macro help

ruffdog64

ruffdog64

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Harvey
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I`ve got myself a sigma 105mm macro lens for my 1d mk2 and to be honest haven`t been overly impressed, now i know it`s my fault but would like to know why.
I see other peoples macro shots using the same lens and they look a lot better ie sharper, i`ve heard of photo stacking and tbh am not sure if this is why they are better and if so how is this done, sorry for some many questions Harvey
 
Any examples? The DoF when you're very close to the subject is very shallow so it can be hard to get what you want in focus. Using a much smaller aperture (higher F number) will get a larger area in focus but when you get past F10 than getting enough light to use a low ISO can be difficult unless you have a flash too.

Does that lens have IS and do you do your shots handheld?
 
Just looked at the EXIF on flickr, f11

Could gone a bit smaller for more DoF, but I done see any issues with sharpness.
 
Looks a little dark to me and the lighting doesn't really make it pop as much as it perhaps should? Sometimes it's the flower itself which lets the shot down. You need to find a prime example of the flower otherwise it just lets you down a bit when it's all dehydrated and stuff :(

You can go for much smaller apertures but you'll start to need longer and longer exposures or you'll need a flash to help you freeze it in place.

You can look at stacking images together. This means you can take multiple shots using the optimal aperture of your lens and merge them later using PS or something similar. It helps get more in focus then you ever go with a single exposure and when done right can mean a sharper image too.
 
For me ( I have the same Lens) its all about Light Light :Light :eek:

I usually shoot @ f11 if possible and use a sturdy tripod and sometime a Macro ring flash

good results can be had

Like this one- shot from a Tripod - natural light from behind and slightly above


DSC02441 Herb Robert 3 by Les Moxon Photography, on Flickr




Les :thumbs:
 
I have a cheap ring flash but was under the impression flash shutter speed was limited to 250th sec?
 
ruffdog64 said:
I have a cheap ring flash but was under the impression flash shutter speed was limited to 250th sec?
Click to expand...

The 1/250th limit is for a single pulse of light whilst the shutter is completely open (often referred to as the x-sync or max sync speed). Canon's own, and many third party flashes, will also work in high speed sync. This produces a rapid pulsing of the flash head (too quick to see ) and allows faster shutter speeds to be used.

Bob
 
Just to add to what Bob said.

The flash 'exposure' is generally faster than the fastest shutter speed your camera can handle, so in a completely dark room with a shutter speed of 10 second, the flash is capable of freezing a bursting balloon.

The resulting image is made up of 2 'exposures' 1 from the ambient at 10 seconds will be severely underexposed (so won't show an image), the 2nd from the flash will be correctly exposed and very quick, freezing the bursting balloon.

Of course to make this happen you need a trigger device to fire the flash from the sound made by the balloon, but I hope it'll help you understand the concept of flash exposures.
 
ruffdog64 said:
I have a cheap ring flash but was under the impression flash shutter speed was limited to 250th sec?
Click to expand...

I have 2 ring flashes- one of them actually works as continuous light ( 24 LED's in a circle) as well as a burst of flash light like a traditional flash gun, if that makes sense?

Therefore I can if I wish use continuous light to aid the composition and exposure

Les :thumbs:
 
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