> 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. > > Also, can anyone recommend a tripod that is rock solid stable in > order to eliminate camera shake when taking pictures in macro mode? > > "John Nichols" <[email protected]> You don't just want one that's stable, you want one that can hold the camera facing down, with legs that won't get into the picture. The Powershot isn't that heavy, and if you use it with the 2 sec delay shutter so there's no shake fro your touching it, it's reasonably easy to get steady. In any case, a tripod can always be made more stable by hanging a proportionately heavy beanbag from it (I've even used my camera bag before now), but not many outside the wildlife photography world can face down. You really need one with a central pole that rotates, or a copy stand. I use a Benbo 1 http://www.patersonphotographic.com/tripods/ benbo.html for copying stuff in my own archive if it's too big to go on a copy stand, but would't dare take it into another archive - it's very big and heavy (and intended for use with long tele lenses for wildlife). With the Powershot, you'd probably get away with their trekker or mini trekker. Other things to think about: If you use the flash, you get vignetting - a bright round zone and darker at the edges. It's better to turn it off, but then remember to check for shadows when using natural light. Camera shake. If you hand trigger the shutter (as opposed to a remote release), you can get a small amount of vibration - as I mentioned, use the delayed shutter release to give the vibration a chance to die down and to let you get your hands well away (I had to redo a set when working with a copy stand because it turned out that a shadow that kept appearing was from my arm passing under one of the lamps as the shutter went off. Remember that many libraries and archives will not appreciate you arriving with a lot of camera gear - it's a good idea to call them first. Lesley Robertson "Lesley Robertson" <[email protected]>