Holy Macro! - DPChallenge Forums

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

06/18/2011 01:36:35 PM · #1

It was a beautiful June morning, so what better time-waster than to throw on the Canon MP-E65 1x-5x Macro lens and play around. I mounted a Canon MT-24EX Macro Flash that I borrowed from work and hit the yard. Here are a few results from the short expedition (look at the original size, they were uploaded at 2000px). All of these are essentially un-cropped, just basic tweaks in Lr and exported. Some slight cropping did occur due to my rotating the image slightly. I did the re-size to 2000px later in Ps. They were all taken hand-held, in manual mode using ISO and shutter speed to control ambient light. Aperture was f/16, but effective aperture was smaller for magnifications higher than 1.0x. The spider shot at 4.0x has an effective aperture of f/80 (!).
I recently bought this lens from Linda. In the past, I've used all sorts of contraptions to achieve magnifications up to about 4x; stuff like a reversed 50mm lens on a 100/2.8 macro with extension tubes. I must say, there is no comparing the results. I am just blown away by this lens. I'm also pretty impressed by the MT-24EX, LOL.

ETA: Teaser

Message edited by author 2011-06-18 13:40:42.

scalvert

Canon EOS-5D Mark III

06/18/2011 01:58:21 PM · #2

Bah... looks like any other snapshot of an 8" ant on a 3 foot clover.

PGerst

Canon EOS-20D

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon

06/18/2011 02:01:09 PM · #3

Very impressive. I was able to shoot this with similar settings. I achieved high magnification but through the final image itself since I only have a 1:1

ETA: What would be interesting is finding the smallest object you can measure. Based on a known, calibrated 1:1, shot, the smallest feature I've photographed is less than 27 Âµm.

Oh...an a macro primer :)

Message edited by author 2011-06-18 14:04:06.

FourPointX

Canon EOS-60D

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

06/18/2011 02:05:36 PM · #4

they are amazing. #2 makes me feel his attitude

MelonMusketeer

Nikon D7000

Nikon MF 50mm f/1.4

06/18/2011 02:13:42 PM · #5

If I ever feel like there is nothing worth shooting, wherever I am, I can use my macro lenses to find marvelous things that I would ordinarily just walk right past and never give it a second thought. It opens up a whole small world that exists all around us. Did you use a tripod or monopod for some or all of those?
ETA, Duh oh, I read the original post again, and they were hand held.

Message edited by author 2011-06-18 14:16:11.

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

06/18/2011 05:42:08 PM · #6

Originally posted by PGerst:

ETA: What would be interesting is finding the smallest object you can measure. Based on a known, calibrated 1:1, shot, the smallest feature I've photographed is less than 27 Âµm.

Well, let's see... the 5D has a pixel pitch of 7.4Âµm, so the smallest feature really imageable is about 2x pixel pitch (Nyquist limit). So smallest visible detail is about 15Âµm at 1:1 on my camera. Now, some of these were shot at 4:1, so smallest details are around 3.8Âµm. At the upper limit of magnification for this lens, we're talking 3.0Âµm. That's pretty darn impressive, only six times the wavelength of green light!

ShutterPug

Canon EOS-6D

06/18/2011 06:24:31 PM · #7

Nice shots Fritz. I'm happy to see you getting good use out of it. My hands are just too shaky to do justice to such a wonderful lens. The biggest issue was needing the money though.

GinaRothfels

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III

Olympus 8mm f/1.8 M.Zuiko Digital ED Fisheye PRO Lens

06/18/2011 06:40:16 PM · #8

Wonderful shots. I particularly like number 3.

I really want a macro lens (among others) but could never go for anything manual focus.

yanko

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

Carl Zeiss 50mm ZE f/1.4 Planar T for Canon

06/18/2011 06:47:16 PM · #9

Originally posted by kirbic:

I am just blown away by this lens. I'm also pretty impressed by the MT-24EX, LOL.

Spittle bug nest. Are you sure that isn't just your drooling from getting this new lens? :P

Message edited by author 2011-06-18 18:47:53.

06/18/2011 07:44:01 PM · #10

Originally posted by yanko:

Originally posted by kirbic:
I am just blown away by this lens. I'm also pretty impressed by the MT-24EX, LOL.

Spittle bug nest. Are you sure that isn't just your drooling from getting this new lens? :P

Well, that's entirely possible. If so, it explains why I'm so thirsty... that stuff was everywhere. Must be the time of year for them.

06/18/2011 09:26:29 PM · #11

Those are all great shots...

I got to play around with the 1-5x lens a friend (

schlake) owns. It's amazing just how much magnification that thing can produce.

I was inspired, so I processed a few shots that I took yesterday.

- I think this is my most appealing shot of the day

- Harvestman, completely infested with parasites

- This is my favorite - these little guys were so fast they'd be airborne before the shutter went off - every time the flash went off they jumped. I'd be really interested to know what species they are if someone knows... Gotta be the fastest reaction time in the animal kingdom.

- I had to just turn off the flash to get a clear shot of one sitting...

- I love houseflies, their large eyes give wonderfully defined lens facets even at 800px...

- Not the 100mm Macro, this is taken with the 85mm f/1.8 - no where near the magnification, but I was still pleased with the overall effect. :)

06/18/2011 10:05:21 PM · #12

Nice stuff Cory!
I laughed out loud at the jumping fly. He looks utterly shocked!

06/18/2011 10:14:30 PM · #13

Originally posted by kirbic:

Nice stuff Cory!
I laughed out loud at the jumping fly. He looks utterly shocked!

Thanks! I had quite a bit of fun with those guys - probably took 100 shots of them - at first if was puzzling as hell, since I'd take a picture and there was never a fly where I expected there to be one... After a few attempts I got a tiny bit of the fly in the frame and I figured out they were jumping every time I fired the flash. Finally I got to a point where I could predict where to focus and nail them mid-air...

So, you usually have a good knowledge of the finer points of camera hardware - any idea what was alerting these guys that the camera was about to go off? Is there some sort of pre-flash that happens with the on-body flash? Clearly by the time the main flash fired they were already airborne, and they didn't jump at all without the flash...

ETA: The full size image of yours is just stunning! I decided to upload and share a full size image of that poor infested harvestman...

Message edited by author 2011-06-18 22:23:08.

06/18/2011 10:31:46 PM · #14

Originally posted by GinaRothfels:

Wonderful shots. I particularly like number 3.

I really want a macro lens (among others) but could never go for anything manual focus.

Wanna know what's REALLY surprising? It's much easier to manually focus on this stuff, letting AF try to get the job done results in a huge number of misses, manual focus and a careful approach gives me great results about 85% of the time. I find the best way to do this is to focus at about the right point and then just move in and out until you've got what you want in focus... Unless of course you can afford the 100mm L IS macro, that has the hybrid IS which compensates for in/out as well as shift. And this is only at 1:1, go higher magnification and the problem is magnified.. Probably the reason it's a manual focus only lens...

06/18/2011 10:38:25 PM · #15

Originally posted by Cory:

So, you usually have a good knowledge of the finer points of camera hardware - any idea what was alerting these guys that the camera was about to go off? Is there some sort of pre-flash that happens with the on-body flash? Clearly by the time the main flash fired they were already airborne, and they didn't jump at all without the flash...

I bet your flash was on E-TTL. They were jumping on the pre-flash, I think. If you set your flash power manually I bet you can nail 'em without them getting "jumpy."