Macro Technique Article

Dalantech

Several times on various forums I've been asked to share my techniques for shooting macro, and since I have a web site it only made sense to post it as an article: http://www.dalantech.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/83636/

C&C always welcome!

Cindy

Dalantech wrote:

Several times on various forums I've been asked to share my techniques for shooting macro, and since I have a web site it only made sense to post it as an article: http://www.dalantech.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/83636/

C&C always welcome!

Wonderful read and examples. Thanks so much for sharing

Dalantech

Cindy wrote:

Wonderful read and examples. Thanks so much for sharing

Glad you liked it Cindy -thanks for the feedback!

Mike Lane

Interesting, but why the double post?

Dalantech

Mike Lane wrote:

Interesting, but why the double post?

I posted the link here, in the Technique forum, but since most people post macro shots in the Other Cool Shots forum I posted a link to this post. I was afraid that if I made the exact same post in two forums then one of them would get deleted. Sorry

pathfinder

I think a link in each forum is fine with me.

Dalantech

pathfinder wrote:

I think a link in each forum is fine with me.

Thanks! I'll edit the post

pathfinder

I need to shoot at the fastest possible speed and still get the shutter to synchronize with the flash. With my current camera (the Canon Xti) that’s 1/200 of a second. Shooting at the fastest possible flash sync speed also means that I have a better chance of eliminating camera shake. So I want to stay at 1/200 of a second irregardless of how much light is coming through the lens, and that means shooting in shutter priority (Tv mode).

Dalantech

I have just reread your article and I must have missed this comment the first time through. Does the 400xTi not work with an EOS strobe in High Speed Synch?

I can routinely shoot at 1/500th or 1/1000th of a sec when shooting in sunlight and using the speedlite for fill in Manual Mode or Av mode -IF - using an EOS strobe that supports High Speed Synch. The MR14ex, the MT24ex, the 580ex, and the 430ex are all capable of High Speed Synch.

1/200th of a second is the native synch speed limit of most of Canon's focal plane shutters, but High Speed Synch removes this limitation. It does this by emitting not one brief flash while the focal plane shutter is open fully, but a series of flashes over time that ensure flash coverage even if the shutter is never fully open across the entire frame, but merely a narrow strip of an opening (as is the case with focal plane shutters at higher speeds like 1/500th and above).

High Speed Synch is like using Focal Plane flash bulbs - once ignited they emitted light for over 1/10th of a second, to ensure that the slit of light allowed by the shutter covered the entire frame.

The EOS strobe in High Speed Synch emits a series of pulses of light while the shutter strip traverses the frame.

Give High Speed Synch a try, and I believe will find the ability to use higher speed shutter speeds in sunlight to be very useful in balancing ambient light versus sunlight. I almost always leave my strobes in High Speed Synch as I don't perceive much downside to doing this.

The incamera flash on the xTi will not do High SPeed Synch, as I know that I expect a 1/200th sec limitation when using the incamera flash on my 20D for fill light.

I am sure this 400xTi will do this, as my 20D does synch at 1/2500 sec as I just tested it with a MR14ex and High Seed Synch and ETTL with the 20D in Manual Mode. The exposure looked just fine.

Is there something here I have misunderstood about your technique?

Dalantech

Pathfinder,
You're right about the high speed sync mode -I just don't like the results. HSS pulses the flash rapidly so that at some point while the shutter is open there will be some flash light coming back to the sensor / film plane. Every time I've used it the critter in the frame looks like it got a sun burn from the flash Have you ever used HSS when shooting macro (or when shooting with the subject very close to the lens)? It's been a while since I've used HSS, and since the weather has been terrible lately I'll do some experimenting with it in the house. I nearly gave a dragonfly permanent genetic damage the last time I had my MT-24 in HSS mode, but I'll give it another try now that I have the MR-14.

But I'm not sure I'll use it in the field: there is the problem of getting a decent aperture (and some depth of field) when shooting in natural light. Bumping up the shutter speed just isn't an option most of the time -if anything I'd rather slow the shutter down and gain a stop, but then camera shake and the wind becomes an issue...

I may have to edit the article to explain why I don't use HSS. Even if I was shooting in manual mode and taking total control of the light I wouldn't use HSS. As I explained in the article: Once you get to a point where the image would be completely black if the flash doesn't fire then the flash burst rate becomes your shutter speed and it doesn't matter what the camera's shutter speed is set to...

Edit: After I posted that response I had to break out the Xti / MR-14 and play It's dark here, so I'll have to wait until tomorrow to test HSS in Tv mode, but in manual mode the rig is nailing the exposure -very cool! I'm going to leave the flash in HSS mode for now and see how well it performs when I'm shooting with natural light as the primary light source. I may have to edit the article to include HSS as part of my technique -thanks Pathfinder!

Dalantech

I'm having to put the HSS tests on hold for now. The Xti under exposes by close to a stop, and my normal style of shooting is to set the camera to -2/3 EV. Unfortunately the resulting images were a little too under exposed for my liking. On the next outing I'll set the Xti to 0 EV (which should give me an under exposure of about -2/3 to -1) and see how it goes...

pathfinder

Are you shooting in AV, Tv, or manual mode??

Give Manual mode a try too, if you are not using it, with ETTL on and High Speed SYnch on.

Try varying the shutter speed in manual mode without changing the aperture and see what your results are also.

Dalantech

pathfinder wrote:

Are you shooting in AV, Tv, or manual mode??

Give Manual mode a try too, if you are not using it, with ETTL on and High Speed SYnch on.

Try varying the shutter speed in manual mode without changing the aperture and see what your results are also.

Under exposure in Av and Tv. Manual seems fine so far, but I did notice an exposure shift going from 1/200 to 1/400 (HSS enabled). Not much time to experiment in Tv mode before I lost the sunlight

pathfinder

Dalantech wrote:

Under exposure in Av and Tv. Manual seems fine so far, but I did notice an exposure shift going from 1/200 to 1/400 (HSS enabled). Not much time to experiment in Tv mode before I lost the sunlight

I am trying to understand, from my understanding of the underlying philosophy of the EOS flash system, why you get underexposure in AV or Tv, and yet, get proper exposure in Manual in ETTL.

Flash in Av and Tv, is used as fill, with the attempt to bring up the subject to match the ambient exposure in the background. SO, if your subject was in the shade perhaps, versus the background in the sunlight? That might contribute to underexposure. Since the exposure was correct in manual mode, the flash has enough light and does not just run out of juice so to speak. This must relate in some way to underlying design of EOS flash in Av and Tv modes.

Still not sure I can state why this is occurring for sure. I used to routinely shoot macro in Av, and I do not recall underexposure being an issue, unless, maybe, the subject was in the deep shade and the background was sunlit. That can easily create three to four stops difference in exposure. I agree that Manual mode does not seem to have this issue, because in manual mode the flash from the strobe is metered to properly expose the subject at the focused distance.

I will not have time to test this myself this week, unfortunately.

Dalantech

pathfinder wrote:

I am trying to understand, from my understanding of the underlying philosophy of the EOS flash system, why you get underexposure in AV or Tv, and yet, get proper exposure in Manual in ETTL.

Flash in Av and Tv, is used as fill, with the attempt to bring up the subject to match the ambient exposure in the background. SO, if your subject was in the shade perhaps, versus the background in the sunlight? That might contribute to underexposure. Since the exposure was correct in manual mode, the flash has enough light and does not just run out of juice so to speak. This must relate in some way to underlying design of EOS flash in Av and Tv modes.

Still not sure I can state why this is occurring for sure. I used to routinely shoot macro in Av, and I do not recall underexposure being an issue, unless, maybe, the subject was in the deep shade and the background was sunlit. That can easily create three to four stops difference in exposure. I agree that Manual mode does not seem to have this issue, because in manual mode the flash from the strobe is metered to properly expose the subject at the focused distance.

I will not have time to test this myself this week, unfortunately.

What I'm hearing, on a couple of different forums, is that people were disappointed with the way that the 350D over exposed the highlights, so Canon set the Xti to under expose in full auto, Tv, and Av modes. As far as I'm concerned it looks good in manual mode, but I need to do some more experimenting. Setting the camera to 0 EV did make a difference today when shooting in Tv mode. I'll know for sure the next time I'm out shooting critters -I hate to make a solid determination from shooting test targets.

Dalantech

I found a fix: You have to do a "hard reset" of the Xti by removing both batteries (the main and Cmos battery -the small lithium button cell in the battery compartment) and then turn on the Xti for about 30 seconds. Turn off the camera, reinstall both batteries, and then the exposure should be dead on. I verified that the fix work against my old 20D and both are giving me the same meter readings for an identical scene and lens.

pathfinder

So it was camera specific. That is news to me.

Thank you for clarifying this issue. I am sure other folks may experience it also.

Dalantech

pathfinder wrote:

So it was camera specific. That is news to me.

Thank you for clarifying this issue. I am sure other folks may experience it also.

It was driving me crazy...

ziggy53

Dalantech wrote:

It was driving me crazy...

That must have happened to me years ago then. wink

Dalantech

ziggy53 wrote:

That must have happened to me years ago then. wink

Dalantech

pathfinder wrote:

...Give High Speed Synch a try, and I believe will find the ability to use higher speed shutter speeds in sunlight to be very useful in balancing ambient light versus sunlight. I almost always leave my strobes in High Speed Synch as I don't perceive much downside to doing this.

HSS might work well when using natural light and shooting in Av or Tv mode -I still have to try it. But shooting in manual mode outdoors HSS doesn't work very well. It's almost as if the meter gets fooled by the natural light in the scene and shuts the flash down prematurely. Terrible under exposure -buy at least two stops.

Normally I'm shooting in Tv mode at 1/200 just so I can have a shutter speed that's fast enough for me to "hand hold" the camera (I use a Novoflex chest pod, either as a shoulder brace or as a miniature monopod when I'm shooting on the ground).

If I switch to manual mode then there is no need to go above 1/200 of a second since the burst speed of the flash becomes my effective shutter speed.

I've had to do more manual mode shooting lately since I'm normally shooting after work in low angle sun and in Tv mode barely getting F4 at 1/200 (ISO 100). Here's an example taken at 1/200, F8, ISO 100 with the MR-14 set to a 4:1 ratio ("A" flash head at the top of the lens).



Anyone who thinks that the MR-14 produces flat lighting and is only good for dental work didn't RTFM...

billtaichi

Wow sweet pic! Love the reflection in the eye! Was wondering if I should save up for a ring flash and macro lens at the same time... after reading all of this I think I will.