[meansizzler]

After Trying manual focuswiht my compct found that I could now take good shots, but having to press 5 buttons to get to the focus menu and adjust it is a pain, I thought DSLR' made it easy, thought you twist the lense to change the focus but was then told that this only changes the zoom...

So what do I need to get only the fly Focus Adjustment?, Thinking of a Nikon D60 but what lense with the focus adjustment, prefer a 200 or 300mm VR lense to.

Also are the cameras not yet advanced enough to be fitted with lasers that you just point at the object your shooting at it will automatically calculate how far the object is and adjust the settings accordingly?, or is this what they call autofocus?, as I personally find that feature crap, when taking up close shots of PCB's it's no good, have to switch to manual

[Dave]

All DSLR's allow manual focus from turning the erm, manual focus ring on the lens.

The focus on a modern DSLR is also very accurate indeed and you very rarely have to resort to manual focus unless the light is very poor.

If you want to take close ups of PCB's then you'll need a macro lens. You might just about do it with a standard zoom but if you want to get really close then it's macro all the way.

[senu]

Originally Posted by meansizzler

, I thought DSLR' made it easy, thought you twist the lense to change the focus but was then told that this only changes the zoom...

You've been misinformed, perhaps unwittingly.
You don't twist the lens though . it is the ring on it as the actual lens casing is rigid although its internal elements move
The lenses have 2 rings; one for zoom the other for focus.
Unless they are prime lenses with dont zoom ( because focal length is fixed,) they only have one ring for focus
All however all have very easy manual focus
As it happens DSLRs and compacts tend to AF differently..more on that below

Also are the cameras not yet advanced enough to be fitted with lasers that you just point at the object your shooting at it will automatically calculate how far the object is and adjust the settings accordingly?, or is this what they call autofocus?, as I personally find that feature crap, when taking up close shots of PCB's it's no good, have to switch to manual

The cameras do have accurate and quick auto focus in general employing Passive or active methods , which use slightly different means ( (infrared or reflection on sensor with distance computed by electronics( or both)to adjust the lens. AF does have limitations and poor contrast, reflections, user error make it not 100%, but c**p it is not . when it works ( which is most of the time,) it is fast and accurate
DSLRs employ the passive method as a rule
To shoot PCBs sounds like a Macro subject: that would be better done with Manual focus and a dedicated macro lens which allow you to get "up close and personal"
It is possible.. but not as easy with Non Macro lenses
The sigma 70- 300 does some sort of macro but I wouldn't use it if I had a lot to too
An example

PS: Sorry If Ive repeated you Dave.. Someone else might find it useful though

[Fozzybear]

For photographing a PCB you don't want a 200 or 300mm VR lens, you need a macro lens. Are you looking to take photos of the whole pcb or parts of it? Probably a short macro lens of 50-60mm would work well if you want to do both, otherwise you'd need to move the camera quite a distance from the board.

I've used a Tamron 90mm macro lens to take photos of details of circuit boards, but although the lens is autofocus I often use manual focus, particularly if very close to the board - it's easier to manually focus so you can place the focus where needed if there are 3D elements. For flat board details like this:

AF would work fine. The Tamron has a large focusing ring and manually focusing is easy to do with it, as is autofocusing.

[meansizzler]

Any Chance of getting a D60 with a Macro Lens then with Live Preview?and senu did you fix that 350D?, I know a place where I can borrow a few lenses....

[Fozzybear]

The D60 doesn't have live view... it has a live viewfinder.

[senu]

Originally Posted by meansizzler

Any Chance of getting a D60 with a Macro Lens then with Live Preview?and senu did you fix that 350D?, I know a place where I can borrow a few lenses....

I will this month if you can wait.. Nobody seems to need it, so its gathering dust in the study
You can get used to the viewfinder , you know