Grant,

My Olympus C-700 Ultrazoom digital has a "macro mode", but it only works
when the zoom is set to wide angle. Not intuitive, since your instinct is
to "zoom in" close. Try widening out the zoom and then moving the camera in
very close to frame the shot you want. This works very well on my camera.

--
Bob (Chief Pilot, White Knuckle Airways)

I don't have to like Bush and Cheney (Or Kerry, for that matter) to love
America

"Grant Erwin" wrote in message
...
I'm no shutterbug. I'm using a digital camera that cost about $200. It
isn't a fancy Nikon which allows you to swap lenses or anything remotely
like that. Still, it ought to be able to take a closeup of something
about the size of a golf ball. I simply can't make it shoot anything
clear.
It has a zoom button. It has "macro mode". It has autofocus, and I know
about putting something like a playing card at the right distance and
holding the button halfway down to hold the autofocus and then shooting
the object. I get pictures that are semi-usable but nothing at all that
can really be said to be in focus. I believe I've tried all 4 permutations
of zoom and macro mode.

Is it me, or the camera? If me, what should I do differently? If it's the
camera, what other camera works better?

BTW, what I'm shooting are details of my die filer for the die filer Web
page I'm building. I know there is probably a more specifically correct NG
but I'm real used to this one and we have many knowledgeable regulars.

Grant Erwin
Kirkland, Washington