Beginner First ever Macros

andythilo

andythilo

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Name
Andy
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Yes
Hi

Got my Raynox DCR-250 today so slapped it on my 18-300 and tried it out. Firstly, wow, you really have to get close and there is tiny DOF to play with, let alone getting it in focus. I found that I could AF on these as they were stationary. Sorry about the fly, he is an ex-fly and was being carried away by some ants before I rescued his corpse :D. The wife was a little disgusted, even more so when I showed her the end result :LOL::LOL::LOL:.

Second shot is the stamen (I think?) from a rhododendron in our garden. Both were placed on white paper under our under-cupboard LED light. Pretty happy with the way they turned out but I do wonder on the usability of the Raynox having to get so close. Both were taken at 300mm, EXIF should be in Flickr. Feel free to critique etc.., lots to learn and no kit at the moment! (apart from the DCR-250)

EDIT - Flickr is down, can't upload so had to use Photobucket :mad:

The ex-fly

DSC_1619_zps3h0mhf3m.jpg


Pinky Stamen

DSC_1622_zpsu5caraov.jpg
 
Hi Andy and welcome to the people that use a Raynox 150 or 250.
1st of all, your using your Raynox on a 18-300 lens so yes its going to be very hard, if you have something smaller like a 100 mm ish sized lens that would IMO be better.
Like all macro work, the DOF is going to be very small with a 18-300 although I say that it does depend at what focal length you are at.
As for the 2 shots you have posted, you can post straight from your own PC folders if you like, flickr / photobucket is a option to upload from.
The Stamen shot is the best imo as you have made it "creamy" which adds to the shots :)
What f No. was you at ?
What ISO what you at ?
Thanks for showing us your shots and hope you enjoy Macro and I look forward to seeing more shots from you.
 
Thanks Graham. TBH it's a temporary measure until I decide I want to get more serious and invest in a dedicated macro lens. I guess it'll force me into being careful with camera settings?

EXIF as follows:

Fly - 1/15 @ f14, ISO 1000, lens @ 300mm
Stamen - 0.5sec @ f29, ISO 640, lens @ 300mm (camera flash was fired also)
 
Oh erm, you do like a slow f No., 1/15 for the fly, I would say that minimum 1/125 would get you good shots.
And 0.5 sec for the stamen :confused: for something thats stationary, I dont get that one.
I use (Nikon) ISO 200 all the time (my choice)
1/100 minimum normally but sometimes slower but normally faster.
f8 upto f14 depending where or what im shooting.
Maybe you are trying to get as close as you possibly could with the fly, my advice would be lessen your optical length and try again.
Hope this helps.
 
For stationary object, I thought the slower shutter the better to allow for more DOF? They weren't hand held, the camera/lens was rested on the worktop so I wasn't worried about long shutter times.
 
andythilo said:
For stationary object, I thought the slower shutter the better to allow for more DOF? They weren't hand held, the camera/lens was rested on the worktop so I wasn't worried about long shutter times.
Click to expand...
Im sure you would get a sharper shot with increased speed, any slight movement with this slow speed and you will get a shot that does`nt look too in focus.
 
Sorry yes, I meant a slower shutter allows for higher f-stop and thus more DOF.
 
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