Needed: Suggestions of a good camera for vids, and for Macro pics

I know that this is asking alot. I shot my video the other day using a cheap Nikon Coolpix L26. But I took it hunting with it in my pocket and would you believe....some pocket lint and dust has binded it up and keeps the ocular part from protruding out!!! It's a goner. I really think that I have had it LESS than the required 90 days for a refund or replacement from Wal Mark.
So...I will box it up tonight and see if they will work with me. I would gladly take an exchange, because when it was working right, it would take incredibly close up pics. I could even capture the rifling marks on a 20 caliber pellet as I was demonstrating the obturation of a projectile that occurs when a pellet gun is discharged.
Anyway, I would like to keep it under three hundred bucks. The Nilon L26 was like...a hundred and some small change. I bought a Nikon Coolpix S6300 last nite (for $127) and took a pic of the 25 centime franc. But it wouldn't take good macro pics. It would focus up close and then go out of focus. I was in the correct macro mode too.
If y'all would make some suggestions, I'd be mighty obliged. I need it to make decent short spurts of video, and take good coin pics. Thanks fellers!!!! Happy metal detecting to all and to all a good night. Or rather...Bonne nuit!!!! (since I found a French coin)

My wife bought me a camera a few years back with tooooo many features and poor instructions. I'm a simple man with a simple brain, so it wasn't a match. After that, smart phones came out and she got me one, same thing, too many features. She says 'get with the program', give me your phone I'll set it up for ya'. Uh oh, here we go. It took her over an hour to "straighten" it out. Now she says I owe her.
I tried to swing a deal we would both benefit from but she countered with 'how about a new kitchen or fix the ceiling in my office'. I sighed,... she said 'what's the matter?' I didn't answer but was thinking, jeez, it wasn't long ago the first deal would have sufficed, things are a changing.

Your 6300 will focus as close as 4 inches (100mm) according to a bit of internet research. This seems perfectly reasonable. It does seem to have a selection of exotic focusing modes, maybe you should try some of the simplest ones, like single-point (middle of the screen only), in case it's focusing on the background more than the coin. This is where keeping the camera away from the subject to gain greater depth-of-field is worthwhile.

Pimento, too late, I done took it back to Wal Mart. I am going to go ahead and order a good camera that will withstand the elements a bit better than my Nikon L26 (which is about 30 days old and completely useless, I may try Nikon customer service....wal mart now has a 15 day return policy for cameras and other electronics). The L26 took really good macro pics and didn't do half bad with movies. But if I'm going to try to take some in-field detecting vids ( merely for pleasure of the one watching....hopefully) I will need a go pro or something with alot of footage time. I am SO new to this stuff that i don;t know if i am even asking the questions.
About the 6300.....yes at 10 cm, or 4 inches, the camera would focus on objects. But if I moved the camera nearer, and hit the shutter button, the camera would auto focus and bring the coin into clear focus and then it would over focus and I would lose it unit I backed away. Anyway, for Macro Pics, I suppose any camera would do fair. But I want to save my finds in a sort of virtual file, especially coins, so that I label when and where found and start keeping a journal of this stuff. Just trying to figure out ways to enhance the joy of this hobby. My ideas may suck. But they are just ideas. And I FULLY and HONESTLY appreciate any and all feedback, either already given, or future. Everyone have a blessed week.

I like the idea of a computerised record of finds, findspot, etc, and have been tentatively trying to sort out something similar myself. This has brought up the subject of "how good do photos need to be?" The requirements for printing out pictures are different and more demanding than those intended for on-screen viewing. How good your photos need to be for printing can be found from these guides:
[graphicssoft.about.com]
[www.shrinkpictures.com]
As you can see, your camera has considerably more pixels than is necessary for a typical 4" x 6" or 5" x 7" print, allowing you to zoom in by a factor of 2 to 2.5 (by cropping the image) giving you more macro.
For onscreen viewing, the requirements are determined by your(and everyone else's) screen resolution, 1000 x 750 is as big as you really need, 800 x 700 probably is fine.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/11/2013 08:44PM by Pimento.

I may order another Nikon 6300 coolpix from an online source. I won't have to pay sales tax, and such. It really was a nice little 127 dollar camera. I'm thinking. I just wish I had one that I could take and make movies of live digs, SEVERAL live digs (hopefully), and piece them together for a Youtube production. Try to capture some of that FEELING that i feel and share it. Although others on here feel it as often or oftener than me. I need the camera to do that PLUS take good macro pics.
A Cyber-Journal could also include live digs for watching on rainy days and for showing others. And too, one could download (or upload?) them onto a blank CD or DVD and keep them indefinitely, just in case a computer crashed.

I am too looking for a HANDS FREE set up Kevin...

I am actually thinking of buying myself a Birthday present of a camera Rig...

But as everything else I will analyze one to death before purchasing...Then it will be obsolete..

Thats the problem with videos...they are so cumbersome to do ...you end up filming dud digs and the best digs or the best unmasking scenarios are not captured...

I jsut want to have one set there and run for 3-4 hours on a site and let me edit it down at home that night...

Tmanly and a couple of others in another thread has some good ideas'...

I know the Firefighters use a bullet cam they helmet mount...that thing looks nice...Yet the Glasses would be great too ..always show what you are looking at with no mistake's..

My hat cam I used for awhile, I had to keep my head at an uncomfortable angle for the screen to be in view..

I would really like to get into the filming more and more but I want it raw and real world...



I can envision the day when the simple glasses will be linked straight to youtube and live streaming will ensue for people who want to subscribe to your channel..

would that not be awesome...set at the house at watch as someone goes on a live hunt then have it archive to the youtube account...

I bet it will happen sooner than later...

Keith

Keith

Kevin, there's a lot of camera's out there that will do the job, look for one with 2 macro's setting, to take the super close ups, I got a Fuji, but it's 4 years old and they don't make it anymore, it has taken 1000's of pics, never had a problem, Keith, I'm looking into one of those visor video cameras that I can hook on my cap and tape the hunt as I walk along,they go for about 50 bucks, so I'm off to find some clad

Thanks guys. I appreciate the ideas and suggestions. Yes Keith, I want to be able to capture some raw digs and have enough available footage to last an entire several hour hunt, with only the "swinging over target from various directions" and the actual dig taking place. Our very own Bill (wjs) has a new youtube vid up. He shows what kind of set up he uses. Keith, please check that video out. He uses an articulating arm attached to his detector and he takes some awesome footage of the swing, the tone, the VDI number, and then he can set his detector dwn, swivel the arm that the camera is on, and take footage of the dig. Here's the linkage: [www.youtube.com]
I really don't think that WJS will mind that posted his link. It is VERY helpful. I am going to watch it again and see where he bought that arm and see what kind of camera he said he used....I think I remember him saying "Kodak". I have long been a fan of wjs's Youtube vids.

The best pictures come from a digital SLR and a dedicated macro lens mounted on a tripod. That's how I took the picture of my Chain Cent above. I use a ten year old Nikon D70 and a manual focus Vivitar macro lens. Even though this camera is only 6.1 megapixel, a large glass lens takes sharper and higher contrast images compared to big memory cameras having a smaller lens.

This camera and lens can be had for less than $200 off eBay.

-------

edit: Oh... You want video too... just shake the monitor.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/13/2013 01:39AM by go-rebels.

Pentax W90. Water proof, freeze proof, shock proof, and dust proof. Takes HD video, great pics, upclose ones too. Mine has been going with me since 2010 or so.

Thanks guys. I just ordered, about 5 minutes ago, A Kodak Playsport ZX-5 and a SD card with alot of memory. I also just ordered one of those articulated arms for mounting on the detector. This should add an interesting twist to detecting. My BIG challenge will be to group together several digs into one Youtube video but a forum member (wjs) has promised some tutoring.
After mounting all this stuff on my units, watch me hit a dry spell that last all summer!!! LOL!!!!! That'd be my luck. But like ol Abe Lincoln was quoted as saying: A man makes his own luck.
I want to say that I appreciate everyones feedback just the same. Lot's of good people here on this forum. Willing to help a body out. That's pretty awesome, if'n ya ask me. Good night. Kevin