Macro Macro Macro!

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > Creative Convention > The Dorkroom > Macro Macro Macro!

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alkanphel: Mar 24, 2004

Took a photo of some new leaves unfolding

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# ¿ Nov 5, 2010 20:29

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# ¿ May 16, 2024 04:39

alkanphel: Mar 24, 2004

Got a closeup of a flower here

IMG_1710 by alkanphel, on Flickr

# ¿ Feb 6, 2011 05:43

alkanphel: Mar 24, 2004

Timage posted:

Just got a little macro filter to screw onto my 50 F1.4. Does an alright job for the price. Need to work on my focusing a little. Any other tips?

Maybe use a tripod + liveview?

# ¿ Mar 21, 2011 02:44

alkanphel: Mar 24, 2004

Alternatively you can go for a set of Kenko extension tubes, relatively cheap but you can get close up like a macro.

# ¿ Apr 12, 2011 04:10

alkanphel: Mar 24, 2004

Among the Smooth by alkanphel, on Flickr

# ¿ Apr 22, 2011 01:49

alkanphel: Mar 24, 2004

Adding another snail

El Caracol by alkanphel, on Flickr

# ¿ Apr 27, 2011 05:06

alkanphel: Mar 24, 2004

White beetle by alkanphel, on Flickr

# ¿ Jun 28, 2011 14:22

alkanphel: Mar 24, 2004

Cross-posting from SAD

Little white beetle by alkanphel, on Flickr

# ¿ Jul 18, 2011 00:15

alkanphel: Mar 24, 2004

Cross-posting from SAD

Hitch-hiker by alkanphel, on Flickr

# ¿ Jul 27, 2011 00:43

alkanphel: Mar 24, 2004

FLX posted:

Hey OP (or anyone else), I received my Sigma 105mm macro yesterday and this is a really weird lens. It seems sharp, but the autofocus is pretty bad and sometimes misses the target by a hair, even though it says it has focused successfully. Also, is it really not possible to attach the lens cap when the lens hood is put on?!

Either way, I'm really looking forward to take it into the woods/fields for some insect shooting. Is there anything I should know to use the lens to its best potential? Do you use a flash often? From testing the lens at home for a couple of minutes it seems that the DOF below f8 is way too shallow for even a small bug.

I haven't used the Sigma macro lens before but if you're shooting macro so close, you best use manual focus otherwise your AF will just be hunting endlessly. I don't use a flash either but most ppl do use it to freeze motion or provide better illumination when they go bug-hunting in the wee morning.

# ¿ Aug 1, 2011 01:02

alkanphel: Mar 24, 2004

Flower macro!

Botanic Gardens 3-14 by alkanphel, on Flickr

# ¿ Aug 25, 2011 01:04

alkanphel: Mar 24, 2004

^ The Canon 100L is truly a magnificent lens!

Adding some more flower macros (crossposting from SAD)

Botanic Gardens 3-15 by alkanphel, on Flickr

Botanic Gardens 3-16 by alkanphel, on Flickr

# ¿ Aug 27, 2011 01:00

alkanphel: Mar 24, 2004

Those are some really great shots there MrOpus!

# ¿ Oct 1, 2011 02:20

alkanphel: Mar 24, 2004

BetterLekNextTime posted:

Thoughts? I'm still trying to get the hang of the off-camera flash. Are the shiny spots too distracting?

Yeah a diffuser might help.

# ¿ Oct 2, 2011 10:00

alkanphel: Mar 24, 2004

Shot this for the leaf's texture

Anthocyaninic Leaf by alkanphel, on Flickr

# ¿ Oct 18, 2011 03:29

alkanphel: Mar 24, 2004

Graniteman posted:

Does anyone have any recommendations for focus stacking software for macro work? I don't have (and won't buy) Photoshop. Helicon Focus looks neat, and it's only $30, but I don't know what else is out there.

Zerene Stacker seems to be the most popular one and having seen some reviews, it's probably the best one too. But I think it's the most expensive of the focus stacking softwares.

You can make do with a steady tripod and a macro rail but if you're going past 1:1 magnification, you see people rigging up hardcore setups with linear stages and micrometer heads. Or you have money you can just buy the StackShot autoslider.

# ¿ Dec 9, 2011 03:59

alkanphel: Mar 24, 2004

Cross posting this from SAD

Botanic Gardens 6-1 by alkanphel, on Flickr

# ¿ Jan 14, 2012 00:57

alkanphel: Mar 24, 2004

I like the 3rd one the most!

# ¿ Jan 22, 2012 08:35

alkanphel: Mar 24, 2004

Posted this in SAD some time back

Standby, dragonfly by alkanphel, on Flickr

# ¿ Mar 18, 2012 03:01

alkanphel: Mar 24, 2004

Botanic Gardens 7-1 by alkanphel, on Flickr

# ¿ Apr 7, 2012 13:22

alkanphel: Mar 24, 2004

Dalax posted:

Can someone just confirm if what I suspect focus stacking to be is actually correct, i.e. multiple exposures of the same composition with each exposure being at a different depth of field, then merged in photoshop?

Almost correct, but not at a different depth of view, more like the same depth of view being slowly moved across the subject and taken at each point, and then merged.

# ¿ May 25, 2012 00:12

alkanphel: Mar 24, 2004

Super cliche shot

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# ¿ Jun 18, 2012 00:03

alkanphel: Mar 24, 2004

GBTB 02-04 by alkanphel, on Flickr

# ¿ Aug 20, 2012 04:29

alkanphel: Mar 24, 2004

More plant macros

GBTB 02-06 by alkanphel, on Flickr

GBTB 02-07 by alkanphel, on Flickr

GBTB 02-09 by alkanphel, on Flickr

# ¿ Aug 26, 2012 00:23

alkanphel: Mar 24, 2004

InternetJunky posted:

Something delicious instead of something gross -- strawberry milk:

Reminds me of the ectoplasm river in the sewers in Ghostbusters 2.

# ¿ Sep 16, 2012 10:11

alkanphel: Mar 24, 2004

Grasshopper by alkanphel, on Flickr

# ¿ Sep 25, 2012 16:48

alkanphel: Mar 24, 2004

Just got the new Olympus 60mm macro for m4/3 and I did a test shoot with it.

Ten Cents by alkanphel, on Flickr

Leica Badge by alkanphel, on Flickr

Fern 2 by alkanphel, on Flickr

Rest of the photos are here: http://flic.kr/s/aHsjChvSjQ

# ¿ Sep 29, 2012 07:57

alkanphel: Mar 24, 2004

Take-off by alkanphel, on Flickr

# ¿ Oct 3, 2012 05:37

alkanphel: Mar 24, 2004

dakana posted:

Tell me about macro focusing rails.

Is it an exercise in frustration to buy a cheapish eBay one? If not, which one(s) should I be looking at? I use a 1D, sometimes with a 70-200, so I'd have a decent amount of weight on it. I have a good tripod and ball head already.

The Velbon Super Mag Slider is the one slider that I saw recommended most often when I was doing my research for a slider.

The other options I considered were the Manfrotto 454 slider and the Kirk focusing rail.

# ¿ Oct 15, 2012 00:24

alkanphel: Mar 24, 2004

Atticus_1354 posted:

I like the price on that Manfrotto. That puts it in the realm of possibilities for me. Anyone have hands on with it?

I actually tried it out for a macro session, didn't like it because it had too much play if you didn't screw down the locking nut tightly. That got tedious fast for me because when you do 1:1 or 2:1 macro, even a small shift in the entire sliding plate cause by screwing the locking nut will move your focus to somewhere else, so there was way too much fiddling. A geardrive like the Velbon was much better.

# ¿ Oct 15, 2012 02:26

alkanphel: Mar 24, 2004

BG 12-08 by alkanphel, on Flickr

# ¿ Dec 19, 2012 01:42

alkanphel: Mar 24, 2004

Platystemon posted:

I wish someone made really long extension tubes. It would be better than stacking multiple sets.

Maybe I�m supposed to buy an MP‐E.

Really long extension tubes are called bellows.

# ¿ Apr 3, 2013 09:12

alkanphel: Mar 24, 2004

Platystemon posted:

EOS requires automatic bellows, but those are super expensive. I might as well get an MP‐E. e: Christ, I just price‐checked them, and they�re $950. That�s worse than I remember.

I could probably wire up some poor‐man�s bellows with contacts from an auto extension tube and some ribbon cable, but .

Well depends on what you want. A bellows would probably give you a range of magnifications and the use of different focal lengths while the MPE is just 65mm and starts at 1:1 already.

# ¿ Apr 3, 2013 09:55

alkanphel: Mar 24, 2004

Or you can go hardcore like this guy:

Focus stacking rig by johnhallmen, on Flickr

# ¿ Apr 3, 2013 14:10

alkanphel: Mar 24, 2004

Graniteman posted:

John does amazing work. I really recommend following him on Flickr.

Yeah I really love his work and respect that he's using those crazy rigs out in the field.

# ¿ Apr 4, 2013 00:01

alkanphel: Mar 24, 2004

Brown Bud by alkanphel, on Flickr

# ¿ Apr 10, 2013 01:47

alkanphel: Mar 24, 2004

Nice setup!

I'm using the same thing for my Hassy as well, the bellows is great for doing MF macro but it's irritating because sometimes I forget to factor in bellows exposure compensation

I didn't actually have a problem with the focusing because the magnifier eyepieces on the Hassy viewfinders are pretty good and bright. But it does get really dark when I get near the 2:1 ratio.

I'd recommend the Markins Q3 tripod head I'm using, it's very stable and holds the setup well enough without creep. I think it's around US$200 or so?

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# ¿ May 9, 2013 03:05

alkanphel: Mar 24, 2004

eggsovereasy posted:

Nice, I'll check out that head.

My macro lens only opens up to f/4.5 so that doesn't help the dim view finder, but I also have an 80/2.8 which gets more light in there for focusing and I can still get out to nearly 2x magnification.

Do you find the hood useful with macro work? Does it get in the way?

I keep thinking I'll move to a Hasselblad at some point and then I buy another something for the Bronica

Not much difference from mine either, mine only opens up to f/4. I also have the 80/2.8 but it requires me to get way too close to the subject when doing 1:1 magnifications so I just stick to the 120/4.

The hood usually doesn't get in the way of shooting, only at largest magnification does the hood come very close to touching. So I just keep it on for protection and keep out stray light.

This is probably the smallest thing I shot with it, the flower is about the size of your fingernail.