camera focus...

[Barbapple]

It is really really hard to focus on lego, even with my Cannon Digi-cam. Do any of you have any hint on focusing?

[Bricksidge]

Do you have any example pictures?

Typically, I find it is better to stay a good distance (more than one foot) away from the model, even if you are trying to get a picture of a small detail. Shooting from far away, but using a high resolution and cropping the picture later often helps.

Exactly what camera are you using?

[SavaTheAggie]

Kevin has good advice. I'd like to add that not only should you not rely on getting too close, but you need to also take advantage of the most amount of light you can get. The more light you have on your subject, the more in focus your autofocus camera will be. Sunlight or flourescent, whichever you feel more comfortable with.

And don't forget to use your macro mode if you have one.
And tripods are very useful.

--Anthony

[Bruce N H]

Ditto on the previous comments. If you don't have a tripod, just prop the camera on something solid. I just build a 4x4 column of bricks as my camera stand--that way I can raise or lower the camera just by adding or taking away bricks.

If your camera has a macro feature, use that for close-ups. I don't have that feature, though, so I can't tell you much about how to use it.

Bruce

[Barbapple]

I think its a cannon i550 or something, I can't check because my freind took it to Vancouver last sunday, but it comes back today, so I can answer all of ur questions later! Oh, and do any of u know the web-site making program that comes with windows 98? I know I have it, but I cannot remember the name...

[wlister]

Microsoft Frontpage may be the program you are speaking of. As an editor, it can be a bit buggy.

Will

[groovyd2001]

I had the same problem with my canon A 80 but then i realized if i move back the picture comes out good so you should go with what everyone says distance is good.

[Barbapple]

thank u for putting focas into focas...

[Formendacil]

I've uploaded 0 (that's right, zero) pictures onto the net, but I've had a chunk of experience taking pictures, especially of Lego characters, for other purposes, and for some reason, I've found when taking pics of characters, that our family's Nikon something-or-other digital takes way clearer pictures of figs when there are several in the picture. This is really annoying when you're trying to get a picture of one fig, so I've started putting a ton in the picture, and cropping it down to one later.

[ottoatm]

I use a Kodak EasyShare, and it's working great for my story so far.

...you need to also take advantage of the most amount of light you can get. The more light you have on your subject, the more in focus your autofocus camera will be. Sunlight or flourescent, whichever you feel more comfortable with.

1--This is very important for a good pic. I use a room with a flourescent light and a sliding glass door - large amounts of sunlight and flourescent lighting make for the best pic quality possible.

2--Still - a tripod (store-bought or brick-built) is essential as well, as noted.

3--Finally, never get closer than 18 inches. Depending on your focus ability, you can get amazing shots from no matter where you are, but anyway, you can crop a nice close-up with a high-res pic.

[Shadow]

Oh Man... I agree completely. My Camera is a Cannon S50 Digital and boy does it stink when it comes to focusing.

[cnelson]

If your camera has focus points (a little red square or something that glows when you use autofocus), try putting that point directly onto an edge of the MOC or an area where two different colors meet. Any camera will have trouble focusing on a surface that is largely the same color, texture, and lighting (i.e., a light gray castle...).

Carl

[TwoTonic Knight]

You need to look up the minimum focal distance for your camera (check the documentation or on-line), In the macro mode (which I have to turn on with a button on my camera) mine is 8 inches from the subject to the internal sensor (not the camera lens), for example. Minimum distance depends on camera, mode, and lens and can vary widely.

Most auto-focusing digital camera prefocus by depressing the shutter release button halfway. Be sure to do that. When in doubt, back off a little and simply crop the photo - it's easier said than done if you have a lower resolution camera, but I typically only use around 400x300 pixels, the maximum size you can display on C-C.

[Shadow]

Man... thanks for the tip. I'm in the process of building my MOC so it will be a little while until I finally get some pictures.

[TwoTonic Knight]

Oh, and remember, it's a digital camera: take multiple photos! I just fire away with slight variations so that if one photo didn't quite get the focus right, another probably will. Things get iffy if you stick your camera as close as you can to it's minimum range - sometimes it like to focus on the sword sticking out a little ways, or catch something in the background and I don't notice it until I released the shutter. It's not like taking extra photos costs you any money.