3 replies to this topic

[Ants4ever7]

I want a better camera and would like to know what everyone else uses.

[Ants_Dakota]

Ants4ever7, on 31 Mar 2025 - 12:56 PM, said:

I want a better camera and would like to know what everyone else uses.

I would recommend using the search bar. There are threads from excellent photographers who are no longer active that will help you greatly. I use the OM System Tough TG-7 because of its ease of use for someone not experienced with photography and also its waterproof casing and shock resistance. You can see examples of images in my journals in my signature.

Edited by Ants_Dakota, March 31 2025 - 5:08 AM.

[OwlThatLikesAnts]

Ants4ever7, on 31 Mar 2025 - 12:56 PM, said:

I want a better camera and would like to know what everyone else uses.

Just saying you will need a macro lens to take photos of your ants, most cameras can’t focus on the ants or just can’t take closeups without them..

[Full_Frontal_Yeti]

I gonna say get the $20-$30 clip on macro lens for a phone and use the phone camera.

A "real" camera that can use a decent macro lens is going to get costly fast. Like around the $1k USD and up zone. A quality macro lens will not be cheap and they are challenging to use as well due to the closeness of the shot.

And a low quality macro will produce some pretty poor images with a super tiny focal spot and lots of distortion around the edges. You can quickly waste a couple hundred bucks on poor one.

Here's my ants, most o f the images throughout the journal are all done on my phone, and using a clip on macro lens kit that cost about $30.
https://www.formicul...dentalis/page-8

 

 

The clip on lens can be junk too so look around a bit, they are low cost enough you might just order a few different ones and expect to toss some.
The one advice i can say on these clip ons,  is avoid the ones that make the lenses screw into each other, look for the ones where each lens in the kit is its own stand alone lens, not ones that you need to connect together in some way.