My shots of insects going downhill

[fuzzyedges]

 

 

 

[annie]

nice set fuzzy, the false oil beetle is my fave from this set.

 

I took quite a lot of bug snaps at the lake last week, and a lot of them were going down hill.....

 

and I still have seen only two ladybirds so far this year.

[FUJI]

A great set Fuzzy............but the focus on the last two is slightly off when they are enlarged............What lens and settings are you using?

FUJI

[fuzzyedges]

but the focus on the last two is slightly off when they are enlarged

 

Hence the title Fuji, fully agree but It might instigate a conversation with tips

 

100mm   f2.8   set at f8 1000    shakey hand held  with wind, still experimenting with this lens, now looking into lighting but might be a while yet

 

I have found with macro that what you think is in the box when its let out and looked at, it isnt quite as good as you thought nine times out of ten

[FUJI]

Thanks for taking my comments on the nose Fuzzy.....

After I purchased my v expensive SONY 2.8/100 mm Macro lens, I too had very real problems getting used to it, I got so frustrated at one point I thought I had wasted my hard earned pocket money.

I received lots of advice from the usual experts on TIPF, but I also joined a dedicated Macro forum, it was from there that I was given the Golden Rules of foolproof macro.

First, a diffused flash ....I use a £2.45 pudding basin over my Speedlight.....( find my earlier posts on the DIY)...

Camera settings.....Aperture between 11 to 16.....Shutter Speed 160..... ISO up to suit ambient light.....Flash EV set to suit ambient light.

Now, at first, I was advised NEVER to use Autofocus for Macro, but to set to All manual then move back and forth to focus.......it works but it can be very frustrating.......then recently I purchased a SH book on using Auto focus for most areas of photography including macro.

I have used Auto since with excellent results......you need to be smooth but quick with your shutter pressing, not forgetting to slow your flash to recharge before the next shot.

The shot here, is my best to date.....it has won a couple of awards much to my surprise.....taken with settings above but manually focussed.

Because of the extreme shallow depth of a macro lens, try to catch your subjects sideways on.....otherwise you might need to learn about Focus Stacking......but that is a whole new world.

I apologise if I am teaching my granny to suck eggs......but every little helps....as they say.

Take a trawl through my back posts.

More insects and bugs please.

FUJI

[bugmeister]

Well seen on those bugs... unless you see them you can't photograph them

 

And Fuji offers excellent advice. I would emphasise that getting used to a lens or a lens/camera/flash combo can be a very frustrating journey. Macro work is unforgiving to say the least (I took about 30 shots on Monday evening of a pair of spiders mating and only got one that is halfway reasonable). Stick with it.

 

I do often use autofocus with the Sigma 105 (single point) but the MPE65 is manual only anyway.

 

p.s. Fuji.... not surprised that hoverfly has won awards. Excellent shot!

[Guest DaveW]

Insects goimg downhill? Use the "Rotate" control in post processing and you can also have them going sideways or upwards!

[FUJI]

Bugmeister.....you own an MPE 65???

Then you have NO excuse for a dodgy macro shot ;-)

I wish they fitted the Sony Alpha range of cameras.

FUJI

[bugmeister]

Then you have NO excuse for a dodgy macro shot ;-)

 

Huh! wanna bet? It's one of the trickiest lenses going, especially handheld, but immensely satisfying when it works

[fuzzyedges]

First, a diffused flash ....I use a £2.45 pudding basin over my Speedlight.....( find my earlier posts on the DIY)...

 

Me thinks this is good advice The day I took the above was probably the worst for light as you can see 1000 iso and then the speeds were into double figures (maybe I was just too optomistic?)

 

I have read most of your posts Fuji and was fast coming round to flash (its something I fell out with years ago but in this instance it is certainly looking like a must )

 

No egg sucking here I always need an idiots guide to most things cheers fuji

 

bugs I have more spent pixels in the bin than images no matter what I take, plus I am quite hard on myself, it just wasnt going my way that day, so all correctional tips welcome

Dave ho ho should have seen that coming

 

With fuji's pudding basin idea I am away into the loft to find my old flash and get the creative urge to modify out and about again

 

P.s I cant see why you were surprised Fuji it won awards thats quite outstanding

[Guest DaveW]

An MPE-65 at higher magnifications demands perfect technique just like bellows or they would not be offered so regularly on EBAY by people who can't get on with the minute depths of field at such high magnifications and are too impatient to learn, therefore prefer the more forgiving depths of field in general photography.  As most of us know just because a macro lens can go to 1:1 it does not mean you can just point at a fly and automatically get everything in focus as with using it for conventional photography at normal distances.  Even less so therefore if you buy a lens that goes to 5:1 and expect it to be as easy to use as a 1:1 macro lens, partyicularly trying to hand hold it at the higher magnifications. If it were they would not have needed to invent focus stacking.

 

You can get just as large (sometimes even larger) a magnification range with a set of bellows on your Sony Fuji, even if not quite as robust.  Don't Minolta bellows fit Sony Alpha and are often available on Ebay?

 

http://www.apogeephoto.com/sept2012/ebrosens92012.shtml

[FUJI]

I hadn't thought of bellows Dave......I do have a full set of compatible Extension Rings.......They too take some getting used to.......I must fit them onto my 2.8/100 macro again soon.

FUJI

[Guest DaveW]

You can usually find compatible bellows for most cameras on EBAY Fuji. As said though depth of field at higher magnifications may only be a few millimetres, so definitely a tripod mounted focus stackers tool past about 3:1, if only for the reason it is virtually impossible to hold focus hand held with only a couple of millimetres depth of field as simply pressing the shutter button will usually move the camera out of focus as the shot is taken.