Digital Compact for macro

[ericdan]

Hi,

Is there a digital compact that does macro without distortion?
Most compacts can focus close to 1cm due to the small sensor but how is the distortion at that distance?
I am planning on photographing a flat surface close up and stich images together.

 

[L Gebhardt]

I haven't come across a small sensor camera that doesn't distort at macro distances. When they focus at short distances it's always (on the ones I've used) at the wide angle end of the zoom lens. But if you're stitching you could possibly get ok results by cropping off the edges. Why use a compact camera over a DSLR with a dedicated macro lens?

 

[ericdan]

Ricoh claims their GR positions one of the lens elements in a way that doesn't distort when put in macro mode. Don't know if that's true.
A compact would be much cheaper than a DSLR and I don't need the extra resolution.
Ricoh's GR III or IV are now pretty cheap on the used market.

 

[L Gebhardt]

I have no idea on how well the Ricoh's would work for your application. A used DSLR is also cheap on the used market, and so are some older macro lenses. A used Nikon D3000 and an old 55mm f/3.5 pre AI macro lens should be about $250. I imagine it will give much better quality than a compact.

 

[ericdan]

Do you have a link to some scans done with that setup?
Color negatives is what I am really interested in. I know that black and white scanned with DSLRs and a macro can yield great results.

 

[L Gebhardt]

Sorry, I've never used the D3000. I mentioned it as an example of a decent, but inexpensive used DSLR that would be in the price range of a good compact. I've had very good luck scanning black and white with both a D7000 and a D800E. Color positives have also worked very well. Color negatives have not produced what I consider fully accurate color in my limited tests. Most colors looked correct, but some seemed off. I haven't gone back to try again with some film that has reference colors in it (a Color Checker for example).

My best results involved using a color enlarging head as a light source. That let me dial out the orange mask in the taking step so all I needed to do was invert to get close.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Hi,

Is there a digital compact that does macro without distortion?
Most compacts can focus close to 1cm due to the small sensor but how is the distortion at that distance?
I am planning on photographing a flat surface close up and stich images together.

Since I bought the Micro Nikkor 55mmf/3.5 nothing else will do anymore as far as close-ups go wohw what a sharp lens that is