AF points for Macro

[LadySapphire]

I recently bought a canon 60mm macro lens for my canon 500d which i bought last year ( and still not really got to grips with)

Im having some trouble in getting the right shots, nipped out into the garden today for some flower shots and cant seem to get the whole flower in focus, only the petals or the centre of the flower and I'm not really sure how to get the whole thing :shrug:

I'm sure its manually changing the AF points but i dont know A) how to and B) how to select more than one, any help would be much appricated

 

[redddraggon]

You are so close to the subject with macro that the DoF is tiny, you need to stop down to a tiny aperture to increase the DoF, but then you might end up with a really slow shutter speed, so you'll need to use a tripod, the AF points are irrelevant to DoF.

 

[odd jim]

Use manual focusing, or simply moving towards and away from the subject to get the focus. I use manual even with dedicated Macro lenses.

 

[LadySapphire]

Thank you guys, I think I'll have to have a play around, I'm a little nervous about using manual focus but I'll give it a whirl!

 

[psf150]

The other thing you could try is to select centre point focus. On the back of your camera top right there is a box with a cross on it made of dots (I'm assuming its the same as my 40d!) Press this and then look at the top screen. Everytime you then move the top wheel it will change the focus point that the camera will use. The centre point tends to be more accurate than the others.

Doing this, as well as closing the aperture to f11 or f13 to increase the depth of field should help.

Good look

 

[HoppyUK]

Thank you guys, I think I'll have to have a play around, I'm a little nervous about using manual focus but I'll give it a whirl!

To expand on the above, it sounds like your problem is not focusing, but shallow depth of field (zone of sharpness in the picture). You need to use a higher f/number to increase DoF, like f/11 or f/16, and that has knock-on effects for shutter speed and/or ISO settings, but that's a slightly different question.

Manual focusing is very easy with macro. It's usually the best way for close-ups. Focus the lens roughly by hand so it's there or there abouts, then fine tune the focus by moving your whole body back and forth gently. You'll see the area of sharpness moving over the subject with you.

Edit: the lens always focuses at maximum aperture (lowest f/number, which is f/2.8 with your 60mm macro) then closes down to the f/number you've selected when you press the shutter release. So you won't see the increased depth of field effect you get with a higher f/number until you've taken the picture.

 

[Alastair]

The other thing you could try is to select centre point focus. On the back of your camera top right there is a box with a cross on it made of dots (I'm assuming its the same as my 40d!) Press this and then look at the top screen. Everytime you then move the top wheel it will change the focus point that the camera will use. The centre point tends to be more accurate than the others.

There's a custom function on the 40D you might want to change (I forget which, it's in the manual) that allows you to switch dirctly between focus points using the joypad. No need to scroll through them all. That and back-button focus are two custom functions I'll never change on my 40D.

 

[andyred]

Edit: the lens always focuses at maximum aperture (lowest f/number, which is f/2.8 with your 60mm macro) then closes down to the f/number you've selected when you press the shutter release. So you won't see the increased depth of field effect you get with a higher f/number until you've taken the picture.

A bit of extra help also - does the 500D have a DOF button (black button, next to lens on my body) ?

If it does, when you have composed your shot etc, if you press this button, you can see through the view finder what the image will look like - you'll see the actual shot thats taken,

Hope this makes sense...

 

[HoppyUK]

A bit of extra help also - does the 500D have a DOF button (black button, next to lens on my body) ?

If it does, when you have composed your shot etc, if you press this button, you can see through the view finder what the image will look like - you'll see the actual shot thats taken,

Hope this makes sense...

Yes, it makes sense, except the image goes very dark when you do that, so hard to see much useful.

If you want to check what you've got, although you'll get an idea of it with a bit of practice, take a quick snap and check the LCD, them zoom in and scroll around the image to see where the sharpness comes and goes.

 

[modchild]

As the others have said, you need to be at f8 to get a useable DOF to get the whole subject in focus, and depending on where, what and how you are shooting you'll more than likely need good light. You could always get a "ring flash" to make sure you have the shutter speed you need with enough light. I've got a Canon 100 f2.8 IS L macro and apart from in sunlight I use the flash 90% of the time. I'm not familiar with the 500D and if it has liveview or not, but if it has you could try focussing manually with liveview zoomed in for very accurate focus.

 

[Nick_1981]

If you want the image pin sharp front to back you could try focus stacking. You would take a number of shots, for instance, 1 focused near, 1 centre and 1 far. Then layer all 3 and delete the out of focus parts of each.

Not sure if there is a tutorial on here but a quick google search will explain it better than me

 

[LadySapphire]

Wow thank you all,I haven't had time to play yet as I've been travelling and at university, but as soon as I can I'm going have a play with all your suggestions.

You've all been a brilliant help thank you