Canon with lense to take close ups of butterflies

[fishcrow]

I want to buy a good quality, used Canon to principally take close up pictures of butterflies.

I would then transfer the pics to my computer for identification and storage.

Not being very technical, I want ONE lense , and a simple well-priced camera.

I would appreciate any advice on models and an accompanying lense.

Thank you

[7D5D]

Are these dead butterflies where you can lay them out in plenty of light or will they be alive in the wild? What is your budget?

[fishcrow]

THe butterflies I want to snap would be alive and at a distance of 10 feet or fewer.

I would like to limit my budget to under $300.00, including the camera and lense.

Thanks,  M

[7D5D]

I don't know what gear can accomplish that for $300.  Even a decent Point and Shoot will run you $300.  I think you will have to look deep into used gear and even that will be a real stretch.

Maybe others will have some ideas, I sure don't, sorry.

[Skirball]

As 7D5D says, that's a tight budget.  It depends a lot on what kind of quality you want.  Also, Point and Shoots are slow, and you're going to miss a lot of captures compared to an SLR.

For that basic budget range I'd look at the SX50 HS.  It has an unbelievable zoom, which can help a lot.  Problem is, it's not quick.  It's not bad for it's class, but it has noticable shutter lag, and the shot to shot time is slow.  There are some point and shoots that are quicker, but the 1200mm equiv. focal length ("zoom"), would be helpful for your cause.  The specs say it has a 0 cm close focus...  I've never heard of that before, but suffice to say, you can get right up next to them (if you can) for photos. 

The problem with these hybrids and P&S is speed.  Speed has many meanings in photography, and they all apply here.  Shot-to-shot speed will help you get the captures you need.  As will minimal shutter lag.  But also, zoom speed.  Having to wait for an electronic zoom to pan out or in is an eternity when you're trying to get a moving creature.  Unfortunately you're looking at SLRs to fix these problems.

A baseline Rebel body with the 100mm Macro lens would be a decent setup....  but you're looking at close to $1000 just to get that started.

[hsbn]

Even with used camera, you cannot get a macro package with that price. The best alternative I can think of is buying a fast response P&S with high megapixel and crop it in post since I don't think the OP need a DSLR quality image anyway.

[fishcrow]

You guys are GREAT.... very helpful.  OK I'm ready to anti up to $400.00 for a DSLR  with a macro  and perhaps a 70/200 lense.

I do know that Canons are reliable and user friendly. ... also, I 'll be in the U.S. next week and hope to look at some equip't.

Thanks again  M

[hsbn]

Actually, after digging a little bit I think you can get something with $300 budget.

-Checking around ebay, most people sell the Canon EOS 350D (also called Rebel XT) for around $100-$150. It's a 8Mpx camera. I've used own it before. It's a great camera and certainly the image is way better than point and shoot even latest generation of P&S. So you can get this camera, and since it's used most seller included a bunch of accessories for free such as compact flash, extra battery, etc...So it's a good buy.
-Lens: There maybe some cheaper macro lens that I don't know, but you can get the Canon EF-S 55-250 on Amazon right now for $168. Ebay is even cheaper.
It's not hurt to be a little careful when buying on Ebay.

[fishcrow]

Is the canon E-s  55-250 a DSLR ? I could look on Kijiji and view it locally ( central Ontario) if I could find one.

Thanks  M

[hsbn]

EF-S 55-250mm is the lens. The EOS 350D is the body and yes it is a DSLR. You may not find the body in store anymore. But it's close to any current Rebel camera, so you can have a feel for its size and weight (It's close, not the same).