Re: New camera - Need advice from those in the know. Wes?

On Fri, 15 Jun 2007 00:48:57 GMT, "Jonathan_ATC"
<replytome@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

"tony cooper" <tony_cooper213@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:jdn3731qq6at0gjqrqh846olfbha0e06be@xxxxxxxxxx
On Fri, 15 Jun 2007 00:05:40 GMT, "Jonathan_ATC"
<replytome@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:


"note.boy" <note.boy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:Yljbi.49$%t2.18@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Save money, buy a bellows attachment and you will able to focus from a
few
mm. Billy

What about lighting? I need some space in there for lighting, don't I?


With digital, and any decent image manipulation software (including
the free download IrfanView), you really don't need much light.
Ambient daylight is usually enough, and the image can be tweaked with
software. External artificial lighting usually results in glare,
reflection, and shadows if you're not careful.

I shoot most of my coin images on my screened-in front porch. Enough
ambient light for a good image, and no strong shadows. I do use a
home-made macro stand.
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f244/cooper213/stand.jpg
That's an old Minox camera on the stand, not the camera I use. I had
to put the Minox on the stand because I was shooting with my regular
camera.

Do read the manual on setting White Balance, though. Aperture
Priority shots with the WB correctly set makes it almost impossible to
get a bad shot.



I like your stand. I can get a tube, but how did you get a black tube?

That's a solid graphite rod that I purchased from Skycraft (a local
surplus store that sells a lot of used electronic gadgetry.
http://www.skycraftsurplus.com/ ) I think I paid 75 cents for a 24"
piece that I cut down.

How
about the part that slides? What is that?

A flash bracket purchased from a local Ritz Camera store. About $14.
If you can't find one, email and I'll find out the brand name and part
number from Ritz. You can order on-line.

I looked at making my own copy
stand last year and ultimately ended up buying one. It worked great with my
Coolpix 2100, but doesn't go high enough for my new camera, so I need a new
one that will. If you could help me out with where to get the hardware, I'd
really appreciate it.

Since you need to place your camera body higher than 36" (considering
the lens length), my 1/4" rod would be too wobbly. It's only 18"
high.

What you'd need to do is add a vertical beam (a section of a 2 x 4")
that extends up about 30", and drill the end of that and insert a 12"
rod in that. That would give you adjusting movement and more
stability.

It would also be bulky and top heavy unless you make the base platform
larger. You may want to stick with your tripod.

I made a stand like the one shown for my daughter. The rod is
removable, so she can carry it with her to the beach in a beach bag.
She's into macro photography of flowers, shells, shark's teeth, and
other bits of nature. Absolute stability of the camera is essential
in macro photography.

--


Tony Cooper
Orlando, FL
.

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