MACRO help

[juju]

Hiya,
i just got my new canon 100mm macro lense and a 25mm Extension tube.
ive not yet got my ring flash thats coming in a couple of weeks. ive taken a few pics with it and would really appreciate some tips on increasing DOF as i appear to only have a very small area to work with. i understand the focus area isnt going to be massive but i was hoping it would be more than i have managed in the pictures below.
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6.

thanks in advance for any help.

 

[jstuedle]

Macro can be an art all it's own. I find a tripod a must along with very small apertures, f/22 or smaller. Also, subjects that can be positioned as close to parallel to the sensor/film plane as possible helps with DOF a great deal. Great macro shots can be a real challenge, but the final result is worth it.

 

[TimboAA]

As jstuedle hinted at, for a larger depth of field your F-stop needs to be higher. What was it set at for these photos?

 

[Helen B]

Yes, your need to stop down. The first was taken at f/4, the rest at f/2.8 according to the EXIF data. You should stop down to at least f/11 - try different apertures to learn the relationship between aperture, depth of field and sharpness.

Best,
Helen

 

[juju]

ok cool ill give it a try