Captain America Water Drops

TimothyJinx · May 7, 2013

Robin_Usagani said:
No macro lens eh?

I actually tried it with my 50mm f/2.5 macro but I was getting chromatic aberrations, though I can't remember what my aperture was set to at the time. Either way, I like the image my 70-200 was giving me.

Onerider · May 7, 2013

I have had good luck using bulb and manually triggering the flash. My flashes will go to 1/128 though. 1/64 should also work . The only time I showed trails like that was when there was too much ambient light. I was using iso 100-400 if I remember correctly. Here's a link that may help. http://www.photosbykev.com/wordpress/tips-and-trick/water-droplet-photography/.

TimothyJinx · May 7, 2013

Onerider said:
I have had good luck using bulb and manually triggering the flash. My flashes will go to 1/128 though. 1/64 should also work . The only time I showed trails like that was when there was too much ambient light. I was using iso 100-400 if I remember correctly. Here's a link that may help. How to Photograph Water Droplets.

Wow, that is some serious information! Thanks for the link. So you open the shutter, wait for the drop, hit the flash and then close the shutter? If so, wouldn't you have to have almost no ambient light? How do you see the drop?

I'm pretty happy with the results I ended up with (see post #27) - especially since this was just for my own entertainment!

Onerider · May 7, 2013

I have a 60 watt light under the table. Not enough light gets to the lens to effect it but enough for me to see the drop. I also have some type of light blocker around the setup. I'm thinking about getting a water drop setup from Cognisys. http://www.cognisys-inc.com/home_cogn.php?osCsid=cad6cfd92ebb10debc380cd02a49f694

TimothyJinx · May 7, 2013

Onerider said:
I have a 60 watt light under the table. Not enough light gets to the lens to effect it but enough for me to see the drop. I also have some type of light blocker around the setup. I'm thinking about getting a water drop setup from Cognisys. Cognisys Inc - Capture the Hidden World

Wow. As a new photographer I am amazed everyday at the various specialized fields people are into. Unbelievable.

Robin_Usagani · May 7, 2013

Here are a few I just did. Hand held, focus was all over the place, HSS, shutter was 1/2000 or faster. Unfortunately since this is handheld, I had to burst the shot so I had to lower the flash power so I can fire it consecutively. Because of that I had to bump up the ISO. If I had used a tripod and keep adjusting the focus, I can probably shoot it at lower ISO and get better timed shots. I have no idea what derrel is talking about.

_amass · May 8, 2013

Very awesome! Also, I wouldn't worry about the glare, I personally think it makes it look cooler. Haha

jake337 · May 8, 2013

Robin_Usagani said:
Here are a few I just did. Hand held, focus was all over the place, HSS, shutter was 1/2000 or faster. Unfortunately since this is handheld, I had to burst the shot so I had to lower the flash power so I can fire it consecutively. Because of that I had to bump up the ISO. If I had used a tripod and keep adjusting the focus, I can probably shoot it at lower ISO and get better timed shots. I have no idea what derrel is talking about.

View attachment 44292 View attachment 44293 View attachment 44294

Sorry, those don't seem tack sharp to me.

Anyways if one is wanting to do water drops they should not need HSS. They should have control over their ambient because they are using a setup. Especially if you are in a dark room.

Yes it is possible to use it but why would one need to? Outdoor water drops shooting into the sun?

Dracaena · May 8, 2013

Nice job!

Robin_Usagani · May 8, 2013

Like i said, my focus was all over the place and iso was high. If I really want to get a nice shot, pretty sure I will use a tripod and nail the focus. No ambient light with flash is the way to go for sure.

TimothyJinx · May 8, 2013

_amass said:
Very awesome! Also, I wouldn't worry about the glare, I personally think it makes it look cooler. Haha

Dracaena said:
Nice job!

Thanks!

Ballistics · May 8, 2013

How the hell are you doing this without a macro lens?

TimothyJinx · May 8, 2013

Ballistics said:
How the hell are you doing this without a macro lens?

Used my Canon 70-200 f/2.8. The first three pics were at 120mm, the later three were at 200mm. Just got as close as I could and still get focus, about 4'. Then cropped in post.

Ballistics · May 8, 2013

I have the nikon equivalent and I can't seem to get this to work. Do you just have a poster in the sink?

TimothyJinx · May 8, 2013

Ballistics said:
I have the nikon equivalent and I can't seem to get this to work. Do you just have a poster in the sink?

It's actually a plastic toy shield leaning against the wall behind the faucet. There's maybe a foot or 15" between the drops and the background, about 4' between the drops and the lens.