and got a Fuji
finepix 602 but it is incredibly complicated for what I want to do , what
with macro switches, manual controls, close up and fast and slow speed
settings etc. It is also heavy and quite bulky though I have no doubt to
an experienced photographer it is the Bees Knees.

Would like to get a new camera (flog the old one - we're not a 2 camera
household!) something I can use on flowers plus getting panoramic views of
gardens and our club shows etc to put in the newsletter. (As Editor and
printer I have to resort to drastic measure sometimes to get content for
the pages!)

Brother suggest a Panasonic dmc tz3 and the original friend who is also
photographer says to consider a canon umix 750

Any recommendations?

Janet
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

Janet I don't think you need a new camera. I don't know how much mine
differs from yours, but I have the 610 and can do anything with it. Close up
of a Butterfly, long distance shots when I am cruising. I actually bought it
when we went on our Round the World Cruise last year.

I do shots of reunions and put them on the web site and do video as well.

I feel sure it is a case of getting used to it and using it more.

Mike


--
www.rnshipmates.co.uk for ALL Royal Navy Association matters
www.rneba.org.uk. The Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association.
'THE' Association to find your ex-Greenie mess mates.
www.iowtours.com for all ex-Service Reunions. More being added regularly
"Navy Days" Portsmouth 25th - 27th July 2008. RN Shipmates will be there.

On Mon, 19 Nov 2007 10:27:40 +0000, Janet Tweedy wrote
(in article ):

Some of you post amazing close ups of flowers and panoramic views of
gardens. What camera do you sure?
I listened to an experienced photographer some 2 years ago and got a
Fuji finepix 602 but it is incredibly complicated for what I want to do
, what with macro switches, manual controls, close up and fast and slow
speed settings etc. It is also heavy and quite bulky though I have no
doubt to an experienced photographer it is the Bees Knees.

Would like to get a new camera (flog the old one - we're not a 2 camera
household!) something I can use on flowers plus getting panoramic views
of gardens and our club shows etc to put in the newsletter. (As Editor
and printer I have to resort to drastic measure sometimes to get content
for the pages!)

Brother suggest a Panasonic dmc tz3 and the original friend who is also
photographer says to consider a canon umix 750

Any recommendations?

Janet


Whatever you get, it is worth its weight in gold to get a tripod. I have a
standard one and a mini, fold-up one which fits into a handbag. Also if you
are doing close-ups, get a friend to stand out of shot and hold the flower
still :-)

--
Sally in Shropshire, UK
http://www.freerice.com/index.php
Give free rice to hungry people by playing a simple word game

On 19/11/07 11:46, in article
, "Sally Thompson"
wrote:

On Mon, 19 Nov 2007 10:27:40 +0000, Janet Tweedy wrote
(in article ):

Some of you post amazing close ups of flowers and panoramic views of
gardens. What camera do you sure?
I listened to an experienced photographer some 2 years ago and got a
Fuji finepix 602 but it is incredibly complicated for what I want to do
, what with macro switches, manual controls, close up and fast and slow
speed settings etc. It is also heavy and quite bulky though I have no
doubt to an experienced photographer it is the Bees Knees.

Would like to get a new camera (flog the old one - we're not a 2 camera
household!) something I can use on flowers plus getting panoramic views
of gardens and our club shows etc to put in the newsletter. (As Editor
and printer I have to resort to drastic measure sometimes to get content
for the pages!)

Brother suggest a Panasonic dmc tz3 and the original friend who is also
photographer says to consider a canon umix 750

Any recommendations?

Janet


Whatever you get, it is worth its weight in gold to get a tripod. I have a
standard one and a mini, fold-up one which fits into a handbag. Also if you
are doing close-ups, get a friend to stand out of shot and hold the flower
still :-)

We have a Panasonic DMC-LZ5 but that's now about 2 years old. We're very
pleased with it and it has a setting for taking e.g. flower close ups.
There are probably newer models. But I agree about the tripod. My hands
are shaky at the best of times (family trait) and my son has begged me to
get a tripod. ;-)
Sally, can you tell us where you got your fold up one? That sounds
extremely useful.


--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

"Janet Tweedy" wrote in message
...
Some of you post amazing close ups of flowers and panoramic views of
gardens. What camera do you sure?
I listened to an experienced photographer some 2 years ago and got a
Fuji finepix 602 but it is incredibly complicated for what I want to
do
, what with macro switches, manual controls, close up and fast and
slow
speed settings etc. It is also heavy and quite bulky though I have no
doubt to an experienced photographer it is the Bees Knees.

Would like to get a new camera (flog the old one - we're not a 2
camera
household!) something I can use on flowers plus getting panoramic
views
of gardens and our club shows etc to put in the newsletter. (As Editor
and printer I have to resort to drastic measure sometimes to get
content
for the pages!)

Brother suggest a Panasonic dmc tz3 and the original friend who is
also
photographer says to consider a canon umix 750

Any recommendations?

Janet
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

Janet,

You probably think that the camera is complicated because you are not
familiar with the modern camera. The reviews on it are good
http://tinyurl.com/2hsuny
and you have a good camera.

I know very little about digital cameras so, if I were you, I would
befriend someone who is into this type of photography and ask him/her to
'walk' you through the steps that you are likely to encounter. Make
notes of settings required for particular circumstances and build from
there.

Failing that approach you could Google using: digital camera tuition
or try your local education system for an appropriate course.

Regards,
Emrys Davies

In article ,
says...



"Janet Tweedy" wrote in message
...
Some of you post amazing close ups of flowers and panoramic views of
gardens. What camera do you sure?
I listened to an experienced photographer some 2 years ago and got a Fuji
finepix 602 but it is incredibly complicated for what I want to do , what
with macro switches, manual controls, close up and fast and slow speed
settings etc. It is also heavy and quite bulky though I have no doubt to
an experienced photographer it is the Bees Knees.

Would like to get a new camera (flog the old one - we're not a 2 camera
household!) something I can use on flowers plus getting panoramic views of
gardens and our club shows etc to put in the newsletter. (As Editor and
printer I have to resort to drastic measure sometimes to get content for
the pages!)

Brother suggest a Panasonic dmc tz3 and the original friend who is also
photographer says to consider a canon umix 750

Any recommendations?

Janet
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

Janet I don't think you need a new camera. I don't know how much mine
differs from yours, but I have the 610 and can do anything with it. Close up
of a Butterfly, long distance shots when I am cruising. I actually bought it
when we went on our Round the World Cruise last year.

I do shots of reunions and put them on the web site and do video as well.

I feel sure it is a case of getting used to it and using it more.

Mike



I have a Fuji finepix 5700 and would have to agree with the above, I
generally leave it set to Auto but I use the two macro settings a lot for
close ups and its a lot better than my previous camara a Kodak. Best
thing I did was put a 1gb card in it so I have it on the highest quality
setting and can still do several hundred pictures which means I always
take several shots using different settings and then discard all but the
best!
Find a flower and have a play
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

"Emrys Davies" wrote in message
...
"Janet Tweedy" wrote in message
...
Some of you post amazing close ups of flowers and panoramic views of
gardens. What camera do you sure?
I listened to an experienced photographer some 2 years ago and got a
Fuji finepix 602 but it is incredibly complicated for what I want to
do
, what with macro switches, manual controls, close up and fast and
slow
speed settings etc. It is also heavy and quite bulky though I have no
doubt to an experienced photographer it is the Bees Knees.

Would like to get a new camera (flog the old one - we're not a 2
camera
household!) something I can use on flowers plus getting panoramic
views
of gardens and our club shows etc to put in the newsletter. (As Editor
and printer I have to resort to drastic measure sometimes to get
content
for the pages!)

Brother suggest a Panasonic dmc tz3 and the original friend who is
also
photographer says to consider a canon umix 750

Any recommendations?

Janet
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

Janet,

You probably think that the camera is complicated because you are not
familiar with the modern camera. The reviews on it are good
http://tinyurl.com/2hsuny
and you have a good camera.

I know very little about digital cameras so, if I were you, I would
befriend someone who is into this type of photography and ask him/her to
'walk' you through the steps that you are likely to encounter. Make
notes of settings required for particular circumstances and build from
there.

Failing that approach you could Google using: digital camera tuition
or try your local education system for an appropriate course.

Regards,
Emrys Davies


That's my view as well. Lack of use I would say, or lack of familiarisation?

I have taken some superb shots and the enlargement facilities are excellent.

Kind regards

Mike


--
www.rnshipmates.co.uk for ALL Royal Navy Association matters
www.rneba.org.uk. The Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association.
'THE' Association to find your ex-Greenie mess mates.
www.iowtours.com for all ex-Service Reunions. More being added regularly
"Navy Days" Portsmouth 25th - 27th July 2008. RN Shipmates will be there.

Janet Tweedy wrote:
Some of you post amazing close ups of flowers and panoramic views of
gardens. What camera do you sure?
I listened to an experienced photographer some 2 years ago and got a
Fuji finepix 602 but it is incredibly complicated for what I want to do
, what with macro switches, manual controls, close up and fast and slow
speed settings etc. It is also heavy and quite bulky though I have no
doubt to an experienced photographer it is the Bees Knees.

Would like to get a new camera (flog the old one - we're not a 2 camera
household!) something I can use on flowers plus getting panoramic views
of gardens and our club shows etc to put in the newsletter. (As Editor
and printer I have to resort to drastic measure sometimes to get content
for the pages!)

Brother suggest a Panasonic dmc tz3 and the original friend who is also
photographer says to consider a canon umix 750

Any recommendations?

Janet

The "spot focus" or equivalent is good for flowers. Instead of the
camera balancing the focus over the whole picture, it only focuses where
the little spot is in the middle. Makes a huge difference in meadows etc
where everything looks the same.

Janet Tweedy wrote:
Some of you post amazing close ups of flowers and panoramic views of
gardens. What camera do you sure?
I listened to an experienced photographer some 2 years ago and got a
Fuji finepix 602 but it is incredibly complicated for what I want to
do , what with macro switches, manual controls, close up and fast and
slow speed settings etc. It is also heavy and quite bulky though I
have no doubt to an experienced photographer it is the Bees Knees.


I doubt your old camera is a problem technically.
However, you may need to spend some time learning how to use it.

I would recommend getting a few books, or going on a course at a local
college, on how to take pictures and understanding a few of the manual
controls and their effect (and which controls are not very useful!).
A tripod will help no end, and a few light reflectors can even out shadow
problems (bits of white paper, nothing posh!)



However, if purchasing again, I'm a fan of the Canon A series models because
they are fairly cheap, give good results, and have manual overides when
needed (and it has an optional extra filter adaptor, see below). But there
are lots of other decent cameras around.



One thing I would recommend for closeup work is a separate macro filter.
And for this to work easily, a camera has to have the ability to take
screw-in filters, either directly or through an adaptor. Many consumer
"point and shoot" cameras don't have this option.

The filters are very cheap (I paid about £4 each for a x2 and a x4). If
your camera has a long zoom range, the filter allows you to stand back from
the subject (flower) and take a closeup picture. With most cameras, the
closeup/macro feature requires you to be right ontop of the subject, and
thus suffers from both shadows (from you and camera) and optical distortion
(everything looks bent).


Short article on the topic of closeups here, OK its model trains, but swap a
flower for the train parts and you should get the idea. The train bogies
(silver thing) is about 30mm long and is stood on an upside down coffee cup
mat.
http://www.2mm.org.uk/articles/budgetphotos/index.htm




- Nigel



--
Nigel Cliffe,
Webmaster at http://www.2mm.org.uk/

On 19 Nov, 12:28, Charlie Pridham wrote:
In article ,
says...



"Janet Tweedy" wrote in message
...
Some of you post amazing close ups of flowers and panoramic views of
gardens. What camera do you sure?
I listened to an experienced photographer some 2 years ago and got a Fuji
finepix 602 but it is incredibly complicated for what I want to do , what
with macro switches, manual controls, close up and fast and slow speed
settings etc. It is also heavy and quite bulky though I have no doubt to
an experienced photographer it is the Bees Knees.

Would like to get a new camera (flog the old one - we're not a 2 camera
household!) something I can use on flowers plus getting panoramic views of
gardens and our club shows etc to put in the newsletter. (As Editor and
printer I have to resort to drastic measure sometimes to get content for
the pages!)

Brother suggest a Panasonic dmc tz3 and the original friend who is also
photographer says to consider a canon umix 750

Any recommendations?

Janet
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

Janet I don't think you need a new camera. I don't know how much mine
differs from yours, but I have the 610 and can do anything with it. Close up
of a Butterfly, long distance shots when I am cruising. I actually bought it
when we went on our Round the World Cruise last year.

I do shots of reunions and put them on the web site and do video as well.

I feel sure it is a case of getting used to it and using it more.

Mike

I have a Fuji finepix 5700 and would have to agree with the above, I
generally leave it set to Auto but I use the two macro settings a lot for
close ups and its a lot better than my previous camara a Kodak. Best
thing I did was put a 1gb card in it so I have it on the highest quality
setting and can still do several hundred pictures which means I always
take several shots using different settings and then discard all but the
best!
Find a flower and have a play
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwallwww.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

Hi Janet,
I have just bought a Fuji FinePix 5600 (refurbished --
http://www.fujifilm.co.uk/shop/refurb/shop.php ) for a very good
price.
It is in a different league to my old Olympus C-700.
With the new camera you can use macro to around 5 ft, and wit 10x
optical zoom it's a nice thing, geting used to it before going out to
Egypt and Jordan next year.
If you are havihg problems with your camera why not contact your local
Camera club
http://www.cameraclubs.co.uk/images/...d-Searches.jpg

David Hill

Sacha wrote:
On 19/11/07 11:46, in article
, "Sally Thompson"
wrote:

Whatever you get, it is worth its weight in gold to get a tripod. I
have a standard one and a mini, fold-up one which fits into a
handbag. Also if you are doing close-ups, get a friend to stand out
of shot and hold the flower still :-)

We have a Panasonic DMC-LZ5 but that's now about 2 years old. We're
very pleased with it and it has a setting for taking e.g. flower
close ups. There are probably newer models. But I agree about the
tripod. My hands are shaky at the best of times (family trait) and
my son has begged me to get a tripod. ;-)
Sally, can you tell us where you got your fold up one? That sounds
extremely useful.


You'll find mini tripods in any camera shop (be it Jessops or the local high
street) for less than £20.

Some come with bendy legs; have their uses, but can be annoying. Others
fold/compress.

Its a matter of trading off the compact size with what you hope to achieve
with it. Also, don't be afraid to use other things to support the camera -
a soft bag (called a bean bag by photographers) plus a handy
stone/chair/fence can work wonders. Some of the compact tripod designs
come with velcro straps which can be used to tie the tripod to something
else.

If using a tripod/support of any sort, if possible fire the shutter using
the timer-release function of your camera. Having pressed the button, let go
of the camera and allow it to take the picture.





--
Nigel Cliffe,
Webmaster at http://www.2mm.org.uk/

On 19/11/07 12:42, in article , "Nigel
Cliffe" wrote:

Sacha wrote:
snip
Sally, can you tell us where you got your fold up one? That sounds
extremely useful.


You'll find mini tripods in any camera shop (be it Jessops or the local high
street) for less than £20.

snip of useful info


Thanks for all this, Nigel. I'll take a trip into Totnes and see what I can
find there.

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

Stuart Noble wrote:

The "spot focus" or equivalent is good for flowers. Instead of the
camera balancing the focus over the whole picture, it only focuses where
the little spot is in the middle. Makes a huge difference in meadows etc
where everything looks the same.

By way of illustration

http://i18.tinypic.com/82lcyky.jpg

where everything is out of focus apart from the subject

On Mon, 19 Nov 2007 11:52:43 +0000, Sacha wrote
(in article ) :

On 19/11/07 11:46, in article
, "Sally Thompson"
wrote:

On Mon, 19 Nov 2007 10:27:40 +0000, Janet Tweedy wrote
(in article ):

Some of you post amazing close ups of flowers and panoramic views of
gardens. What camera do you sure?
I listened to an experienced photographer some 2 years ago and got a
Fuji finepix 602 but it is incredibly complicated for what I want to do
, what with macro switches, manual controls, close up and fast and slow
speed settings etc. It is also heavy and quite bulky though I have no
doubt to an experienced photographer it is the Bees Knees.

Would like to get a new camera (flog the old one - we're not a 2 camera
household!) something I can use on flowers plus getting panoramic views
of gardens and our club shows etc to put in the newsletter. (As Editor
and printer I have to resort to drastic measure sometimes to get content
for the pages!)

Brother suggest a Panasonic dmc tz3 and the original friend who is also
photographer says to consider a canon umix 750

Any recommendations?

Janet


Whatever you get, it is worth its weight in gold to get a tripod. I have a
standard one and a mini, fold-up one which fits into a handbag. Also if you
are doing close-ups, get a friend to stand out of shot and hold the flower
still :-)

We have a Panasonic DMC-LZ5 but that's now about 2 years old. We're very
pleased with it and it has a setting for taking e.g. flower close ups.
There are probably newer models. But I agree about the tripod. My hands
are shaky at the best of times (family trait) and my son has begged me to
get a tripod. ;-)
Sally, can you tell us where you got your fold up one? That sounds
extremely useful.


Tony bought it for me as a present some years ago, and thinks it came from a
local camera shop, Capital Cameras (we were then in Sussex); they don't seem
to have a web site that I can find easily. There is absolutely no maker's
name on it, but it looks a bit like the Manfrotto MN709B Digi Tabletop Black
Tripod shown on the Park Cameras web site:
http://www.parkcameras.com/ProductDetails/mcs/productID/880

It's available in quite a few other places as well, for instance:
http://www.camera-
shop.co.uk/acatalog/Manfrotto_Digi_Tripods_with_Integral_Head.html (watch
the line wrap) so you could always shop around - or ask in a good camera
shop.

Mine measures just over 7 inches in length collapsed, and the retractable
legs pull out more-or-less sideways so that it's only about 7 and a half
inches extended. It's absolutely brilliant to give you that extra bit of
stability, and very lightweight (like you, I have a back problem, so don't
like toting around lots of heavy clutter).

--
Sally in Shropshire, UK
Burne-Jones/William Morris window in Shropshire church with conservation
churchyard:
http://www.whitton-stmarys.org.uk

On 19 Nov, 13:19, Sally Thompson
wrote:
On Mon, 19 Nov 2007 11:52:43 +0000, Sacha wrote
(in article ) :



On 19/11/07 11:46, in article
t, "Sally Thompson"
wrote:

On Mon, 19 Nov 2007 10:27:40 +0000, Janet Tweedy wrote
(in article ):

Some of you post amazing close ups of flowers and panoramic views of
gardens. What camera do you sure?
I listened to an experienced photographer some 2 years ago and got a
Fuji finepix 602 but it is incredibly complicated for what I want to do
, what with macro switches, manual controls, close up and fast and slow
speed settings etc. It is also heavy and quite bulky though I have no
doubt to an experienced photographer it is the Bees Knees.

Would like to get a new camera (flog the old one - we're not a 2 camera
household!) something I can use on flowers plus getting panoramic views
of gardens and our club shows etc to put in the newsletter. (As Editor
and printer I have to resort to drastic measure sometimes to get content
for the pages!)

Brother suggest a Panasonic dmc tz3 and the original friend who is also
photographer says to consider a canon umix 750

Any recommendations?

Janet

Whatever you get, it is worth its weight in gold to get a tripod. I have a
standard one and a mini, fold-up one which fits into a handbag. Also if you
are doing close-ups, get a friend to stand out of shot and hold the flower
still :-)

We have a Panasonic DMC-LZ5 but that's now about 2 years old. We're very
pleased with it and it has a setting for taking e.g. flower close ups.
There are probably newer models. But I agree about the tripod. My hands
are shaky at the best of times (family trait) and my son has begged me to
get a tripod. ;-)
Sally, can you tell us where you got your fold up one? That sounds
extremely useful.

Tony bought it for me as a present some years ago, and thinks it came from a
local camera shop, Capital Cameras (we were then in Sussex); they don't seem
to have a web site that I can find easily. There is absolutely no maker's
name on it, but it looks a bit like the Manfrotto MN709B Digi Tabletop Black
Tripod shown on the Park Cameras web site:
http://www.parkcameras.com/ProductDetails/mcs/productID/880

It's available in quite a few other places as well, for instance:
http://www.camera-
shop.co.uk/acatalog/Manfrotto_Digi_Tripods_with_Integral_Head.html (watch
the line wrap) so you could always shop around - or ask in a good camera
shop.

Mine measures just over 7 inches in length collapsed, and the retractable
legs pull out more-or-less sideways so that it's only about 7 and a half
inches extended. It's absolutely brilliant to give you that extra bit of
stability, and very lightweight (like you, I have a back problem, so don't
like toting around lots of heavy clutter).

--
Sally in Shropshire, UK
Burne-Jones/William Morris window in Shropshire church with conservation
churchyard:http://www.whitton-stmarys.org.uk

Strange that no one has mentioned a Mono Pod, a lot less to lug
around.
David Hill