Attached Link: http://www.dpreview.com/

Before getting into camera recommendations... I would recommend that you seriously consider getting a tripod. For your needs that you've stated, you'll want a greater depth of field, and you are logistically looking at smaller aperture openings. With that you need a longer shutter speed. How good are you at hand-holding? I've been able to get sharp images at 1/10 to 1/15 of a second.... most people can't. Safe to hand-hold is usually the focal length of the lens used in this way..... close up work is usually in th 150-200 mm length....so safe shutter speed = 1/focal length... or 1/150 if you are using a focal lenth of 150mm. Of course all of this depends on the lighting you will be using.... more light and none of this is important. A tripod will allow you to use slower shutter speeds in natural light without the camera shake that usually accompanies it. Back to cameras..... there are literally hundreds of models out there to choose from. What MP are you hoping for? What price range? That will narrow your choices down considerably. DSLR or your standard digital? Compact flash or proprietary storage media? There are a lot of variables.... and a link to get you started..

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