Comments on: Macro Photography for Beginners – Part 2

By: Ronald J. Stein

Ronald J. Stein — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 07:10:39 +0000

The longer the mm the longer the distance between subject and camera lens front. Most that I know use the 100mm Macro. 50 mm makes you get really close and then you get shadows on the subject. The set of Tubes are an extra cost and come in generally 3 sizes in the set. 12mm thru 25mm. Make sure you get a good brand like Kenco. Your electronics will pass thru to the lens!! Make sure you get the correct model for your lens system as the older ones will not work on the newer lenses for the smaller sensors. I belong to a large camera club (800 members) and we have found… Canon for Canon Cameras- Nikon for Nikon cameras. The off brands are not quite as sharp(many will disagree with me) but you get what you pay for. Again.. you get what you pay for!!!!!!!!! If you have a 50mm (and it is a Macro!) you can try using an extension tube and see what you get. Pretty darn close working range tho!! Go to U tube ans look for movies on the subject or even Google- Macro shooting… read what you can.
The 7D(which I have) and the 30 D are the smaller sensor cameras- just be careful which tube set you purchase- the inner shields may hit the lens if you get the older models..
Steinr98

By: Wiliam K

Wiliam K — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 06:50:30 +0000

Can you please tell me which of the three lenses 180mm, 100mm and the 50mmwould you recommend me to buy. (I would assume 180mm) Is the tube kind like an extension between the lens and the camera. Could I get buy with the 50mm and the tube. What brand and model tube. I also hear about sigma lenses being as good as canon but cheaper.
Thanks

By: Ronald J. Stein

Ronald J. Stein — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 04:46:40 +0000

I’m not sure you can magnify “many times over”. Most close up shots are done using 3 different lenses, 180mm 100mm and the 50mm macros ..The main difference in these 3 lenses is “how close ” you have to be to take the shot. The additional + lenses you can add in front of a lens, are a cheaper way out however, do not give the best results. Any time you add glass with power to a lens, it loses contrast in the final file. Same happens adding a 1.4 tele converter to a lens. Extension Tubes which extend the lens away from the camera body, give better results however-(nothing is free) you need more light to compensate for adding more distance- hence a ring flash or some type of light setup is needed. In his article above which was written before image stabilized lenses were around, you would turn off the stabilization if the camera is mounted on a tripod. The largest problem I have found is getting the bug to stay still- They don’t listen to me when I’m trying to photograph them!! Good luck-
steinr98

By: Wiliam K

Wiliam K — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 05:29:33 +0000

I have been taking pictures with DSLR for the last four years. First with a canon 30D and more recently with a canon 7D. I want to take close shots of insects, water, etc. I want to know if what I got (as far lenses go) can be used with additional kits or what should I buy to get good macro.
I have a few lenses
Sigma 10-20mm AF
Canon EFS 18-200mm
Canon EF 100-400mm
a kit with four close-up lens +1, +2, +4, +8
I want some that will magnify it many times over. I will be very appreciative of any suggestion or comment that will help me to choose a good lens. I have been reading about CANON EF 180mm f/3.5 L Macro USM Lens but I don’t know if it will do.

By: steinr98

steinr98 — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:26:37 +0000

Gwielo is correct in stating you will need more light- in older submissions people kept saying “You need more light to cope with a SLOWER shutter speed-” No, you need more light to cope with a high f/stop, and you need a fairly fast shutter so you don’t get blur- even on a tripod. If you are doing a fairly close shot, your on camera flash or even a flash in the hot shoe is too high for the lens and you will get a shadow. Therefore, you will need a ring light or lights off to each side to get the proper lighting. The hardest part is to get close up of live bugs… They don’t sit still….. I just purchased a inexpensive ring light for $90- works good. It is a complete unit not one that uses you old hot shoe flash.SFD 140 by Bower- I think it was from Amazon.

By: gweilo

gweilo — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 09:08:16 +0000

“For macro shots you need a steady camera and subject, a small lens aperture and a slow shutter speed. Then you need more light to cope with the slower shutter speed.”

Well, actually, you would want fast shutter speed, but since a larger DOF is more important, and you cannot hold the camera by hand anyways, the shutter speed will have to go up. At f2.8 and 1:1 ratio, you will have an impossibly shallow Depth of Field. Consequence is to increase aperture, to for example f22. With less light coming in due to the smaller aperture, the exposure time has to go up (you usually don’t want to increase ISO too much).

At some point you have to chose between blur from movement and shallow depth of field. The only thing you can do is increase lighting.

By: Sarina

Sarina — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 21:51:02 +0000

“For macro shots you need a steady camera and subject, a small lens aperture and a slow shutter speed. Then you need more light to cope with the slower shutter speed.”

Thank you for that.
That simple statement has answered so many questions for me that I’m inspired to go out and start playing with my camera now!

By: Dave

Dave — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:14:59 +0000

Excellent piece. What are the pros and cons of a genuine macro lens versus a set of ext tubes?

By: mags

mags — Tue, 12 May 2009 17:13:27 +0000

HELP !!! how to set up macro extension tube for sp570uz ?? planing to buy extension tube but i dont know how to set up

By: sabbir

sabbir — Sat, 09 May 2009 01:30:29 +0000

@lisa, can you give me your contact info(email) so that I can discuss more ?