Help, I can't get Macro right...

[Overread17 5]

Guys - lets not get off topic here
Prleet has still to reply back to get some experiments done with the advice already given. Split off and start a new thread if you want to talk about high magnification photography setups - as yet Prleet needs to get good at 1:1 before discussions on higher magnifications will be suitable.

 

[pgriz]

To OP, Overread's point are all good and worth following up. I've been doing macro for a long time and here are some of the issues you need to think about:

1) at macro scales, the DOF is super-thin, so the usual solution is to have a small aperture (f/13, f/16, f/22, f/32) to get some depth-of-field. However, a very small aperture usually causes loss of sharpness due to diffraction, so you have to experiment to determine at what point that becomes objectionable with your setup. In my case, I rarely go beyond f/16 because of the loss of sharpness due to diffraction.

2) with small apertures, you need a LOT of light, so the usual solution is to use flash. However, as Overread noted, the flash should be positioned in the right place to give the right angle of light. Also, depending on the degree of reflectivity of your subject, you may need to use diffusers to soften the light, as direct flash close up can make for very harsh highlights and black shadows.

3) because the depth of field is so thin, accurate focus placement is a challenge. The usual method for doing focusing at the macro level is to use a focusing rail. You can also focus with the focusing ring on the lens, but that changes the magnification, whereas a focusing rail just moves the camera back and forth. Some macrophotographers build the rail into the subject stage, and move the subject back and forth to focus.

4) because of the magnification, any movement of the camera will be visible, so either you go with a flash (very short light pulse), or you have to use all the usual vibration-minimizing techniques (solid tripod and head, remote shutter release, mirror lockup when available, etc.).

5) focus is almost always done manually, and if you have magnified live-view, then focus is much easier to achieve. For critical focusing, it can even help to shoot tethered to a laptop or desktop, where you can see the magnified image on a large screen. As well, you need light to focus accurately. That may require additional continuous light which allows you to focus, but then you will need to turn it off so that it does not complicate your exposure.

6) if your subject is moving (as in bugs), then a tripod-based setup may be unweildy. I've cobbled together a hand-held setup with a flash bracket to hold the flash, a portable diffuser, and an eyepiece magnifier to allow me to move the camera assembly around and hopefully get the critters in focus. Lots of shoot and miss here. Or, you use Overread's suggestions and shoot the bugs when they are torpid.


In general, I've found that I get better results when I bring the stuff I want to shoot indoors, and control as much as possible the various variables.