Can't get my camera to focus on my tied flies?

[gemiller]

I have a decent digital camera that does that autofocusing thing.

I have been tying flies(new to tying) and wanted to post them up for assistance but whenever I try to take a picture I can't get the camera to focus the fly.

Is there a trick to having digital cameras focus on the fly?

 

[vern]

In order to photograph close up, your camera has to have the lens capability.
Most of my camera knowledge is pre-digital, but a Macro feature for the lens is something you should have in order to focus close-up.
On the film cameras, one would purchase a lens with the Macro feature, or use a Macro ring.
You need to read your camera manual to see if it has the ability to focus on subjects closer than 1'-2'

 

[Maurice]

GE.

Probably your problem is the sensor cannot pick up the fly as a point of perspective. Try focusing on the vice with a semi depression of the shiutter button to get focus, keep the button depressed and swing the camera around to the fly without changing the distance to the fly. A small tri-pod will help but doing it by hand should be fine too.

Your digital auto focus camera makes an estimate on a semi depression of the shutter button of what you are focusing on. Kinda like radar. Once the sensor receives the distance it automatically focuses the elements in the lens. The problem is the fly is too small to reflect the infrared light pulse and it is probably focusing on the wall or desk behing d the fly.

Another possibility is to look at the book as Vern suggests. There may be a buitton or selection on the menu for Close up...usually the idiot button will have a flower (vs a mountain) or a single persons hear (vs a group of two or three). This indicates you camera has a macro mode or close up mode. Trying to take a close up picture with the mountains or group of heads is a waste of time.

If you are interested in taking close up pics, do some Depth of field tests to see what your camera can accomplish by lying a tape mmeasure on the table extending away from you. Place an object along it large enough to reflect the focal sensor and take a few pics at different F-stops to get a feel for what you can get out of the camera at different light levels. It will help you to understand what range of focus you need to be at to get the best results with less trial and error.

Or you could just take the picture from farther back, zoom in to a little less than the maximum optical zoom and take the pic on highest resolution, then blow them up on yer 'puter.

 

[Acristickid]

Not sure if your camera has this setting- Do you have button or setting that displays a flower? If so, this is the setting to use for extreme close ups. Works on Olympus models.

 

[gemiller]

Ok I'll give all of the above a shot on Wednesday! I tied a few more and want to get some advice!

Hmm, hopefully the flower thing solves it all, I thought I tried all the settings but maybe not!

 

[flipnfly]

im having the same problem try silcking your flies in a scanner it works ok.....

 

[JackM]

Another possible solution is to put a surface immediately behind the fly, like a piece of cardboard or paper. This may force the camera to focus closer to the fly rather than "peering" into the background for a point of focus. The macro function is the better solution, but if you don't have that or can't make it work, try this.

 

[tabasco_joe]

What model camera do you have?

If it supports macro focus at the short distance used for shooting flies I have found Jack's recommendation to work the best. I use a photo grey card.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

i think MO hit it on the head myself.

 

[trout_stalker]

If it's a "decent" camera as you say, then, as others have stated, use the macro mode PLUS use the manual focus mode. Know before hand what you camera's minimum focus distance is. Read the manual or look for a manual on the Web.

If you insist upon using the auto focus, then others have already given you a way to do that.

Leo R