These images were taken using the Sony DCR-VX2000 MiniDV camcorder. They are progressive-scan stills, taken directly to "memory stick", and transferred to a PC using the USB memory stick reader that Sony bundles with the camera. The creche scene used +4 and +1 stacked close-up lenses (the kneeling figurine is only 1 inch high). The other photos used only the stock lens. A few of the pictures had brightness levels adjusted about 5%, but no color, sharpening, or other filters were applied. I recompressed the photos with Photoshop's "baseline optimized" JPEG format (Quality=8) to save about 30% web space and download time. The recompressed photos do not look (to me) any different from the originals.
Photos by John Beale, Dec. 2000.