I did not see a photography forum and know most photographers use Photoshop so I figured I would ask here.

I am looking to purchase a new camera, I currently have a Fuji Finepix S 5800 which is a good camera with alot of bang for the buck, but it takes only jpg format. I am most interested in taking macros and composing HDR images.

Thanks for your time,

-RPS

The photography forum is here:  http://www.renderosity.com/mod/forumpro/showforum.php?forum_id=12379

Mine is a Nikon D3000, can do macro and HDR with it, save as raw as well, I paid 500$ C for it but I think you may be able to get a bit cheaper if you check on ebay or go for a less recent model.

I've also heard that $500+ seems to be the magic spot for cameras doing RAW. I've had to experiment with Camera Raw using JPGs since I don't have a camera that can produce RAW images. A new camera is on my wish list.

Attached Link: http://howto.wired.com/wiki/Supercharge_Your_Camera_with_Open-Source_CHDK_Firmware#Play_Around

Yea… if you want a P&S that shoots Raw out of the box, you are looking at around $500.00 for a “high end” consumer Point& Shoot. For that price you can get a fully featured entry level DSLR plus kit lens or one of those large sensor EVIL cameras (like the Olympus E-PL1).

 However there is a much cheaper alternative.

You can find the little Canon PowerShot cameras very cheap at places like Staples, Best Buy, etc.
They are pretty good cameras to start with, but with an open source firmware hack (CHDK, aka... Canon Hacker's Development Kit), they get a lot of added functions, like shooting in Raw, long time exposures, live histograms, etc.

 Check out the link for more info, and a list of Canon cameras that you can do this with.

 

Chuck

Any DSLR should be able to shoot their version of RAW format - I'd say stick with a major brand and you'll be happy with whatever you get, really. Beyond the PR blitz that each company puts out, if it's an SLR (Single Lens Reflex - interchangeable lenses), they're really only made just so cheaply, and the optics are MUCH better than P&S cameras.

That said, there ARE some nice P&S cameras out there with high quality lenses like Schneider and Zeiss, that DO take their version of RAW format images. They are of the nicer variety and yes, will cost you $$, and they STILL won't react as fast as the cheapest DSLR.

Totally your choice.

I'd say go into a camera store, look at some lower cost major brand DSLRs to hold them in your hands - whichever feels best and/or has the methods of changing settings you like best is the winner.

When I say major brand - think Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax, Olympus - get it? Stay away from Samsung, Sanyo, etc.

I hope this helps-
-Lew