What do you call it/where do you get it?

I had good results with a mini tripod ($10), daylight and some extra room lighting. The most important thing was to manually white balance the camera. Of low cost cameras CANON have by far the best optics and a "super" macro mode that focuses down to 1 cm (0.4 inch). A remote shutter release is a good idea but you can work without it.

Jim Thompson wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Many of the tripods I've used allow you to move the tilt/pan head from the top of the elevation post to the bottom. This places the camera in a position that works great for shooting straight down at an object, like a copy stand, I've also found that, when shooting at extreme close-ups, pushing the trigger can vibrate the camera and blur the image. I use the timed trigger to eliminate that.

Ken

snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

=A0 =A0 ...Jim Thompson

That's what I do with the Manfrotto tripod I mentioned previously.

I used to use the timer, but I then made my own IR remote. They are made by Nikon, but cost a lot more.

Leon

It's called a copy stand. You can use a tripod if you're not doing this often, but harder to set up. Lighting is the biggest problem. A couple links to lighting suggestions below. I find the gallon plastic milk jug diffuser with two or three work lights with 100 watt equivalent fluorescent bulbs to be very handy. Another way of "photographing" chips is put them on a flat bed scanner. They have sufficient depth of field to scan PCBs with 0.2" tall parts.

Copy stand:

Lighting:

--
Mark

innews: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

The Manfrotto thing that's really the most useful is the Magic Arm (sold by Bogen). It's $100 and a thing of great beauty.

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

--
Dr Philip C D Hobbs
Principal
ElectroOptical Innovations
55 Orchard Rd
Briarcliff Manor NY 10510
845-480-2058
hobbs at electrooptical dot net
http://electrooptical.net

Don't forget using a plain scanner for many things.

greg

Good point. We looked around and got a scanner with a large depth of field so that it can handle objects up to an inch or two thick. I prefer the camera myself for important photos, but the scanner is excellent for documenting things quickly.

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

--
"it's the network..."                          "The Journey is the reward"
speff@interlog.com             Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
Embedded software/hardware/analog  Info for designers:  http://www.speff.com

innews: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Aside from weighing nothing, looking cool etc. what are the advantages of an $800 Manfrotto carbon fiber tripod/head over my 30 year old telescoping aluminum Slik tripod?

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

--
"it's the network..."                          "The Journey is the reward"
speff@interlog.com             Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
Embedded software/hardware/analog  Info for designers:  http://www.speff.com

=A0 =A0 ...Jim Thompson

=A0 =A0| =A0 =A0mens =A0 =A0 |

=A0 | =A0 =A0 et =A0 =A0 =A0|

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Sniff around BHPhoto and Adorama in their tripod departments. I'm sure you'll find something. But really, can't you just make something youself? Unless time is money, and all that. Either way, should cost very little. Any horizontal stand with a 1/4-20 bolt will do...

Copy stands are also used in silkscreening, so you might Google those suppliers as well.

As for lenses, a macro lens on a 35mm SLR is probably ideal. A ring light (light or flash that goes around the lens) will provide nice even lighting, but you can get by without, with a little care and attention.

I recently saw what I thought was a pretty cool invention (probably not new?) It was this contraption that fit over your SLR's flash attachment and using either a bunch of fiberoptic strands, or maybe plastic mirrors, would bounce the flash down this "tube" and it would come out in a manner very similar to a ring flash. It probably cost 3-stops worth of light, but it's like a $20 ring light. Pretty cool, if you do a lot of that work and don't want to spend the big bucks.

Someone else mentioned a focusing rail if you find depth of field is a problem for your (existing?) lenses. If so, try

Last time I checked, they carriers some fairly inexpensive focusing rails. But I doubt you would need one for the example image you posted.

Also, when lighting your image, let the light angles bounce away from the lens. Put your lights at 45-degree angles for example, and you won't overexpose. The angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection, so always use that fact to your advantage when lighting your subject.

-mpm

Mini tripod $2.30 delivered (taller "mini tripods" available too, no minimum order)

Photo of 44 QFP using tripod cannon powershot A470 (bottom of the range digital) super macro, timer, color balanced and *indoor ambient light* (outdoor light or bigger sensor would have removed the digital noise). Total cost of gear was under $80.

A piece of 2" or wider angle aluminum, or the rectangular aluminum tubing used for screened in porches will make a simple adapter for an existing tripod. Put a solid piece of aluminum over the end to hold the

1/4*20 bolt. The used to sell a wall mounted camera mount for security cameras that had a square end which allowed a camera to be mounted horizontal or vertical.

--
Lead free solder is Belgium's version of 'Hold my beer and watch this!'

I just had a gooseneck from a UPC scanner with a 1/4" screw on one end, and a 1/4" socket on the other that accepted a 1/4" screw. Took a peanut tin and a couple of washers (One on either side of the hole you punch on the bottom).

Fill with rice for ballast, or lead if you want really heavy ballast.

In message , Jim Thompson writes

Would it not be easier to move the chip so you can sit the camera in front of it?

--
Clint Sharp

snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

=A0 =A0 =A0 ...Jim Thompson

"The Journey is the reward"

eff.com

I only have one of the ordinary aluminium ones. It was quite expensive, though.

Leon

Duh! I should get out what I have...

before I worry :-)

Looks like all I need to do is make some kind of stand-off so I can get the camera vertical and the field of view free of the tripod legs. ...Jim Thompson

--
| James E.Thompson, CTO                            |    mens     |
| Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems  |    manus    |
| Phoenix, Arizona  85048    Skype: Contacts Only  |             |
| Voice:(480)460-2350  Fax: Available upon request |  Brass Rat  |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com |    1962     |
             
      The only thing bipartisan in this country is hypocrisy

is a smaller version of the wall mount I was thinking of.

is $9 and would be very easy to convert, plus there are several stores close to you.

--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
North Central Florida

http://www.flickr.com/photos/materrell/

--- a standoff doesn't buy you much.

How about a bracket to offset the camera by 90 degrees?

+---------------+ CAM | +-------------+ TRIPOD \ | | | | / +--| | +-+-+ | | | | +--| | | | +-+ | | | / \ /|\ COPY

JF

The "head" _will_ rotate a full 90°, but the tripod legs are in the view. But perhaps your approach would be better. I suspect a counter weight will be needed as well.

Or maybe make a stand...

______CAMERA_____ /\ [_______} /\ / \ O / \ / \ / \

;-) ...Jim Thompson

--
| James E.Thompson, CTO                            |    mens     |
| Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems  |    manus    |
| Phoenix, Arizona  85048    Skype: Contacts Only  |             |
| Voice:(480)460-2350  Fax: Available upon request |  Brass Rat  |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com |    1962     |
             
      The only thing bipartisan in this country is hypocrisy

--
Ugh!

JF