How good is this camera?

[bumblebee455]

I have decided it's time to get a camera as I only ever use my iPhone camera. I would like to be able to take close up of ants with moderate detail but with a tight budget.

I do not know very much about cameras and what parts make a good picture so I would need your help. I did see this camera on an amazon page that Wood had sent to someone previously and it seems a good price for me, does anyone know much about this camera or if it would be suitable for taking close ups of ants?

www.amazon.co.uk/Panasonic-Lumix-DMC-SZ3EB-K-Compact-Camera/dp/B00BET0VE6/ref=sr_1_8?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1406676917&sr=1-8&keywords=digital+cameras

many thanks
Drew

[Wood~Ant]

If you want a good all purpose camera that has a strong zoom and will take fair ant photos, then maybe this one will suit you better Drew?
Camera Link

[bumblebee455]

Yeh I am looking a multipurpose camera, to capture days out and also enjoy close up of ants. Thanks, I will have a look at that one Wood

[Jenny]

Some of the cheaper ones I have and I mean around the £200 mark take better macro than my large cameras. Make sure they have a macro facility, as some of the very cheap ones don't. Ants are very difficult to take, and it's only the expensive lenses or macro close up lense that will get the "Alex Wild" type results. The more pixels, the finer the detail like on my Nikon 3200 which has 18 Mega-pixels but it won't go in a pocket. I have a macro close up lense added on which is cheaper than a £300 proper macro one. In the end it's down to your budget  
My Panasonic Lumix G's macro is not as good as the Nikons one, so I tend to think Nikons are a much better choice.

[Wood~Ant]

It is hard to choose a camera within a budget, as some of the bigger ones need add on lenses for close up shots which can cost more, or as much, as the camera + lens can cost around £700 or more.
Mega pixels make for a good camera, which is why I choose a camera with more than 12 if affordable, as pixels give the photo more detail.

I use one of these Fuji cameras Link here which has taken some decent ant photos; but if you can afford to pay £99 then this is worth considering Second camera link as Fuji make good cameras but are not as well known as some other makes, so the choice is yours as to which make and model according to what price you can afford to pay.

[bumblebee455]

Thanks Jen but I certainly could not afford one of those not even for Christmas!
Wood the link you provided would be my price range, no more than £100 as I spend enough money as it is.
I don't need a camera that can take high quality pictures where you can even see the hairs on an ants body but rather just a camera where you can clearly see each body part and easily tell what species it is. More a clear photo with brilliant zoom rather than high detail.

Thank you both for your suggestions, it helps a lot when deciding