The development of an illuminator with high brightness LED for super-macro mode of digital camera

Background: With increasing use of digital cameras, it is needed to develop a better method of taking photographs that meet the dermatologists' demand. Recent digital cameras have super-macro mode capability, but that mode is only available in very bright conditions such as sun shining locations because flashing is unavailable. Objective: To develop a better method of taking delicate and reproducible super-macro mode photographs using digital cameras under ordinary hospital or clinic settings. Methods: We planned to develop an illuminator with a high brightness light emitting diode for the super-macro mode of a digital camera. To be economical, convenient, and lightweight, the illuminator was designed to plug into the USB port of a personal computer for the power source. We have applied the illuminator to three different camera models. The light emitting diodes were arranged in some different ways for better results. Results: When we took super-macro photographs with this device, patients felt no discomfort, such as dazzling, which they have experienced with a camera flash. And, the photographs showed more delicate zoomed-in images and were reproducible. The image quality was enhanced with the more optimal arrangement of diodes. We named the small space in front of the camera lens, 'micro studio', because we can modify the lighting method for better illumination. The users may maximize the capability of the digital camera using this device. Conclusion: We developed an economically appealing and flexible digital camera device that enables us to take super-macro mode images of a much more enhanced quality. It may be useful for many dermatologists who use digital cameras.