Camera Advice

[steveshutt]

I've recently been submitting pill reports using a 3.2 megapixel camera
with a 4 X digital zoom.

what i find is that this camera's focal length is about 12 - 14 inches.

So when i try to take close up images of small things, like reactant colour chages, or pills.... it's not really that clear... it's a bit crap really.

The very best i could get were these pics:
http://www.pillreports.com/index.php?page=display_pill&id=19231

But what i'm really aiming for .. are images as sharp as these ones:
http://www.pillreports.com/index.php?page=display_pill&id=18911

I don't know very much about cameras.. what i'd like to know is: What is the crucial feature of a camera that determines
how sharp the image will be of small objects?

Is it the number of megapixels?
The lens dimensions ?
The digital zoom ?

Please let me know, i'd be very interested to hear.

thanks for your help

steve

 

[Bearlove]

3.2 megapixels is fine and will produce great images.

You need to switch your camera onto the macro setting - looks like a small flower (most important thing)

Dont use the flash but have your pills in brightlight , now with the pills in the center of the shot (say only a few inches from the camera) half press the exposure button, (this will make the camera focus on the pills), then press the exposure button completely.

You should have crystal clear shots

When you talking about taking close up shots the main thing is the megapixels - the higher the number the more detailed the final image will be - zoom and lens specifications arent really important.

Hope that helps, If your still struggling or need any information just ask , Ill be happy to help out

Just thought, if you wish to take several photos but struggle to merge them etc just take the photos as normal, upload them to imageshack and leave the urls in your thread - Ill download them, join the images together and upload for you

 

[steveshutt]

3.2 megapixels is fine and will produce great images.

You need to switch your camera onto the macro setting - looks like a small flower (most important thing)

Dont use the flash but have your pills in brightlight , now with the pills in the center of the shot (say only a few inches from the camera) half press the exposure button, (this will make the camera focus on the pills), then press the exposure button completely.

You should have crystal clear shots

When you talking about taking close up shots the main thing is the megapixels - the higher the number the more detailed the final image will be - zoom and lens specifications arent really important.

Hope that helps, If your still struggling or need any information just ask , Ill be happy to help out

Just thought, if you wish to take several photos but struggle to merge them etc just take the photos as normal, upload them to imageshack and leave the urls in your thread - Ill download them, join the images together and upload for you

Thanks BL... i appreciate the advice

steve

 

[Bearlove]

Hey just for information Ive taken three photos with different megapixels so you will see the differences etc (once cropped to fit the site size)

 

[System]

I don't want to get too in-depth, because I do know quite a bit about photography, so here are a couple tips:

1. The more light you have the better. Take the pictures outside on a sunny day. SERIOUSLY MORE LIGHT!
2. Have a camera with a decent resolution. Five(5) or more megapixels should be fine. Don't forget to take your pictures with the highest resolution selected.
3. Avoid zooming in. Hold your camera at least a foot away from the object. Crop the image afterward to meet the desired size.

 

[Bearlove]

Thanks for the tips system, really appreciated

 

[steveshutt]

Thanks for the advice guys.

I went out and bought a 10 megapixel camera....
Panasonic Lumix FS62 (with optical image stabliser)
...the difference in the image quality is staggering.

i just need to run out and buy some pills now :D

thanks again

steve