close up shots canon sx30 is

Hi Darren nice to hear from you again, I remember your early posts where equally you asked for help so you have come to the right place.

I can't help you personally, but the generous members who know about such things will respond soon.

As a first step, it is worth trying Manual focussing. The SX30 IS is a fairly sophisticated camera and should allow you to do this. 

If the camera has a Macro mode, make sure that this is selected. 

The other possibility is that the subject is too close and focus cannot be achieved either on Auto or Manual focus. In which case, the solution is to get further away or use an accessory close up Lens over the front of the camera lens.

 Hi Darren. 

I tend to always set macro mode for close ups, though get in too close and I do get a blurr. Close ups on auto never seem to come out right.

I agree with Edward, the ideal way to get good focus for close up work is to switch to manual focus. Use the rear screen at fairly high magnification to ensure good focus. Best to use an aperture setting of f8  or more to ensure a reasonable depth of field unless of course you are specifically looking to isolate a very small part of the image

Close ups are similar in a way to long telephoto shots in that it is very difficult to hold the camera steady so a tripod is always a good accessory. Doesn't have to be an all singing all dancing £300 job, mini tripods can be picked up very cheaply whereas 'travel' tripods which are small and light and can extend to around 4-5 foot can be found for around the £40