Macro shots with compact camera?

[Atomant]

Hi hi, I came across a member of this forum posting a really close up shot of the laser etched coronet on the crystal. My question is, is it possible to do it with a compact? if yes, which model is good? I would wanna try that on my sd and would also wanna take a few close up macro shots of other stuff as well.

[SPACE-DWELLER]

I have made very good macros using the camera in my cellular phone (Sony Ericsson K750i). I set it to macro and then I combine it with 2 X zoom.

[ohlins]

a compact point & shoot camera can definitely do the job.....however their macro capabilities differ.....some can do 10 cm....5 cm....which i think is not sufficient.....u need one that can do 2 cm or less....

the key challenge is most autofocus cameras would focus sharply on the dial, they are usually tricked by the crystal.........however as the coronet is in the crystal........you can either set it the manual focus (if the camera has the function)....or move the camera slightly backwards (the distance bet the dial and the crystal).....after the camera has focused on the dial....

proper lighting and a tripod will help.....

[Tools]

As ohlins says, a compact camera can do the job - but sometimes it is a guessing game.

In macro mode, point and shoot cameras focus is not as closely synced with the viewfinder as in normal mode, so it may not be focused on what you see on the screen/in the viewfinder. The coronet etching is one of the more difficult items to capture.

An alternative is to get as close as you can, good focus, fine detail (max pixel count), good depth of field, then edit the picture with good soft ware, such as Photoshop.

You need the best/finest detail possible with the raw photo because as you blow it up with the software the pixel count is reduced and the detail is lost.

This one was a 5m pixel Nikon Coolpix, enlarged and cropped with Photoshop. As you can see, it was captured with good depth-of-field rather than focused on the etching.

[ohlins]

forgot the pic haha...

[The Mole]

I think the picture may have been mine. Using photo shop is a good idea (I haven't ever tried that), however the picture that I took was through a microscope.

[Tools]

Originally Posted by ohlins

forgot the pic haha...

Ohlins and Mole,
C'mon....you guys are cheating However, those are great shots.

Atomant asked about using a common compact camera..........Microscopes and special lighting with high end cameras.....

This means we gotta spend at least as much as the watch costs on a camera to photograph it ?..