Camera for indoor still pictures

[Smokey5877]

Hi

I'm looking for a Compact Camera - maybe 6-8 megapixels for shooting products to sell online on my own website, and to a lesser extent e-bay.

Budget

Up to £200
Size

It won't leave the house but compact and not too heavy for the wife to hold.
Features

How many megapixels will suffice for you? 6 - 8
* What optical zoom will you need? (None, Standard = 3x-4x, Ultrazoom = 10x-12x, Other - Specify) 3
* How important is “image quality” to you? (Rate using a scale of 1-10)10
Do you care for manual controls?no
General Usage

* What will you generally use the camera for? Shooting pictures of soft furnishings for sale on web.
* Will you be making big prints of your photos or not? no
Will you be shooting a lot of indoor photos or low light photos? Yes
Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos? No
Miscellaneous

Are there particular brands you like or hate? No
Are there particular models you already have in mind? Canon A710 IS

(If applicable) Do you need any of the following special features? (Wide Angle, Image Stabilization, Weatherproof, Hotshoe, Rotating LCD)
IS, and decent LCD screen would be nice.

We bought a Canon PowerShot A710 IS but the problem is that the pictures are taken often from 2-3 feet away from cushion. The flash doesn't spread across the image especially well. Any tips appreciated or another model camera as we can take this one back within 30 days.:)

[David Metsky]

I would guess the problem isn't your camera (or any camera) but your lighting. Try to put more light on the subject using lamps or locating the cushions near direct sunlight. I believe you can adjust the flash intensity on the A710 as well.

Can you post a sample shot that shows the problem?

-dave-

[Smokey5877]

Thanks for the advice.

The problem is that we are using natuaral light as we have poor lighting in my house. One option is to buy some floor lamps but that isn't really practical.

The object being pictured is invariably a cushion on a bed. The natural light is coming from one side so the picture tends to be much brighter one side than the other, hence wanting to "fill-in" using the flash.

Unfortunately the flash is too harsh this close up. I'll have to see if the flash is adjustable - but I can't access the manual (on cd) as the shop won't take the camera back if I do.

I'll have a look at the camera tonight when the natural light may be a little softer.