With macros, I half think a compact might be the way to go... although if it's close-ups of larger objects (flowers, food, books), then a DSLR would do as well - you can't really do proper macro with a non-dedicated lens with a DSLR, but for such things, the Sigma 17-70mm lens for instance is quite good enough.
Macros really are the one area where compacts excel compared to a DSLR with a general-purpose lens. Although as I said, with bigger objects (as opposed to, say, insects), any decent modern camera should do fine.
Too much light isn't necessarily a good thing either! :-D As it can easily lead to clipped highlights, overblown (white) skies etc. It's really a dynamic range problem and one most cameras can't deal with too well on auto... you might really need to fiddle a bit in such conditions, e.g. use exposure compensation.
In low light the ideal thing would of course be using a tripod. But not that many places (especially museums but also quite a lot of cathedrals, I think) are not going to allow that. Unfortunately using an average compact hand-held in a dimly-lit cathedral or museum is not going to give great results.
I think this picture is what cemented my belief in the Fuji F-series... took it with my F10 in 2005, and I am positive that I could not have taken this picture with any other compact camera around at the time, not at 1/20 seconds at ISO 1600 (meaning, hmm, an 1/2...1/3 s exposure at ISO 200, I think, which is about the best other compacts could do at a time without a big loss in quality):
Yes, the darker areas are noisy when looked at full size, but this is a straight out of the camera pic, with zero processing of any kind... a DSLR would be better of course, but still.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 10 January 2008 19:26 (UTC)Macros really are the one area where compacts excel compared to a DSLR with a general-purpose lens. Although as I said, with bigger objects (as opposed to, say, insects), any decent modern camera should do fine.
Too much light isn't necessarily a good thing either! :-D As it can easily lead to clipped highlights, overblown (white) skies etc. It's really a dynamic range problem and one most cameras can't deal with too well on auto... you might really need to fiddle a bit in such conditions, e.g. use exposure compensation.
In low light the ideal thing would of course be using a tripod. But not that many places (especially museums but also quite a lot of cathedrals, I think) are not going to allow that. Unfortunately using an average compact hand-held in a dimly-lit cathedral or museum is not going to give great results.
I think this picture is what cemented my belief in the Fuji F-series... took it with my F10 in 2005, and I am positive that I could not have taken this picture with any other compact camera around at the time, not at 1/20 seconds at ISO 1600 (meaning, hmm, an 1/2...1/3 s exposure at ISO 200, I think, which is about the best other compacts could do at a time without a big loss in quality):
Yes, the darker areas are noisy when looked at full size, but this is a straight out of the camera pic, with zero processing of any kind... a DSLR would be better of course, but still.