Can anyone recommend an inexpensive but not junk digital flash camera with
macros capability that would be good for photographing detailed sections of
a radio chassis or any other electronic equipment? I'd use it to document
disassembly, for photo attachments to show which elusive or obscure part I'm
trying to find, etc. From the limited reading I've done, it sounds like I'd
need a 3 megapixel camera for sufficiently high resolution that won't
distort if there's a need to zoom in on a section of the photo.

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks!

Mark

"MarkyT" wrote in message
...
Can anyone recommend an inexpensive but not junk digital flash camera with
macros capability that would be good for photographing detailed sections
of
a radio chassis or any other electronic equipment? I'd use it to document
disassembly, for photo attachments to show which elusive or obscure part
I'm
trying to find, etc. From the limited reading I've done, it sounds like
I'd
need a 3 megapixel camera for sufficiently high resolution that won't
distort if there's a need to zoom in on a section of the photo.

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks!

Mark



I have a 2.1 MP Canon S100 that I use for that amoung many other things.
I've been very happy with it, it's an older model but it's so compact I can
take it anywhere and the pictures it takes look really nice.

What sort of price range are you looking for? $150, or at worst, 200, will get
you a nice 3MP camera with 3x optical zoom.

Ignore cameras without an optical zoom, they feature fixed focus in most cases.

I'd like to reccomend my Rollei D330, which will do the job (specs suggest it
will go as close as 6cm, I've tried about 30 or 40cm, and it came out very
legible on stuff like the text on coins and 6-point text. However, it's a
real pain to find (apparently my local shop's the only place in the English
speaking world which sells it). It cost 99.95, however, it's long obsolete.

--
Marada Shra'drakaii

I had a 1.3 MP Olympus D-460 that I was very happy with. I used the
front element from a Sony handycam zoom as a diopter. The rubber
focusing ring thing slipped perfectly over the Olympus' lens. The
diopter was the trick to taking good closeups since most macro settings
won't get you close enough. I've since moved up to a Casio QV-300EX 3.3
MP and that diopter no longer works so the search is on.
Being able to turn off the flash is also an advantage.
I also use a Leica tabletop tripod, very adjustable and sturdy.
Lighting if the key to taking good macro pics. I've used plastic
containers with a hole cut in the bottom, Tuff Spun, shower curtain
and little mirrors, white and black cards to kick the light around and
control speculars and reflections.
Richard

For this type of thing we are using a Canon S-40. It worked out very well
for us. If you need extreme macro, the Pro-1 is excellent.

--

Jerry G.
======


"MarkyT" wrote in message
...
Can anyone recommend an inexpensive but not junk digital flash camera with
macros capability that would be good for photographing detailed sections of
a radio chassis or any other electronic equipment? I'd use it to document
disassembly, for photo attachments to show which elusive or obscure part I'm
trying to find, etc. From the limited reading I've done, it sounds like I'd
need a 3 megapixel camera for sufficiently high resolution that won't
distort if there's a need to zoom in on a section of the photo.

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks!

Mark

I am very interested in this reply.

What was the model number of the Sony you used?

I have 3 Sony 8mm, a JVC VHS-C, a Magnavox VHS and a GE VHS with Macro
that I could take the lens from.

I have a 2.0 MP HP-318 camera that I use for lots of things. One thing
I did was to build a shroud out of =BC" plywood to mount it on my
oscilloscope. It's great for working on intermittent electronic
problems. I take a picture when it's working to compare to when not
working. You can see an example of one of these pictures at:

http://home.att.net/~temp2950/index.html
As you can see the focus could be better.

Van Gardner

On Tue, 18 Jan 2005 21:09:42 -0800, "MarkyT"
wrote:

Can anyone recommend an inexpensive but not junk digital flash camera with
macros capability that would be good for photographing detailed sections of
a radio chassis or any other electronic equipment? I'd use it to document
disassembly, for photo attachments to show which elusive or obscure part I'm
trying to find, etc. From the limited reading I've done, it sounds like I'd
need a 3 megapixel camera for sufficiently high resolution that won't
distort if there's a need to zoom in on a section of the photo.

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks!

Mark


I have used a concord 3340z which works very well because it has a
weak flash so the photos don't come out overexposed. About $50.00 on
Ebay. Chuck

Can anyone recommend an inexpensive but not junk digital flash camera with
macros capability that would be good for photographing detailed sections of
a radio chassis or any other electronic equipment? I'd use it to document
disassembly, for photo attachments to show which elusive or obscure part I'm
trying to find, etc.

Mark-

There are several good cameras that would do what you want. The better ones
were probably expensive when new, but should still work well if you can find
them used.

One I've used for a similar purpose is the Olympus C-3040Z, which is a 3 MP
camera about 4 years old. It has an outstanding lens capable of relatively
low-light photography. It has a close-up mode capable of getting within a few
inches.

Although it has a built-in flash, I find that its reflections tend to spoil
close-up photos. I sometimes use the separate Olympus FL-40 flash connected to
the camera using the FL-CB01 ".5m TTL Flash Cable", which is a coiled cord. By
holding the flash to the side and away from the object being photographed, the
result is sometimes better.

Lighting is probably the most important factor. If you can stand some color
imbalance, use of several judiciously placed lamps may be better than use of a
single flash.

Using this camera, I've made photos of insides of equipment and of components
such as printed circuit boards and modules, that probably show as much detail
as any I've seen in hobby magazines. It also does a good job photographing a
computer display or CRT screen.

Fred

wrote:
I am very interested in this reply.

What was the model number of the Sony you used?

I have 3 Sony 8mm, a JVC VHS-C, a Magnavox VHS and a GE VHS with Macro
that I could take the lens from.

I have a 2.0 MP HP-318 camera that I use for lots of things. One
thing I did was to build a shroud out of ¼" plywood to mount it on my
oscilloscope. It's great for working on intermittent electronic
problems. I take a picture when it's working to compare to when not
working. You can see an example of one of these pictures at:

http://home.att.net/~temp2950/index.html
As you can see the focus could be better.

Use any brand name, cheap camera. I'd suggest *not* using the flash.
'White balance' for your workbench light (you do have a good, bright
workbench light?). Using the flash can wipe out details and cause flares
which can render parts of complicated assemblies invisible.

jak

Van Gardner

"mike" wrote in message
...
MarkyT wrote:
Can anyone recommend an inexpensive but not junk digital flash camera
with
macros capability that would be good for photographing detailed sections
of
a radio chassis or any other electronic equipment? I'd use it to
document
disassembly, for photo attachments to show which elusive or obscure part
I'm
trying to find, etc. From the limited reading I've done, it sounds like
I'd
need a 3 megapixel camera for sufficiently high resolution that won't
distort if there's a need to zoom in on a section of the photo.

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks!

Mark




This is a good idea IF you can find a cheap camera. I use a $5 Fuji
2400Z 2.1MP camera. Main problem with it is that the batteries are
always flat when I need to take a picture.


That's another thing I love about my Canon S100, uses little lithium-ion
battery packs, aftermarket batteries are cheap, not any more than a set of
NiMH AA's, charger charges them in a couple hours. I've got a couple
batteries so one is always fresh.

James Sweet wrote:
"mike" wrote in message
...
MarkyT wrote:
Can anyone recommend an inexpensive but not junk digital flash
camera with macros capability that would be good for photographing
detailed sections of a radio chassis or any other electronic
equipment? I'd use it to document disassembly, for photo
attachments to show which elusive or obscure part I'm trying to
find, etc. From the limited reading I've done, it sounds like I'd
need a 3 megapixel camera for sufficiently high resolution that
won't distort if there's a need to zoom in on a section of the
photo.

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks!

Mark




This is a good idea IF you can find a cheap camera. I use a $5 Fuji
2400Z 2.1MP camera. Main problem with it is that the batteries are
always flat when I need to take a picture.


That's another thing I love about my Canon S100, uses little
lithium-ion battery packs, aftermarket batteries are cheap, not any
more than a set of NiMH AA's, charger charges them in a couple hours.
I've got a couple batteries so one is always fresh.

If it's going to stay permanently on the bench, the OP could simply plug in
an AC supply.....

jak

"MarkyT" wrote in message
...
Can anyone recommend an inexpensive but not junk digital flash camera with
macros capability that would be good for photographing detailed sections
of
a radio chassis or any other electronic equipment? I'd use it to document
disassembly, for photo attachments to show which elusive or obscure part
I'm
trying to find, etc. From the limited reading I've done, it sounds like
I'd
need a 3 megapixel camera for sufficiently high resolution that won't
distort if there's a need to zoom in on a section of the photo.


I like the Canon A40, A60 2MP because of the 2" macro, standard AA batteries
and wide range of manual control. For example, to improve focus over a
greater range (depth of field) you could set the aperture to 8, flash off,
set self-timer to 2 secs, focus lock and set the camera down or on a tripod.
You will be amazed at the results! You definitely do not need more than 2MP.
You can also connect the camera to a PC for some interesting remote capture
or timed photos.