Garden wildlife - Focus

[Sikario]

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/n.e.bullock/Frog%20in%20pond.jpg
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/n.e.bullock/Hoverfly%20focus.jpg
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/n.e.bullock/Purple%20flower.jpg
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/n.e.bullock/Venus.jpg

How can I improve these photos, ideally I think the flower would look better if the whole flower head was in focus, but I found this difficult with my A80. Any advice. Thanks.

I'm thinking of upgrading to a 300d, I had the 35mm version before my A80 and I think I need to return to SLR so I can adjust precisely what I'm focusing on. What good macro lenses are there for the 300d and what sort of money do they sell for? :)

[commando]

I bought a 300D a month or so ago. I tried my A70 the other day, and it feels like a toy in comparison. It's so slow, and you have so little control of the end result. The 300D will be a huge upgrade - and also a huge learning curve (except you say you've had SLRs before).

The only thing I can think to say about the flower is very simple - use a narrow aperture - you can control it with the A80 in Av mode.

[RbnDave]

Close ups need really tight apertures. Depth of field is really narrow when you are working that close. Try dialing up the aperture as high/closed as you can get it in AV mode.

Also, lots of light helps. Some of your focus issue might actually be blur from camera motion.

[Molydood]

pretty cool pics, but a little over staurated for my tastes