Spit, Puff, Poke.

[Jaemie]

Am I at the limit of my Canon 18-55mm EF-S lens for this sort of close-up work, or could I be doing something else to improve the quality of my images? The following were shot handheld, but I often use a tripod; I haven't a speedlight, but sometimes I use a reflector. That's about it.

If you have any thoughts, please leave some C&C - thank you.

#1: Spit bug and ladybug cooling off under a big leaf



#2: Colourful seed pods



#3: Budding thistle



#4: Some puffy seed thingie

 

[dylanstraub]

#1 the ladybug needs more light. The rest are nice and show a decent amount of detail that you would expect to see in a close up shot. If you are looking to get a better lens I would suggest a Canon EF-s 60 mm prime. It's my go to macro lens and pretty much everything comes out tack sharp. I'm a big fan of prime lenses because they are generally more consistent than most zooms. This one also has a pretty good amount of magnification which is handy for macro shots. On another note I wasn't sure exactly what pictures I was going to see with a title "Spit Puff Poke". Twist puff pass came to mind but your bugs are pretty cool too.

 

[Jaemie]

Thanks for the C&C and the lens suggestion. Presently, I can afford only lens paper, but if that changes I'll keep your recommendation handy. I'd like to get a Pentax K-5 with a couple good primes, but that's merely a dream right now.

"Twist puff pass" - lol

 

[dylanstraub]

Thanks for the C&C and the lens suggestion. Presently, I can afford only lens paper, but if that changes I'll keep your recommendation handy. I'd like to get a Pentax K-5 with a couple good primes, but that's merely a dream right now.

"Twist puff pass" - lol

You and I are in the same situation because I can barely afford the paper. I have my sights set on a wide angle zoom and I have to sell something to afford it. I offered up my soul but no one was buying so I suffer. On another note when you do have some paper (with the presidents on it) I would look for used equipment instead of buying new. The markup on new lenses is absurd and the quality on a used lens is mostly good enough to justify the savings. Just my 2$