How to increase sharpness for close-range?

[Player_1]

I've been doing some close range photography with a copy stand. I look at my pictures, and they are never as sharp as I would like them to be. I use the timer and decent lighting, but some sections of the image aren't as sharp and detailed as others. I use the photocopy option in GIMP, and that begins to make things a lot better with some digital sharpness added in.

However, I'm still trying to understand what makes a picture sharp. I was searching through this forum, and some people said using a macro lens can increase picture sharpness. How so?

Does using the macro option on a camera increase sharpness?

I'd say I'm taking pictures about 24 inches away from the object.

What are the best ways to increase sharpness?
Is it the lens?

 

[fmw]

Probably, the lens is not capable of focusing that close.

 

[Player_1]

It's a Fujifilm Finepix A500, which is a $100 USD camera. It somewhat focuses and sharpens the image. But I'd like better sharpening.

What kind of camera do I need to get? How much money would I need to spend?

 

[fmw]

It's a Fujifilm Finepix A500, which is a $100 USD camera. It somewhat focuses and sharpens the image. But I'd like better sharpening.

What kind of camera do I need to get? How much money would I need to spend?

I'm not suggesting you should buy any equipment. I'm guessing as to the problem. You need to check it out for yourself. Find the closest focal point for the lens and then measure it with a tape measure. Then you will know what it is. Then, if the the focal point isn't the issue, stop down the aperture to be sure the corners of the frame are in adequate focus along with the center. If the images are still soft, then go look at buying yourself a digital SLR.

 

[Player_1]

Yeah. I think I'm getting to the SLR stage. Darn those point-and-shoot cameras. I was playing with an DSLR the other day, and I was amazed by the quality, sharpness, and so forth. I thought it was incredible compared to a regular digital camera. However, I didn't have that kind of money at the time. I'm not willing to spend any money at the moment, but I'm thinking I've come to the end of the line when using the consumer Fujifilm series.

 

[harkain]

Most lenses won't get IN YOUR FACE CLOSE because they aren't made to get that close. Just as if something gets too close to your eye, you can't focus on it. For a pro camera, you could purchase a macro lense to get cozy close. Point-and-shoot cameras are better suited to taking snapshots of grandma on Thanksgiving and they make me want to throw them (the cameras, not grandmas).

You can find out more with a quick google search on Depth of Field. Wikipedia has some very technical info on photography subjects.

However, there are techniques for macro photography that involve combining multiple images taken at different focus distances. This is probably effective if your subject is dead and in a vacuum. Of course, you have to be able to focus on some part of the subject in the first place.