Nikon lenses tend to have good close focus and macro modes.
Take a look at their new series of cameras:
4600, 5600, 5900, 7600 and 7900.
The price ranges from $174 to $356 for those cameras.
All will close-focus to 30cm (one foot).
All will macro focus to 4cm (1.5 inches).
..(that is the distance from the front of the lens to the target)
This should easily cover the range for photographing flowers.
With any camera, when focusing at those close ranges, it is advisable to use a tripod.
Photographing in well lit areas is also advisable, to increase the depth of field.
http://www.shortcourses.com/using/tabletop/chapter7.htm#Focusing%20and%20Depth%20of%20Field
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I'm very new to digital photograpy and not experience in general photography. My main interest is getting the best shots I can of flowers, as close as I can. I gather that this is affected by the degree of magnification and/or how close you can get the camera to the subject. I've found conflicting terms on various sites and can't figure how to look for what I want.
What feature (terminology) would I be looking for? And does anyone have any recommendation for a specific camera. I'd prefer under $400, but might be able to go up a bit if it made a big difference.
Thanks

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