Raynox DC250 help

[brad28]

Bought the above the have a go at macro without Spending hundreds!

I've had a go with it on my 18-135 with my canon 60D.
I can't seem to get the camera to focus, tried the manual focus but the pictures blurry.

Tried at different distances aswell.

Can anyone help or point me in the direction of a good tutorial ?

 

[simon ess]

Don't be discouraged bradley. It takes some practice.

Most people focus by moving back and forth rather than trying to use the focus ring.

Your DOF is tiny, so you need f8 minimum.

Any movement of camera is magnified.

Are you using flash?

 

[brad28]

Don't be discouraged bradley. It takes some practice.

Most people focus by moving back and forth rather than trying to use the focus ring.

Your DOF is tiny, so you need f8 minimum.

Any movement of camera is magnified.

Are you using flash?

What shutter speed would I use?

No, I've got a 430EX1 though but not sure what settings to use or where to point the flash.

It's all new to me.

 

[simon ess]

Ooh - steep learning curve ahead

I'll try to give you a start point, then you'll work it out through trial and error - and patience.

Try this:

1/125 sec. @f11

Flash set to manual - 1/8th. power.

That should be somewhere near for starters. You will want to think about flash diffusion.

Then there's the whole field of balancing flash and ambient light.

Good luck

 

[brad28]

Ooh - steep learning curve ahead

I'll try to give you a start point, then you'll work it out through trial and error - and patience.

Try this:

1/125 sec. @f11

Flash set to manual - 1/8th. power.

That should be somewhere near for starters. You will want to think about flash diffusion.

Then there's the whole field of balancing flash and ambient light.

Good luck

Thanks,

I wanted a challenge!

 

[gad-westy]

Is the issue more one of achieving focus or of slow shutter speed?

If it's about focus and you want maximum magnification, try this. Set the lens to 135mm and minimum focus distance then clip the Raynox on. Then it's a case of simply moving the camera towards to your subject until it's in focus.

If you're doing this hand held, you'll obviously need a good shutter speed, certainly a lot higher than you'd normally use which may mean plenty of light from whatever source. The depth of field will be wafer thin whatever aperture use so once you think you're in focus try taking several shots whilst rocking gently back and forward a few mm's. It's a bit haphazard but should ensure you get some crisp results.

 

[brad28]

Is the issue more one of achieving focus or of slow shutter speed?

If it's about focus and you want maximum magnification, try this. Set the lens to 135mm and minimum focus distance then clip the Raynox on. Then it's a case of simply moving the camera towards to your subject until it's in focus.

If you're doing this hand held, you'll obviously need a good shutter speed, certainly a lot higher than you'd normally use which may mean plenty of light from whatever source. The depth of field will be wafer thin whatever aperture use so once you think you're in focus try taking several shots whilst rocking gently back and forward a few mm's. It's a bit haphazard but should ensure you get some crisp results.

Firstly thanks for your reply.

I'm struggling to focus.

 

[gad-westy]

Hmm, even with technique above?

Actually I have just noticed mistake in my post. Focus would be best set to about half distance. See if that helps. You then basically focus by moving back and fourth and you can still make fine adjustments with the focus ring.

 

[brad28]

Hmm, even with technique above?

Actually I have just noticed mistake in my post. Focus would be best set to about half distance. See if that helps. You then basically focus by moving back and fourth and you can still make fine adjustments with the focus ring.

I haven't tried using your technique .

What is meant by focusing at half distance ?

 

[gad-westy]

Set the camera/lens to manual focus and turn the focus ring about half way between it's stops. It doesn't need to be exact, it just means that you have plenty of adjustment both ways should you need to fine tune your focus.

 

[brad28]

Set the camera/lens to manual focus and turn the focus ring about half way between it's stops. It doesn't need to be exact, it just means that you have plenty of adjustment both ways should you need to fine tune your focus.

Thanks, will give it a go tomorrow!

 

[Einholt]

I also use a raynox 250, focus is indeed difficult, I would recommend you look at getting a cheap macro focusing rail as this is what I am looking at, it allows you to make fine adjustments when mounted on a tripod, not very useful for bugs but very useful for still subjects to get the focus perfect without the trial and error of rocking backwards and forwards