question about macro

squareballoon

I just bought myself a canon 100mm 2.8L IS. I think with the price tag I expected it to take the pictures for me and deliver them to my computer but I'm finding it really hard to get used to. At first I was using it at 2.8 but soon realised that I couldn't get anything in focus at that aperture. This is taken at f/5 ss 1/100 and iso 100 and is probably one of about 10% of the photos I've taken so far that something at least is in focus.
For those who take macro shots what kind of setting/setup is best and should I be using a monopod when I'm using it?

AnimalRights

Lovely shot bar the sig!
And you should be fine without the monopod now that you've spent so much extra on the IS version.
My non version I just use my feet to get the focus correct, it's very different to all my other lens.
I'm sure someone will explain it better then me as this thread expands but will they mention the sig!!

squareballoon

alright, alright. sig gone Was unecessary anyway because I don't care what anyone does with the image.
If I have IS though why am I struggling so much with focus? I have very steady hands. Do I just need to keep the f stop up if I'm up close?

PaulieC

oshead is the resident macro expert here so he should be able to advise accordingly.

OT...those little buggers all but destroyed my turnips this year!!

AnimalRights

I just have my own quirkey way, as I said this lens is diff to others for focusing, I focus with my body movement, ie feet, to zoom in and out.
David O' Shea will explain it farrrrrr better then me, pic looks really nice now.
I need to use mine more but it takes time and patience, and patience is something I don't have.

PaulieC

and you'd need to be working at f11 at that close distance to get a bigger dof

AnimalRights

cambo_gueno wrote: »

and you'd need to be working at f11 at that close distance to get a bigger dof

Maybe that Monopod is needed after all!

would you believe I own a Mono and Tripod and have lost them both somewhere in my flat...amazingly.

squareballoon

AnimalRights wrote: »

Maybe that Monopod is needed after all!

would you believe I own a Mono and Tripod and have lost them both somewhere in my flat...amazingly.

jaysus. you must live in a mansion!

DutchGuy

I actually really like that shot.

Anyway, there was a thread with macro advice a few days back where oshead gave some great advice. Generally a smaller aperture and flash seems to be the way to go for insects.

DaireQuinlan

squareballoon wrote: »

jaysus. you must live in a mansion!

Actually AR is one of those gentleman punks who live in crumbling stately homes out in the sticks surrounded by vast unkempt estates on which he grows organic vegetables and are also a haven for wildlife of all sorts and a base for hunt sabs from which they sally forth to rescue foxes and mislead hounds and what have you.

squareballoon

DaireQuinlan wrote: »

Actually AR is one of those gentleman punks who live in crumbling stately homes out in the sticks surrounded by vast unkempt estates on which he grows organic vegetables and are also a haven for wildlife of all sorts and a base for hunt sabs from which they sally forth to rescue foxes and mislead hounds and what have you.

view halloo! etc
*gallops off*

DaireQuinlan

Actually I'm a fan of really shallow DOF in macro shots providing that it suits the image. This one works nicely I think, with just the head of the caterpillar in focus and the rest blurring away into that lovely green. If you wants your DOF though it's time to start thinking about stopping down as much as you can get away with while avoiding loss of sharpness due to diffraction, and sticking a strobe somewhere to light it up. With small bugs a normal sized flashgun is like a gigantic softbox so you can get reasonably good results.
Incidentally, I don't actually have a single lens with VR/IS but I was under the impression that it was useless at macro reproduction ratios ?

Diabhal_Glas

For moving bugs, I use the centre auto focus point and hope for the best with my canon 100 f/2.8, I have to generally up the iso.

I really need to get a proper flash and bracket though.

oshead

Nice shot Lynn. Congrats on the new lens. Natural light macro shots are difficult. If you want to shoot insects, i'd forget about using a tripod or even a monopod. It slows you down too much. Sometimes I use a bamboo stick but not always. Put the lens into manual focus mode and move the camera in and out till you find the correct focus. Takes a bit to get used to but after a while it becomes quite intuitive.

The sweet spot on the lens is probably around f8, but this is a very narrow DoF especially @ lifesize. So your best bet for insect macro is probably to stop down to say f11 - f16. While loosing a bit of 'critical' sharpness, the extra DoF gained will make a world of difference to the usability of the shots. Light will obviously be a problem at those apertures. The only option is to up the ISO. Together with the IS on that lens, you might be able to get the shots you need without flash.

Thecageyone

That shot's a beauty, been messing around with similar myself - but no true macro lens here, yet.

Deep breaths and hold it in while you move the body in and out to focus. Set the camera to burst, and rip off those shots while you have what you feel is perfect clarity for the situation, as every twitch matters. I find that leaving the left eye open too [if you view-find with your right] helps me focus better.

CabanSail

I have the Nikon version of this lens. Not used it much yet but it is a different world.

Must say I really like that shot you have posted as the narrow DOF works a treat. Having the head & edge of the leaf on the same focal plane makes it a lovely shot.

squareballoon

thanks for all the really helpful info. It makes a lot of sense and explains why I was having so little success so far. It's probably the last insect I will be taking with it as I plan to mainly use it for newborn fingernails, lips ears etc. but all the same info still applies so thank you.

DaireQuinlan

squareballoon wrote: »

I plan to mainly use it for newborn fingernails, lips ears etc. but all the same info still applies so thank you.

Indeed, a lot of the techniques carry across. For example if you get newborns early in the morning before they wake up when they're still sluggish they're easier to capture, plus if there's dew you can sometimes get some interesting pictures of little jewel like dew drops covering the baby.
A trick to consider is putting the baby into the fridge for 15 minutes or so to cool him or her down. This has the same effect as above, making them sluggish and unresponsive and easier to capture.

squareballoon

DaireQuinlan wrote: »

Indeed, a lot of the techniques carry across. For example if you get newborns early in the morning before they wake up when they're still sluggish they're easier to capture, plus if there's dew you can sometimes get some interesting pictures of little jewel like dew drops covering the baby.
A trick to consider is putting the baby into the fridge for 15 minutes or so to cool him or her down. This has the same effect as above, making them sluggish and unresponsive and easier to capture.

Thanks for making me splurt coffee out my nose.

CabanSail

DaireQuinlan wrote: »

.
A trick to consider is putting the baby into the fridge for 15 minutes or so to cool him or her down. This has the same effect as above, making them sluggish and unresponsive and easier to capture.

You really are an evil & cruel man.




Much more humane to put them in the freezer for just 3 minutes for the same result.

TinyExplosions

CabanSail wrote: »

You really are an evil & cruel man.

But he's right though

-the freezer idea would also help to remove any chewing gum that may be stuck to your baby

bernard0368

I have been playing around with this lens for the last few weeks as well. I have found that at F16-f32 there is a quite a drop of in sharpness with F32 been very weak. f5.6-f11 is very sharp with f8 been the sweet spot.
The IS is good but not great when very close up (0.3-0.5) I found using the tripod was becoming essential. I have not used it with a monopod must give this a go. I also found using a flash helps greatly. I have an old Marumi ring flash around that I dont use anymore it has a small crack in the front but other than that it works fine. If you want it you are welcome.

kelly1

According to what I've read, diffraction starts to affect sharpness of cropped sensors from f/16 and f/22 on full frame bods. Apparently.

See http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/diffraction-photography.htm

Also a couple of articles on macro:

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/macro-lenses.htm
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/macro-extension-tubes-closeup.htm

plasticman3327

Been thinking of picking up one of those lenses shortly hoping to get into insect photography.

Is a flash a must and if so what's a good starting model for a Canon?