Some new Macro pics

RevHtree · #1 04/26/2007, 10:18 PM

Well I got the Canon 100mm 2.8 macro and here are the first pics. I am a little disappointed as these were slightly out of focus and the settings were not good for the amount of light. So this was a practice round.

RevHtree · #2 04/26/2007, 10:19 PM

bigbadbasile · #3 04/26/2007, 10:26 PM

wow! what kind of camera and stuff are you using?

RevHtree · #4 04/26/2007, 10:27 PM

The camera is the Canon Rebel XT with the Canon 100mm 2.8 Macro lens.

Thanks.

Grunt · #5 04/26/2007, 10:28 PM

Nice pictures

Crimthann · #6 04/26/2007, 10:42 PM

great looking zoas you got there man!

MIREEFER · #7 04/26/2007, 11:09 PM

wow thast realy nice

edwing206 · #8 04/26/2007, 11:27 PM

Nice pics rev.
Those ruby reds are awesome.

kactusficus · #9 04/27/2007, 02:01 AM

very beautiful images! and I'm absolutely brethless looking at the red/black one! What an amazing specie! never seen such zoa... Gorgeous!

clippo · #10 04/27/2007, 03:20 AM

great shots - nice specimens too. Although plane of best focus is well placed in most shots, Depth of Field is very shallow. Unless you are specifically using shallow DOF for artistic impact, by controlling aperture better, you should be able to get more out of this camera and lens combination (particularly with relatively 'easy' stationary subjects)

Looking forward to the next batch!

gregr · #11 04/27/2007, 08:55 AM

Quote:

I am a little disappointed as these were slightly out of focus

Note Clippo's comments about depth of field- you got shallow depth of field as opposed to out of focus, a common misunderstanding. As if aquarium photography wasn't challenging enough, close-up photography adds yet another complication: the greater the magnification the lesser the depth of field. As you move the lens closer to the subject you have to use smaller and smaller apertures to get good depth of field. And as you know, or will learn

, the smaller the aperture the longer the shutter speed. That's why a tripod is often your best friend for this kind of picture taking.

RevHtree · #12 04/27/2007, 09:41 AM

Thank you all!!

Clippo and Grege that was the info I was looking for. I was using a tripod, but I was just using auto settings to start with. Anymore suggestion on settings? Sorry for the noob questions! LOL!

In theory I should be able to get how close to the object with this lens before it will not focus?

gregr · #13 04/27/2007, 09:55 AM

5.9" is how close you can get. For close-up photography I recommend aperture priority because depth of field [aperture choice] is key. I think a lot photographers use aperture priority for the majority of their shooting. Keep an eye on the shutter speed [in the viewfinder] as you change the aperture to a smaller and smaller fstop [bigger f-number]. If you shoot those zoo close-ups at f16 you'll be amazed at the detail. Unfortunately the shutter speed will be very slow so if the zoos are moving they'll blur a bit. There's a good compromise in there somewhere!

RevHtree · #14 04/27/2007, 10:01 AM

Awesome! Can't wait to try it out. I'll have all the pump cut off for sure.

I have more questions, but I will hold out for the next round! LOL!

Thanks again.

RevHtree · #15 04/27/2007, 10:02 AM

Ok maybe not. I forgot this.

There are some things further away in the tank I want to photograph, how do I, can I zoom in to them? When I try it will always focus back out.

gregr · #16 04/27/2007, 10:06 AM

I take it you mean the auto focus isn't focusing on the right thing? If so, look for the switch on the lens barrel- manual or auto focus-- switch it to manual and focus manually by turning the rubber ring on the lens barrel. Manual focus is par for the course with this kind of photography.

RevHtree · #17 04/27/2007, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by gregr
I take it you mean the auto focus isn't focusing on the right thing? If so, look for the switch on the lens barrel- manual or auto focus-- switch it to manual and focus manually by turning the rubber ring on the lens barrel. Manual focus is par for the course with this kind of photography.

HEHE! Well I already use manual focus and know how to focus, but what I mean is this.

Example: Say I want to photograph my daughter. Do I have to stand far away from her? Like looking through the lens, the object is close. Can I take a shot that gives me a view from the camera to my daughter, not close up? Man it's hard to type what I am trying to say.

Also another thing is this. When I go to photograph something father away in the tank can I not zoom all the way up on it? When I try to manual focus it will not focus. When I do auto, it wants o pull back from the object.

gregr · #18 04/27/2007, 10:36 AM

Ah- I think I understand. It sounds like you are expecting the lens to "zoom in" on your subject. If so, you are out of luck unfortunately. The lens is a fixed focal length- only zoom lenses can change focal lengths [aka 'zoom in']. To get more magnification you have to move closer to the subject, or get a longer lens (150 or 180mm macro lenses are available, at a higher price of course). Or you can crop the picture a bit on the computer, though you lose quality when you crop-- but you can get away with a little cropping as long as the picture is nice and sharp to start with.
As for the daughter pictures question-- I think what you're looking for is the ability to use that macro lens as a regular lens, and the answer to that is yes. If you stand further back from your subject the lens will still be able to focus (it can focus on infinity, or the horizon, or stars or whatever). Lots of people use the macro lens for portraits because it's very sharp and has that f2.8 minimum aperture so the background blurs out very nicely.

gregr · #19 04/27/2007, 10:38 AM

After re-reading your daughter-picture question I think I misunderstood. The answer is yes, you do have to stand further away-- same concept as the previous explanation.

CyboRob · #20 04/27/2007, 10:39 AM

Yes you will have to stand way back to take a photo of your daughter, it a macro lens.

You can not zoom at all with that lens. Focusing on things in the tank can be very tricky if you don't have the right angle/s to shoot from.
Even then, just the shapes of your subject can throw off your intended focus point.

Stopping down is your best bet when you can not focus right on the spot you intend to shoot.

Your shots are going to be great with that lens.
Here a photo of an area about 5" by 3" stopped down to f22, I think it was. Scroll down to the bottom of the thread.

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...readid=1103649

New setup so not much life in my tank yet.

Hope that helps.

Rob

Quote:

Originally posted by RevHtree
HEHE! Well I already use manual focus and know how to focus, but what I mean is this.

Example: Say I want to photograph my daughter. Do I have to stand far away from her? Like looking through the lens, the object is close. Can I take a shot that gives me a view from the camera to my daughter, not close up? Man it's hard to type what I am trying to say.

Also another thing is this. When I go to photograph something father away in the tank can I not zoom all the way up on it? When I try to manual focus it will not focus. When I do auto, it wants o pull back from the object.

RevHtree · #21 04/27/2007, 10:40 AM

Ok cool! It's not a problem, but that was my secondary use for this lens was portrait type shots.

So I need to stand as far back as i need to to get the people in frame?

Somebody said something about tubes or extenders or something.

Man sorry for all the questions, please invoice me later.

gregr · #22 04/27/2007, 10:53 AM

EXtension tubes and teleconverters (aka extenders, aka converters) are two different pieces of equipment that can increase your magnification. Tubes are just that- empty tubes that increase the distance between the rear element of the lens and the sensor, thereby decreasing your minimum focus distance. With the 100mm macro lens and no tubes your minimum focus distance is 5.9". With extension tubes you can greatly decrease that distance, thereby increasing magnification (the closer the lens is to the subject the greater the magnification). Teleconverters increase the focal length by their magnifcation rating. They generally come in two choices: 1.4x and 2x. Add a 1.4x extender to your macro lens and you now have a 140mm macro lens. 2x gets you a 200mm macro lens. With the 1.4x your minimum aperture becomes f4 and with the 2x it'll be f5.6. With that much magnification though, you'll be using a tripod and tiny apertures so the light loss isn't the end of the world. Sharpness loss will be fairly significant with the 2x and not bad with the 1.4x. Here's the thing though- I can't recall if the converters work directly with the macro lens. You may need a small extension tube in between because the converters stick out a bit in front and may not fit inside the opening at the back of the macro lens. I can't check right now but can later if you need to know.
Forgot to mention-- extension tubes come in a set [made by Kenko, 3 different size tubes] or you can get the Canon 25mm tube, which costs about as much as the whole Kenko set. I opted for the set.

RevHtree · #23 04/27/2007, 10:59 AM

Awesome man!! I will check this out for sure!

About the portrait shooting, you just stand back as far as you need to get the people in the frame?

Just making sure.

gregr · #24 04/27/2007, 11:07 AM

Yep- that's what you have to do. If you're shooting portraits try to get some distance between your subject and the background because with that lens the background will blur and make the subject stand out better.

RevHtree · #25 04/27/2007, 11:11 AM

AWESOME!!! Well that's it for now. Talk to you in a bit after another picture taking round!

Thanks a million!