Grant Erwin wrote:
I often want to shoot a picture of some detail just to post it as an
adjunct to a discussion, as "a picture is worth a thousand words". I
have terrible trouble shooting closeups with digital cameras. I have
finally found the method that yields the best results:
use minimum aperture for max depth of field (f2.8)
no flash
macro mode
manually adjust exposure
autofocus takes a long time, wait until macro focus lights
shoot multiple images - bracket exposures
use LCD display to adjust exposure, focus
I got a Kodak DX7590 which has 10 X optical zoom. It is the best
I've seen in the lower-price range. There is no optcal finder
at all, you have your choice of the outside LCD screen or a
peep-hole electronic viewer. I'm still learning how to use the
thing, I've seen some hints that it can do even better than what
I usually get. On a couple of occasions I have seen it freeze an
incredibly clear shot in a VERY dark room, WITHOUT the flash.
I haven't yet figured out how to get it to store such a frame,
however. But, it will take a great picture of items down to
a couple inches across, filling the entire frame. There is an
accessory lens for extreme macro work that should let it take
pictures of a small screw, for instance, but I don't have it (yet).
It also has a custom Lithium battery that REALLY holds a lot of charge,
and for a long time. With my earlier camera with AA Ni-MH batteries,
if you let the camera sit for a week, the batteries were dead.
With this one, you can let it sit for 3 months, and the battery is
at 80%. I've let my kids play with it for an entire weekend, and
it hardly depleted the battery at all. Amazing!
This is one of those darn things with the 1" thick manual with 25,000
modes of using it, and I don't want to read the whole thing! But, I
am discovering how to use it, and it is awfully good. I got it as a
"factory refurb" which I think means a customer return to a store.
I couldn't tell the difference from new. There are a bunch of people
selling these on eBay.
Here's a web page with a photo I'm sure was shot on this camera.
http://jelinux.pico-systems.com/japservo.html
Jon