Hi All,

Tried several distances and angles with my digital camera that came with my computer package and so far no real luck in getting pics of my models good enough to put up,the camera is a Photosmart HP315, 2.1MP.
I have been told that i need a better MP level and also been told it is good enough,so anyone here tell me if im wasting my time on this camea? thanks

Grizzly

Grizzly, 2.1 MP is more than enough. I use a 1.3 MP camera and get good results. It may just be your setup and/or lighting. Does the camera have digital/optical zoom or a macro setting? Can you adjust the settings of the camera to compensate for the type of lighting your shooting in?

Grizzly,
I've just read the specs for your camera. As far as I can read it's not a bad camera, although it misses a macro function (the one that usually enables you to make close ups of your models) it has got a white ballancing facility quite handy if you portrait your models in indoors lightning. The only solution I can suggest, it's to go at a camera shop and check with them if you can install additional lenses for macro use, then test them on site and see if you achieve some result; if so buy them. They're quit inexpensive and come in sets of three with different grades (usually +1, +2 and +4). You have to get used to the rough manual focusing of such additional lenses, but with something like 10-20 bucks you could solve the problem and achieve more than satisfactory results...
Ciao

From what little I know, MP is vastly overated. Most of the time unless you're going to be printing the picture out for posterity you never shoot anywhere near the maximum MP. For example I have two HP cameras, similar to yours, where they allow me to change the quality of picture, from one to four starts. I never shoot in anything other than 1 star, the lowest setting, if I am just going to put it onto the net. Of course if it's something I might want to keep I'll shoot in a higher setting.

The main thing is just getting to know your camera, and your photo program, so you can get the most out of both. That just takes practice. The GREAT thing about digital cameras is that, except for batteries, this practice isn't going to cost you any money. Take a bunch of shots, upload them to your computer so you can edit them, and see what works. Buy yourself some rechargeable batteries and it won't even cost you any for batteries.

Shoot away and enjoy.

I have also read, that for posting to the web, 2megapixels is sufficient. So I guess, your gonna have to take the advice from the guys above ...... practice.
About batteries.................. I bought a cheap brand "Medion" (german or dutch) digital camera that takes 4,1mp pics. On full size viewing they are almost poster size. So I never use the full capabilities. It does have a close-up, which gives me good results. It takes 4 batteries, so one day I bought a cheap set to take a few pics. It took 3 and the batteries were flat. It hadnt enough power to load up to the computer. You should use loaded batteries for loading up as well, as the quality can be lost on low batteries. Therefore I bought a mains adaptor. Now I never worry about them. I recommend this path. At least I know the camera works when I need it!

The megapixel thing is important, depending on use. When talking to a customer, I have to find out how large the pictures they plan on printing will be, and how much editting they plan to do, especially cropping. This helps narrow down the field for which cameras they should look at that will meet thier image requirements. From there we look at features, settings, manual control, etc.

One option for getting detail is to take a shot of the area you want at your higest resolution setting and bring the picture on to your computer. Once on the computer, crop the image a little at a time and expand the image to fit the area you wish to display/print at. With a 2 MP camera you will be a little limited in this respect as you will lose picture quality quickly, but you can simulate the maro mode.

Note - ALWAYS, use a copy of the pic and keep a master, this way if you goof up you will have the master to go back to, copy, and repeat.

Thanks for all the advice guy's, I'll check into the macro lenses next time i stop by the camera shop. As for size of pics i just want big enough to put on my photo album and to share with the gang here. Been a member here long enough and figured it was time to show some of my stuff.

I have an inexpensive (cheap) digital camera with no zoom.. after lots of blurry closeups i logged on to this forum for info, and decided to go shop for the above mentioned lenses that might help.. unfortunately my camera wont accept the screw on lenses but the pro at the camera shop said they'd work if i just held them in front of the lens. Lo and behold I got 3 used lenses for 14.00 and its really not that hard to hold them in front of the lens while i shoot... the pics im taking now are 100 times better.. so if you have a cam that wont take the screw on lenses consider trying this. Thanks for the info and ideas..

I've added some pre lens and post lens pictures post lens pre lens

While i use a lot my digi camera for my work also, and my wife is an art director, that deals with all these graph stuff in the computers, i do this. I have an hp850 camera that has 4.1 mp analysis. I take the photos in the best resolution which comes out in a size about 65x58 cm and then i go to the ADOBE Photoshop and reduce the resolution and size till the photo gets to 140 kb aproxximately from 6-7- MB that was before. This way i never loose the good quality of the first taken picture, i get it to the size i want and i also keep the prototype for the next time i wanna do it in another size and resolution. This also goes when scanning images, i scan em tin 600 dpi resolution or more and then i reduse the size and reso to the size i really need every time.The same work can be done with corel photopaint also
hope this helps.
At last its good to have a camera with as more mpixels can have cause you really shoot better but also is good to have a macro function and a lot of zoom.
cheers from Greece