How to take pics of guns & other small items (macro photography)

[mrerick]

Following up on Bills comment, it's much easier to take precision focused pictures using a Digital SLR camera than a point and shoot. With either type camera a tripod and good lighting is essential.

You can eventually get a good sharp well lit picture from a point and shoot camera, especially one that has a "close up" focus setting (it usually looks like a flower symbol on one of the camera controls or it's setup menu).

With an SLR set for manual focus and aperture priority (meaning you set the exposure using the lens' "F-Stop" control by hand) , you can exactly see what you'll be getting.

The "Megapixel camera wars" are basically "mine is bigger than yours" once your get over about a 4 Mpxl sensor. The sensor determines how large you can enlarge a photograph, or how tightly you can crop it in on detail.

It's amazing how many excellent used digital SLR cameras with interchangeable lenses are available used in almost new condition. Local camera shops with a community history are excellent places to look for one. E-Bay can also be a good source, but buyer beware...

A few years ago, I picked up an autofocus Macro lens for my Nikon. This is my preferred lens for closeup photography. It really has made a difference.

Marc