My cheap digital camera has no manual focus adjustment.

Trying to take pictures or record short videos of what is going on my scope's screen has failed up to now. Always out of focus.

Asking for help on this, I was advised to use a webcam (with focus manual control) or even a surveillance camera.

I have no experience at all with that.

After finding out the high prices of the cameras with focus manual adjustment I am looking for a cheap solution still allowing sharp pictures/videos.

Any reasonable concrete solution?

Gracias.

 

I use a better quality digital camera I bought from eBay for $100. It is a Kodak DX4330.

 

I know my family has a web camera with manual zoom. It's quite cheap, but you are bound to your PC and somewhat low quality pictures. Have you tried using a landscape or macro operation? Maybe focusing too far or too close will help.

 

Bill,

Better quality would not help if focus control is still auto.

 

I know my family has a web camera with manual zoom. It's quite cheap, but you are bound to your PC and somewhat low quality pictures. Have you tried using a landscape or macro operation? Maybe focusing too far or too close will help.

What are the specs to look at, to decide on how bad is what I should expect?

 

See if you camera has a macro setting. But I have only used it for still not sure if it works for video,

 

Bill,

Better quality would not help if focus control is still auto.

Perhaps, but I have displayed photos of my oscope display routinely here. It is a matter of having done that. You are generalizing a specific problem with your camera to all cameras, which is not a valid assumption.

There is an accessory I need to make though, a shadow box. The glass from the CRT reflects the image of me taking the picture, so I need to come up with a hood arrangement of some kind.

 

I believe it is a standard 2Mpixel for photo and 0.8Mpixel for video. Haven't tested it for close snapshots or detailed video.

 

@ Atferrari,you have use the old vhs video camera,it will also record off
screen on T.V.,digital is blurry for some reason.

 

You are generalizing a specific problem with your camera to all cameras, which is not a valid assumption.

The problem is not specific to my camera. The auto focus is measuring distance to the graticule which is some 10 to 15 mm closer thus the blurred result. No mater what camera will auto focus, all have to do the same.

When the camera is focusing there is a brief moment in the process, when the image is sharp but it does not last. The sole trick I know is to move the camera ahead while keeping the shutter button half-pressed to mantain the focus already acquired. Not easy to get good results this way.

I also tried the macro option which is somewhat better but not satisfactory (at least for me).

 

I personally consider this satisfactory, though it also shows what I was talking about with the light shield.

 

Is it the camera or is it your oscilloscope settings?

The beam brightness, the background lighting, the screen graticule lighting, all could contribute to poor pictures. Is your cam mounted on a tripod?

Post a picture so we can see what your talking about.

Bill's pic is quite legible, and I see his hands and the camera in the reflection.

 

<snip>

Bill's pic is quite legible, and I see his hands and the camera in the reflection.

Yeah, I know.

It also helps to have a high resolution camera (this isn't, but it is much better than VGA). This is to expidite cropping.

 

Is it the camera or is it your oscilloscope settings?

Joe, please re read my posts. Then reason is that I have the graticule in way as so many old scopes have.

The focus is graduated wrt the graticule and not wrt the screen (which is some 10 to 15 mm behind).

While most of the times, images obtained that way could be understood, they do not look well, more to me that I can see the real one on the scope itself.

 

Let me see what I can do with my old Oscilloscope. I'll post some pictures.

 

My cheap digital camera has no manual focus adjustment.

Trying to take pictures or record short videos of what is going on my scope's screen has failed up to now. Always out of focus.

Asking for help on this, I was advised to use a webcam (with focus manual control) or even a surveillance camera.

I have no experience at all with that.

After finding out the high prices of the cameras with focus manual adjustment I am looking for a cheap solution still allowing sharp pictures/videos.

Any reasonable concrete solution?

Gracias.

I'd just grab a smartphone with a camera. You can get one with a 5MP on it for under $100 probably around $50. They focus really well, even manual focus if you hack it.

 

You will note my focus in in for both my hands and my screen. It is camera specific, not physics.