Digital Cameras

[Alexander Kraev]

In article <5o63m5$ii6$1 at newsmaster.cc.columbia.edu>,
chalfie at cubsps.bio.columbia.edu (Martin Chalfie) wrote:

> I'm finally tired of waiting for pictures to be developed and am thinking of 
> getting a digital camera for our Axiophot.  What experiences have people had 
> with these cameras and which cameras are the best to get?  I'd appreciate 
> approximates prices, if you know them.  Thanks.
> 
I have been using a Minolta RD-175 (also known as Agfa Action Cam)  for
almost a year
now and I am happy with the results.  It has interchangeable lenses fitted
to an (almost)
regular Minolta AF SLR body (I think it is  450si in the US) and so you
can have real professional
quality images with its macro lens (tested to be one of the best SLR
macrolenses) and it intergrates
well into a Mac dominated environment ( I have no opinion for a
PC-version). The pictures
are transferred to a Power Mac using the software coming with the camera
and then processed with
Adobe Photoshop, and finally stored on 128 or 230 MB optical disks.  We
got ours with two lenses, 
a flash and some small accessories (like orange and  yellow filters, for
EtBr and SYBR Green, resp.)
 for just under $10000 as an intro offer. I think it is the only
semi-professional compromise at the moment. 
Cheaper cameras have a limited close-up range and mediocre lenses, and
thus are not much use in the lab,
 better cameras  are way too expensive. It may help browsing the last five
issues of any photographic
 magazine to get  an overview: these cameras are "hot" on the  consumer
market right now.

Cheers,

-- 
Alexander Kraev, PhD
Biochemie III, ETHZ Zurich
Phone 41-1-632-31-47
Fax 41-1-632-12-13
e-mail kraev at bc.biol.ethz.ch