Macro adventure begins
- Thread starter blackstar
- Start date
Dangerspouse
Senior Member
Hey Dangerspouse, Thanks a lot for the encouragement and insightful thoughts. Here are responses to your thoughts:
1. Yeah, I have been thinking about downing speed to 1\80... But the truth is the spider is live and keep moving (escape from my shooting itand my camera is on tripod, but at clumsy site and unstable position, and lens is reversed with no contact to body, so manual focus is the only way. No AF, no other modes than M, no aperture control from body. Very lousy situation.
2. I think I can do the multi-focus shooting on a non-live or stationary object without a rail, but not on a live, moving subject (not even with a rail). Any idea of an interesting (stationary) thing to do this other than a coin? Not flower season now I guess.
3. Magnifying glass sounds interesting and helpful. I'll try it. The thing is that macro shooting is now my only occasion to use Liv view (except preview images) and it draws a lot and very fast power from a battery. I just put a full battery and only take about 50 macro shots using Liv view and it turns empty! I don't know how far can go playing the magnifying glass...
After the first run of spider, I put some extension tubes between body and reversed lens. It does increase magnification, but it worsens lighting too. I definitely need some LIGHT. I like the ring light on your camera lens. Is it even possible to find a ring light used on a reversed lens?
Hi Blackstar. Sorry about the delay replying.
1. Lol. "Very lousy situation" is relative. I find it a rather enjoyable challenge
2. Are you kidding? There are TONS of tiny objects littering your house that are a blast to see under magnification! Did you see the pic I posted in your other thread - the one of the watch movement? I love that one, and all I had to do was flip over my watch to see it! Start looking at everyday things with an eye towards imagining what tiny details it contains, and soon you'll be overwhelmed with options!
3. I don't know if they make ring lights for reversed mount lenses. My own guess is "no", but I didn't look online. What I did do though is take my current ring light and attached it to my reverse mounted 18-55mm kit lens with a simple rubber band. (I didn't use my macro 40mm lens because I know you don't have one.)
Here's are two sample shots of a penny I just took with that setup. These are handheld, 1/40th second, ISO 1600, f/5.6, Nikon D5500. All room lights were off, these are just with the lens mounted ring light. Shots were in .jpeg, and I just chose "Auto" in Lightroom as processing:
With a little increase in exposure, they look like this:
Not a very clean penny obviously, but at least you can tell what a reverse mount with a ring light can do to something that small (how often do you see the seated Lincoln figure on the back of a penny?) I wouldn't necessarily use it for serious macro work, but I think it's certainly usable for just playing around. Especially if I was looking for a very inexpensive option.
Hope this helped!
blackstar
Senior Member
Thanks, Dangerspouse. The coin images are interesting. I tried some and found out coins are rather big for macro and no extension tubes are needed. Yet DOF still razor-thin and using 18mm - 55mm zoom to focus won't cover the whole subject. Maybe I do need a rail...
I realize lighting becomes non-relevant if shooting macro outside on bright or just sunny days But then everything outside moves voluntarily or forcibly... and too bad being a night owl unable to be up early morning to catch the moment most insects still prior to waking up. Anyway, I tried in mid the day. Found and pursued this lady for more than one hour. Made more than 50 shots all under hush and awkward situations. Only one shot barely achieved partial macro quality:
I realize lighting becomes non-relevant if shooting macro outside on bright or just sunny days
But then everything outside moves voluntarily or forcibly... and too bad being a night owl unable to be up early morning to catch the moment most insects still prior to waking up. Anyway, I tried in mid the day. Found and pursued this lady for more than one hour. Made more than 50 shots all under hush and awkward situations. Only one shot barely achieved partial macro quality:
Dangerspouse
Senior Member
Well done! I think this focus stack came out very nice indeed. Your camera was on a tripod for those shots, I assume?
BTW, what are you using as the definition of "real macro"? Just curious here.
blackstar
Senior Member
Hi Blackstar. Sorry about the delay replying.
1. Lol. "Very lousy situation" is relative. I find it a rather enjoyable challenge
2. Are you kidding? There are TONS of tiny objects littering your house that are a blast to see under magnification! Did you see the pic I posted in your other thread - the one of the watch movement? I love that one, and all I had to do was flip over my watch to see it! Start looking at everyday things with an eye towards imagining what tiny details it contains, and soon you'll be overwhelmed with options!
3. I don't know if they make ring lights for reversed mount lenses. My own guess is "no", but I didn't look online. What I did do though is take my current ring light and attached it to my reverse mounted 18-55mm kit lens with a simple rubber band. (I didn't use my macro 40mm lens because I know you don't have one.)
Here's are two sample shots of a penny I just took with that setup. These are handheld, 1/40th second, ISO 1600, f/5.6, Nikon D5500. All room lights were off, these are just with the lens mounted ring light. Shots were in .jpeg, and I just chose "Auto" in Lightroom as processing:
View attachment 351771
View attachment 351772
With a little increase in exposure, they look like this:
View attachment 351773
View attachment 351774
Not a very clean penny obviously, but at least you can tell what a reverse mount with a ring light can do to something that small (how often do you see the seated Lincoln figure on the back of a penny?) I wouldn't necessarily use it for serious macro work, but I think it's certainly usable for just playing around. Especially if I was looking for a very inexpensive option.
Hope this helped!
Hey DS, I made an effort trying copy your coin (penny) idea (see image below). It's true that I can't even notice Lincoln is sitting there with even glasses on my eyes! I recheck your settings (reverse same kit lens) and it looks like no significant difference except the camera sensor. But the outcome images have big difference in magnification. I didn't use extension tubes as if I did the shot would blow out like yours. So I wonder if you had used extension tubes?
Dangerspouse
Senior Member
Hi Blackstar - no, I didn't use extension tubes (I don't own any). This was just the kit 18-55mm reverse mounted, with a ring light. What focal length were you shooting at, do you know? I think I was at 18mm so I could get as close as possible, but I'll have to go back and check to be sure. Either way, that's a very nice shot you took. But yeah, the magnification difference is certainly pronounced.
blackstar
Senior Member
Hi everyone, Thanks to DS's reasonable explanation regarding focal length vs magnification, I wonder if I have run (some time) into an issue by using the zoom ring (FL ring) to focus as I have no rail but using a tripod to fix and stabilize shooting position? Once setting a fixed position in a roughly short focal distance to the subject, I then start turning the zoom ring until making a sharp focus on the subject and continue turning ZR if different focusing planes are needed. This operation of macro shooting may cause two issues: 1. Since each shooting occasion is set by a briefly different focal distance to the subject, the outcome will render a briefly different magnification due to different ZR position (focal length), 2. For multi-focus shots, since they are made by changing ZR (focal length) each of them will have different magnification and have issues in focus stacking (this can be resolved if "align" succeeds in the process though).
Anyone's thoughts?
Anyone's thoughts?
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Scott Murray
Senior Member
I have focused stacked a robber fly handheld so it can be done, just need to make sure you get everything within focus, this fly took 20 images.
Robber Fly by Scott Murray, on Flickr
Robber Fly by Scott Murray, on Flickr
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Dangerspouse
Senior Member
Er...what fly, Scott? Or is that the husk of a Holden Robber Fly?
Scott Murray
Senior Member
Dangerspouse
Senior Member
Really? That was a phone image? You're right, not bad at all! :encouragement:
blackstar
Senior Member
I have focused stacked a robber fly handheld so it can be done, just need to make sure you get everything within focus, this fly took 20 images.
Thanks, SM. How the wonder you made this shot! Guess you must be using a macro lens (not reverse lens)? How far away (lens) from the fly? How could it be not disturbed and fly away instantly? And kept still for you for more than 20 shots? And it's handheld? unbelievable!