Macro help needed (Canon 100mm USM with 30D)

[jani_k]

Hi!

 

I have been testing my new Canon 100mm USM macro lens and like to know what I'm

doing wrong (or is there something wrong with my equipment.)

 

Here is sample picture (cropped). Shot handheld, almost life size 1/125,

aperture 7.1, ISO400, I focused to eyes and used autofocus. I have tried manual

focus also but results are same.

 

Am I using too slow shutter or is autofocus just not working at all at life

size shots? I know that my hands are not that steady and I use IS lenses to

all my other works.

 

What do I need monopod, macro flash?

 

I have Canon 30D and have been shooting sports, horse racing and wildlife but

I'm new to the macro world so any help would be usefull.

 

 

Jani

[mark_chappell]

Trying to hand-hold for a ~ 1:1 image at 1/125 is just asking for motion blur. I'd

recommend either using flash for the main light (exposure time maybe 1/500 or less) AND a

tripod/monopod or some other kind of support.

[jani_k]

Thanks Mark for quick answer.

 

So 1/125 is way too slow for 1:1 shots, what speedsdo you recommend? To get faster shutter speeds I think flash has to be used. Do I need to get macro flash or can I get any help from 430EX flash?

[tommyinca]

Flash will help. Start with something less aggressive like 1:3. Move to higher mangification as you get better. With macro, depth of field is thin. Any motion translate to motion blur. The normal 1/(focal length) rule does not hold. DOF does not increase with reduced lens focal length. At high magnification, use focus adjustment for magnification but not to focus. The fly example has a bad case of motion blur.

[derek_linney]

Jani, flash will enable you to use a faster shutter speed but also, and very importantly, for 1:1 work you need to use a smaller aperture to get any workable depth of field - I would shoot at f16 for the type of subkect you are shooting.

<p>

From a technique point of view I always found best way to work is to switch to manual focus, focus at max magnification then rock camera gently backwards/forwards till you get the focus where you want then shoot.

[tommyinca]

Unless you use a 180mm macro lens, At 1:1, the lens will cast a shadow on a normal shoe mount position. Need to use filter ring mount type flash for a 100mm.

[mark_chappell]

<I>Unless you use a 180mm macro lens, At 1:1, the lens will cast a shadow on a normal

shoe mount position. Need to use filter ring mount type flash for a 100mm.</i><P>

 

A camera's built-in pop-up flash may produce a shadow, but many shoe-mount flashes work

just fine with the 100 macro lens at 1:1. I've shot lots of shadow-free photos with a 550EX

on the hot shoe -- I set the flash zoom position to 24 mm or so and don't use the lenshood.

No problems.

[jbq]

What Mark said - you need a much higher shutter speed. I'd recommend aiming for 1/320s at f/5.6 or f/6.3 - you'll have to bump the sensitivity a few notches.

[mark u]

You may find this technique useful if you aren't using a tripod:

 

http://eosdoc.com/manuals/?q=ATrapFocus

 

Otherwise, flash is a boon (you can always use a flash on an off camera shoe cord to give more interesting lighting angles, perhaps supplemented with a simple reflector such as a sheet of paper on a clipboard - it can also help reduce inverse square falloff, which can be severe with a ringlight). You will need to stop down significantly to increase depth of field when working hand held.

 

Even with a good tripod, you should use mirror lockup and remote or timed release to minimise vibrations. A macro rail can be a handy way to adjust focus. A tripod also allows sufficiently consistent framing to use software to increase depth of field by combining several images shot with slightly different points of sharp focus:

 

http://www.janrik.net/ptools/ExtendedFocusPano12/index.html

[athinkle]

As was stated before, your problems seem to be due to camera shake. The image looks properly focused, just soft overall due to camera movement. IF you can, get an ETTL enabled macro flash. I have the Sigma, and it works wonderfully. Second, use a monopod. At those magnifications it will also help to keep the camera steady while focusing.

[digitmstr]

It's not ONLY a matter of camera shake it's also a matter of DOF. When doing MACRO photograhy the DOF is ultra-narrow, even at f/11. Therefore, even a very slight movement towards or away from the subject will shift the image out of focus.

 

For 1:1 MACRO you will need a tripod.

[sean de merchant httpw]

<p><i>For 1:1 MACRO you will need a tripod.</i></p>

 

<p>This is untrue and why many handhold macro work using flash. Heck, using a tripod and focusing rail for a fly is a great way to not get the shot (<i>just hold still while I adjust my camera,<fly leaves stage right as up set up your gear></i>). Instead with a moving subject flash mixed with spray and pray (high frame rates and hoping to achieve focus) is the only practical solution. The usage of flash also allows you to shoot on cool cloudy days when insects that gain energy from insolation are less active. Heck, flash also lets you shoot macros of flowers that would not be possible with a tripod due to wind induced plant motion.<p>

 

<p>This is not to say that a tripod has no place in macro work, but to say that a tripod will not solve all your macro needs. </p>

[ifeito]

Jani,

 

I'm pretty new to macro, but this is what I've found to work best for subjects that are hard to catch with the camera on a tripod.

 

Put your flash on an off camera shoe cord and hold flash and lens with left hand (of course macro flash would work best, but I don't happen to own one). Set lens to manual focus at desired magnification (can even be 1:1). I usually set my camera at about 1/50 to 1/60 and aperture between f/8 and f/11.

 

Now focus with your hands getting closer or farther from your subject until you see it appear in focus. Now be quick and shoot! You'll need several frames to get exactly what you want in focus, but it's the only way to get high mag in rapidly moving subjects like bugs.

 

Of course with other subjects you can eschew flash and setup a tripod and even a plamp (to avoid wind from moving your subject).

 

Hope this helps,

 

Ignacio<div></div>

[geoffm]

I use a 350D with Tamron 90mm macro lens. I find that a shoe-mounted 430EX gives good coverage down to about 1:2.5. Closer than that I use an off camera shoe cord with a little home-made bracket that enables the flash head to sit just above the filter thread of the lens. I can't hold camera in one hand and flash in the other and keep the whole thing steady enough.

Of course, there are macro flashes like the good-looking MT-24EX, and there are "proper" brackets to hold regular flashguns, but these are expensive and I'm just a hobbyist!

[jani_k]

Thank you all, your answers are very helpful!

 

I should use flash and at least monopod to get steady shots with fast enough shutter speeds. And I should use smaller apertures f11-f16 to get workable DOF.

 

Thank you again and I'll be asking flash recommendations soon;)

 

Jani

[lester_wareham]

Handholding with natural light at life size can be quite hard, use a faster shutter speed to reduce shake and subject blur, use a monopod.

 

It is advisable to use flash when starting off with macro, this will allow smaller f-stops also for more depth of field.

 

With the 100mm and the 20D I can get away with the internal flash up to life size if the hood is removed, I am sure the 30D is the same. I found I had to turn up the ISO to 400 and add + 2 stops of FEC most times.

 

Alterntively if you already have an external flash get a macro flash bracket and an off shoe cord. If you are serious about insect photography get one of the macro flashes the ring flash or the twin flash, I use the twin flash.

[sean de merchant httpw]

Going past f/16 to increase DoF can be advisable for some subjects even though diffraction will limit overall sharpness in the resulting image.

 

Remember:

 

"Photographic composition is the art of mixing idealized artistic vision with technical limitations."

 

all the best,

 

Sean

[awindsor]

If you have a flash already then you can use this in the hotshoe. I use a bracket to get more tilt on the flash and I use a LumiQuest diffuser. My recommendation would be for a 420EX (cheaper if you can still find one) or 430EX. For macro flash you definitely want metering through the lens so the cheaper autoflash units are out.