What camera for macro photography ~£300

[RobinL]

Hello everyone,

I'm looking to buy a new camera specifically for macro photography, and I have a budget of around £300.

I'm interested in the camera having good manual features. One specific thing I need is control over the aperture because I want to minimise bokeh (blurring) in the macro photos I take (I'm interested in botany and insects so want as much in focus as possible for later study).

Does anyone have any suggestions? Is the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 a sensible option?

Thanks very much for any help,

Robin

[mastertrinity]

have you considered second hand SLR and macro lens? this is probably the best option. i have never tried the lx3 but unfortunately its zoom isnt long and so macro will be harder.

[Dogfish_magnet]

Have a look at Ajphotog posts he use's a Panasonic fz8 & Raynox DCR 250 for some of his shots with excellent results.

[RobinL]

Thanks a lot for the responses. I had a look at ajophotog's photos - they look great. If I could achieve that kind of result I'd be happy.

I've been looking at the specifications of various cameras, and specifically the "closest object" the camera will focus on. I've seen numbers between 1cm and 15cm - what sort of specification would be "good".

Also - given that you rightly point out good zoom would be useful - does it matter that much?

[foodpoison]

One of these:

Panasonic FZ28 (http://www.buyacamera.co.uk/xsearch.asp?searchtype=Name&searchfor=PANASONICLUMIXFZ28&pt=f)

And if you want to get REALLY close, one of these:

Raynox MSN-202 Macro Adaptor (http://www.digitaltoyshop.co.uk/product.asp?pt_id=932&p_id=5001&lg=1&c=RAYNOX_MSN-202_MACRO_LENS)

And then stick something like this to the flash for an even distribution of light from the on-board flash:

A Better Bounce Card (http://www.abetterbouncecard.com/)