Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have the opportunity to try-it-before-I-buy-it and am having trouble figuring out how to take good macro shots. According to the manual (which leaves a lot to be desired), you leave the zoom on wide angle, and simply get closer to your subject (within 2 cm, which is really amazing). I tried a few shots that way (risking a bite to the face with my boa) and found that me and the camera were casting shadows on the subjects. If I used the flash, it only lit up half the subject because I was so close. If I use the telephoto instead, I can only get within 20 inches or so of the subject, and can't get that nice macro shot.

Does anyone else have experience with this camera?

Thanks!
Ronda
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Ronda Van Winkle
Northwest Herpetoculture

Rhonda,

I have owned this camera for a couple of months and am just now beginning to learn its advantages and disadvantages. It is capable of taking incredibly close "macro" shots (in "macro" mode) by simply getting close to the subject. Unfortunately, as you have discovered, if flash is required, the onboard unit will illuminate only about half of the frame, leaving the other half in shadow. Since I prefer using available light, this has not been too much of a problem for me thus far. The Eastern Hognose shot below was taken on "macro" mode with available light.

If the shot requires flash, the best option seems to be to zoom in from a distance (on normal mode) and thus avoid the shadow cast by the lens. The Coral Honeysuckle shot in the following post was taken in that manner.

The most disconcerting flaw I've found thus far involves the fact that one cannot use the manual focus when in "macro" mode. Although the autofocus is quite good, I feel that manual focusing ability is most critical when shooting close up, rather than vice-versa. All in all, however, it has been an excellent camera thus far.

Tom Lott

Coral Honeysuckle

Thank you Tom! It is nice to see some examples of what this camera can do. I currently have an Olympus C-2020, and am trying to decide if I should upgrade. The 5x optical zoom piqued my interest, but I was disappointed to learn that I can't get close AND zoom. I want to pollen and detail in eyes!

I'll have to play with it a little more before making a decision. I was having trouble with macro focusing last night -- the camera kept focusing on the background, instead of on the subject. I couldn't quite figure out how to use the 6-point focusing feature. Did I mention the manual leaves a lot to be desired?! You're right -- the ability to manually focus would be great here.

One more question... Do you have much experience taking telephoto shots without a tripod? Just curious if the photo gets a little shakey at 5x.

Thanks again for the info!
Ronda
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Ronda Van Winkle
Northwest Herpetoculture

Rhonda; Since you haven't bought it yet, why not try out the Sony F828? It has a 28-200mm zoom, and 8 megapixel resolution. Sony might make a ringlight for the Sony line of digital cameras. This is a ring shaped flash that screws onto the lens, and gives shadowless flash during macro shots.
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Lamar, Debbie, Nathaniel and Iggi :>~

Thanks for the tips! Long story short... I have the F717 (and only the the F717) available to buy very lightly used and very cheap. If I had to pay full price, I'd stick with my Olympus, which works just fine. I'm just thinking about taking advantage of a good deal, and perhaps get a new toy. I'll look into the ringlights -- thanks!
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Ronda Van Winkle
Northwest Herpetoculture

Ronda,

I agree with you completely about the manual; I guess they assume that most people are not going to read it anyway. Nor have I figured out all of the focusing options yet myself. There have been a few (admittedly, very few) occasions when I simply could not focus on a subject at the range I wanted. The "night-framing" option has thus far worked exceptionally well for me in low-light situations -- where other digitals that I have used wouldn't even begin to focus.

As far as the post below concerning a ringlight, I have searched Sony's catalogs to no avail for such an option. I have informed them that it would be a highly desirable accessory for a camera with such close-focusing abilities. I have a "Macro Speedlight" for my Nikon N90s, which works great. I suppose I'll have to investigate whether this could be adapted to the Sony (I kind of doubt it), although the Nikon Speedlight and its adapter weigh almost as the entire Sony digital!

I suppose in a studio setting, it would be quite easy to set up a number of slave flashes to solve the problem, but I don't usually shoot under such controlled situations. The same applies to the use of a tripod. I thoroughly appreciate the additional sharpness the stability of a tripod can bring to a shot, but I just cannot bring myself to haul one around in the field in addition to all of the other stuff! Besides, most herps I encounter are way down at ground level. The honeysuckle shot, by the way, was at ca. 5X and handheld.

In summary, the Sony is a great little camera. I wouldn't hesitate for a moment in buying one at a good price. At the same time, since I cut my teeth in 35mm, I can forsee the time when I will probably opt for a Nikon DSLR, which would allow me to use a lot of my current Nikon equipment. I always tell my wife that photography is actually cheaper and better than having something like a cocaine habit!

Tom Lott