Camera for marco....best if it is a P&S

[DenKoh]

My wife needs a camera which can take macro (real close up) for her work. Real close up. She is a dentist and needs to take photos of her patients' teeth.

She wants something simple like a P&S. I was thinking of getting her a cheap entry level SLR with a flash ring but she prefers a p&s which she doesn't have to adjust. No need that high res. Able to do good macro is upmot important

I am thinking of getting an Olympus XZ-1. It has a super macro mode and a f1.8 which allows good photo in normal office lighting without flash. I would think using flash at this short (macro) distance would cause some washout or overexpsure.

Any advice or suggestion?

Thanks

 

[David Kwok]

My wife needs a camera which can take macro (real close up) for her work. Real close up. She is a dentist and needs to take photos of her patients' teeth.

She wants something simple like a P&S. I was thinking of getting her a cheap entry level SLR with a flash ring but she prefers a p&s which she doesn't have to adjust. No need that high res. Able to do good macro is upmot important

I am thinking of getting an Olympus XZ-1. It has a super macro mode and a f1.8 which allows good photo in normal office lighting without flash. I would think using flash at this short (macro) distance would cause some washout or overexposure.

Any advice or suggestion?

Thanks

Canon S95 (or upcoming S100). Macro at the minimum distance of 5cm. That is a feature of this camera impressed me. Below is a picture of a 10cents coin taken. One thing is you need to use external light because the built in flash at such near distance will over-exposed the subject. But I'm pretty sure dentist have very good external lighting

How I did mine below is still using flash, but covered it with tissue paper to soften the power of the flash

 

[ortega]

The oly has a led light for macro shots

 

[geikou]

I think any PNS with a min focus distance of 1 cm should be good enough. Any closer and the lens will knock into the patient's teeth. haha.
Oly XZ-1 seems like a good choice.

 

[gundamseed84]

Anyway just choose a compact that allows you to zoom in close? Being able to focus up close to the lens might not work because it seems like you are going to put the whole camera into the poor patient's mouth. At 1cm even before knocking the teeth you might knock the patient's lips or nose first.

 

[SkyStrike]

My old Powershot A650IS can also do the macro at 1cm...but requires good external source of light to focus on it..If you have any existing P&S, check the manual/specifications to see if "macro mode" is supported.

 

[HHtan12155]

Check out photomed for more information about dental photography. google it as well. My friend is looking for a "dental" setup as well.

Issues to consider. 1. Depth of field view. Recommended for dental work is a F22 setting. So almost everything you see in the photo is in focus. you do not want dreamy bokeh
unlike most macro photography. She will seldom take one tooth in isolation only.
2. You would want your light source is be reproducible. easiest way is with a flash. diffused.
This will ensure photos taken over a time period are can be more accurately compared.
3. Some photo views are taken indirectly. Meaning, a mirror is used and the camera takes the image of the teeth via the mirror
rather then directly. So you need more working distance then you think.

Point and shoots are usable but you need one with a little more "manual control" and you need to tweak the settings to get the best results. You can always crop in on your photos
to get a more zoomed in effect.

Conclusion. The photos taken become part of the patients clinical records. Spend more time/ money/ effort to get the best results.

 

[cannedpineapples]

The thing to remember with macro lenses is that they refer to wide-angle focal lengths. But since you want to show the whole set of teeth, this shouldn't be a problem.

the LX5 also has 1cm macro. Both 1cm and 5cm (S95) should be okay with you, although in practice the LX5 and XZ-1's 1cm may be easier to use since you don't have to worry about losing focus in front of 5cm.

Good flash/light is also important to get good photos. So try out the flash on each of these.