It's still hard to beat a DSLR (Digital Single-Lens Reflex) camera for checking composition and lighting. I used to use a 35mm film SLR with LOTS of lenses for documentation photography. Produced wonderfully clear and sharp pictures if I did my part, but the delay required for film processing was excruciating, even with One-Hour Photo services readily available.
Then along comes the DSLR and my film SLR Canon Rebel became instantly obsolete. About the same time, Kodak also quit making Kodachrome film, so quality of color photos deteriorated too. My investment in lenses for the Canon Rebel will fit the camera body of the new Canon Rebel DSLR, but I haven't "upgraded" yet. Instead, a few years ago, I purchased two digital "pocket sized" cameras, one for me and one for my wife.
The resolution of the inexpensive digital cameras is more than acceptable. Both cameras feature both optical zoom as well as digital zoom, but the latter should be avoided because it "zooms" the image larger by selecting a smaller number of pixels to display and store. The images are saved on removable memory cards in jpeg format, or they can be downloaded to a PC with a USB connection. One of the cameras uses disposable AA alkaline cells, which is very convenient because the shelf life of the cells is excellent. The other uses rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, which usually need to be re-charged before using the camera.
However, both digital cameras have now taken a back seat to the cameras built into our iPhone 6+ and iPhone 7+ cell phones. The nice thing about these cell phone cameras is their auto-magical storing of copies of photos on our in-house LAN storage device, a Western Digital My Cloud with an obscene number of terrabytes of storage capacity. A few minutes after taking a picture, I can access the image on any PC in the house via our Wi-Fi router. And shortly after that on Dropbox, from anywhere in the world with an Internet connection.
Still, I would like to eventually upgrade my Canon Rebel to a DSLR camera body. That would allow me to attach the camera to a Celestron refractor telescope that I inherited from my brother, as well as perform microscope photography "real soon now" after I find and purchase a decent Bausch and Lomb 3D stereo zoom microscope like the one shown below:
You can purchase a CCD camera that will slide into one of the ocular barrels to capture digital images, and some models have a tri-ocular tube that allows the CCD camera to remain in place while viewing through the stereo eye pieces. Sometimes these are available used for significantly less cost than a new Bausch and Lomb, even a new copy of the original Bausch and Lomb like the one shown here, which
sells for $795 with stand.
The add-on macro-lenses (and contrast filters) that
@(*steve*) uses with his cell-phone are an inexpensive and practical addition. IIRC, Steve just pops them into a filter holder that is glued to the back of his cell phone. Clever! The cell phone camera, like a DSLR camera, allows you to preview and compose the image before taking the picture, which IMHO is the main advantage of digital imaging. Well, that, plus LOTS of free images stored on SD cards... nice not having to purchase film anymore or pay for film processing, but high-quality hard-copies are best made by third-party vendors like Walgreens or Wal-Mart, instead of at home on your ink-jet printer. The cost of photo-paper and ink adds up really fast when you DIY at home, although the instant gratification does have some appeal. I made the photos for my and my wife's concealed carry weapon (CCW) permits at home, and will probably do the same for our upcoming passport photos, although I will check out the fees at a nearby Walgreens first.