One thing that I don't think I explained very well about using the screw-on magnifiers is the depth of focus. So that's what this post is about - specific to this camera. While the same principles apply to other cameras with magnifiers attached, the specifics (measurements) won't be exactly the same. You'll have to experiment.
For the pictures above, I used the 4x magnifier. The mechanical process goes like this:
1. Screw on the magnifier
2. Turn on the camera
3. Disable the flash (push it down in this case - it pops up automatically on this camera)
4. Set the camera to Macro mode
5. Zoom in as far as you can using the optical (rather than digital) zoom. For this camera, zooming in all the way in macro mode only uses the optical zoom. You're trying for a closeup, right?
6. Position the camera lens (move your face) between 8-9 1/2" from the subject (or the part of the subject that you want to focus on)
7. Let the autofocus do it's thing
8. Snap the shot when it's in focus
Here's an illustration of what I described above:
Notice that using the magnifier lens (paired with macro mode itself), you've effectively reduced the focusable area of the lens to about a 1 1/2" slice.
So you'll need to physically move the camera (your face) to about 9 inches away from the subject in order to focus (or 4" inches if using the +10 magnifier).
YMMV, of course, with your camera and your setup. The important thing is to figure out how far away that you need to be from the subject in order to acquire focus.
