Sebastião Salgado: Genesis Exhibition

[davidb]

Mike

re the 60mm macro - it was the depth of field that was the problem as much as anything although having a fixed focal length doesn't help either (one reason why I used the 28-135mm zoom). But that was before I started AV. Perhaps a return to this lens is overdue!

[Mike Farley]

Mike

re the 60mm macro - it was the depth of field that was the problem as much as anything although having a fixed focal length doesn't help either (one reason why I used the 28-135mm zoom). But that was before I started AV. Perhaps a return to this lens is overdue!

Presumably P mode was setting too large an aperture in order to keep the shutter speed short? In which case you could be pleasantly surprised by the lens' performance. A prime macro lens will always give better results at close focussing distances than a so called "macro" zoom, although I accept that the longer end of the 28-135 will help make the subject larger in the frame, possibly at the expense of reduced DOF. The shorter focal length of the 60 mm will also yield a bit more DOF than its full frame equivalent.

For my macro work, I have found that the best option is to have the camera on a tripod attached to a geared head, which allows for small and precise adjustments. Good for things such as flowers which do not move, less convenient for beasties unless you pin 'em to a board first.

[davidb]

Have you read the RPS Nature Photographer's Code of Practice - pinning is strictly forbidden!

I can understand the need for a tripod but some places it's just not practicable. Every so often when I visit London Zoo I go into the Reptile House. This is a very popular venue and a tripod is more likely to be kicked from one end of the house to the other by the excited school kids. The same would happen at NHM's butterfly exhibit. (Strictly speaking London Zoo's animals are forbidden for Nature Photography but I'll persist with the practice for my own enjoyment.)

I'll just have to perceiver with handheld; as the 60mm is an EFS lens I would need to use my Canon 550D which is also a lot lighter than the 1DX. One reason I offered to buy Rose's EF 100mm macro lens.

[Mike Farley]

Sometimes there us little option other than to handhold. A ringflash can help in such circumstances for close work.

[davidb]

I think my budget will be blown for several years if I do buy Rose's lens. Therefore a ring flash is a long way into the future.

[davidc]

Once my macro kit arrives on the slow boat from the UK next week I will share what can be achieved with a very modest outlay.

[Mike Farley]

Have you read the RPS Nature Photographer's Code of Practice - pinning is strictly forbidden!

I suspect that those people who take focus stacked macro shots of subjects such as flies do something much like that.

[Mike Farley]

Once my macro kit arrives on the slow boat from the UK next week I will share what can be achieved with a very modest outlay.

I look forward to that, Dave. I know that there are ring flash adapters for conventional flash, which is one of the options I presume you have in mind?

[davidc]

I suspect that those people who take focus stacked macro shots of subjects such as flies do something much like that.

The other alternative when it comes to insects is to catch them and put them in container with tiny air holes and leave them in the fridge for hours. Because most critters are cold blooded they rely on warmth from the sun to become fully mobile. After having been artificially cooled they will remain motionless for MUCH longer when placed on a photography rig for macro shots. I don't know if this is also against RPS rules or not though. Personally I wouldn't have a problem doing it with something like a fly or a wasp but for bees and butterflies I'd rather struggle to take them in the wild.

I look forward to that, Dave. I know that there are ring flash adapters for conventional flash, which is one of the options I presume you have in mind?

I have one of those for portrait work but found it wasn't ideal, it shifted the centre of mass of the lens too far forward and also the amount of light you can get is limited to one flash and is therefore directional. I now have two flash setup using portable softboxes and I'm experimenting with a small LED torch to aid focusing too. I'll post a picture when I can.

[davidc]

It's also possible to achieve modest results with dead insects - I superglued this wasp in place and used a custom macro technique* at f2.8 and with extension tubes to get sufficient shots to focus stack this beast -

Waspish - 218/365 by cedarsphoto, on Flickr

Not a bad effort considering it was a first go, late at night and lying on my living room floor This was something like 100 images or so and the wasp was mere centimetres from the front of the lens. Even with 100 frames there are still out of focus areas. Now I'd aim to use flash and get a LOT more light, this was shot using ambient light.