Author Topic: First play with my 100mm Macro (Read 3075 times)

Yeah that's some good stuff, the thistle and snail especially, nice how the snail blends in but then once you've seen it.

You seem to have got the idea of what to take quite nicely, so lets see what you get up to, more please!

XEntity · **Reply #4 on:** September 05, 2011, 19:35:32 PM

Re: First play with my 100mm Macro

Reply #4 on: September 05, 2011, 19:35:32 PM

Quote from: Russell on September 05, 2011, 16:58:04 PM

Yeah that's some good stuff, the thistle and snail especially, nice how the snail blends in but then once you've seen it.

You seem to have got the idea of what to take quite nicely, so lets see what you get up to, more please!

Cheers mate, quite a lot of it was luck really, walking around the local park with the Mrs and only the 100mm, there were a lot of photos taken, a lot of really rubbish ones, quite a few of those because of the wind, or bugs moving too fast to get a focus lock... the only trouble with a shallow depth of field!

One question for you... most of your shots seem to be what I can only describe as uber macro? I assume they are cropped and not straight out of the camera like that?

I want to definitely get more bug shots (both of you have some really nice shots), flowers are easy as they aren't going anywhere and bugs look far cooler and creepier on macro

Russell · **Reply #5 on:** September 05, 2011, 22:37:45 PM

Re: First play with my 100mm Macro

Reply #5 on: September 05, 2011, 22:37:45 PM

Mine are all straight out of the camera like that, can't remember the last picture I cropped, actually tell a lie the water droplet one I did a while ago where the water was in a flower bud was but that was just to get rid of some distracting bits from the right hand side of the image rather than to make it bigger than it looked.

Most stuff I set my focusing to manual and put it in 1:1 roughly and snap away, might not always be ideal though could miss out on a few better compositions because I'm too focused on getting it 1:1, which is probably where your snail pic scores.

Bugs are annoying, everytime I go out looking for them I don't find anything and all the ones I've posted recently have been something that I've seen out of the corner of my eye lol

XEntity · **Reply #6 on:** September 06, 2011, 22:04:18 PM

Re: First play with my 100mm Macro

Reply #6 on: September 06, 2011, 22:04:18 PM

Will give it a go on manual wound up to 1:1 next time I take it out.. I did most of these on servo auto focus, I found the continuous auto focusing helped with everything moving in the wind slightly..

zpyder · **Reply #7 on:** September 07, 2011, 15:51:24 PM

Re: First play with my 100mm Macro

Reply #7 on: September 07, 2011, 15:51:24 PM

Interesting we all seem to use different techniques.

I use live view for the macro work, zooming in 10x to make sure it's as in focus as possible in manual mode.

Probably why I've struggled with insects and anything moving tbh. I tend to work just shy of the 1:1 as it's easier to adjust focus a touch than to move closer at that distance (assuming using a tripod).

Really want a ring flash though to get a bit more DOF...

XEntity · **Reply #8 on:** September 07, 2011, 18:20:32 PM

Re: First play with my 100mm Macro

Reply #8 on: September 07, 2011, 18:20:32 PM

That's quite a good idea, I didn't even think you could digital zoom in live view (although I've never tried TBH)

XEntity · **Reply #9 on:** September 13, 2011, 22:25:51 PM

Re: First play with my 100mm Macro

Reply #9 on: September 13, 2011, 22:25:51 PM

Spent the weekend at my parents and they have a few spiders that were kind enough to pose for me without wandering off!

Spider Downside Up by Jake Tebbett, on Flickr

Spider 4 eyes by Jake Tebbett, on Flickr

...And a dramatic version, as I think it deserved it (although you can't see the eyes as clearly)

Spider 4 eyes BW by Jake Tebbett, on Flickr

Russell · **Reply #10 on:** September 18, 2011, 21:51:16 PM

Re: First play with my 100mm Macro

Reply #10 on: September 18, 2011, 21:51:16 PM

4 eyes is rather good! Looks like you got the focus spot on its eyes, rather obliging of the beastie to stay still long enough for you to get it.

XEntity · **Reply #11 on:** September 23, 2011, 18:30:38 PM

Re: First play with my 100mm Macro

Reply #11 on: September 23, 2011, 18:30:38 PM

Sorry I've been out of the country.. Cheers 4 eyes pretty much stayed in the same place over night, which was handy as the lighting was pretty low when I found it, I used a tripod and Zpyders technique of using live view on zoom mode...

Just to add, before I went away I was thinking about extension tubes and using it with the macro lens to give extreme macro, I ordered a cheepo one before I went away for a tenner and it was here when I got back today, had a little play and it's pretty good, when I've had time to have a proper play, I'll post them up too..

Russell · **Reply #12 on:** September 27, 2011, 19:56:38 PM

Re: First play with my 100mm Macro

Reply #12 on: September 27, 2011, 19:56:38 PM

extension tubes are handy, do make like a little awkward as its quite dark looking through the viewfinder, or at least it was with my d50 unless you've got lots of light but then you do tend to get lots of dust showing up as well, unless that was me being a pleb lol.

Another thing they're useful for are telephoto lenses, managed to get a few good photos of robins a few years ago using my 400mm lens and the tubes. They reduced the close focus distance quite a bit so you can get the robins large in the frame, does make the focus range quite small though I think it ended up being around 1 or 2 meters.

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Author Topic: First play with my 100mm Macro (Read 3075 times)