Digital cameras 101

[naoki]

So I've got a Fuji Finepix F20 and I love it, but it's really inconsistent about focus on reeeeeally close-up things. I don't know what it's called but it's got that special zoom thing (signified by a little flower that appears in the upper left-hand corner of the screen) that's automatically activated in Text Mode and Flower Mode. The thing is, it's really temperamental and only works sometimes--sometimes it takes lovely, detailed, sharply focused pictures, other times it just comes out blurry. And I can tell in the little zooming process it does that it DOES come into focus at some point, but it goes past it and when it actually takes the shot it's just all blurry. Does anyone know why that is? Is it me, or the camera? Am I don't something wrong or... ? Yeah.

Thanks for your time.

[ShutterbugGail]

I'm not familiar with the modes and menus on the F20 but there are some basic principles of focusing with a compact digital camera that apply to most.

From what you wrote, you switch to macro mode for close-up shots. In my experience, macro mode works best when you don't zoom in at all. It's better to physically move closer to the subject, than to zoom. Just don't get too close....the manual will tell you the minimum amount the camera should be held from a subject.

Please explain a bit more about the blurry photos so we can be of more help.  Is it actual blur from camera or subject movement, or differences in what's known as depth of field (see below)?

Here are some basic focus tips:

http://www.digicamhelp.com/learn/toptips/focus-tips.php

And some macro photography tips:

http://www.digicamhelp.com/learn/macro-close/

And some information about depth of field, something very useful to understand when taking close-up shots:

http://www.digicamhelp.com/taking-photos/advanced-techniques/dof.php