close-up scientific photography : how much cost to get started ?

[muddy123]

206-279-4259 what would i need to get started, eg, camera ?, etc. what's my biggest expense etc. ? thanks

 

[Tomasko]

Close-up of what? insects? cells? ...

 

[cgipson1]

Camera body (probably want a FF body with lots of MP) If you are doing this professionally, really should have at least two bodies.... (or you may need film instead of digital.. depends on what you are doing)
Macro lens, bellows, extension tubes, etc.. unless you are talking microphotography.. whole different story.
Lighting equipment (ringlights, diffusers, etc)
possibly brackets, tripods, focusing rails, software / hardware for focus stacking (if needed) depending on what you are shooting.


rough guess without more information.... $5,0000 to $10,000 minimum to get started .. go on from there...

The other thing is.. that this is not something where you just buy a camera and some gear and jump into it... takes a while to learn to use a lot of that equipment..... especially with the precision that you would need for that type of shooting...

 

[KmH]

Electron microscopes get real close. They start at about $250,000.00 USD.

I know where you can pickup a used SEM (Scanning Electrom Microscope) in really good condition for only $1.2 million.

 

[scorpion_tyr]

For Macro shots of insects and such:

Camera: Full Frame DSLR, if you can't afford it, go with a cropped sensor with lots of megapixels. I personally would suggest a Canon EOS 60D ($1200 with kit lens).

Lens: If you can afford it a name brand lens (same as your camera ie: Nikon, Canon) that has MACRO in the title. If not Tamron or Sigma. I personally use a Tamron 28-75mm 1:2.8 for my macro work. ($400)

Extension Tubes: Get yourself a 3 ring set for you camera, make sure you get one that allows auto focus. ($200). Don't be fooled by the close up filters that look like magnifying glasses for your lens. They'll work decently, but not as good as extension tubes.

Lighting: You'll want good lighting either a small kit or some real studio stuff, and probably a ring or macro flash. ($45 - 2000) ($200 - 800 for the ring flash)

 

[Stradawhovious]

Kind of ballsy putting your phone number up on a public internet forum.

Just sayin.

In regards to the OP, you will need to be substantially more specific before anyone can give you any meaningful advice.

 

[spacefuzz]

for engineering I have used my D90 with macro lens to get ~0.001" resolution which was good enough to study fracture surfaces etc. When we needed more detail we went microscope camera or SEM.
For work on material strain rates we used a calibrated camera (CCD) attached to the experiment, but it wasnt a "standard" camera body.
Scientific photography is way too general, youll need to be more specific.

 

[GooniesNeverSayDie11]

Its all depends on your needs. On the cheap, for maximum magnification, you can just get a rebel T3 or T3i and a Canon MP-E 65mm. You are looking at about $1500-1800 new.

Canon Macro Photo MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Manual Focus 2540A002 B&H