What a NICE jacket (Varied carpet beetle)

tman

tman

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Tony
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beetle5.jpg

By tman500 at 2012-04-10

:exit:
 
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download in my neck of the woods is very slow
so i write this awaiting on the click of downloaded complete
now
could it be sharper?
and what is it..
cheers
geof
 
Don't know what it is Geof
just a very TINY bug/beetle that decided to visit my window ledge the other day
and yes it COULD be sharper, when I had my 1Ds mk3 all was very pin sharp but cant seem to achieve the same results with my 7D ? I'm now experimenting with using F5.6/F8 to avoid diffraction .. yes I know I'll loose DOF but looking at the charts for the MP-E 65mm F11/F16 seem to reduce the sharpness ?
Hopefully all will change when I take delivery of my 1DX (back to full frame) ??

:exit:
 
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tman said:
Don't know what it is Geof
just a very TINY bug/beetle that decided to visit my window ledge the other day
and yes it COULD be sharper, when I had my 1Ds mk3 all was very pin sharp but cant seem to achieve the same results with my 7D ? I'm now experimenting with using F5.6/F8 .. yes I know I'll loose DOF but looking at the charts for the MP-E 65mm F11/F16 seem to reduce the sharpness
Hopefully all will change when I take delivery of my 1DX (back to full frame) ??

:exit:
Click to expand...

macro is hell.!!!:LOL:
i havent a chance of getting as close as you did...as for dof...i guess one really needs to have the camera on a support or use really high iso which downgrades the detail
like i said..hell
unless..of course..:geek:
 
Anyone else have any issues with pin sharpness on 7D and macro shots
using all same settings etc as with previous shots ?
As I said previously never had this issue on full frame ?
is it down to the 1.6 crop on a 7D and macro ?
 
tman said:
Anyone else have any issues with pin sharpness on 7D and macro shots
using all same settings etc as with previous shots ?
As I said previously never had this issue on full frame ?
is it down to the 1.6 crop on a 7D and macro ?
Click to expand...

firstly get the camera rock solid..tripod
then get the subject rock solid..no wind etc
manual focus...back and forth till the part of the image snaps into focus
set your camera on mirror up and timer
push the shutter release
check results now
cheers
geof
 
Geof
I think I know all of this bit M8
your missing my point
and tripods and moving critters don't go well together :bonk:
 
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The 7D will show up diffraction softening at larger apertures than your 1D because of its higher pixel density. Maybe if you're shooting at f/11 or f/16 this is what's causing the softness you're seeing, as diffraction will be more visibly impacting on your sharpness than at the same aperture with the 1D.
But if you're reducing the magnification to take the same framing as with the 1D (accounting for the crop factor of the 7D, if you shot at the same magnification you'd end up with a tighter frame), the DOF should be increased so you can open the lens to a bit wider aperture and achieve very similar results. At this high magnification its going to be a balancing game with the aperture to get an acceptable DOF while not introducing too much diffraction softening.
 
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I was thinking along these lines Adam
The 7D is good but can't wait to go back to a full frame for my macro stuff
thanks for the heads up ;)
 
tman said:
Geof
I think I know all of this bit M8
your missing my point
and tripods and moving critters don't go well together :bonk:
Click to expand...

the buggers..sod them all
:LOL:
 
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tman said:
You've lost me Geoff :thinking:
Click to expand...

hi Tony
i was saying if the tripods and the moving critters dont go wel together...then leave off..
i didnt think high powered lenses and full frame sensors would ever solve that incompatibility

basics are basics.. and chloroform is not easy to get nowadays

or did i get you wrong
cheers
geof
 
Tony - high magnification shots on AP-C size sensors is possible. Look what AboveLifeSize gets on the 550D for example.

As for bugs at high magnification - the answer is handholding really. Tripods only ever possible when they are very still. Sometimes is possible, and does allow NL to some extent with this.

To do this you need flash. And that solves your ISO problem too - use 100 with flash.
 
Chris
below is the setup/settings I use and a picture I took a while back with a EOS 1Ds mk3 (21.1Mp/full frame)

Canon 7D, Full Manual on camera f11/f16, 1/250, ISO100, Handheld
Canon MP-E 65mm
MT-24EX, set to fully automatic E-TTL II flash metering (varying the output balance between left and right heads)
STO-FEN OM-24X Flash Diffusers (pair) / Additional Gary Fong type diffusers (pair)
Magnification : various 1x - 5x Life-size

bugwtmk.jpg

By tman500 at 2012-02-20

but as I said cannot reproduce the same level of sharpness with a 18Mp 1.6 crop 7D ????
I know AboveLifeSize produces stunning work with a 18Mp crop factor camera and I think I have a reasonable idea of what I'm doing ;)
????
 
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I don't know Dave ?
I don't think the 7D pic is as sharp as the 1D mk3 pic
and believe me I must have taken at least 30 shots of the Beetle and the one above was one of the sharpest
I could not get/show the matrix in the eye on the Beetle like in the 1D mk3 pic
by the way what program do you use to frame your pix ?
 
Hi Tony, I've had this lens for about three years and IMO am just starting to get the best from it!

Here are a few thoughts of mine.
The carpet beetle must be tiny (assuming this is uncropped) so I'm guessing 4-5x on the mp-e:thinking: The comparison with eye detail compared to that of a Shield Bug is a little unkind to the 7D;)
To my eyes the top of the beetle looks like the sharpest part and a slight tilting of the focal plane towards the eyes would have helped bring more of it into focus. Easy to write, damn hard to execute.

After a lot of reading I am currently using 1/200 f11-14 iso400 and ettl (0 to +1 comp) on a 400D, mp-e and mt-24.
Your problem maybe be likened to camera shake in that your flash duration is too long:thinking:

This was taken with f14, ettl @0 comp, iso 400, 1/200

http://www.flickr.com/photos/48336357@N07/7084740707/in/photostream

Compared to the beetle at f16 iso 100 I have gained 2 1/3 stops of flash power. I have also cut out the fronts of the stofens and replaced them with velum paper. Another power saving! I've left the Fong diffusers alone though;)
The whole diffuser is then wrapped in reflective material to force stray light out of the front where it's needed.

Dalantech puts it far better than me in his blog:

http://nocroppingzone.blogspot.co.uk/

HTH
 
Rhod
thanks for the constructive and very informative info
The carpet beetle was tiny and pic is uncropped, it was 4x mag
will experiment more I think
bit of a black art isn't it this macro game we love, but worth the effort :)
regards
Tony (y)
 
I think Rhod is right about the angle and mag comparison in the images.

Definitely would not use F16 at high magnification on that lens. In fact I rarely use anything greater than F13 even at 1:1.

Have seen the reports as you suggest about the defraction F stops, but do think the problem with the bug also lies with the angle on it too.
 
Chris
I've looked in real closeup and I don't think there is an area that is pin sharp, beetles back or anywhere
when you compare it with the Shield bug pic
or is it my eyes ?
 
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No I think your right. It is looking fairly soft.

Was it at F16 (and at what mag roughly). If it was F16 at high, then that maybe is not helping. Could be the flash as Rhod suggests. Just don't think you're comparing like with like. The shield bug looks more around the 1x end of the lens.

Anyway - you'll find out when the 1DX arrives I guess.
 
Chris
just checked the EXIF data
Beetle was F16_1/200_ISO 100 at I think 3x on 7d
Shield bug was F16_1/100_ISO 50 at I think 2x ?? on 1Ds mk3
 
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