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Hi,


From time to time people usually my hardware support people assk me for the photos of various parts of my PC.


I don't have a digital camera or a webcam.


What is the cheapest way of taking such picures & sending them as e mail attachment ?


A cheap digital camera or a webcam or something else ?


Please do give specifics specs of such device & brand name if possible.


Also what kind of software do I need to capture such photos ?


Thanks

Your cell phone may take adequate photos. Mine does well enough for the sort of casual photos that you've described.

A reasonably-priced point-and-shoot camera like the Canon Powershot A3400 IS can take excellent photos.

Most digital cameras work like USB flash memory when you plug them into your PC with a USB cable. So does my cell phone. Just drag the files from the device to the PC. You could also pull out the digital memory card and insert it into a reader that is already connected to your PC.

No special software is required.

A cheap digital camera with a macro mode is your best option. The camera on your phone or a webcam may not have enough resolution or the ability to focus close enough, depending on the size of the thing(s) you're trying to take pictures of.

Thank you all.



Really appreciate your suggestions.

Individual components? You could look up the model number and find a good photo online. Obviously that wouldn't be "your" part, but the same model is the same model.

If you want a camera recommendation, you can't beat the photo quality of a dSLR. The sensor is bigger and better than a little digital camera, the lenses are bigger and better. New ones aren't cheap, but you can find used or refurbished for good prices. Check eBay or pawn shops. I'd look for a Nikon D40, D50, D60, or D70; those are old enough to not be expensive, but would still work great with all their lenses and flashes, and take great photos. Canons are good, too, but I'm not familiar with their model numbers.

FuturePastNow wrote:

Individual components? You could look up the model number and find a good photo online. Obviously that wouldn't be "your" part, but the same model is the same model.

If you want a camera recommendation, you can't beat the photo quality of a dSLR. The sensor is bigger and better than a little digital camera, the lenses are bigger and better. New ones aren't cheap, but you can find used or refurbished for good prices. Check eBay or pawn shops. I'd look for a Nikon D40, D50, D60, or D70; those are old enough to not be expensive, but would still work great with all their lenses and flashes, and take great photos. Canons are good, too, but I'm not familiar with their model numbers.

Seems to me that even a used DSLR will be rather incompatible with the requirement that it be the "cheapest way".

Thank you justbrewit... I thought I was the only person who had actually read the OP's post. If a person doesn't already own a digital camera of any sort in this day and age, I doubt they have the money or interest in buying a dSLR.

Even the A3400 point-and-shoot mentioned earlier may be overkill. If cost is the overriding concern, you can get some decent digital cameras for under $100, especially if you're willing to settle for something that's a generation or two old.

Heck, if you don't need to see all the silk printing on chips/motherboards. The picture (in this post) taken using my really old A40 is more than enough.

Flying Fox wrote:

Heck, if you don't need to see all the silk printing on chips/motherboards. The picture (in this post) taken using my really old A40 is more than enough.

Yeah, if you're willing to go the eBay route you can probably pick up an older used digicam that'll get the job done for really cheap. Just make sure you get something that uses standard AA batteries; rechargeable Li-ion battery packs in older cameras may be trashed by now, and could easily cost you as much to replace as you're paying for the camera.

You guys are so funny, DSLR's, professional photography setups etc

Assuming your phone doesn't have a camera with Macro mode, any cheap digital camera with a macro mode will do. It doesn't even matter if it's an older model, as long as it works, since a 5-year-old camera is likely to be at least 8 megapixles and I guess you'll be resizing this down to screen resolution to email people anyway.

The only other thing I'd recommend is a bright, adjustable desk lamp; To get good photos you need good light, not expensive hardware.

Chrispy_ wrote:

The only other thing I'd recommend is a bright, adjustable desk lamp; To get good photos you need good light, not expensive hardware.

Completely agree. I've got great "inside the case" shots from a pocket point-n-shoot I bought three or four years ago for less than $150 -- as long as light it well (with strong lights be careful of harsh shadows -- and that includes the built-in flash -- it's usually better to have two or three moderate lamps from different angles and forego the flash entirely). Having more light than you think you need allows you (or the program in the camera) to adjust the aperture to get more depth-of-field, which you often need when doing macro shots. On cameras without a manual mode (or if you just don't know what you're doing) it may take some trial-and-error to get results you're satisfied with, but you're never going to get there if you don't start with adequate lighting.