Hybridizers: It can be fun to breed your own zinnias - Part 3, 0 by Kaelkitty

Kaelkitty wrote:
To Arlen and ZM re cameras.

Due to lack of personal funds I have been using my entry level 4mp Kodak Z700 digital camera since I purchased it in a brief flush of wealth way back in 2005. I too lament the lack of control of focus as I came from the film world and have a VERY good RICOH film SLR. I still use this camera for the very smallest of flowers, figuring I can get the slides digitized later on.

Macro shots with the digital are a very much hit and miss affair for focus as the pesky camera always seems to want to focus on the background, but recently I have come across a new technique that seems to produce better results. As you probably know, the zoom on most Digital cameras is a combination of Optical measures (what the lens does) and digital measures (what the software in the camera does). You want to keep within the Optical zoom range for this trick (mine is 5x Optical) as the digital range will blur the details of your subject by cutting down on the available number of pixels. Set your camera to it's close up or macro setting. Locate the camera close enough to the item to blur out the background in the CCD screen (usually 6 inches or so is good) Tap the zoom button. Now it will be VERY blurry. Keep watching the CCD and back away slowly. At some point, the thing you are trying to photograph will jump into nice clear focus and you can take your picture.

This is a photo taken using this technique