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DPChallenge Forums >> Side Challenges and Tournaments >> Image Thread:June Macro SC
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06/02/2010 09:31:38 AM · #51
06/02/2010 09:50:47 AM · #52
Originally posted by MattO:


BTW do most of you use a tripod when shooting macros? I never have and always shoot handheld.


I never use a tripod for macros.
06/02/2010 10:03:30 AM · #53
Am I too late to join in?? Love Macro ~:D
06/02/2010 10:08:12 AM · #54
06/02/2010 10:15:46 AM · #55


Just felt like posting. Hope y'all don't mind - S
06/02/2010 10:25:10 AM · #56
Day 2

06/02/2010 10:41:08 AM · #57
Day 2



Message edited by author 2010-06-02 10:45:32.
06/02/2010 10:43:34 AM · #58
Originally posted by pawdrix:



Just felt like posting. Hope y'all don't mind - S


Looks yummy!
06/02/2010 11:57:31 AM · #59
06/02/2010 12:14:04 PM · #60
Pawdrix is making me hungry. :)
06/02/2010 02:12:26 PM · #61
saker asked me to explain how extensilon tubes work so I might was well post it in the thread so all can see. I am not an expert on these things but I do really enjoy using them. When there's no breeze ;-)

Basically an extension tube goes between your lens and the camera so your lens is now physically farther from your sensor and closer to your subject, so the result is that the subject fills more of your frame. In effect, providing more magnification than is possible with the lens alone. Very useful with small things.

Not surprisingly, an extension tube also cuts out some of the light from reaching your sensor. But at the same time it gives you a proportionally smaller physical focal area, so if you widen your aperture to let in more light you have sliver-thin DOF. In my experience you don't start to see reasonable DOF unless you are shooting at f/8 or narrower.

To compensate you have to either slow your shutter speed or up your ISO or both. Which can make camera shake a real issue! And breezes. And moving subjects.

Extension tubes can be plain plastic/metal (in which case you can only focus and set aperture manually) or have electrical contacts so you can still use autofocus. I have the latter type, but I still sometimes have to resort to setting focus manually and then moving the camera (and me) till I have the subject in focus. Were I shooting in a studio-type situation I would use a tripod. I could probably use my monopod outside but I don't usually bother. I am a lazy photographer sometimes ;-) But even if you stabilize the camera you still have a challenge focussing if your subject can move. Like flowers in the breeze, f'er instance.

Another issue with the shorter focussing distance is that if you are using a relatively short focal lens (I use my 50mm a lot) you can literally be almost on top of the subject before it's in focus. For some reason a lot of bugs don't like me being that close. I try not to take it personally.

With zoom lenses and my extension tubes I find that some of them can only focus at certain focal lengths (often zoomed all the way in). I'm sure there's a physical reason for that having to do with how zoom lenses focus. When my butterfly bushes bloom and I start getting lots of butterflies in the yard I'll break out the big zoom with an extension tube or 2 and play with that some.

A nice, fast prime macro lens of around 105mm or so would be a better choice for serious macro photography, but extension tubes are a fun and relatively inexpensive alternative.

End of lesson ;-)
06/02/2010 02:46:37 PM · #62
Thank you MaryO for your explanation. How very kind of you to explain it in such detail. Now, for another questions ... yeah it takes me awhile to get things :) Do you buy the extension tubes at a photo supply store like b&h and are they brand specific .. I have a few canon lenses so do I need to buy one for each of the lenses or does one fit all? I know these questions might seem to be a no brainer but this is my first time looking into extension lenses and I am a complete novice.

And while I am at it I just have to post this shot of yours - I love it and I want to be able to get a shot like it. I noticed on another of your flower shots - the purple explosion one I call it - that you used an extension tube .. did you use one on the shot I am posting as well?

Thanks again for taking time to help out this novice and I am sure others who are wondering about ext tubes too.

06/02/2010 03:09:58 PM · #63
My camera offers two interesting options for macros ... it is a fixed-lens camera, but it has two built-in macro modes, including one which allows it to focus at 0 in/cm (it will focus on dust on the lens if there's nothing else on which to focus).

I also have an adapter and a "close-up lens" (like a big, thick magnifying glass) which allows me to use the maximum zoom in the "regular" shooting mode, but to focus up a lot closer. It has the advantage of being able to fill the frame from farther away than in macro mode. This close-up lens was relatively inexpensive -- pretty sure it was under $100 at B&H. It attaches exactly like a filter, so it may work similarly with an SLR zoom lens.

This picture of a bee is uncropped, taken from approximately 10-14" away, shot with the camera's zoom lens at about 285mm (35mm equivalent) -- that lens has a range of 36-432mm.
06/02/2010 03:26:35 PM · #64
06/02/2010 03:28:23 PM · #65
Originally posted by pawdrix:



Just felt like posting. Hope y'all don't mind - S


Very nice posting. Always love your food photos! Not a typical "standard" macro, but my guess is you made it with a macro lens.
06/02/2010 03:55:13 PM · #66

Jun 02 - Ant

Message edited by author 2010-06-02 15:57:54.
06/02/2010 04:24:42 PM · #67
Originally posted by Saker:

Thank you MaryO for your explanation. How very kind of you to explain it in such detail. Now, for another questions ... yeah it takes me awhile to get things :) Do you buy the extension tubes at a photo supply store like b&h and are they brand specific .. I have a few canon lenses so do I need to buy one for each of the lenses or does one fit all? I know these questions might seem to be a no brainer but this is my first time looking into extension lenses and I am a complete novice.

And while I am at it I just have to post this shot of yours - I love it and I want to be able to get a shot like it. I noticed on another of your flower shots - the purple explosion one I call it - that you used an extension tube .. did you use one on the shot I am posting as well?


You're welcome!

I have the Kenko extension tubes for Nikon mount and I got them at either B&H or Adorama. They fit all of my lenses (and cameras, for that matter). It's a set of 3 tubes (12mm, 20mm and 36mm in length) which can be used individually or stacked in any combination. I tend to use either the 20mm or 36mm alone with my 50mm lens most often, but I've played with some other combinations.

And no, I didn't use extension tubes on the iris shot. Although that's a perfectly fine subject to use them on.
06/02/2010 05:11:23 PM · #68
Just took a few shots.. then realized they would be perfect for one of the challenges... so I cant post them :(

Message edited by author 2010-06-02 17:11:40.
06/02/2010 05:20:22 PM · #69
I'm just throwing these out real quick.
I'll post comments tonight.





06/02/2010 05:20:38 PM · #70
Well I signed up for this side challenge but have not had time to take any photos. The summer semester just started and it is kicking my butt. So I will post a macro shot that I took for the peanut challenge. Well it is more like an extreme close up shot as I could have gotten even closer.



Ronnie

P.S. This weekend I will get out and post 3 or 4 that I take.
06/02/2010 05:52:19 PM · #71
I am posting 3 flower shots but please don't feel like you have to comment on all 3 - I just wondered which ones people would prefer and they could (hopefully) leave a comment on the one they liked the most.

My settings are as follows - orange poppy - ISO 1600 - f-stop 7 and a shutter speed of 1/400. The only reason for the high ISO was I neglected to change it after taking some shots last night. The poppy I converted to white has the same settings but I added grain to it as I liked the contrast.

The purple flower (can't you tell I am not a gardener) has these settings - ISO 1600 - f/stop - 10 and shutter speed of 1/1600. Now you know what settings not to use (grin)





Message edited by author 2010-06-02 17:52:43.
06/02/2010 06:04:15 PM · #72
Day 3

06/02/2010 06:12:01 PM · #73
Here are a few i have from a couple days ago, prior to all this stupid rain...
All taken with 50mm in reverse.



Gonna toss some comments on prvious posts later tonight.

Message edited by author 2010-06-02 18:12:28.
06/02/2010 06:18:14 PM · #74
Thanks for the comments on my bumblebee -- I agree with the focal plane issue, though I think the wing articulation/musculature is pretty interesting too -- we see those compound eyes all the time. That and it was handheld outdoors and the DOF is very shallow ... :-)

However, my main reason for posting it was just to show another way of achieving an extreme macro with relatively inexpensive and simple equipment.
06/02/2010 06:49:07 PM · #75

*not a true macro but done with the macro setting on my camera*

Message edited by author 2010-06-02 18:49:37.
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