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Macro Hints
Feb 8, 2018 03:29:49   #
Sarco
 
This is my first post and it may be a bit long and lame for experts but perhaps my words will help someone just starting in this style of photography. I am posting in the main section, rather than Macro in the hope that I can create an interest for someone to try macro, after all it is a cheap adventure; just needing auto extension tubes and tripod (preferably reversible).

I am by no means an expert on macro photography but I started having fun in this area many years ago, using vintage SLRs that did not have TTL metering and the external light reading required a math calculation to compensate for whichever extension tube was used. Then there was the wait to finish the expensive 24 or 36 exposure film, send for processing and finally view the results, often some failures and hopefully some successes. Digital with TTL metering makes macro life so much cheaper and easier.

To me, there are a couple of types of macro, the opportunity shot and the set shot. A while back, I was in my garden when I came upon two ladybirds (ladybugs) in the apparent act of perpetuating the species. This is an opportunity so I grabbed my camera (D5100), extension tubes and tripod. The subjects were likely to fly off at any stage and my decisions were rushed.

I grabbed the extension tube that I thought would do the job but did not check the camera settings which it turns out were set for a small size jpg from the prior job. Lesson one - always return the camera to the settings normally used. Lesson two, the middle tripod leg is normally forward but in this case it can remain folded as this allows the two outer legs to be the pivot supports that can rock the camera into focus. Better than a monopod for lateral stability.

Lesson three, put the brain into gear and use Liveview instead of contorting the body and using the viewfinder. (old habits die hard) My choice of extension tube was more luck than good management. The subjects are about 3mm across and I was very lucky to get one photo in focus as the depth of field seems to be about 1mm to the rear at the face of the female and maybe 3mm in front of her. Whether a larger band in focus would have been better going back from the face is debateable, as I like the clear spiky texture showing on the leaf. It was a very desiccated Rhubarb leaf.

Lesson four - use burst mode, not single shot, maximise the likelihood of a sharp picture rather than reliance on chance to get a single sharp shot.

I wanted this photo to reflect reality thus it has just been cropped and colours have not been substantially changed.

Lesson five. I had previously photographed a tape measure by using the various extension tubes and noting the width of view in each case. Can never find the record sheet when needed. Recent copying of slides provided an easy "aide-memoire". My DX camera, with 36mm extension tube attached to a 50mm FX prime lens (field of view equivalent 75mm) will exactly frame the film part of a 35mm slide. Much easier to remember and to then judge whether the tube needs to be larger or smaller. .

Hope that this rather wordy effort is of use to someone and perhaps it will bring out mores hints from others.

Ron


(Download)

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Feb 8, 2018 06:05:11   #
berchman Loc: South Central PA
 
Sarco wrote:
This is my first post and it may be a bit long and lame for experts but perhaps my words will help someone just starting in this style of photography. I am posting in the main section, rather than Macro in the hope that I can create an interest for someone to try macro, after all it is a cheap adventure; just needing auto extension tubes and tripod (preferably reversible).



I've been reading up on macro lately, but I haven't run across the rocking the tripod suggestion. I already own a 180mm Tamron macro lens for my Nikon which I'm thinking of putting on my Fuji with an adapter because the Fuji has the moveable LCD and focus peaking. I'd like to use the Helicon FB Tube for automated focus stacking, but it'll only work on the Nikon. I've owned that lens a few years but was unsuccessful in using it handheld; my grip is just not steady enough. I guess I'm limited to indoors inanimate objects.

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Feb 8, 2018 07:01:53   #
fourg1b2006 Loc: Long Island New York
 
Hi Sarco welcome to the forum.

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Feb 8, 2018 08:33:45   #
Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.
 
Sarco wrote:
This is my first post and it may be a bit long and lame for experts but perhaps my words will help someone just starting in this style of photography. I am posting in the main section, rather than Macro in the hope that I can create an interest for someone to try macro, after all it is a cheap adventure; just needing auto extension tubes and tripod (preferably reversible).

I am by no means an expert on macro photography but I started having fun in this area many years ago, using vintage SLRs that did not have TTL metering and the external light reading required a math calculation to compensate for whichever extension tube was used. Then there was the wait to finish the expensive 24 or 36 exposure film, send for processing and finally view the results, often some failures and hopefully some successes. Digital with TTL metering makes macro life so much cheaper and easier.

To me, there are a couple of types of macro, the opportunity shot and the set shot. A while back, I was in my garden when I came upon two ladybirds (ladybugs) in the apparent act of perpetuating the species. This is an opportunity so I grabbed my camera (D5100), extension tubes and tripod. The subjects were likely to fly off at any stage and my decisions were rushed.

I grabbed the extension tube that I thought would do the job but did not check the camera settings which it turns out were set for a small size jpg from the prior job. Lesson one - always return the camera to the settings normally used. Lesson two, the middle tripod leg is normally forward but in this case it can remain folded as this allows the two outer legs to be the pivot supports that can rock the camera into focus. Better than a monopod for lateral stability.

Lesson three, put the brain into gear and use Liveview instead of contorting the body and using the viewfinder. (old habits die hard) My choice of extension tube was more luck than good management. The subjects are about 3mm across and I was very lucky to get one photo in focus as the depth of field seems to be about 1mm to the rear at the face of the female and maybe 3mm in front of her. Whether a larger band in focus would have been better going back from the face is debateable, as I like the clear spiky texture showing on the leaf. It was a very desiccated Rhubarb leaf.

Lesson four - use burst mode, not single shot, maximise the likelihood of a sharp picture rather than reliance on chance to get a single sharp shot.

I wanted this photo to reflect reality thus it has just been cropped and colours have not been substantially changed.

Lesson five. I had previously photographed a tape measure by using the various extension tubes and noting the width of view in each case. Can never find the record sheet when needed. Recent copying of slides provided an easy "aide-memoire". My DX camera, with 36mm extension tube attached to a 50mm FX prime lens (field of view equivalent 75mm) will exactly frame the film part of a 35mm slide. Much easier to remember and to then judge whether the tube needs to be larger or smaller. .

Hope that this rather wordy effort is of use to someone and perhaps it will bring out mores hints from others.

Ron
This is my first post and it may be a bit long and... (show quote)


You may be interested in the Macro Photography section: http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/s-102-1.html and/or the Close Up Photography section: http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/s-113-1.html

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Feb 8, 2018 16:35:39   #
genehp Loc: carbondale,PA
 
Very nice beautiful thank you.

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Feb 8, 2018 23:43:51   #
Sarco
 
Thank you for all comments. I follow the Macro and Close up sections everyday but I hoped that my words may catch the interest of others who only follow the general forum and have not experimented with extension tubes.
Also, there may be others who, like me, have gleaned that vital piece of general knowledge to remember for all time, males and females have different coloured faces, if in fact, those bits are their faces.

Ron

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Feb 9, 2018 07:55:32   #
Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.
 
Sarco wrote:
Thank you for all comments. I follow the Macro and Close up sections everyday but I hoped that my words may catch the interest of others who only follow the general forum and have not experimented with extension tubes.
Also, there may be others who, like me, have gleaned that vital piece of general knowledge to remember for all time, males and females have different coloured faces, if in fact, those bits are their faces.

Ron


I think that it is great that you are enjoying Macro, I would suggest to you that a good flash solution eliminates the need for a tripod. Secondly I don't know how you can maintain focus in burst mode, slow down and work on staying focused on your subject.... Since you have tubes and are already working in macro for me a whole new world opened up using old film lenses reversed on macro tubes, below are two shots, the first one is a full 1:1 macro shot of a very small spider using a macro lens, the second is of the same spider shot with an old vivitar 28mm lens reversed on a full set of tubes yielding about 3:1 enlargement. I use flash to eliminate motion blur.


(Download)


(Download)

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Feb 9, 2018 08:39:06   #
via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP
 
Sarco wrote:
This is my first post and it may be a bit long and lame for experts but perhaps my words will help someone just starting in this style of photography. I am posting in the main section, rather than Macro in the hope that I can create an interest for someone to try macro, after all it is a cheap adventure; just needing auto extension tubes and tripod (preferably reversible).

I am by no means an expert on macro photography but I started having fun in this area many years ago, using vintage SLRs that did not have TTL metering and the external light reading required a math calculation to compensate for whichever extension tube was used. Then there was the wait to finish the expensive 24 or 36 exposure film, send for processing and finally view the results, often some failures and hopefully some successes. Digital with TTL metering makes macro life so much cheaper and easier.

To me, there are a couple of types of macro, the opportunity shot and the set shot. A while back, I was in my garden when I came upon two ladybirds (ladybugs) in the apparent act of perpetuating the species. This is an opportunity so I grabbed my camera (D5100), extension tubes and tripod. The subjects were likely to fly off at any stage and my decisions were rushed.

I grabbed the extension tube that I thought would do the job but did not check the camera settings which it turns out were set for a small size jpg from the prior job. Lesson one - always return the camera to the settings normally used. Lesson two, the middle tripod leg is normally forward but in this case it can remain folded as this allows the two outer legs to be the pivot supports that can rock the camera into focus. Better than a monopod for lateral stability.

Lesson three, put the brain into gear and use Liveview instead of contorting the body and using the viewfinder. (old habits die hard) My choice of extension tube was more luck than good management. The subjects are about 3mm across and I was very lucky to get one photo in focus as the depth of field seems to be about 1mm to the rear at the face of the female and maybe 3mm in front of her. Whether a larger band in focus would have been better going back from the face is debateable, as I like the clear spiky texture showing on the leaf. It was a very desiccated Rhubarb leaf.

Lesson four - use burst mode, not single shot, maximise the likelihood of a sharp picture rather than reliance on chance to get a single sharp shot.

I wanted this photo to reflect reality thus it has just been cropped and colours have not been substantially changed.

Lesson five. I had previously photographed a tape measure by using the various extension tubes and noting the width of view in each case. Can never find the record sheet when needed. Recent copying of slides provided an easy "aide-memoire". My DX camera, with 36mm extension tube attached to a 50mm FX prime lens (field of view equivalent 75mm) will exactly frame the film part of a 35mm slide. Much easier to remember and to then judge whether the tube needs to be larger or smaller. .

Hope that this rather wordy effort is of use to someone and perhaps it will bring out mores hints from others.

Ron
This is my first post and it may be a bit long and... (show quote)



Focus stacking will allow you to get everything very sharp from front to back.

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Feb 9, 2018 10:14:58   #
hookedupin2005 Loc: Northwestern New Mexico
 
Ladybug porn now??? lol

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Feb 9, 2018 10:15:38   #
hookedupin2005 Loc: Northwestern New Mexico
 
Good capture, by the way.

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Feb 9, 2018 16:06:04   #
photodoc16
 
Berchman,
Don't limit yourself. Get a focusing rail and you should be good to go.
Photodoc16

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Feb 9, 2018 23:39:29   #
Mark Sturtevant Loc: Grand Blanc, MI
 
Good to post here. Macrophotography makes your backyard a new world of adventure and learning. All options for getting into close-up and 'true' (1 : 1) macrophotography have their pros and cons in terms of flexibility and fuss, but a short lens, mounted with extension tubes or in reverse, can give you a good start. And neither of those options are expensive.
Another needed addition is a diffuser to soften the light from your flash, and a basic external flash is good, if you have it. But a diffuser can be something as simple as a piece of translucent white plastic. Just experiment and have fun!

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Feb 16, 2018 04:24:40   #
Sarco
 
I have a four way rail but the physical set up for this shot precluded its use. Unfortunately I only have the 50mm to use for the sake of quality, and this means that the camera and its lens must be very close to the subjects, and this could only be accomplished by rocking the tripod forward. This could only be done by having the tripod on two legs rather than using the tripod in conventional fashion which would have had the subjects beyond the most distant reach of the lens. Where the ladybirds decided to consummate their passion did not allow the tripod to rest on three legs. This also precluded focus stacking as I was lucky to get one shot that was in focus.

A big dose of luck with this shot and perhaps a small dose of talent.

Ron

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