OF, you seem to really know your PC stuff. Do you by any chance do digital cameras too? I bet you could do wonders on editing them (pictures) I've seen some outstanding results from just ordinary compositions by those who grasp and expand the possibilities of editing software.

I like my F700 Fuji Finepix, it takes outstanding pics! But your right about the auto focus, espescially  when you are trying to do macro or super macro shots and a leaf, hair or branch gets in front of your auto focus infra detector.

I have some really good shots from a few years ago when I got the camera, I was exploring macro shots...nevermind.... i'm thread jumping....should we start a "Café personal pics thread?"

The trick or cheat I like to use with the FinePix is to look carefully at the shot I am trying to take and decide which separate element I want to really be in tight focus, then I move the camera so that element is in the center of the expanded focus square.

I then push the shutter button to half down to get the auto-focus to focus on the desired element, then after the square shrinks on the desired element (to tell me the auto-focus is complete) I hold the shutter where it is at half down and then move the camera to reframe the shot to take in all the stuff I wanted in the first place.

My focus element may be way off to the side in the finished shot, but it is always in tight focus with everything else being what varies slightly focus-wise.

I developed this trick to take pictures of rifling irregularities & pitting inside a barrel, about 3-4 inches deep inside the barrel.    

I'd stick a cleaning rod up from the breech end, stopping it where the rifling irregularity was depth-wise, get the camera to auto-focus on the end of the cleaning rod, then slide the cleaning rod out with my toes so the light being bounced in from the breech could get all the way up the barrel.

It was awkward and took a try or five to get it right, but it worked and everyone was amazed you could take bore pics like that without a digital bore scope.

The motorized lens 3.0 megapixel 300 FinePix was a moderately expensive camera for its day, but I bought mine on close out for cheap after the higher pixel camera sensors took over and the motorized lenses went away.   I still like it, although it is a little beat up from being carried on motorcycle trips and all.

I also like that the standard 3.0 megapixel resolution makes a pic that fits on a forum page naturally, as all the newer cameras take a natural pic that are way way way too huge to use without resizing.



As far as "getting off topic" goes, this is the Cafe --- no thread stays on topic more than 5-6 posts deep in Cafe anyway.

If I wanted to bring it back on topic, I'd say that most of the cameras on most modern smart phones are much more powerful now than my old Fuji FinePix F300 camera.