Macro Range & Digital Image Stabilization

[UpstateNYShutterBug]

What's a good Macro Range spec for a camera? What, in your opinion, is the least you should have? Is there such a thing as too much?

Do I need Digital Image Stabilization? I have two cameras with it but I don't use it.

I've used DIS on my Kodak point and shoot cameras... I don't know what type they have... I'll see if I can find out... but it always seemed to me that there was a graininess when I used it... something didn't look right... like the image was digitized somewhat. I'll have to experiment some more now that I'm curious about it and I'm shopping for a new/old camera. There could be other reasons for my crumby photos like poor light or something. I'll experiment in good outdoor light and see what happens. I like my cameras, I just would like to take close up photos like them snowflakes I saw.

I found a camera in my affordability range that had a Macro Focus of 1cm but it had no DIS.

I have:
Kodak C813 Macro Focus 13cm
Kodak CX7430 10cm Macro Focus 10cm

I found a site called SnapSort.com that had complete specs for both cameras and then some. It's a great site for comparing features and it has all these older cameras too. The specs indicate that my cameras don't come with DIS... but that's not true. The switch on top can be rotated to a position that is DIS, and the screen says "Digital Image Stabilization...". I just don't know what type it is.

Hope you're all enjoying the holiday weekend...

[UpstateNYShutterBug]

I think the following explains my experience with DIS on my cameras:
Quote:
Digital IS

Digital image stabilization only involves using software and digital camera settings to minimize the effects of camera shake. Essentially, digital IS increases the ISO sensitivity, which is the measurement of the camera's sensitivity to light. With the camera able to create an image from less light, the camera can shoot at a faster shutter speed, which minimizes blur from camera shake.

However, digital IS often overrides the ISO sensitivity beyond what the automatic setting on the camera says it should be for the lighting conditions of a particular shot. Increasing the ISO sensitivity in that manner can degrade the image quality, causing more noise in the image—noise is any number of stray pixels that don't record properly. In other words, asking the camera to try to create an image at less-than-optimal ISO settings could compromise image quality, and that's what digital IS does.

Some cameras also refer to digital image stabilization to describe a piece of software built into the digital camera that tries to minimize the blur after you take the photo, similar to what you could do with image-editing software on your computer. This type of digital IS is the least effective among all types of image stabilization, however. Unquote.

Here's the entire article about DIS. How to Choose the Best Camera Image Stabilization
By Kyle Schurman, About.com Guide

[Matt]

I don't think DIGITAL IS is worth it. It's kind of a trick description.
OPTICAL IS or MECHANICAL IS, which shift the lens or sensor to move opposite camera movement is the best.

For a macro, it depends on where you want to be. If you are shooting closeups of insects you want to be far, but be able to focus with great magnification.
If you are doing flowers or other non-jumping/flying things, i think compact nice cameras have the best macro abilities (often beating SLR lenses) when it comes to focus distance.

I like my 35mm lens' quality but the focus distance is very close... often too close. I fear I may touch the subject with the lens.

[UpstateNYShutterBug]

I'll be getting a compact point-n-shoot job... for as little money as I can get it for, but I don't want to get anything if it won't do the job. Many of the cameras I've looked at have a macro focus of 5 cm or less.

The Canon Powershot A2200 has a macro focus of 3 cm, the "good" type of IS, and a long exposure time of 15 seconds... but it's on the outside of what I'd like to spend.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-S1... has a macro focus of 5 cm and the good kind of IS, with a long exposure time of 8 seconds... it beats up a lot of the competition, has excellent reviews... and I can get it for $49 bucks! shipped! I just want to know... is 5 cm a decent macro focus?

The long exposure time looks like fun. In a Comparison Test the Canon wins over the Panasonic... but being that I lost my job due to my spine falling apart... and that I'm pending surgery with an unknown surgery date... and then a long period of rehab and all that... and that I haven't a clue as to what kind of income or job I'll be able to acquire with the brooklyn bridge across my lumbars... certainly won't be doing what I did before... I could only hope for disability but that could take years... I'm thinking I should be tight with my cash... but I'm also thinking I should get as good a camera as I can get (get while the gettin's good, so to speak) so I can have some fun in between worrying about all that other junk.

[Matt]

how much is the Canon Powershot A2200 running?
Although I'm the type of person to tell you not to spend money you will need for other things, if you divide the cost over the time you would use it (as well as the happiness it could bring), it may make the difference in cost more justifiable.

Both have similar lenses, but the canon is a more advanced camera.

[UpstateNYShutterBug]

I found them in the eBay completed listings, working cameras were 37 and up, and up, and up...

The previous model aint' too bad neither... the A1200... it has all the same features... but it uses regular rechargeable AA Batteries while the A2200 has a proprietary Lithiom Ion battery. The Battery for the A2200 is not expensive though... a few bucks on ebay. If I could get it for a steal... I'd go with the A1200...

I've always liked the Canon name on things, especially cameras. My Dad had an original AE-1 from the 70s... all manual operations I believe... it took awesome pictures. My Sister also had one... one of the later ones with electonics, late 70s, early 80s... I had a really neat Canon Sure Shot Ace... point and shoot... that took great pictures and it had an infrared remote attached to the side of the camera. You just pluck it off, set up the camera, pose for your shot, hit the button on the remote and it would blink a bunch of times and then take your picture. It was a great feature. I was able to get pictures of my girlfriend and I together, instead of a pic of me, a pic of her, etc... and you didn't have to worry about a timer counting down to take your picture... and running to get all set up while the clock ticks away... I'd like to see a feature like that on one of these digital cameras.

I think I'll bide my time and see if I can get lucky bidding on eBay. I usually do pretty good over there. I have a lot of experience buying and selling. I'll dig around the house and shed and find stuff to sell to make up for the cost of the camera.

I have this stereo/receiver/amp out there that I found. It's a MAC. It was in a pile of junk at the place where I worked. It was pending disposal in a soon to arrive dumpster. It caught my eye and I went to check it out... it weighed a ton for it's size... so I thought it might be expensive. I took it home and sure enough it sells for quite a bit of change. I have an electronics background, and I've restored some vintage radios, phonographs, a jukebox... I haven't played with it yet because my broken back doesn't like lifting and jockeying around such things. hmm... i don't know... I got plenty of other junk I'm sure that ain't so heavy and that I could probably sell.

In any event, I do appreciate your help and attention. Aside from learning quite a bit about macro stuff and image stabilization... it's a fun way to kill time and distract myself from all the wierd crap that's going on with my body, while waiting for my surgery... I have learned a bunch of other things and found some wicked cool photography sites for learning more about the sport. I also found this really cool site called Psykopaint... where you can turn your photos into art. Some of the work that people do there is very brilliant and mondo-creative. I just made that word up... i like it.

oops... late for meds... as usual...

[UpstateNYShutterBug]

OOPS! I made a mistake! The Canon cameras mentioned here, the A1200 and the A2200 both have a Macro Focus of 3 cm. I wrote that the A2200 had 1 cm... that was wrong. Sorry. It's all this darn medication I'm taking for my back.

Before coming here, I stopped by that post about recovering photos from a memory card. Great Advice and I downloaded PC Inspector Smart Recovery.

There is something else I wanted to write here, but my short term memory is temporarily out of commission.