> > 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" <[email protected]> Thanks, Lesley. To use the delay shutter feature, you select TV mode? (Not finding the manual's index that helpful.) And thanks to everyone else for their comments.