Homebrew PCBs

Hi Curt,

> Any advice as to digital cameras for this sort of work?  What sort
> optics are needed for closeups?  Is digital "zoom" worth while?

As far as I'm concerned, digital zoom is pretty much a useless feature
used for marketing purposes.

The feature that you're looking for is typically "macro mode", and
often involves manually focusing the camera. I have a PowerShot A95
that also allows external lenses to be attached. This helps quite a
bit for closeup shots.

For example:
http://www.davehylands.com/Machinist/CNC-Spindle-Encoder/Small/03-Closeup.html

and the full sized picture:
http://www.davehylands.com/Machinist/CNC-Spindle-Encoder/03-Closeup.html

I got my 37mm lenses and adapter from: http://www.lensmateonline.com/
(no affiliation)

-- 
Dave Hylands
Vancouver, BC, Canada
http://www.DaveHylands.com/