Computer as remote control

I would like to be able to use a computer to control my Sony camera. Specifically I want
to be able to control the shutter and the manual focus without touching the camera. The purpose is the use the Helicon software to overcome depth of field limitations for closeups. This requires taking a a series of images at slightly different focus points without moving the camera, somethinng fairly easy to do if you have a camera with a focusing ring, but not if you have to press a button to change focus or to fire the shutter.

I don't know about Sony's point and shoots, but as far as DSLR's I think the only one out right now with the possibility of computer control is the a700.

Yes I can confirm that the A700 does have remote PC control. I thought their other alphas did as well though, do they not?

My old Minolta A1 has computer control option.
As do the Canon dSLRs.

By the sound of it, George isn't using a dSLR though.
And controlling manual focus from software is not a normal feature of remote control software.

Triggering the AF is usual, but that doesn't give you the multiple focus points needed for the Helicon slices to stack for the synthesised DoF images.