gemofnj

Hi Everyone! I want to pursue macro photography and very critical about sharpness, BOKEH and clarity when shooting moving subjects and insects. I currently have a Nikon D7500 and a Tamron 90 mm 2.8 lens. I have several questions about changing my gear:

1) What would be OVER THE TOP lense(s) with Vibration Reduction that would give me SUPERIOR clarity and sharpness, especially with hand held shots?

2) Should I also upgrade the camera for better stability or clarity? Someone I know uses the D850 and his shots are incredible !

3) What are the best products for purchasing an external flash system and the best diffuser?

Thanks a bunch for your advice.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

There is a "True Macro" section on UHH:

http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/s-102-1.html

Lots of good info on their home page.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

1) The new Nikon 105mm f/1.4
2) The D850 would go really well with the 105mm f/1.4
3) Nikon SB-700 with a Gary Fong Lightsphere

Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

gemofnj might be germane to follow Linda's guidance here...
http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/s-102-1.html

My question to you is who are your clients?
What are their expectations?
In what way(s) is your current kit not addressing your client's needs?

"...clarity and sharpness, especially with hand held shots?" I assume you are referring to image acuity?
If you are photographing "moving subjects" hand holding, tripod or VR or not isn't going to be that relevant in the mix...
for macro of insects life begins at f/18
Instead look to speedlights for location...

for stationary subjects you should research focus stacking and HDR both of which are paramount for in your words "Over the Top".
I strongly suggest you master stationary subjects before you make the Herculean leap to dynamic motion...

gemofnj if you stay in this game in time you will ultimately discover that it's not about kit, instead it is mostly all about technique...
Guess what I'm trying to share with you is photographic excellence is not a consumer commodity... Your skill set is what determines ultimate results.

Lighting macro is truly a challenge that will demand much trial and error...
Once again even cheap speedlights will be BY FAR the most important component in the mix for macro shots of moving subjects...

While the attached isn't true macro it illustrates what can be done with a cheap $200 "white box" AF-P Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3G ED, a D7100 and a cheap SB910 clone speedlight at 1/1000 in high-speed sync...

Experience is a brutal teacher... only intense passion and dedication will likely yield what your "perceived" needs are here...
All the best on your journey...

Archilochus colubris

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mrjcall Loc: Woodfin, NC

While the D850 and light gear would definitely be appropriate (although I prefer natural light macro), not sure why you would recommend a 'non-macro' lens like the new Nikkor 105mm f/1.4? I believe the OP is soliciting info on macro imaging, no? 😳

jim quist Loc: Missouri

There have been more than plenty of pictures posted with flash units that attach directly onto the lens with the result of terrible use of flash. Instead of buying lighting specifically for macro photography, see what you can do with available light first. If you don't block the sun with your body or camera the sun should provide sufficient amount of light.

Jayne Loc: Wisconsin

Why is no one suggesting the Nikon macro flash set with two SB200’s? https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/410484-USA/Nikon_4804_4804_R1_Wireless_Close_Up.html

GED Loc: North central Pa

You have been given some good advice already here, I would add if you want to shoot hand held you will have to use artificial lighting and what type will vary depending on the magnification ratio or how close you are to your subjects. For small subjects close to the lens hand held try a small flash unit attached to a mounting plate which surrounds the lens and is adjustable both radially (so exposure remains constant) and at an angle to the lens axis. Then if shooting at night or in low light use a mag lite or similar in a adjustable mount attached to your tripod screw socket on the camera body which will allow you to focus on and find your subject. Most small flash units will allow you to shoot at f16-22 at the short working distance. Many camera bodies will work just fine, the D850 you mention is a great camera but you can get great results on a less expensive one as well. More important is the lens, for close work with the flash setup I've described the 105mm lense works well. I also very much like the 200mm macro Nikon offers as I prefer when possible to shoot with natural lighting and like the extra working distance. Both methods have their place and the flash method looks pretty good if you can use a second slaved flash on background but most times in my experience that is not practical. I have attached a photo of the rig I described and a few shots to show what you can expect from that setup, I hope this is of help to you and wish you the best of luck in your pursuits. I almost forgot to mention if your shooting macro with available light and truly want SUPERIOR clarity and sharpness make a tripod and remote release a regular part of your setup.

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Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

Don't upgrade your equipment, get a good flash solution, it is imperative for freezing motion. I made a diffuser out of an Ice Cream box and paper towel that woks very well. Although these images were shot with a reversed lens the green spider was shot with a Canon 60D and the other two images were shot with the old 50D... It is not your equipment.

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RWR Loc: La Mesa, CA

[quote=gemofnj1) What would be OVER THE TOP lense(s) with Vibration Reduction that would give me SUPERIOR clarity and sharpness, especially with hand held shots?[/quote]
To avoid an unpleasant surprise, check the VR specifications before you buy.

olsonsview

If you are really picky about sharpness with macro up to about 1:1 then just add a flash for macro work. You can spend some bucks and get the Nikon R1C1, though do not really need the commander part, it is sold in both versions. Or you can make a homemade rig like many here use. But out of the box the Nikon one is terrific even if pricey. If the insects are really flighty with your 90mm Tamron, then a longer macro lens is advisable. Something closer to a 200mm macro is better, in order to stay further away, and not spook your subject. By all means a tripod is better than handholding. If you strive for perfect sharpness, use a focusing rail too. When using a focus rail, set the reproduction ratio with the lens focus ring, then actually focus the image using the rail, moving your rig fore and aft. If you want to duplicate some of those fantastic macro shots seen here and in publications then consider getting into focus stacking, but that is a subject beyond this particular forum perhaps? And if you want to go way beyond 1:1, then seek out the macro forum here on the hog. Lastly forget about VR, and auto focus. They really have very little use in macro work. Anything beyond 1:2 eliminates the usefulness of VR, and autofocus will drive you nuts as the system hunts through its range for a good focus point. Manual focus on a rail, or even handheld and swaying front and back to achieve focus, works way better ! Do some reading on the Macro forum it is loaded with good ideas.

Indrajeet Singh Loc: Goa, India

Hi!

I've just started out with Macro and use my D850 with the Tamron 90mm 2.8 VR. The results are good and the stacking feature of the D850 makes it brilliant.

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

The Tamron 90mm of yours is all you need, it should provide you with what you're seeking, its one nice macro lens!

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

I don’t think the Nikon 105 f1.4 is a macro lens. The Nikon 105 f2.8 is their macro lens. I have one on my D800 and love it. Very sharp when I do my part.

As Linda pointed out the OP would be well served to check out the macro section on UHH to read what others use. That section helped me a lot.

Dennis

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

There is nothing at all wrong with the camera and lens you've got. They are both quite capable. You just need to learn to use them well.

At high magnification, VR does little to no good what-so-ever. You would be better served getting a tripod and using it.

There are many tricks to doing macro with small, active subjects.... For example, get out and photography insects early in the morning while it's cool and they are immobile or sluggish. Alternatively, set up a stage indoors with leaves, sticks, etc.... put the insect in the fridge for a short time to "chill", then take it out and make some quick shots before releasing it back "into the wild".

The difference between a D850 and a D7500 will primarily be how large the images can be printed. The full frame 46MP camera's images will have greater potential for enlargement than a crop-sensor 21MP camera's images. But at modest sizes... up to about 13x19"... you're unlikely to see much difference. If you plan to make 16x24" and larger, you might want a higher resolution, full frame camera.

Gear upgrades rarely make for better images.... Usually it's the photographer themselves who need to upgrade their techniques and skills, to get better results.

There are a number of ways to light macro shots. It depends upon the subject and the level of magnification. Working in the field, you'll probably want to keep it relatively light and simple. I often just use a standard flash attached to the camera via an off-camera shoe cord so I can hand hold it wherever I like, diffused very simply with a couple layers of white gauze over the flash head.

Other times for up to around 1:1 or slighyly greater magnification I use a twin light setup, but that's a lot bulkier and a fairly specialized type of flash (isn't very useful for non-macro work). For greater than 2:1 I use a ring light. That's even more specialized, when working in really close to small subjects! I simply do not like the "flat" lighting of ring lights at less magnification (looks clinical... and in fact is used a lot for dental and medical photography).

There are modern LED lights that might be worth a try. There are also reflectors that can be used with built-in flash (which I don't use for various reasons... incl. that they are slow recycling and draw down the camera's battery rapidly).

Reflectors and flags for ambient light... and diffusion tents with either strobes or some form of continuous lighting might be useful for some types of subjects.

Bokeh is rarely any problem with macro... close-ups naturally have strong background blur effect that most macro lenses can render beautifully. It's usually the opposite that's of more concern... finding enough depth of field for a three dimensional subject to be fully or mostly in reasonably sharp focus. For the latter, you may want to explore what "focus stacking" can do.