I have an old Canon G9. A great camera in its day, but small sensor/high noise by today’s standards. Here it is:

So. Useless. Right?

Not.

This camera is great for one thing in particular: close-up photos. Because of the small sensor, I can get very close. Here’s a shot of some jewellery:

Made like this:

But I can get closer:

AND HERE’S A 1:1 SECTION (each pixel in this, once you click on it, represents one pixel on the sensor):

These are very small beads in real life!

So an old G9 does a great job as a macro camera, if you have left your macro lens at home. Here’s another full shot of another piece:

I guess the lesson for today is that you should not throw old equipment out. I am pretty sure you can buy a G9 for a price approaching $ zero… and it’s plenty good for a lot of pro work, as long as you keep it to low ISO settings. Keep it our little secret!

Jewellery by Becky.