Dear Marlo (and others),

about 6 months ago I faced exactly the same problem and went through the
whole process. Regardless of what I use (which I will describe below) I
have learnt some major common-sense things about photography:

1. It can be very expensive if you're not careful, but it doesn't need to
be expensive. You must learn how to control your expenses (see below)
2. The quality of photographs will only be as good as the weakest link in
your system. If you have a setup that allows you to go down to the desired
magnification (there are many different setups - see below) the major
limitation is usually the person behind the camera. i.e. if you don't
understand the technology, buying an expensive camera is not going to help.
Realising this can save you a lot of money. So buy a book on macro
photography rather than a new camera. I strongly recommend John Shaw's
'closeups in nature'. It is very non-technical, down-to-earth and very
honest about what you need to have and what you can do without (E-mail me
about how to get this book if your local store doesn't have it).
3. I totally agree with Art. The camera body does nothing else than hold
the film. So if you have a 35mm camera, keep it, and instead invest in a
macro setup for it (see below), unless the body is faulty. If you have an
antique version (like me) that doesn't matter one bit, lean how to use it
properly and to it's fullest extent before you buy a new one. Some of the
'60's built cameras are still considered the best ever made.
4. there is no single best method of doing things.
5. You MUST use a camera stand or tripod
6. Your local camera store most likely knows very little about macro
photography. This is like walking into a local nursery asking about
orchids, it is a very specialised field. And in the end all they do is
repeat what they have heard so as to sell more gear.

Macro photography options:
These are the options for getting the desired results:
1. use extension rings. About three would do the trick in my experience.
But they lose a lot of light (you are making the lens longer). A bellows is
in fact an extension ring of variable size. You can get very good results
with these. But bellows can be hard to get (at least in Australia).
2. Use diopters or 'macro-lenses'. You may, like me, in the deep, distant
past already have bought one of these, put it on your 50mm lens and
concluded that it doesn't work. No, it doesn't on a 50mm lens, but try a it
on a 200mm lens (or, like I use a 70-210mm zoom). OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD! Now,
you can stack these things (put one on top of another). John Shaw
recommends you should only stack two, and limit your magnification to +5 in
total, but that should more than do the trick for your shells. And these
lenses are CHEAP. And not much light is lost (and light=contrast, which is
quite important for photographing little shells like that). Nitpickers will
tell you that the quality is not good - they don't know what they are
talking about. Yes, the quality is less than with a dedicated macro lens,
but  the loss of quality is not such that you will ever notice. I use this
method a lot for outdoor photography, especially the zoom gives you great
flexibility without constantly having to re-position the tripod.
3. You can buy a dedicated macro lens. The quality of the results is high,
but so it the price. I have a macro lens, but when I use it, still need to
use extension rings. If you do decide to go this way, don't buy a 50mm
lens, because your camera will be so close to the shell that it's hard to
get the lights in at the right angle.

In all, my recommendation is: Don't buy that expensive camera if you
already have a 35mm body. Buy any of the above lens/ring combinations and
simply supplement your existing equipment. Learn as much as you can about
photography before you even contemplate getting more equipment. Read John
Shaw's book, go back to the shop and ask a few detailed questions. If they
go red in the face, go to a shop where you find somebody who will answer
your questions in such detail it makes you go red in the face

Good luck

Patty
WWW: http://www.capricornica.com

Capricornica Publications               on-line natural history bookshop
P.O. Box 345
Lindfield NSW 2070
Australia

phone/fax: 02 9415 8098 international: +61 2 9415 8098
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