Any advice on a camera for an entomologist?

Check this video out taken with the Panasonic GH2 and 9mm C mount lens :
https://vimeo.com/19750325

I use my 105mm Kiron 1:1 Macro with Pentax Q that has a 5.6x crop factor for extreme close-ups but for video I think the GH2/GH3 in 1080p ETC 2.6x 1:1 crop mode would work best.
Edited by jogiba - 1/20/13 at 11:39am

No high quality slow motion from GH2.

One option is to get a camera/camcorder that does 108060p and slow down to half-speed 30p with an editor. That gives really good quality, but is only half speed. The GH3 can do 108060p; the GH2 and the HXRMC2000U cannot.

For 1/4 speed I have only seen 720p (120fps) built in to cameras that are of reasonable price.
Edited by markr041 - 1/20/13 at 3:06pm

I have been impressed by what I have seen of the $178 Sony Action Cam's 720/120fps slow motion - fixed lens may not be suitable for macro, though:



Mark - how about the $449 Panasonic LX7's 720/120fps and macro capability - any good? I defer to your practical experience with the camera, but this looks like a pretty good entomologist's camera to me:



Cheers,

Bill
Hybrid Camera Revolution
Edited by brunerww - 1/20/13 at 7:25pm

The LX7 120fps 720p mode is higher quality than that of the Sony Action cam's 120fps mode (and you get a choice of focal lengths).

I have not tried a macro with the LX7, but it does in video mode (and still mode) at the wide end focus down to 1cm. People have also put Raynox macro lenses with success on the LX7. If by macro it is meant literally 1:1, then the Raynox add-on may be necessary - but you can get really close with the native lens.

This post shows the close-up ability of the LX7 (at 50mm) and what you get with the Raynox:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/post/50686814