Advice needed Please help

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Steve Henderson

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Steve henderson
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Hello.
I am desperate for advice on Macro lens / adapters to acquire great image quality of seriously close photography.
I will explain what I have at the moment and see if you can direct me any.

first of all I have a Canon 40D
Lenses:
Sigma DC 18-200 1:3.5-6.3 ( 62mm )
Sigma APO DG 70-300mm 1:4-5.6 ( 58mm )
Canon 28-105 EF 1:4-5.6 ( 58mm )
And a huge telescope lens to take pics of the moon and things miles away..lol

Macro all 58mm thread
Opton Macro +10
Opton Macro +4

Well to be honest ( Unless I am setting something wrong ) the pics are poop !
( tried the two macro's by themselves and together with ultra poop results )..lol
I get a well balanced exposure I try lots of alternative settings with a top end tripod and wireless remote

I noticed there is some superb outstanding pictures on this forum taken with a Raynox MSN 202 adapter..
Is this the way to go.
Also shooting in manual is there any average settings that will suite a bright sunny day ( I know I need to set everything each time I shoot ) but its just to gain some pointers.

What do you reckon ?
I am all ears and would love advice from the members in the know as to speak.
 
The close-up filters don't offer the best quality unless you buy the expensive ones such as the Canon 500D which is around £60 for a 58mm so for image quality they're far from ideal but they are a cheap way to get started with macro and test the water.

Ideal settings for a sunny day - the Sunny 16 rule which is set the shutter speed the same as your ISO and the aperture at f/16. So ISO 200 would mean 1/200s @ f/16 and you can vary it from there, eg 1/400s @ f/11, 1/800s @ f/8.

But it probably won't work so well for macro as generally you're getting much less light into the lens from the relatively small area and in my experience macro shots tend to need longer exposures than general type shots the Sunny 16 rule is intended for.
 
pxl8 said:
The close-up filters don't offer the best quality unless you buy the expensive ones such as the Canon 500D which is around £60 for a 58mm so for image quality they're far from ideal but they are a cheap way to get started with macro and test the water.

Ideal settings for a sunny day - the Sunny 16 rule which is set the shutter speed the same as your ISO and the aperture at f/16. So ISO 200 would mean 1/200s @ f/16 and you can vary it from there, eg 1/400s @ f/11, 1/800s @ f/8.

But it probably won't work so well for macro as generally you're getting much less light into the lens from the relatively small area and in my experience macro shots tend to need longer exposures than general type shots the Sunny 16 rule is intended for.
Click to expand...


Hey thanks bud. So you say the expensive ones such as the Canon 500D
are better or supposed to be better than the Raynox MSN 202 ?
There is a member on this forum ( Sorry I forget his username ) he takes MINT macro shots of insects here is one of his class posts
http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=62887
Correct me if I am wrong but I think he uses the MSN 202 and them images are the dogs danglies...

But I think your help and obviously your vast experience in this field speaks volumes so I will go for the Canon 500D and maybe I can begin to learn to shoot images like that...? ...lol
No honestly I want to and will do...because I love it.
I simply do not know what to buy, so I ask you guys. I hope you do not mind.

So now to track a Canon 500D down at a decent price..
I will pay for it seems its better than the MSN 202.

Thanks again mate.
Hey if you ever want anywhere to shoot in the north east thats a bit untouched Just shout..
Oh...and by the way I forgot to say...I have red kites feeding in my back garden...Sorry just I get used to them so I forgot to say.

So if your into hawks of the north..pull up a chair in my garden, have a can of beer and relax with your camera. The rest is simply watching kites feed !
They nearly whip stuff from the barby if you do not keep an eye on them.
Folk flock up round here taking pics....But me...naah..I need the special pic ..the one no body has seen..
So I feed them down to my house.
Maggie's and crows hate them...maybe a good "in air combat shot"
I don't know..I will wait and think for now.

Regards and Thanks Steve
 
Sorry just been reading something there.

Whats about a dedicated macro lens. ?

What type is there for my 40 D ?

I want the better stuff If I can find it.

It has just been suggested to me elsewhere that the Macro filter adaptord like what I asked about are silly.
And If you do not have a dedicated macro lens you will never take a true macro shot.

This can not be true ....can it ?
That lad on here that does the flys and bugs has mint shots and his is not a canon dedicated macro lens.
SO WHATS THE BEST dedicated macro lens I can buy that will produce real close ups ? ( and I mean real close ups ) lol
Any advice please...

****....Help again...lol
 
extension rings, bellows, reverse lens adapters, macro lens or combinations of these.
 
Steve I shoot Nikon but there is one lens that would temp me to buying a Canon body and thats the Canon MP-E65 as it will go 5:1 (5x magnification) where as a normal macro lens is 1:1. As for the Macro filter adapter i would forget about them, unless its a Raynox which have been used to produce some of the stunning shots on this site.
 
I have a Cosina Macro for sale if you're interested...see the for sale forum.

It's a beaut!

Cheers,
James
 
Some sample pics from the Cosina (sadly in not the best light, about 5 mins before it chucked it down):

IMG_3291.jpg

IMG_3313.jpg

IMG_3323.jpg

IMG_3325.jpg

IMG_3330.jpg

IMG_3335.jpg


These are all low res JPEGS saved from Picasa from the RAW file...not my usual workflow as I'm away from home and thus away from Lightroom.

Cheers,
James
 
Moos3h said:
I have a Cosina Macro for sale if you're interested...see the for sale forum.

It's a beaut!

Cheers,
James
Click to expand...

I appreciate the offer but I have been kind of drawn to the
Canon MP-E 65mm 1:2.8 1-5x Macro Lens

They reckon that these are the dogs danglies.
So I would like one of these now.

But thanks bud.

Steve
 
Steve,

Am not sure what you are trying to achieve but i think your getting in a muddle in your haste to know what to do.

The canon 500 that plx8 talks about is the same as the filters you have now just better quality. Im not sure what the Raynox MSN 202 adapter is but i think its different and for taking really close up shots.

For dedicated macro lens think very carefully about the focal length you want. 65mm isnt very long and you will have to get close to your subject, for insects this might scare them away so you might want a longer focal length.

think about want you want before you spend your money.
 
Toothie said:
Steve,

Am not sure what you are trying to achieve but i think your getting in a muddle in your haste to know what to do.

The canon 500 that plx8 talks about is the same as the filters you have now just better quality. Im not sure what the Raynox MSN 202 adapter is but i think its different and for taking really close up shots.

For dedicated macro lens think very carefully about the focal length you want. 65mm isnt very long and you will have to get close to your subject, for insects this might scare them away so you might want a longer focal length.

think about want you want before you spend your money.
Click to expand...


I know..I sound like I am not sure what I want. Sorry.
But without a doubt I need to get in there ULTRA close to insects etc:
( Don't worry I have ways of making them hang around until they get there picky taken..
The advice about the Canon MP-E 65mm 1:2.8 1-5x Macro Lens with a very short focal length was given to me by a friend who is a pro photographer and I have been twisting on at him about macro shots .
He told me all the good points of the lens and the bad points as well.
But I really want to go down this road.

I do however appreciate all the replies.

PS: I have cash has any one got a lens for sale ?

Regards Steve
 
Steve,

The MP-E65 is possibly the ultimate macro lens an starts where the others finish (1:1 reproduction). It isn't the easiest thing to start with though and maybe a 90, 100 or 105mm and a set of kenko tubes is a good thing to cut your teeth on. Buying a secondhand one should allow you to move on later with minimal loss and could alleviate more than a little frustration in the first few months or so.

The diopters type filters like the 500D are better when used on a medium/long telephoto or zoom to reduce the minimum focus distance. Ideal for something like your 70-300 but with something like butterflies in mind and not really the thing for housefly or ant sized targets.

Bob

Edit...your comment "with a very short focal length " is probably meant to read "working distance"or "minimum focus distance". Working distance will generally reduce as magnification increases and focal length decreases.
 
This is a result from a Canon MP-E65 http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=34251
You would need a focusing rail and you would go in as close as about 1 inch. As for light either a ring light or mt-24. I used 580 and 430 flashes on each side to avoid shadows. Hope it helps. By the way the lens is now for sale at Mifsuds in Brixham, its in mint condition.
Simon.
 
simon4 said:
This is a result from a Canon MP-E65 http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=34251
You would need a focusing rail and you would go in as close as about 1 inch. As for light either a ring light or mt-24. I used 580 and 430 flashes on each side to avoid shadows. Hope it helps. By the way the lens is now for sale at Mifsuds in Brixham, its in mint condition.
Simon.
Click to expand...

Thats the kind of stuff I am talking about.
Thanks for the advice.

I am miles away from Brixham...:thumbsdown:
I am up in Geordie land
I will give ebay a blast if there is any on.

Regards Steve
 
Mifsud send by post. and if the one displayed on their used items was mine then rest assured, its in new condition, you may ask Matthew if its mine (Simon Marshall from Malta).
 
Steve Henderson said:
Hey thanks bud. So you say the expensive ones such as the Canon 500D
are better or supposed to be better than the Raynox MSN 202 ?
Click to expand...

Bit late replying but no the Raynox is a high quality one as well and has the price to match. It's the cheap close-up filters that normally come as a set I was referring to.
 
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