Creative photography

[bobl]

I want to set about digitizing all my old photos and burning them to DVD.  I would like to know the best way to go about this process.  I will be using natural light and fixing the camera above with a tripod, slipping the photos underneath.  My results so far have resulted in blurred photos.  Should I use a macro setting?  What settings should I make on my camera (FinePix F50fd) to ensure best results please.
Thanks
bobl

[bdery]

Hi,

I'm not familiar with all the features of your camera, but do make sure you get a focus confirmation before taking the picture, just as you would with any picture you take.

If your camera has a manual focus option, it could be a good time to use it and lock focus at a distance that you have verified does work well.

Be careful with glare reflecting from your pictures.

A more reliable solution would be to use a scanner,and dgitize your pictures with it. they can be purchased really cheaply these days.

If you have access to the negatives, you could also use a scanner designed specifically for scanning negatives, and get the best results possible.

[bobl]

Thank you for the reply.  I did use the scanner option but it took me over half an hour to scan and edit/clean up one photo and then the resultant .jpg was 70MB for one photo.  I have many hundreds of photos.  
I will have a look at focus options on the camera and try again.
Cheers

[ShutterbugGail]

Are you using the camera self-timer to trigger the shutter button? If not, do so as it will help prevent blur from camera shake. You still have to press the shutter button halfway to lock focus.

Also, your camera has image stabilization. You should shut it off when using a tripod.

Yes, macro mode could work but check the camera specifications in the manual to find out the close focus limit.

btw, a scan shouldn't take that long. You may have settings wrong; you should be able to adjust resolution and file size and dimensions. My husband and I scanned 40 years of family photos and made a CD. While it is time consuming (and well worth it), it only took about a minute to scan each photo.

Let us know if you have other questions.

Related reading - using the self-timer:

http://www.digicamhelp.com/camera-features/camera-parts/self-timer.php