Equipment for Macro Photography - Part 2

[askall22]

hi there..i love your video..its very helpful..anyways just brought a sony 50mm macro lens. but i wanna do the super macro shoot..do i need the extention tube AF and the raynox dcr-250? pls help me..

[jimmy8boy]

hello Rob, its been a while since I've followed your tutorials. however, I wanted to catch up and first of all buy a lense but I need advice.

I need a zoom lense 70-300 , but I found the afffordable option from canon adn another from Sigma, , do you recommend either oine?

thanks for your fabulous help always,

Jaime

[nvkhoatv]

I'm thinking to get into macro and wondering what I need. Your videos provide the exact information that I'm after. Thanks for doing the videos. Appreciated.

[BIPINCPATIL]

Thanks a lot Rob……..appreciated : )

Regards

Bipin

[BIPINCPATIL]

Hey Rob,

It is excellent information. It is really useful one. Thanks for sharing the same with us. Well, I do have two questions in my mind.

1. Is it possible to use Macro Flash gun as general purpose flash gun as well? I am planning to buy one.

2. What effect it will produce if we shot macro with reverse lance technique using 50 ~ 500 mm sigma telephoto lance?

[MPTutor]

@BIPINCPATIL !: Yes, absolutely and can be very useful. I sometimes use a ring-flash for close portraiture as it gives a more even lighting and I can control the shadows better if I can't use my lighting set up. Bear in mind though that it is only for fairly close work, I wouldn't use it for much more than 10 feet as such a diffuse light will not travel that far. Next answer separate....

[MPTutor]

@BIPINCPATIL 2: I think you'd find it horrendously difficult to focus at the 500mm end as the depth of field would be horribly small but you could certainly use it at a shorter telephoto length. I'd use a shorter lens for reversing, mainly for the DoF reason.

Hope that helps :)

Cheers,

Rob

My Photo Tutor

[redoxin5]

Please do more videos.. I beg you...About anything relating to photography..

[elvis459]

Hi Rob, Any other cheaper options for lighting ? Off camera flash with diffuser ?

[MPTutor]

@elvis459 ANY lighting can be used, a bedside lamp, a torch, natural daylight, etc. Don't forget what you already have before you buy other things :o) Off camera flash can be used, it will cast a shadow from the direction you point it but with a diffuser it will be better, or you could bounce the light off a wall or white card, etc. Experiment and you'll be surprised at the effective equipment you already own :o)

Cheers,

Rob

My Photo Tutor

[elvis459]

@elvis459 Hi, Rob, Thanks for the advice, it's appreciated!!

[manilashark]

Hi, would i get better results if i use extension tubes on a 100mm macro? 

[MPTutor]

@manilashark Depends on what you mean by better. If you mean 'closer' then yes but by using tubes with the lens you will also get a VERY shallow depth of field. If your subject is fairly flat then you can do it but you'll need to have the camera on a tripod or else focusing will be extremely difficult as moving the camera 1mm forward or back will move it out of focus. If anything, I would use your tubes with the standard 50mm lens instead of your macro lens.

Cheers,

Rob

My Photo Tutor

[manilashark]

@MPTutor Thank you Rob for the quick response.

[jimmy8boy]

HI rob , I purchased a 100 mm prime lens, how do i know if its an actual macro lense? does it mean that just because its 100 , means is for macro photography??

[MPTutor]

@jimmy8boy Well not necessarily. It would actually say on the lens that it is a macro lens. I have the Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro lens but there are prime 100mm lenses that are not actually macro. If you tell me everything you have written on your lens I can find out about it for you.

Best wishes for a happy Christmas,

Rob

My Photo Tutor

[blackpantherguy08]

hi. can i use the extension tube and the close up filter both at the same time to get better macro shots? my lens is canon EF 24-70mm. TY

[MPTutor]

@blackpantherguy08 You can use them together to get closer but I wouldn't say that is better. You'd be working with a horrendously shallow depth of field, literally down to about a millimetre so you'd have a dickens of a job getting much of the photo into sharp focus. It can be done and some are very efrfective but frnakly I think 1:1 ratio is close enough so wouldn't double up unnecessarily.

Cheers,

Rob

[realdragon]

Really informative videos =)

Keep up the good job =)

[kitty3309]

So could you use the extender tub AND the close up filters? Sorry, I`m a newbie.

[MPTutor]

@kitty3309 You could Kitty but to be honest you would then be working with a horrendously small depth of field, maybe less than 1mm. So unless you are shooting macro of very flat objects, you would find it very difficult to get pleasing sharp results. You really shouldn't need the CU filter if you are using the extension rings with a 50mm lens as this gives you more than 1:1 reproduction anyway :o)

Cheers,

Rob

[kitty3309]

@MPTutor Ah, I see. Thanks for explaining. I went for the CU filters in the end and am having some fun trying them out ;)

[TwoDogsX2]

Thanks for the info Rob

[obara824]

Will I get the same results (or close to it) if I buy the cheaper options?

[MPTutor]

Yes, a close-up filter works fine and gives good results but remember it isn't going to be as sharp as using a prime macro lens. I have a 100mm f2.8 macro lens which is tack sharp but I have also had very good results from applying a close-up filter to my nifty fifty. Not perfect but then also nowhere near as expensive!

[iCALEBORiCUA]

The "lighting" or "angle" on this video was so good.

[AndyBJ]

Good Vid, thank you.

[coolay11]

Thank you very much Rob ;0)

[N6600]

where is part three sir? thank you..

[mgniko907]

Hi

Where is the next video, where you actually shows how to take the photos?

And what thing will work best for makro photography, would it be To get that reversal ring to reverse my lens or to buy a set of HAMA close up filters?

[MPTutor]

A reversal ring will work and will give you greater than 1:1 macro ratio but you'll also be working with a VERY small depth of field. A close-up filter will give you just a little more DoF to work with so can be a bit less frustrating. However, both techniques will give you good results with practice.

[gemmageek]

Can you use the lens filter together with the extention tubes?

[TheOats]

That reversal ring does it work on a 18-55mm lens?

Also, when are the rest of these videos coming?

[MPTutor]

Hi, a reversal ring with any lens that has the right filter thread diameter so you just buy the one appropriate to your lens. In the case of your lens, I am guessing it will be either a 52mm or 55mm but it will tell you on the lens itself. The diameter is marked with a symbol that looks like a small circle with a diagonal line going through it and then the number.

I promise you I will get other vieos done a soon as I am free but at the moment I am a bit too snowed under. Soon I promise :o)

[AkoSiBUTCHOY]

now that's a tutorial..... no bullshit and lot of talkin...... just strait forward........ tnx for this video.... 1 love....

[mikedls12]

thank you

[randyclarisse]

Thats what i need, straight forward tutorial... easy to understand. thanks....

[jontyboy53]

As with all your tutorials Rob,the latest two, on macro photography are excellent.

[FlySpades11]

next time you do prices could you please please convert it also in dollars?

[Nelepl]

Why don't you convert it yourself?

[atyl1972]

yeah cos its like totally difficult to use google to convert it

[brharte]

Or you could learn how to convert currency yourself for future reference.

[HazDoesCovers]

your tutorials have helped me uderstand so much more than i did thankyou very very much and keep the videos coming =)

[yssssm]

as usual ... GREAT!

Thank you very much teacher :-)

[jokerman80]

tnx you rock

[CELCStudents]

I never realised there were so many ways to do macro. Thanks for showing it doesn't have to be expensive. Looking forward to your technique video as all your videos are excellent.