Which digital camera is best for 'macro' shots. I'm an inveterate flower photographer. thank you.?

Get an SLR digital camera. The most important thing is the lense for macro shots. I have a Nikon D70 with a macro lense and it works fine. I think most brands are okay. If you have film cameras - buy the same brand digital so you can use the same lenses.

There is a web site www.alwaysbelowretail.com that has all makes and models of cameras plus 50,000 other quality brand name products of every kind at approx 50% below retail prices.The best feature though is that they offer a full description of all the capabilities of every one. Great for finding out what they offer and compare it to what you need.

I've written a piece for intraoral photography that would apply 100% for the "best" macro photos of flowers. You MIGHT prefer to spend the extra money for a macro flash system, but try going without it for a while and see, because they cost another $400-600.
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I'll tell you what I use and what you might consider. I got a Nikon D70s for personal use, with the thought that I could also get a macro lens and use it in the office. I got myself a new camera for personal use, as I found that I wanted to leave this setup in the office at all times. I would say that a Nikon D40 or D50 would be perfectly adequate for intraoral use, but you might find a good buy on a D70s, as they are being closed out right now. 6 MP is PLENTY for intraoral use. You would not need a huge memory card for limited use, but I'd still suggest a 1 GB card with accelerated write speed, like a Sandisk Ultra or Extreme or a Lexar 80x card.

I am using a Nikon 60 mm Macro lens, which translates into about 90 mm in "35 mm equivalent." This gives plenty of working distance. Nikon also has a 105 Macro and the brand new 105 VR Macro, but you said, "simple and effective."

I use the built-in pop-up flash rather than a $400-600 marco lighting set-up. It's free. "Simple and effective."

Set the camera in Aperture priority and choose f:11, f:16 or so, depending on personal preference. Set the EV at -0.7 stops. Perhaps you would like a different EV setting, but this is what works for me. After that, in autofocus, it's a point and shoot with wonderful results.

These prices are from http://www.bhphotovideo.com as of December 2006. You can probably price shop and find them cheaper, but B&H is a rock solid dealer and I usually end up buying from them, even after comparison shopping. I am just using their prices as a point of reference.

The Nikon D40 is $600 _with_ the 18-55 kit lens.
The D50 sells for $450. That's a recent price cut of $100.
The D70s sells for $640. That's a recent price cut of $60.
The D80 sells for $930.
The D200 sells for $1,350.
The Macro 60mm f:2.8 lens is available for $400.
The Macro 105mm f:2.8 lens is available for $660.
The Macro 105mm f:2.8 VR is out of stock, but sells for $830.
A 1 GB Sandisk Ultra II CF Card (D70 & D200) sells for $40.
A 1 GB Sandisk Ultra II SD Card (D40, D50 & D80) sells for $40.
A 2 GB Sandisk card (either CF or SD) sells for $65.
(Due to a rebate valid through 12-31-06, the faster Extreme III cards are actually cheaper than the Ultra II cards.)

SO - pick your price and find a match. If you can find a D50 and 60mm Macro lens, you would have an excellent intraoral camera for less than $900. I have seen kits to modify point and shoots that cost more than that.

Here's a sample shot from my D70s with the 60mm lens. I admit that it is not "presentation quality," but it was just a quick shot to communicate with the lab.

http://www.members.aol.com/swf08302/d70s...