HOLY MACRO -Q & A. help & advice thread

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  • chaseltonchaselton Registered Users Posts: 130 Major grins
    edited September 23, 2013
    AFAIK these wasps should be fine esp if they are feeding - they look the same as the common wasps we have.
    Brian v.
    So...if I'm photographing and one of them takes off, flies towards me and continues to hover closely around me when I move slowly away*, are they being aggressive or just interested?


    *basically what happened just now...hence why I'm posting here, just to check
    indefinite objects
    anything can be amazing
  • JL BoyerJL Boyer Registered Users Posts: 17 Big grins
    edited October 17, 2013
    Hello all,
    From my experience with stinging flying insects with a quick temper, I can tell that they will leave you alone if they don't perceive you as a threat to them or their nest. So play cool and take your time. A few other things that can help: Choose a sunny but cool day with very little wind to none. Move slowly and try not to cast your shadow on them. When using the left-hand-bracing technique, I use a blue clothespin. When I see the insect and the blue in the view finder, it's getting too close for comfort and I reposition myself. Also, when shooting insects at 10 inches or less from my face, I find out that covering my breath with my T-shirt helps a lot. They hate warm human breath.

    wasp%20portrait-M.jpg

    Happy shooting.

    JL

    www.JLBoyer.com
    JL - Every shot is an adventure, every shot has a story. -
  • DeeBugDeeBug Registered Users Posts: 487 Major grins
    edited November 18, 2013
    Brian,when describing your workflow you talk about sharpening in U S M,excuse my ignorance,what is that?

    Cheers Davy
  • Lord VetinariLord Vetinari Registered Users Posts: 15,901 Major grins
    edited November 18, 2013
    DeeBug wrote: »
    Brian,when describing your workflow you talk about sharpening in U S M,excuse my ignorance,what is that?

    Cheers Davy
    USM = unsharp mask - standard sharpening technique in many photo progs.
    Brian v.
  • DeeBugDeeBug Registered Users Posts: 487 Major grins
    edited November 18, 2013
    Cheers Brian,I had ultra sonic motor planted in my brain and could not shift it lolne_nau.gif
  • DanielpDanielp Registered Users Posts: 11 Big grins
    edited November 28, 2013
    Hey everyone,

    I found myself really struggling shooting 4:1 magnification while handheld.
    I use 100mm with Kenko extension tubes.
    I want to photo stack few of my photos but it really hard to stay in the same spot and changing the focus to another point.
    Can anyone give me some tips to make it easier? Would tripod and macro rail will make it easier?
    Thanks!
  • Lord VetinariLord Vetinari Registered Users Posts: 15,901 Major grins
    edited November 29, 2013
    Danielp wrote: »
    Hey everyone,

    I found myself really struggling shooting 4:1 magnification while handheld.
    I use 100mm with Kenko extension tubes.
    I want to photo stack few of my photos but it really hard to stay in the same spot and changing the focus to another point.
    Can anyone give me some tips to make it easier? Would tripod and macro rail will make it easier?
    Thanks!

    If you are trying to stack high mag handheld shots then it's easier to use fixed focus and move the camera to focus on the next spot. You can help stabilise the movement by resting the lens on a surface or on part of your own body. Holding a twig/leaf near the subject with your left hand and resting the lens on the same hand works well.
    Easiest of all would be to use a tripod and macro rail arrangement assuming your subject will put up with it.
    The other solution is not to focus stack at all but shoot at smaller aperture (eg say F11) and accept some softening of the image from diffraction.
    Hope that helps
    Brian V.
  • DanielpDanielp Registered Users Posts: 11 Big grins
    edited December 2, 2013
    Thank you, Brian

    Any recommend for good cheap macro rail?
  • JamesPTaoJamesPTao Registered Users Posts: 2 Beginner grinner
    edited April 29, 2014
    Tilt Shift
    Have been debating getting a canon 90mm tilt-shift lens for my macro work. Have any of you had experience with this lens? Ive used canons wider tilt shift lens but not the 90. I know it is an older design but have heard it is quite sharp. Any feedback is appreciated.
  • JamesPTaoJamesPTao Registered Users Posts: 2 Beginner grinner
    edited April 29, 2014
    Macro rails
    Easiest of all would be to use a tripod and macro rail arrangement assuming your subject will put up with it.

    I have been told the cheaper rails are really bad and a good set of macro rails are $2000. Obviously this is way out of my pricerange. Do you know of any affordable rails that are decent?
  • Lord VetinariLord Vetinari Registered Users Posts: 15,901 Major grins
    edited April 29, 2014
    JamesPTao wrote: »
    Easiest of all would be to use a tripod and macro rail arrangement assuming your subject will put up with it.

    I have been told the cheaper rails are really bad and a good set of macro rails are $2000. Obviously this is way out of my pricerange. Do you know of any affordable rails that are decent?

    Think this rail and others like it (it's a generic) gets good reviews . There is a cheaper one on the same site but appears to be out of stock
    http://www.adorama.com/PH63710.html

    Brian v.
  • Lord VetinariLord Vetinari Registered Users Posts: 15,901 Major grins
    edited April 29, 2014
    JamesPTao wrote: »
    Have been debating getting a canon 90mm tilt-shift lens for my macro work. Have any of you had experience with this lens? Ive used canons wider tilt shift lens but not the 90. I know it is an older design but have heard it is quite sharp. Any feedback is appreciated.
    I have heard of people doing macro with this lens especially in conjunction with extension tubes. You can obviously get some interesting focus plane results. The only problem I can see is the time needed to optimise the focal plane probably means shooting studio type subjects rather than say live insects.
    In practice I have only very rarely come across macro shooters using one and it is a very expensive lens.


    Brian v.
  • IPClarkIPClark Registered Users Posts: 2,355 Major grins
    edited June 21, 2014
    Apologies if this has been posted already however have just come across a site that I think would be useful to many. I haven't read greatly into it yet (In work and the football is due to start ;) ), but I will do later.


    http://extreme-macro.co.uk/
    .
    .
    .
  • e6filmusere6filmuser Registered Users Posts: 3,379 Major grins
    edited October 18, 2014
    I have heard of people doing macro with this lens especially in conjunction with extension tubes. You can obviously get some interesting focus plane results. The only problem I can see is the time needed to optimise the focal plane probably means shooting studio type subjects rather than say live insects.
    In practice I have only very rarely come across macro shooters using one and it is a very expensive lens.


    Brian v.

    There are alternatives to investing in a specialist lens.

    If you can get a lens with a large enough image circle, and an appropriate adapter, you can get tilt on a budget. I have not yet done much with mine:

    http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1247442/0?keyword=tilt#11863676

    Some (expensive) bellows also have tilt/shift function. I have one for which I have yet to invest in adapters.

    Harold
  • e6filmusere6filmuser Registered Users Posts: 3,379 Major grins
    edited November 9, 2014
    DeeCajun wrote: »
    Thank you so much for your reply.. I took this practice shot yesterday, this leaf is about 2x3 inches real size.
    I would have liked the whole leaf to be in focus and not sure if this is possible?



    _MG_5707-1.jpg


    One possibility is a tilt lens or a lens with a large enough image circle on a tilt adapter. Either would enable you to select a different principle plane of focus.

    Harold
  • e6filmusere6filmuser Registered Users Posts: 3,379 Major grins

    @IPClark said:
    Apologies if this has been posted already however have just come across a site that I think would be useful to many. I haven't read greatly into it yet (In work and the football is due to start ;) ), but I will do later.


    http://extreme-macro.co.uk/
    .
    .
    .

    I was checking whether the website had been recommended.

    It is not about showing images but is how to obtain them. It is not about close-ups (low magnification) but concentrates on higher magnifications, including focus stacking. The emphasis is on affordable equipment and there is a strong instructional element.

    Harold

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