I have the sony Alpha 100, got it for Christmas and so far I have been really happy with it. A couple of the major deciding features for me was the Sony has the "super steady" feature built into the camera as opposed to the Nikkon which built it into individual lenses, this means ALL my lenses are "super steady" and not just the ones I paid an arm and a leg for. It's a 10 megapixel camera and the quality seems to be on par with it's competitors, it blew the closest priced canon out of the water and was rated only slightly behind the Nikkon and is quite a bit cheaper. Finally, Sony's lense design came from the merger with Minolta and all Minolta autofocus lenses dating back to the early 90's are compatible with this camera (which happen to include a few I own!!). The back catalog of compatible lenses means that I can shop around for an enormous variety of used lenses at a significant discount!!

I prefer that build quality on the nikon more, as I have a d80. Picture quality wise, most dslr's of the same level are pretty much the same.

Tom, if you aren't interested in a dslr, most digital cameras will take nice pictures, as most have a macro mode. Try looking for one with a big optical zoom, as the digital zoom not actually zooming (just scales and crops).

hi tom :)

i have the Canon S5IS. it's a decent camera, but i recently bought one that is waaay better. and takes much better macro shots!

i went with the Canon A650IS. it is smaller than the S5IS, but has 12.1 mega pixels. also takes AMAZING macro shots from within 1cm!! you can get the lens right up on the thing and it still takes crystal clear pictures! it even has an "aquarium" setting and underwater setting. not to mention numerous others. even a "kids and pets" setting. makes setting things up REALLY easy.

once i switched cameras i had people asking what camera i was using and started getting nominations for picture of the month (on other sites...lol). im not a great photographer, but this camera can make it seem that way.lol.

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w.../March8006.jpg
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w.../March8007.jpg
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...rilreef087.jpg

Nice pics Puff! :biggrin:

So wheres your entries for the POTM? :razz:

All the photos I have taken in the last year and half have been taken with the Canon S3IS, 6MP Ultrazoom (including all those on the site)

noone ever nominates me for POTM :(

i wouldnt want to be a geek and enter myself.hahahaha

What setting do you use to get those pictures?

Tom R

POTM (photo of the month) isn't done by nomination, you enter your photo like a contest. Its the TOTM (tank of the month) that is done by nomination (or entering as well) but its not a contest.

So send your photos in!! :wink:

Hi Puff

I brought a Canon S5IS home and all though its a very nice camera the 8 MP 20 x zoom is better suited for holiday scenery. I took it back and now have a Canon G9 12MP 6 x zoom. This is more in line with the A650IS. What setting are you using in the pictures you have attached above.
Do you take top down pictures and what setting do you use for them.

Tom R

I just picked up a Rebel XT and I really like it and I don't even know how to use it properly yet. I like the idea of being able to change the lenses to suit the situation. Even thought the lenses are expensive once I buy some they will be compatible with a body upgrade if I ever decide to.