camera settings

moretoys

Is it possible to get clear close-up photo with a standard digital camera? I'm trying to show ser#, scratches, engraving, etc, but I don't know what settings to use. any suggestions?

mrbruce

Enough light and keeping it steady is really important for up close and personal shots..
If your not sure, just set it to Auto and keep shooting....
When you have it 100% in focus it will be crystal clear, and then you can size it to suit whatever your doing with it...

RCrosby

Tri-pod may help.
Depending on the make of your digital there are usually some great photo forums that can help out with that kind of question. I know Canon and Nikon both have them. Suspect others do too.
I haven't mastered my own macro/micro setting yet, so usually back off to a distance where I can get sharp focus, go to max. optical zoom, then crop the results as needed. I've also found that maximum daylight; either outside or near a picture window, works better for me than flash.

MBK

Do it outside in natural light. If you are shooting a whole rifle, try it on a plain background shooting down from a tall ladder. Then use the telephoto to fill the screen. For closeup areas try the macro (close setting).

If you sell frequently, make a curved frame box and put white or eggshell colored formica in the curve.

Do not ever show your bare feet, the cat, or all your stack of bills. The bills remind the buyers that they don't have the money right now.

clickclick

Set the camera on program, choose the macro setting (usually a flower icon represents this), put the item your are shooting outside in indirect light (shaded), force flash - turn flash on for every shot as it works as a fill flash in conjunction with the natural light & will give good exposures & will bring out the best detail. If you have a flat white sheet of something, not glossy (I use a piece of flat tin roofing that is white on the backside & curves up against the wall) & put your object on this as not to distract from what you are photographing & it provides the best subdued lighting. If you shoot in direct sunlight it creates unwanted dark shadows & causes black items to be very contrasty.

Heres an example: Fill flash, subdued sunlight, white background.



Heres an example of macro with the same settings/surroundings:

nmyers

Define "standard". My experience has been that a camera small enough to fit in your pocket probably won't take good close-ups. Price is rarely an indicator, either. You just have to try what you have & see if it is up to the task.

I find that the best light is fluorescent. I take photos under a twin-40 watt fixture on my workbench, using a handheld fluorescent shop light for fill lighting. I hold it more to the side to highlight markings.

Neal

glabray

Actually, it is amazing what most of the small pocket digitals will do these days. For clear very close shots you need good uniform diffused light that is strong enough that the camera will use a high shutter speed. Don't use flash as that will often produce unwanted glare in part of the photo and will be aimed in the wrong place for such a close shot anyway. The macro setting on many small cameras will allow sharp focus down to 3 or 4 inches. If your camera has image stabilization (a lot of them do these days) make sure it is turned on. Once you have the photos, if you have photo editing software such as Photoshop Elements, they can often be improved by adding some fill flash and increasing the contrast to bring out details.

joel_black

I have a tiny Canon pocket camera that is capable of taking publication quality close ups. Use indirect outdoor light and be sure to push the button with the "flower" image.

JohnnyBGood

Now I'll tell you how to cheat [}:)]

Put a magnifying glass over the lens of your camera. Don't use too much of a power glass as it will magnify wobble (using a tripod will help in this respect). This picture is from a less than $200 camera on macro setting with a 7x glass over the lens. I've done many pictures like this for magazine articles and have had them published. I no longer resort to this as I use a close-up lens, which is basicly a magnifying glass!

Also keep in mind I spent about 90 seconds on this photo. If I wanted it "for real" I could have done better.

John

clickclick

This is all good advice! The camera I used for the photos above is a $119.00 HP, nothing special & no special tools, tripods etc.... You really don't need a high-quality camera to get good results as the digital format is so forgiving these days - as long as it has the macro feature you are golden! It just takes some practice... When using a flash the best way to shoot is to always avoid aiming the camera 90 degrees to the subject to avoid reflections which will always happen with shooting directly at the object.

Basil_O

Very good advice above - One point - the suggestions to back off and zoom in with the lens is very important. getting too close with the camera when doing an overall shot may force the camera to use a wide angle view and the barrel of a long gun may come out looking curved - clear but distorted.

another thing - using a tripod with a cheap camera, even a short desktop tripod will do wonders - no camera shake = sharp. If you don't have a tripod anchor your elbows or arm to something solid - wall floor etc. this will help

good luck