Hi mxk :-)

I am sorry to say that although I love my camera and it is considered an excellent one, sometimes the whites are the hardest to photograph. The second issue with taking photos in full sunlight that don't look washed out. Maybe someone can give you more expert advice, but it has been my understanding that for the most part, even professional photographers avoid taking outdoor garden photos during the middle of the day and either get out there early in the morning or wait until late in the day. I myself follow that rule. I am not usually as happy with photos taken when the sun is at it's brightest.

As for recommendations, I was given a Nikon as my first digital camera, and I loved it! It took wonderful photos. Unfortunately, it was stolen after only 4 months of use. Very disappointing. I waited for a whole year and a half to replace it because I couldn't make up my mind what to get. I tried a few cameras and weren't happy with them and took them back. Last year I got lucky and decided on a Canon with the moveable LCD screen. I hit the jackpot, because I just love my camera and I use it all the time. I am almost always happy with the photos and if I am not, I assume it is something I am not doing right. [g]

Have fun finding just the right one.

pm2

I've had several small digital cameras. The Sony was great for people pictures but I didn't like the color rendering for plants.

My Cannon Power Shot SD200 does better with plant colors, as does my Canon 40D.

But, when it comes to taking photos, realize that a sunny day should be your last choice for taking just about any photo. Far better is the diffuse light of an overcast day.

You might want to ask about a suitable camera at the Photography Forum. Be certain to include your how much your budget can bear.

Here is a link that might be useful: Photography Forum

Over the years I have had several cameras and am convinced that no matter how many bells and whistles a camera has if it does not have a good lens it will not take a great picture. My ten year old Nikon digital takes great pictures if I am careful to follow the rules, several have been mentioned. Unfortunately a camera with a superior lens comes with a superior price. Al

I have used a number of different digital cameras for garden photography and there are lots of great choices. For a point and shoot type camera, Nikon Coolpix series cameras are moderately priced (in the $180-300 range) and they have great color rendition, image quality, and enough features to allow you to take great garden pics even if you aren't a pro. I also have had 2 higher end Sony DSC cameras (an old 717 and 818 I think). Those are larger, heavier and more expensive digitals, but they have a great Zeiss zoom lens. I love the feature that the lens can be angled from the camera body so you can take pics easily from a high or low vantage point.

The best place to buy digital photo (or any other photo) equipment IMO is B & H Photo in NY. They have a huge web site, huge block sized store in Manhattan, and great reliable customer service. They are used by many photo professionals. They won't be the lowest rock bottom on line price but will be very close, and they are far more reliable than many online photo merchants. You can go to Adray or any other local photo merchant, pick what you want, and then order from B& H cheaper.

It would help to see some of your photos. Sometimes all you need is a good photo editing program like Photo Shop to create more contrast/shadows/highlights. Photo editors can correct colors and pick out detail that gets lost in both glare or dark shadows.

Of course taking photos in the morning or evening give best results but sometimes we can't choose the time. Try some different angles with your camera to get more shadows and contrast. Occasionally photos shot at lower/higher angles or with the sun behind you overcome the washed out effect.

If you want a new point and shoot camera: Canon S2IS, S3IS, S5IS and the Panasonic FZ20 and FZ50 give very good results (recommended from personal experience). The Panasonics have excellent Leica lenses, 12X zoom, and good stabilization.

Digital SLR's for casual garden photos would be something like Canon's Rebel with a basic lens. There is a learning curve for slr's if you aren't familiar with them but they can operate on fully automatic mode like a p&s. The slr's do offer potential for future additional lenses, filters, gadgets, and better photos as you progress. Takes a lot longer to grow out of a slr;)

A good quality lens will have a long focal length where most of the picture will be clear and in focus, at least this is my opinion. My children and grandchildren send me lots of pictures on line using various digital cameras. These all end up on my hard drive and as I look through them it is easy to see the difference in the picture quality. You can never have too many pictures of your grandchildren which are of course perfect subjects. Al

I second David's recommendation to check out B&H. We got our Canon Rebel there.

In my opinion, you need a camera that is manual, or at least has full manual override. This gives YOU control over F-stop, film speed (even though there is no more film, there are still film speed settings) and this allows you to be in charge, not the camera.

I haven't yet learned to use my camera manually, so I have to put it on automatic with manual focus, and boy, does it tick me off when that darn flash goes off when I don't want it to! I've just GOT to learn how to use the camera so I can take some decent photos!

Funny thing about color though - I'm beginning to wonder if it's really all in the monitor, not the camera. My husband DOES know how to use the camera, and takes a huge amount of pictures, all of which look different on his laptop than they do on my computer monitor. I can't figure it out...

:)
Dee

I have a Nikon Coolpix L4. The clarity is really good, and it does close ups especially well. I still havent figured out all the settings on my camera either. It does have a neat setting on it that allows you to record short videos. The only problem I have with it is with the color. It does not do some yellow colors right. The pic of a Coreopsis turned out a strange translucent yellow-green color. I thought it might be my monitor too, but the printed pic of it was the same off-color. Some yellows it does perfectly though, so go figure. Im not sure if theres a setting on the camera to fix this or not. But all in all its a good camera.
CMK

For several years my colors on the monitor have looked dull and drab. An eye exam found a cataract problem and I had surgery to put in new lens(in my eye, not the camera)the difference is amazing. Al

Al!!! I can't believe you said that - because I *do* have cataracts!

Oh, no big deal, you might think.....except I'm only **40 years old**!!!!!

The opthalmologist told me a few years ago I had the beginning of cataracts (when I was in my 30s), and I had a routine exam this year. I'll tell you - I had a hard enough time dealing with turning 40, but when he told me I have CATARACTS to boot....well, now that made me feel old. Especially when he says the cataracts are progressed enough that the insurance will cover removal - they're at the stage that it is an option to have them removed.

I asked him if computer monitors are the reason why, since I spend 8-12 hours a day, 5 days a week in front of a computer at my job, plus a lot of hours of personal time for doing school work, personal stuff. He said there has been no conclusive evidence that the computer monitors are causing an increase in cataracts BUT he has seen a definite rise in the number of younger people with cataracts over the last few years, whereas previously cataracts were limited to the elderly for the most part, and he personally feels there may be a connection between the computers and early cataract development.

And yes, I wear sunglasses when I go outside, even on cloudy days up here in Michigan, my ugly "old man" sunglasses - since I know sun exposure is a contributing factor to cataracts - so that's not it.

My night vision is getting a little tough - halos around any sort of light.