Suprising Macro's

[steve.ledger]

It's a while ago I purchased the little PENTAX (as I call it).
My main camera is a PENTAX dSLR, but the little S5n is a brilliant compact metal skinned beauty that I bought for it's 30fps 640x480 no length limit (until card is full) movie shooting. It was an impulse buy really, but it's a very nice little camera to handle.
In my work I very often see things that must be recorded to show the customer and to keep for future referrence, I had an old KODAK DC280 for this, but it died so the little PENTAX came in handy here.

But it was much better than the KODAK as I found it could take fabulously close macros! This makes the cam ideal for those very close-up shots of burned chips, popped caps and other computer hardware failures that I need recorded.

Here's a shot of a 20 pin PSU to mother board power connection plug which, after an electrical storm, showed how the spike travelled to the motherboard itself.

EXIF overlaid for the curious

[ss-kalm]

That's amazing for a small camera - colour me impressed.

[raynerj1]

Pretty neat Steve.

Do you have a tripod to keep the camera steady? I have found that a when taking extreme closeups it is good to set the camera on a timer also to eliminate camera shake.

I use a tripod and a cable release to do those types of shots with my IST DS*. I also have some ancilliary macro lenses (they attach like filters) that can bring in the shot even closer.

[ss-kalm]

Try using a reversing ring and adding a lens to the front - that gives amazing close ups. Can get some really interesting effects. Some friends and I added a 45mm standard lens to the front of a 210mm zoom. You have to focus by moving the camera but the final result is worth it if you want it really close.

[steve.ledger]

Do you have a tripod to keep the camera steady?

Not for these shots, a tiny 83mm x 53mm x 20mm camera is totally lost perched on a large Velbon - a bit of an overkill
I take several shots, discard the rubbish.

[raynerj1]

Hi Steve,

I have a couple of those little desktop tripods. Do you have one of those? They are not good for a DSLR, but for one of those point and shots they should be okay.

Many times I have put the subject close to the edge of a table, and then used a full tripod right next to it. Then I don't have to bend over and still try and keep the camera steady.

Do you have one of those little shooting tents? They work nice for nice even lighting.