Having trouble taking close ups

[garfield]

Hi,

I have a Nikon D40 http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond40/ - Nikon D40 Digital SLR Camera - Black: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo and It takes beautiful photos at a distance but at the moment I need to takes some close up photos and I'm having problems. The photos are coming out all blurry and not focused really well.

Just wondering if there is some sort of trick to fix this?

I've read the manual that has come with it and tried a few different things but they are still cr@p.

any advice much appreciated
Geoff

[fenderbelly]

Geoff you don't say what sort of lens you are using, whether it auto focus or manual focus.

If you need real close ups you need to use the setting that looks like a flower.


i'm sure there will be more help coming from members on here who know far more about photography than i do.

Cheers Fred

[Master Splinter]

Yup, the little flower icon. Note that lenses can have varying minimum focus distances, typically between 300-500mm.

[garfield]

Thanks for the replies, but I don't know what sort of lense I have to be honest.

How do I tell?

P.S I'll post a couple of pics to show how they are turning out.

[BobR]

The lens is important here as the blurb on the camera indicates that not all lens will provide auto focus. I suspect though that you have bought a package system in which case an auto focus lense will most likely have been provided. With close up work a tripod is almost mandatory. With flash or in a non auto mode you may get away without one, but this assumes you know what you are doing from a technical point.

[tea lady]

Looking at the specs for your camera it says it has an 18-55mm lens. Unless you have a macro lens you won't really get that close. :shrug: Unless you have a zoom lens with inbuilt macro, or a dedicated macro lens you can only get maybe 30cm away. (At a guess.) Do you need another excuse to get a new lens?:rolleyes:

[joe greiner]

The flower icon typically indicates a macro setting. On zoom lenses, this pushes the front element closer to the subject for close-in focusing. The limit is generally about 180mm from the subject.

For much closer work, you can "attach" an auxiliary lens to the front of the main lens. A jeweller's loupe can work, but "attachment" may only be hand-held for testing. Depth of focus will be severely limited, and zooming will reduce vignetting.

For sharper focus, you need to reduce the aperture size. This means a HIGHER f-stop number; the f number is the DENOMINATOR in the equation. One way to achieve this is to increase the ISO setting to increase the exposure time; I think - I might have it arze backwards by now.:-

A tripod is essential for long exposure times. A built-in self-timer can reduce shaking. Try massaging all the variables in the camera, and taking lots of pictures and notes; digital film is the cheapest available, but carry spare batteries, just in case. Outdoor lighting should be brighter than indoor, too, to reduce the aperture; your eyes work the same way.

Cheers,
Joe

[garfield]

In the manual what would I look for to help with this problem?

The camera cost $800 so I'd expect it to be able to take a decent close up picture.

[joe greiner]

Your manual may be different, but (IMHO) most digital cameras are aimed at the non-professional consumer market. And there may, or may not, be an Idiot's Guide to Photography written yet.

Some candidate topics from my Canon A300 manual's index: Adjusting the Exposure, Digital Zoom, Macro, Resolution, Self-Timer.

From my Pentax K100D (still pending use, BTW): Most of the above, plus ISO, Quality, and a few others. This one also has a Glossary to define (sort of) some of the terms.

I can't think of any shortcut to bypass reading the entire manual. And a visit to a library to read something about optics and such wouldn't hurt either.

I stand corrected: Amazon.com: Complete Idiot's Guide to Photography Like a Pro: Mike Stensvoid: Books

Cheers,
Joe

[garfield]

Thanks Joe.

[fenderbelly]

Geoff, might be worth having a look here.

http://www.macrophotography.org/modules.php?name=Forums



Cheers Fred

[garfield]

Geoff, might be worth having a look here.

http://www.macrophotography.org/modules.php?name=Forums



Cheers Fred

Thanks Fred.