Dear Prof. Steyn;
        Digital cameras have come a long way in the past few years - the
newest, "5 megapixels" variety produce photos which can be enlarged
substantially and still retain photographic quality.  If you are
interested in just putting pix on the internet, almost any respectable
camera will do - you want to end up with .jpg files under a practical
maximum of 100k, for speed of downloading. //  One particularly
important feature you will wish to seek, is OPTICAL zoom - not digital
zoom, which simply enlarges a portion of the view without increasing the
resolution.  This will make macro work possible, for recording fine
details of the shells in question, as well as microshells.  A good
camera can resolve features down to 0.05mm or less.
        A very  important consideration when photographing shells, is attaining
natural spectral balance.  The only guaranteed way to do this is to use
natrual sunlight - you can use white paper as a screen to cut down on
the glare, and another sheet of white paper can be placed behind the
specimen to reflect enough light to reduce shadows.  Another "trick of
the trade" for reducing file size considerably, is to use a
solid-colored background such as crushed black velvet or solid-color
ordinary paper.

From the Great White Not-so-cold-now North,
Ross.


--
Ross Mayhew: Schooner Specimen Shells: Http://www.schnr-specimen-shells.com
"Shells to write home about!!"
Phone: (902) 876-2241; Fax: (902) - 479 - 1863
Snail Mail: 349 Herring Cove Rd, P.O Box 20005, Halifax, N.S., Canada,
B3R 2K9.