i have a question..!

[annie]

today while out and about, there was a woman sticking her camera up close to a spider web, and I mean close.. I asked her could she see the spider? she said she was trying out her new lens. of course, in my excitement I asked if it was a new macro lens, she said no it was a new 'wide angle lens'.....I was left confused as to how a wide angle lens works so close to a spiders web....can you guys answer this one for me?

[JohnP]

annie... just out of interest my Canon 17-40mm f/4L USM will focus as close as 10-11 inches.

[JohnP]

I fact it might be even closer than that... I must try it up close again sometime.

[annie]

well, I saw her sticking it up close and personal to tree bark too...tis very confusing to me!

 

I thought wide angle was for ..........wide..!

[JohnP]

well, I saw her sticking it up close and personal to tree bark too...tis very confusing to me!

 

I thought wide angle was for ..........wide..!

 

It's OK annie... there was a time when I thought a macro lens was for close, back then I didn't know you could take a landscape with one... 

[bugmeister]

It's OK annie... there was a time when I thought a macro lens was for close, back then I didn't know you could take a landscape with one... 

Too right John, I just had a lookup and my 16-35 has a minimum focusing distance of about 11 inches and the Sigma 10-20 about 9.5 inches (I don't have the sigma but it's a well regarded wide-angle).

 

Confusingly to some people, when I do portraits my lens of choice is the Sigma 105 macro, space permitting.

[colinb]

well, I saw her sticking it up close and personal to tree bark too...tis very confusing to me!

 

I thought wide angle was for ..........wide..!

 

 

wide angles are very useful in tight spots, I use my 10/20mm quite a lot for interior pics. As for the spiders web I should imagine she was photographing the web as opposed to the spider or planning to crop the picture afterwards. To be honest shooting something like a spider is probably best done with a macro.

[annie]

it's being able to ask these questions without being shot down in flames that make this such a nice forum...

 

thanks for the answers guys xxx

[JohnP]

it's being able to ask these questions without being shot down in flames that make this such a nice forum...

 

thanks for the answers guys xxx

 

Any time annie. I agree with you about asking questions, like I asked you about my moth and thank you for your reply.

[Guest DaveW]

I constantly see on cactus sites people with compact cameras getting closer than their cameras can focus Annie. Some people think with autofocus cameras that if they can arrange the image that size in the viewfinder the camera can automatically focus on it. I sometimes wonder if some using DSLR's think this also and then wonder why their pictures are not as sharp as other peoples?

 

However it's surprising just what loss of quality and sharpness many casual camera users think is acceptable and are quite proud of, as well as the proverbial telephone pole growing out of peoples heads!

 

http://cheezburger.com/5019558656

Edited July 9, 2013 by DaveW

[Leon]

loving the "cactus sites" 

 

so should I not use my 70-300 for macro??

 

minimum focus on that is 1.5m!

 

the photography world is a confusing place

Edited July 9, 2013 by mrwall

[bugmeister]

 

the photography world is a confusing place

It is indeed, but the obvious answer is use whichever lens gives you the results you want. It may say macro on the box but you don't have to use it for macro if it works for something else that you want to use it for

[Guest DaveW]

I was talking to Ken Preston Mafham, a professional wildlife photographer (http://dawhois.com/site/premaphotos.com.html) who was also a cactophile at one of our cactus weekend conferences many years ago. He said a lady came up to him when he was out photographing butterflies and asked him how he managed to get such quality shots. It turned out she always shot butterflies with a 500mm telephoto from distance rather than using a macro lens!

 

Yes you can use your 70-300, as long as you don't get closer than it can focus, your 1.5 meter limit unless you use a supplementary close up lens on it.  The main difference with long telephoto images versus lenses close up is you are shooting through more disturbed air, though not so much a problem close up. That is why no matter how good a long telephoto (500mm or 1000mm) is on a warm day the images will never be as good as a shorter lens used closer. I am sure all who watch the F1 Grand Prix have seen the cars approaching at a distance shimmering from the heat haze coming up from the tarmac using the TV cameras long telephoto zooms which disappears as they get closer because there is less disturbed air between them and the lens. Also long telephoto's cannot be hand held at as low speeds as shorter lenses since all vibrations are magnified, plus they are heavier to hold anyway.

 

http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2009/08/how-to-get-sharp-telephoto-images

 

Surprisingly there are quite a few cactus sites on the web since most countries have their own cactus and succulent societies.

[Guest DaveW]

You can do macro shots with wide angle lenses Annie, but the same rules apply that you cannot get closer than the lens can normally focus unless you add an extension tube behind it. A supplementary close up lens in front would probably be impractical on a really wide angle lens due to the likelihood of vignetting. 

 

With a lens set at infinity you only need to extend it one focal length to go to 1:1 or life size on the sensor (not counting the focusing travel of the lens itself or course), which means that whilst you would need 200mm of extension tubes on a 200mm telephoto lens you would only need 20mm of extension tubes on a 20mm wide angle lens for the same magnification, but the working distance would be a lot closer so you would almost have the spider on the front element! Rather akin to macro settings on a compact camera where though you get the magnification the lens is almost touching the subject.

 

http://www.imaging-resource.com/news/2012/11/19/wide-angle-macro-puts-a-whole-new-perspective-on-close-up-photography

 

http://www.adorama.com/alc/0013056/article/Wide-Angle-Macro-Photography

Edited July 10, 2013 by DaveW

[annie]

my raynox is so simple......phew! lots to take in there.

 

I have never been able to get along using my 75-300 for bugs. I find it far too heavy, and to use it on a tripod is too clumsy for bugs.

[Leon]

I must admit Annie, after a couple of hours the 70-300 does get heavy (insert aching right arm joke?) I got a monopod last week, does make life easier