> > John Nichols at [email protected] wrote: > > > > > I've been given a Canon PowerShot A620 which has a macro mode, > > > making it possible to take pictures of text that's clear enough to > > > be useful. I've tried this with a few things at home, but I'm > > > fairly certain (okay, hoping) that people here have some advice on > > > how to best use this feature when doing research. > > > > If, as you say, the text is clear enough, you may be able to use an > > OCR (optical character reader) program to convert the photo into > > usable text. > > > > > > > Also, can anyone recommend a tripod that is rock solid stable in > > > order to eliminate camera shake when taking pictures in macro mode? > > > > Vivitar makes several tripod models that are quite sturdy. My $0.02 > > is to head for a Photo store for this purchase. You will get better > > advice and a wider selection. > > > > AEP > > I used a phone cam for some useful pictures > > see http://karl-dane.blogspot.com/ > for some examples > > for OCR you need 300dpi and a clean copy > > otherwise quicker to type it in > > "Hugh Watkins" <[email protected]> I have a SuperPen that I use for scanning. It's pretty good, but you're right, there are times when it's just quicker to type it in. I'm thinking the camera is for those times I don't have my pen scanner with me, the document in question is probably not something I want to scan (for lots of reasons, like legibility, condition, etc.) I can always attempt to scan from a photo later, or just extract information from the photo I've made, and insert the picture into my database. "John Nichols" <[email protected]>