Macro photography start up: I am an experienced amateur sports photographer and was interested in macro photography. I have no real experience and am not sure why I want to pursue...

baseball dad

I am an experienced amateur sports photographer and was interested in macro photography. I have no real experience and am not sure why I want to pursue but... Any recommendations for a equipment (i.e. lens, flash, etc)? I shoot with a Nikon D610.

LoneRangeFinder Loc: Left field

Welcome. An excellent first post--as macro is my primary interest. Here is a link to the macro forum: http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/s-102-1.html

There is much information here--and lots of great contributors who are willing to share their enthusiasm for the sport. Many of us use the following as a beginning point: DSLR with a macro lens meaning one that will focus down to 1:1. We use supplemental flash in a 5"x7" to 6"x8" softbox or we make our own. We set our flash to "M" and adjust from there. Base aperture, shutter duration, and iso is f/16, 1/200sec, and 100-200. There are examples of setups, FAQs, and daily submissions to review.

Hope to see you over there, Allen

Kmgw9v Loc: Miami, Florida

A 105mm 2.8 looks good on a 610.

Db7423 Loc: Pittsburgh, PA

Kmgw9v wrote:

A 105mm 2.8 looks good on a 610.

Indeed. ;)

napabob Loc: Napa CA

baseball dad wrote:

I am an experienced amateur sports photographer and was interested in macro photography. I have no real experience and am not sure why I want to pursue but... Any recommendations for a equipment (i.e. lens, flash, etc)? I shoot with a Nikon D610.

you might ask this question in the macrophotography section(need to join), or better yet do a search, there is a permanent thread there that has photo's of the gear we use , and most of us aren't shy about helping beginners save time and treasure in your pursuit of a fun and challenging hobby

Greenguy33 Loc: Rhode Island

baseball dad wrote:

I am an experienced amateur sports photographer and was interested in macro photography. I have no real experience and am not sure why I want to pursue but... Any recommendations for a equipment (i.e. lens, flash, etc)? I shoot with a Nikon D610.

A Tokina 100mm macro lens is an inexpensive way to start. It gets great reviews. Buy a $10 diffuser from amazon.com. A tripod is a big plus.
Your good to go! :thumbup:

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

baseball dad wrote:

I am an experienced amateur sports photographer and was interested in macro photography. I have no real experience and am not sure why I want to pursue but... Any recommendations for a equipment (i.e. lens, flash, etc)? I shoot with a Nikon D610.

Get a strobe frame for your camera, get a strobe/speedlite, get an off camera cord for the hotshoe, get a 105mm macro lens, and buy some swivel attachments so that you can position your flash toward the front of your lens directly adjacent to your subject. Shoot with your lens aperture stopped down. Stop it way down for good depth of field.

Stop by our Macro section here on UHH. It will answer all your questions.

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

baseball dad wrote:

I am an experienced amateur sports photographer and was interested in macro photography. I have no real experience and am not sure why I want to pursue but... Any recommendations for a equipment (i.e. lens, flash, etc)? I shoot with a Nikon D610.

I use the Nikon 105mm f/2.8 lens

You also might want to post this question in the True Macro and Close-up forums.

baseball dad

Wow. I have to date only been a casual peruser of this forum. Didn't really appreciate the depth of knowledge and willingness to share. Very much appreciated.

I subscribed to the macro forum (and sports forum!)...an excellent recommendation.

Happy New Year all...

LoneRangeFinder Loc: Left field

baseball dad wrote:

Wow. I have to date only been a casual peruser of this forum. Didn't really appreciate the depth of knowledge and willingness to share. Very much appreciated.

I subscribed to the macro forum (and sports forum!)...an excellent recommendation.

Happy New Year all...

BTW:
I umped and coached Little League. That guy is (or will be) safe. Unless he misses the bag.

davidrb Loc: Half way there on the 45th Parallel

baseball dad wrote:

Wow. I have to date only been a casual peruser of this forum. Didn't really appreciate the depth of knowledge and willingness to share. Very much appreciated.

I subscribed to the macro forum (and sports forum!)...an excellent recommendation.

Happy New Year all...

You photograph REAL baseball! Lucky you! No agents, no contracts, no holdouts, and NO media, just pure, plain, simple baseball: thew best game ever invented! Notice the other photographer watching you to see how it is done? Happy New Years!

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

baseball dad wrote:

I am an experienced amateur sports photographer and was interested in macro photography. I have no real experience and am not sure why I want to pursue but... Any recommendations for a equipment (i.e. lens, flash, etc)? I shoot with a Nikon D610.

You can get manual extension tubes for $10 or less and see how you like using them. If you like the tubes, you can get pricier automatic ones. One note about the tubes. They have an unusual way of disconnecting from the camera. You have to move the little silver button a certain way, so do it carefully.

BboH Loc: s of 2/21, Ellicott City, MD

I use both Nikon's 105 and 60 mm's - the 105 for distance and the 60 for getting close and its angle of view. I shoot with the D810

Shoot Happens

Congratulations on going macro, it can be a lot of fun in a whole new world. I chose the Nikon 105mm; f2.8 for a few reasons: the longer focal length allows you to be a bit farther from the subject, instead of on top of it; the 2.8 allows a bit faster shutter speed; it is a 1:1 ratio lens and the Image Quality is extremely high.
Good luck with your decision.

dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida

Do you want Macro or Micro... or just plain good ol' really close Close-Ups?