Best macro setup is.......

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20 Apr 2011 - 10:50 AM

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JackAllTog (e2 Member)

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20 Apr 2011 - 1:51 PM

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Hi Dave,

I like your christmas spiders - wow they are weird.

Firstly i'd say that whilst a dSLR is amazing, you are always fighting for a decent depth of feild with its large sensor, a small physical sensor actually gives better DOF - see this taken on a TZ8 compact http://www.ephotozine.com/user/digitalphotons-132557/gallery/photo/green-caterpillar-14816244.

Lots of people rave over the Raynox and its on my wish list too - this would be my next step.
Teleconverters are not usually used for macro
Extension tubes are used but the cheap ones on ebay don't allow you to set the lens aperture (no electronics) and so the DOF is very shallow unless you can manually adjust your lens. The expensive ones are also on a low priority wish list.
Also i've tried the cheap screw on magnifiers from ebay, not so great.

Canon MP-E 65mm macro - Wow yes please but so expensive, especially if you need to change body to get it.
A cheaper technique has been to mount a 50mm lens backwards - apparently its rather good. You'll need to dig deeper on this.

How magnified do you want to go - this guy is great and has some real nice close ups back in his portfolio - http://www.ephotozine.com/user/swwils-103168/gallery/photo/human-epithelium-13744371

Ring flash is great as more light and no shadows mean smaller apertures and so more DOF.

You don't mention a tripod, if you dont have one get one and a small studio tent to set up shots out of the wind.

Good luck
Stuart

Overread

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20 Apr 2011 - 3:08 PM

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I'd doubt that the nikon 105mm VR would give you any boost to image quality over the sigma 150mm - most macro prime lenses are on a very even playing field in terms of image quality. Even in tests the differences are likely to be visible only at the extreme wide and closed down ends and then could always just be copy variation within the lens line itself.
The VR itself might be worth changing for, though also note that (at some point) sigma are releasing a 150mm macro with OS (released delayed because of the events in Japan and I've the feeling that the original stock was either lost or destroyed).


As for getting more magnification you've a few options:
1) Teleconverters - these give you a magnification boost equal to the magnification of the teleconverter. So 1.4 gives you 1.4:1 and 2* gives you 2:1. However unlike almost all the other methods of magnification gain they also let you keep both your original working distance and infinity focus.
Myself I almost always use a 1.4 teleconverter on my macro lenses as I find 1.4:1 a nice magnifiaction to work with without imparing image quality nor making the setup any much harder to use.
A 2*TC I have used, but for handheld insect work I find it more tricky with the 150mm because of the longer working distance. This means that shake is more amplified and you've less chance to use methods such as the right hand brace technique or to balance the end of the lens/arm on a stable surface. It can however give a great boost to the background blurring and be great for tripod based macro work.

2) Diopters/Close up lens attachments/Close up filters - all the same thing just different names. Here you've really two leading options, the Raynox and the Canon 500D. Both are highquailty options and the Raynox have even been used with lens combos that manage to beat the MPE 65mm in image quality - these are nothing like the cheap filter sets you get which are bad.
These are also the best option, over extension tubes, for a long lens like the 150mm because for a fixed power they give more magnification on longer lenses (whilst the reverse is true for extension tubes).
Myself I've used a 1.4TC and a Raynox DCR 250 on a 150mm macro for shots like this:
Fly
Ant and honey
It the combo nets around 3:1 magnification and if you were to use a more powerful diopter rated close up lens (like the Raynox MSN 202 or 505 you'd get even more magnification).

If you want to get really serious there is also the world of microscope objectives (used not just for looking down microscopes, but also regular macro work as well). For this I really recommend reading Linden G. his flick is a fantastic resource and many of his photos and gear setsup come with very detailed descriptions. A wealth of info there if you can sift through it and if in doubt he's a friendly chap to send a message to to get a little more info or direction from.
As for lighting ringflashes have their place, but flashes that connect to the end of a lens can bring their own limits at times, since it further reduces the distance between yourself and the subject and also add bulk to the setup which can limit your shooting angles.
Myself I've used a speedlite flash with lumiquest softbox to good effect, though you need a good bracket to hold it - best I've found so far is the RAM-Mount option:
Example and items used
RAM-Mounts UK distributer I got mine from that site without any problems and it really works solid even with a heavy flash like the 580EX2 that I used.

Overread

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20 Apr 2011 - 3:28 PM

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celestun's shots are great and I think (if he is the same photographer I'm thinking of) that he also works only with natural light as well - ie without using flash to be the main or even a component of the lighting in his shots.

s1000rr

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21 Apr 2011 - 7:23 AM

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Wow! Thankyou to everybody for taking the time to share their knowledge and to offer their advice. I really appreciate the effort. I believe you guys have helped me to decide.
I'll give the ring flash a miss and thinking about this setup
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160572034378&ssPag...
Yeah I know! Its not the Cannon but its more to my budget!
I'll try a Sigma 1.4x teleconverter and a Raynox DCR 250. Does anyone know whether I need a stepping ring for this? I have a tripod but as you guys know, its not always practical. Thanks again everyone and enjoy your Easter!!
Regards, Dave