Gamera

Still using a Nikon CoolPix 4300 I bought about a decade ago, it works for my needs. My biggest problem is either use the flash and wash out the details or end up with shaky cam blur effects so I have to drag out my mini-tripod to take most photos. Then I have to edit them in PhotoBucket. The actual time plugging in the USB cable and uploading them to the PC is the simplest part.

I recently did look at a Droid with the option of direct upload, only question to the smartphone users here is would I have the same problem with shaky blurry photos???

I use pretty bright lighting (two-tube fluorescent shop light ~3 feet above the bench), so camera shake isn't all that much of an issue. 

If you can force your CoolPix to a higher ISO you could probably eliminate a lot of the camera shake, but at the expense of some extra graininess.

Thanks Doogs, getting more illumination isn't really an option so I'll look at a higher ISO. That's assuming I can find the manual, skimmed over it when I got the camera but it's so user-friendly I put the book away and forgot where it is

I think I recall seeing an Adobe version on Nikon's website if all else fails.

DoogsATX

fermis - nice and sharp - what phone is that, exactly? Nice to see a glamour shot on a phone where the colors don't shift noticeably toward the edges...

It's a Sprint HTC (droid). Surprisingly decent pics, for a phone! It does make the blue backdrop very BLUE. Reds, whites and yellows have the same effect....doesn't pick up subtle differences in the shading/fading. Even does pretty decent for close ups....

1/72 B-24

fermis

 

DoogsATX:

 

fermis - nice and sharp - what phone is that, exactly? Nice to see a glamour shot on a phone where the colors don't shift noticeably toward the edges...

 

 

It's a Sprint HTC (droid). Surprisingly decent pics, for a phone! It does make the blue backdrop very BLUE. Reds, whites and yellows have the same effect....doesn't pick up subtle differences in the shading/fading. Even does pretty decent for close ups....

1/72 B-24

Thats not a model that is a giant holding a real aircraft!

DoogsATX

El Taino - I agree, I rarely use my macro. Usually I'll bust it out for the insanely small work (biplane rigging or something), but that's because the 35mm has a somewhat limited focus distance. Speaking of which, I've got the same 35 f/1.8 and love it...I usually push it to f/22 just to ensure everything's in sharp focus, but I may try stepping it down to see what I can get away with. It basically lives with a tripod shoe screwed into it, so setup is a breeze - it's over on the bench and the post-shoot workflow that's the issue. Great pics by the way - exactly why I'm springing for a point-and-shoot. In most other situations I prefer the DSLR, but point-and-shoots definitely bring some advantages to bench photography.

Doogs, that 35 F/1.8 DX is the best $199 invested. My wife sneaks in my cabinet to use it on her D5000 very often. Another alternative to a macro lens is the new 40mm F/2.8 DX 1:1. I found safe heaven with the S8100. You may want to check for an used one.

Well...I think I'm going to pass on Eye-fi, at least for now. Just downloaded iPhoto for the iPad last night and it's actually pretty decent for quick corrections. I've already got the SD thingy for the iPad, and the Photobucket app installed, so I can dump things from the camera to the interwebs pretty fast. And I can get a 4GB SD card for like $7, vs. $40 for an Eye-Fi...

DoogsATX

,..... and the Photobucket app installed, so I can dump things from the camera to the interwebs pretty fast.

Excellent tip! Got the app myself after reading this, so I'll likely post more pics, now that I don't have to upload to PC...then P/B.

Sweet. Got the Canon SD790 today. Haven't had bench time yet, but I messed around with it a bit. So far, looks like exactly what I need for my purposes. 

An "up close" from the car...

Barely touched the settings (flash forced to off, macro on):

Here's the current WIP with the iPhone:

And the Canon:

Ordered a 4GB card for it ($3 on Amazon!) so I wouldn't have to swap with the Nikon...then this evening found an old 2GB card in the camera bag. Doh!