help with my macro

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gpc1

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Greg
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Hi All,

I have a canon 400d
Sigma 17-70 f2.8 - 4.5 Macro DC
Sigma 70 -300 f4 - 5.6 APO DG macro
Jessops extension tubes
Wireless remote

No matter how hard I try i just cant seem to get anything pin sharp and with any punch. The detail just doesnt seem to be there.
Just been looking at AJOphotogs pictures on the macrothread and they are stunning.
Given the above kit, what else could you do to improve. I am awaiting delivery of a tripod.
With the above can i really get true macro shots with amazing detail?
Anyone got any examples with a combo of the above kit?

Need to know what im doing wrong (will try and post some pics later)

Thanks All
 
Hi GPC,

I never use a tripod with Macro photography. Basically ensure the lens is not AF but MF and focus "around and about" on your subject. Once you are happyish with it, then hold steady and 'rock' back and too until it is really in focus.

Make sure you have enough light - flash recommended - and set it to Apeture Priority around about 8.0.
 
The two lenses you have aren't true macro lenses. I dunno how manufacturers keep getting away with the 'Macro' description on these lenses - it's very misleading, especially for newcomers.

The macro setting on a zoom lens just moves all the elements further forward than they would be at the normal closest focusing distance to enable much closer focusing.

The feature can be very useful in a walk around zoom lens and enables you to get reasonable close ups of small details like flowers, and larger insects such as butterflies, but for the sort of shots you no doubt have in mind you need a true macro lens.

A true macro lens produces a life sized (1:1) image on the sensor, and they're always a fixed focal length.

Bad news I know.... soz!
 
Thansk,

I know they are not true macro, but I thought they would at least get me most way there...may be a true macro lens is needed then......

No tripod eh....perhaps im just a shky person but i can never seem to get it pin sharp.

Moer practice requires i think. perhaps I need to improve my lighting conditions to, a decent flash maybe. 430ex is in mind as i could then bounce this at an angle so as not to wash out the colour which is what happens when i use the camera flash...:shrug:
 
Well - zoom lenses used at the macro setting are really focusing closer than they were designed to, so image quality isn't going to be the best. It's not something you'd notice with say a flower close up too much, but if you fit your tubes and manage to get close enough for those flies nads, then viewed at a reasonable size, image quality is likely to suffer. Even the best zoom lenses are compromised compared to a prime, so sticking an extension tube behind a zoom doesn't help matters

Don't let me put you off having a go with the gear you have though. The best advice I can give you is, eliminate all possibility of camera shake - use a tripod - focus very carefully and see what you get.

Post some examples... might give us more idea of what you might achieve. :)
 
Thnks,

makes sense really.

What sort of equipment are we talking about so that the eye of a fly would fill approx 1/3 of the frame and still keep the detail and be pin sharp.
Thas seriously close by anyones standard (although not quite Nad close!)

Will I need to sell the wife?:lol:

I shoot in Raw by the way so there is room for post adjustments.
 
Roughly speaking macro lenses come at 50 or 60mm focal length then 100mm, finally you can get 150mm and 180mm ones.

They'll all do the job you want, but the longer the focal length of the lens, the greater the working distance from your subject (less chance of scaring those bugs off) and the more lens to subject room you have to arrange any lighting.

I'm not commenting on the wife! :D
 
For me a tripod is quite essential. Tripod and remote shutter reduces a great amount of camera shake and will more likely be able to give you a crisp photo.
Apparently the extension tubes with 50mm should be able to give you real macro at 1:1 so things will appear life size.
I think it's best to try and shoot simple static objects first and make sure they come out sharp and in detail, I just did a few fruits and ornaments. Then you can know what sort of settings are required and shoot some flowers, bugs, water drops (very hard) etc.
I personally use manual mode on a tripod as you can get away with longer shutter times with static objects and again camera shake is minimised.

I use a 100mm macro lens and love it, if really like macro then definitely get one of these. With the extension tubes added on I can get even closer, like this:
1. uncropped
flower3eo6.jpg


2. cropped very slightly from top and bottom
coinsw0.jpg


These were taken with camera on tripod, remote shutter and flash attached on camera.
 
You probably can get sharp results from your lenses just not at 1:1 magnification.
Without a true macro lens you will have to crop your images considerably to create close ups.
It would be nice if you could post some examples of your work as it is difficult to say if there are other factors affecting your image quality.

Can I also ask what photographs you were looking at? this would also give people some idea of what you were after.

Some people on these forums are using specialist lenses, the most popular being Canons' MPE-65. This lens can go beyond 1:1 and produce truly spectacular images.
 
A tripod is pretty essential for me for macro although I sometimes use a monopod -my hand holding is rubbish at those distances.

Seeing as you're into flies... ;)

4336_209269562146be8e885289f.jpg


Gross innit? :gag:
 
:gag::lol:

who wants to photograph scantily clad models on a sunkissed beach eh, when you can take macro shots of these ugly buggers! That certainly aint pretty!

Thats the sort of magnification im after, maybe even more. Would love to get the eye taking up a third of the frame and in sharp detail.....
 
if you want to get that sort of magnification without cropping then you would need probably 150mm macro lens with extension tubes attached.
 
LOL. This was with the 180 macro and I could have got lots closer - I just wanted the whole beastie in this shot.
 
Here's a close up of an eye :) I use flash always pretty much with macro, do you? Settings on my canon dslr is f11-16 and shutter 1:200 iso 200. This gives me best results. I use my Panasonic with one of my Raynox lenses mostly for macro but there is no reason why not with your setup with a full set of tubes you shouldn't be able to shoot above life size.

1277214372_19c03202bd_o.jpg
 
CT said:
LOL. This was with the 180 macro and I could have got lots closer - I just wanted the whole beastie in this shot.
Click to expand...

that's pretty impressive, didn't realise you could get so close with 180. When I first got the 100 macro I was quite disappointed at how close it took me, I was expecting the type of magnification you got on that fly but it was no where near it.
 
michaelho said:
that's pretty impressive, didn't realise you could get so close with 180. When I first got the 100 macro I was quite disappointed at how close it took me, I was expecting the type of magnification you got on that fly but it was no where near it.
Click to expand...
Well the 180 will get closer than that, but I tend to go for a more overall pictorial shot than the extreme close up if that makes sense? This is one of my closer ones, and I don't think it's maxed out..

Just_Putting_Feelers_Out.jpg


I'm surprised you're disappointed with the Canon 100mm macro, I've seen some great results on this board from it , certainly as close as my fly above.

This one was pretty close IIRC

OY8N7480-01.jpg


I really don't do as much macro as I should - I've hardly done any this last year.
 
Nice shot CT, they are a lot more scarier close up lol.
I have a Tokina 100mm f2.8, optically I'm very happy with it, it produces very nice images. However on it's own it just didn't get me as close as I would have liked without cropping. Now that I have the extension tubes I can get loads closer and loving it :p
The 100mm macro is a pretty heavy lens, is the 180 heavy?
 
Yep.. the 180 is built like a tank - lovely build quality.... quiet too.

And black for a change!!! :D
 
camera, flash, 100 macro and extension tubes is really a struggle for my cheapo sony tripod, it's put me off recently of taking more macros lol. Hopefully new tripod be arriving this week or next and the head will be able to support the set up more easily.

gpc1: what tripod did you get?


CT: haven't done any bugs yet, and tips for the OP and me for catching bugs like you have done?
 
Macro isn't really my field by any means, but I'd say use a tripod. A lot of people swear by manual focus but I nearly always use AF with the single centre AF spot enabled, and servo focus. It's essential the camera is on a solid platform though which lets you get that AF point over the part you want - usually the head - and keep it there.

As with the bird stuff I use a gimbal head for bugs too... that's it basically.

Flies are great to practice on as they'll sit still in the sun for ages. Bees and wasps are a sod.... never still long enough!
 
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