Macro photography
Discussion
My son has his 18th birthday this year and mentioned this weekend that he would like to try his hand at macro photography.This is something I know nothing about.
He was given a Canon D1 by a relative with just the standard lens,is there any piece of equipment that is a must? I haven't got a clue where to begin.
He was given a Canon D1 by a relative with just the standard lens,is there any piece of equipment that is a must? I haven't got a clue where to begin.
Take a look at this macro thread which might inspire him: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
What lens does your lad have, is it a zoom or a fixed (prime) lens?
What lens does your lad have, is it a zoom or a fixed (prime) lens?
RobinOakapple said:
Obviously you will need a lens that does macro, or you could look into extension tubes, and a decent tripod is very useful.
It isn't obvious if photography isn't your thing. I haven't got a clue what lens it is as he has it with him and doesn't bring it home at weekends.I'm completely in the dark on this topic.
Edited by smifffymoto on Monday 25th January 10:33
smifffymoto said:
FFS, I haven't even got the camera right.
He has a Canon 600D if it makes any difference.
No worries, is all good fun to learn this stuff, the other thread I mentioned has tons of info along with plenty of macro photos, I recently acquired a Raynox lens after asking a similar question to what you have asked, it is basically a lens which sits in front of your existing lens, these are relatively cheap but can produce some fantastic macro photos. The extension tubes are also a great idea, they sit between the camera and the lens so increase the distance between the sensor and your existing lens, a little bit more expensive than the Raynox but possibly more flexible. Amazon sell these.He has a Canon 600D if it makes any difference.
You will need to check the lens on the camera because this will have some bearing on whether it will be suitable, I purchased my Raynox 150 and 250 lenses from Amazon, along with some step down and step up rings which basically allow you to attach differing diameter lenses, the rings cost just over £8 so I figured they would no doubt come in handy in the future.
The 600D should be fine, though you might want to switch to manual focus rather than auto-focus, I found my 700D was continually hunting so switched to manual, for info I'm using a 50mm f1.8 lens. BTW, you don't have to purchase a tripod, many users don't bother especially when attempting to photograph insects which tend to fly round in a random manner.
Take a look at the other thread because there really is some very useful information posted on it by some very enthusiastic and knowledgeable users
smifffymoto said:
RobinOakapple said:
Obviously you will need a lens that does macro, or you could look into extension tubes, and a decent tripod is very useful.
It isn't obvious if photography isn't your thing. I haven't got a clue what lens it is as he has it with him and doesn't bring it home at weekends.I'm completely in the dark on this topic.
A raynox would be a good way to go. Or, if that is too expensive a reversing ring.
He will probably need to use flash but a simple cardboard/tissue diffuser on the built in flash will work surprisingly well.
This might give you an idea of a basic setup (reversed lens and tissue diffuser on the flash)....
https://flic.kr/p/ovUAHf
I managed this pic with it......
https://flic.kr/p/oiej2j
He will probably need to use flash but a simple cardboard/tissue diffuser on the built in flash will work surprisingly well.
This might give you an idea of a basic setup (reversed lens and tissue diffuser on the flash)....
https://flic.kr/p/ovUAHf
I managed this pic with it......
https://flic.kr/p/oiej2j
600d is a decent camera.
Theres a bunch of ways to get into macro cheaply, reverse mount ring, extension tubes etc.
But by far the easiest is a macro lens ( which can be used with extension tubes for more magnification).
If you want to shoot bugs etc then get a 90-100mm ish lens, the 150-180s are nice but harder to use, and the shorter ones are more meant for copy repro/products etc.
in terms of quality and cost there is a range of stuff.
Tamron 90, sigma 105, canon 100's
canon 100L is the daddy really a quality lens
But you need light, a twin flash macro setup is the best but any speedlight will do, even the best macro shooters are hacking up light modifiers (diffusers) to get the right quality of light.
So top end is canons 100mm L macro with their twin flash speedlight
I make do with a tamron 90 (cost me about £150 used) and an ettl flash off camera (nissin di866 with yongnuo triggers).
Theres a bunch of ways to get into macro cheaply, reverse mount ring, extension tubes etc.
But by far the easiest is a macro lens ( which can be used with extension tubes for more magnification).
If you want to shoot bugs etc then get a 90-100mm ish lens, the 150-180s are nice but harder to use, and the shorter ones are more meant for copy repro/products etc.
in terms of quality and cost there is a range of stuff.
Tamron 90, sigma 105, canon 100's
canon 100L is the daddy really a quality lens
But you need light, a twin flash macro setup is the best but any speedlight will do, even the best macro shooters are hacking up light modifiers (diffusers) to get the right quality of light.
So top end is canons 100mm L macro with their twin flash speedlight
I make do with a tamron 90 (cost me about £150 used) and an ettl flash off camera (nissin di866 with yongnuo triggers).
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