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Dear all,
I have a nifty Sony DSC Camera, but it is about 4 years old and it does not have a dedicated MACRO Mode. I would like to keep all the accessories (SONY batterys Memory Cards etc), so does anyone have any advice for a reasonable Cheap Sony Digital Camera that has a good MACRO mode as I would like to take more close up Photographs of my miniatures.

UPDATE:- I would love a miniature setup on a small tripod and I could photograph the mini (with a Digital Camera or Hi Res Web Cam etc) and it would automatically come up on my Laptop (through a Cable or something) so I can cut the process of connecting the camera copying, sorting then uploading etc.

Sorry, I know nothing about Sony camera's, but I have an Olympus at home, that's roughly 6 years old, if you're interested I'll check the model at home, perhaps you can find one on e-bay for a couple coins.

If this camera takes good close up pictures then I would be very pleased!

This is how it works like, does it fits your needs?

That my friend is perfect!

Well, the model is Olympus Camedia D-545, 4 mpx.

Here's what e-bay gave me, perhaps this serves you.

http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=m570&_nkw=olympus+camedia+d-545&_sacat=See-All-Categories

That's good photo's for such little outlay. Good find.

You should go to a near electronic store and ask about micro setting on the camaras im pretty sure youll find one thats cheap and has great quality

Have you got aperture priority (A) mode?

Failing that portrait mode is essentially a macro mode. Macro essentially opens the aperture giving a shallow depth of field (distance you can see before it becomes blurry) with a low sensitivity for smoother resolution and pops the flash if dark. The only issue with macro modes is their shallow depth of field

Ok I follow all of that. What I ideally want, is a Camera that links directly to my Laptop, So when I click it comes up on my Laptop Screen. I want to setup a section of my Mancave as Photo Studio for my Mini's as I take alot of Photo's during my projects. Any Advice? Are there Hi-Res static Camera's or Web Camera variants that send the Data straight to a PC HDD rather than a Card?

You can get 'tethering' software.. that's what you'll have to look for - generally for DSLRs though

That leaves the Olympus out then, for it saves the pics on a SD card (which I shove in the SD slot in my laptop).

To link direct to your laptop has little in the way of advantages, apart from checking to see if you've got the thing in focus, but having said that if you want to move your camera outdoor for action shots, or for different scenery then you're talking a mammoth engineering escapade to get your camera out, laptop, leads, cables, can't see the screen with the sunlight etc.

You can get them, but it is more of an expensive gimmick, even professional photgraphers ( I have 2 friends who are) take photos first then place on computer later. Even dedicated portrait shots are first taken on camera away from the computer and then transferred for working on later.

Heres a simple yet effective tip imo:

Take loads of pictures!

That way if some are blurry or dont come out right you still have others to choose from!

Saves you having to set up the same scene more than once, unless all the pics are bad.

johnscott10 wrote:Heres a simple yet effective tip imo:

Take loads of pictures!

That way if some are blurry or dont come out right you still have others to choose from!

Saves you having to set up the same scene more than once, unless all the pics are bad.

YES - some times the picture taking voodoo does not work out. Shift the camera & the target around. An inch here & there can make a big difference in light, resolution and where the camera chooses to focus.

RanTheCid wrote: An inch here & there can make a big difference in light, resolution and where the camera chooses to focus.

My girlfriend agrees too; that extra inch here and there does make all the difference.

I found this (Link) and I think I will make my own little studio.
http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/07/how-to-diy-10-macro-photo-studio.html

Cool, nice find. Cheap too which is always a bonus!

One tip, if you use daylight fluorescent tubes, which some people prefer as it gives a pure white light with less harsh shadows, the image sometimes appear with lines on the LCD screen of the camera. When you download to computer it won't appear in the image.

Elmodiddly wrote:Cool, nice find. Cheap too which is always a bonus!

One tip, if you use daylight fluorescent tubes, which some people prefer as it gives a pure white light with less harsh shadows, the image sometimes appear with lines on the LCD screen of the camera. When you download to computer it won't appear in the image.

Confirmed!

That's I just check the pics straight on my pc.

Okay, I've got a Macro Lens for old Sony DSC, a miniature tripod used my Daylight Bulb to illuminate and this is what i've got.


I'm quite happy with the result thanks for all the advice guys