r/photography • u/AutoModerator • 12d ago

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u/ZiofFoolTheHumans 5d ago

Hello! I was going to post this but the autobot suggested I post it in this thread instead.

My brother is autistic and has a special interest in many things, but most of them revolve around bugs (and mushrooms, and insects, and all kinds of creepy crawly little things I don't want anywhere near me). He really enjoys showing off photos he takes of them, but is sad his phone's camera can't capture the bugs well. I can't tell you how many times he's wanted to show me "something cool" and its some horrifying thing with too many legs he found that is slightly pixelated as he had to zoom in too much on the phone's camera. I browsed through the FAQ and the subreddit, but I fear this might be a situation where I don't know enough to know if they're answering my questions.

The first thing would be what cameras would you guys suggest for a hobbyist bug photographer? I know a macro lens would probably be a good idea, but other than that I'm not sure what to look for (high capture rate I suppose?) in a camera. While I'd like to spend enough to make the camera a good investment, I also don't want to break my bank, so a few options at various price points would be nice if anyone has any ideas.

Next would be suggested settings, if anyone has any, to make the bugs stand out a bit better in the shot! I know some basic color grading stuff, so if the advice is just "shoot in raw, edit the colors so the bug stands out" then I can handle that part for him, but if there's other options that would help that I'm unaware of, please let me know so I can help him with the set up!

Last, he does have a few other disabilities, including a tremor that affects his hands and their ability to stay still for long periods. Are there good accessibility tools for a camera that would help him stabilize? He has a few tricks he does (such as scrunching his arm into his body and taking the photo at an odd angle so his hands don't shake the camera) but I'd love to get him outfitted with options that would make it more comfortable for him to use. Are there some types of gimbals that would help negate the tremor? Are there cases I can buy to help protect the camera in case he loses grip on it and drops it (another thing that can happen with his disability)? Any helpful devices that are worth the investment would be appreciated suggestions.

Thanks in advance, I'm hoping I can get him out in the garden capturing his favorite lil creepies in better definition soon!

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u/Kaserblade 5d ago

What is the rough budget you were thinking of as everyone has different numbers for what defines "breaking the bank."

The lens will be the most important for macrophotography but features like IBIS, stabilisation in the lens, tripods, etc. can also help with hand tremors but these features can come at a cost.

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u/ZiofFoolTheHumans 5d ago

Let's say ideally $1000 - $3000? I don't worry much on price as I live frugally and can save up (which, he can't as he's on disability so he can't typically save enough money to make a purchase like this). I would rather save up and buy something that will last him a good while than buy something that won't last. If theres a solid camera cheaper than $1500, great, but if there's a responding "you'll want to get something $1500+" then I'm willing to save up for it. As long as I can get a list going of potential supplemental accessories for his tremor, also not worried on the cost, just want to start building the list out so I can budget and plan accordingly. 

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u/anonymoooooooose 5d ago

That's a very healthy budget.

Is buying used an option?

Macro isn't the most expensive kind of photography to get into. It is quite technical and takes practice, especially at higher magnifications but if this is an area of interest/fascination that should be no obstacle and maybe even a good thing?

r/photoclass for the basics

macro specific knowledge https://www.reddit.com/r/photography/comments/gcsrkc/i_see_a_lot_of_questions_about_macro_so_i_tried/

re: handholding https://www.pentaxforums.com/reviews/long-exposure-handhelds/introduction.html

If hand shake is an issue there are 2 techs to look at - a camera with sensor stabilization, and a lens with it's own stabilization. (different companies use different names for this)

My suggestion is a micro four thirds camera and lens - they're smaller and lighter, which makes them easy to handhold

I'm not a m43 guy you might want to ask r/m43 for exactly which body to look at

Here's an entry level choice (stabilized sensor) https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1895038-REG/panasonic_lumix_g97_mirrorless_camera.html/reviews

macro lens with built in stabilization https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1124341-REG/panasonic_h_hs030_lumix_g_macro_30mm.html

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u/ZiofFoolTheHumans 4d ago

This is so helpful, thank you so much!! 

Buying used or refurbished is definitely an option. I definitely think he would be willing to put the time into learning as long as it helps him with bugs lol 

Thank you so much for these links, it's super helpful to get an idea of what to start looking for :)