Fun with new macro lens

reptoman

Avid Member
Picked up a new lens from a friend of mine who had one that never used it. This thing gets some incredible detail.
 
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Hi Laurie! That was my girl carpet while she was sleeping. She turns the coolest colors of light purple, yellow and green while she sleeps. Thats also the only time I would be able to get close enough for that shot.
Thanks everybody!
 
Nice pics. :) I really want to get a 100mm macro for my Rebel XL. I've been using my 55mm for a long time. :rolleyes:

One suggestion. If you increase your F-stop (aperture), say to 15-20, your depth of field will really increase. Of course when you do this you will need to slower your shutter speed or increase your ISO a little (because increasing the aperture decreases the camera's sensitivity to light). ;)
 
Just got the camera for christmas so I need to figure out how to do what you just suggested. Right now I am proficient at point and shoot.;)
 
Keep 'em coming! :D Next you need bug pictures to scare people away. :D

For the first time ever, I wish my dogs had fleas :D I am still working on getting some better shots but I do have these. I tried play with the aperature and ISO settings but it has not made much of a difference yet.
 
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For the first time ever, I wish my dogs had fleas :D I am still working on getting some better shots but I do have these. I tried play with the aperature and ISO settings but it has not made much of a difference yet.

Not bad. ESP, since your new. :) I wouldn't use a setting of ISO any higher than 200 for normal shooting when aiming for a large depth of field. The higher your ISO is, the more "noisy" the photo will be, but its not really noticeable until 800 or so. Your best friend for increasing sensitivity to light is slowing your shutter speed and to use a flash (when you can). Keep in mind anything lower than about 1/60th and you will need either a steadying devise or very steady hands.

Here's an example of what I did to increase my depth of field:



IMG_2590.jpg


pic #1: Notice the legs, the end of the tail and the tip of the nose are out of the range of focus:

Settings:
shutter: 1/160
ISO: 200
Aperture setting: 8.0



IMG_2609.jpg


pic #2 Notice the entire cham is in focus.

Settings:
shutter: 1/200
ISO: 200
Aperture setting: 20.0


Hope this helped! :D Glad to help anytime. :)
 
As previously said, you shouldn't need much ISOs, especially if you are using a flash.

As for staying in focus and for your depth of field; the smaller your aperture is, the less noise you will get. This also enables you to have a faster speed, as long as the light input is good enough. :)
 
Thanks for the info! That will give me something to shoot for:D
Nice shots BTW!


No problem. :) I do want to mention that the shutter speed in the second pic is a lot faster than it needs to be. I was actually taking shots of my chams eating. I had the camera set up for speed and didn't feel like changing the settings. :rolleyes:
 
I can't seem to be able to change the aperature. Its set on 2.8 no matter what I change. The lens has "1:2.8 1-5x" Does that mean that the aperature is fixed at 2.8? I tried using aperature priority to change the number but it still comes out at 2.8. The picture here is:
ISO: 200
Exposure: 1/200 sec
Aperture: 2.8
Focal Length: 65mm
Flash Used: Yes

Any tips on how to get better focus if the aperature is fixed at 2.8? I will have to keep messing with it and should be able to figure it out eventually. It does look like it has a little better depth of focus at these new settings.
 
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The 2.8 aperture is your best aperture available for this lens. However, you should be able to have a smaller aperture, like 4 or 5, for example.

On the top of your camera, you should have a small roulette wheel, with various modes for taking pictures. On it, you should have the letters M, A, S, P.

M stands for manual, which means that you can easily change your aperture and speed at will.

A is for aperture. It means that your speed will be changed depending on what aperture you use and need.

S is for speed, and is the opposite of A.

P i forgot haha! :D

Now i would love to tell you how to change your aperture, but it's kind of hard for me to tell you over the Internet. Basically, you should have another roulette that enables you to roll only, from left to right, or right to left. On my Nikon, it's on the upper right part of the camera. With it, you should be able to see the 2.8 aperture change if you are on aperture mode (A).

I hope that helps! :)


EDIT: About your focus and depth of field, it looks much better already. As ABbuggin said, your picture should be less blurry if your speed is faster. Then, like i said, having a smaller aperture will reduce your depth of field, which gives you more room to have your chameleon less blurry (especially when taking angle pictures).
 
The 2.8 aperture is your best aperture available for this lens. However, you should be able to have a smaller aperture, like 4 or 5, for example.

On the top of your camera, you should have a small roulette wheel, with various modes for taking pictures. On it, you should have the letters M, A, S, P.

M stands for manual, which means that you can easily change your aperture and speed at will.

A is for aperture. It means that your speed will be changed depending on what aperture you use and need.

S is for speed, and is the opposite of A.

P i forgot haha! :D

Now i would love to tell you how to change your aperture, but it's kind of hard for me to tell you over the Internet. Basically, you should have another roulette that enables you to roll only, from left to right, or right to left. On my Nikon, it's on the upper right part of the camera. With it, you should be able to see the 2.8 aperture change if you are on aperture mode (A).

I hope that helps! :)


EDIT: About your focus and depth of field, it looks much better already. As ABbuggin said, your picture should be less blurry if your speed is faster. Then, like i said, having a smaller aperture will reduce your depth of field, which gives you more room to have your chameleon less blurry (especially when taking angle pictures).

One thing I dont get, I know where to set the aperature, ISO, and shutter speed, but when I set them, take the picture and put it on the PC, it still shows 2.8. The wheel is on the right, just behind the shutter button. I will keep playing with it. Thanks for your input Morpheon. I wil get it eventually. Its fun learning anyway.
 
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