Hi all,
Another technical question for the macro people:
I need to photograph a fly which is around 3-5 mm long.
What is the best Canon lens for that and what is the best flash system to use?
I use the Mark IV.
Thanks guys,
Ofer
What is the best macro equipment for insects 3-6mm long?
Hi all,
Another technical question for the macro people:
I need to photograph a fly which is around 3-5 mm long.
What is the best Canon lens for that and what is the best flash system to use?
I use the Mark IV.
Thanks guys,
Ofer
Thanks Michael!
Do you mean these two:
Flash: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...Twin_Lite.html
Lens: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...MP_E_65mm.html
Cheers,
Ofer
Perfect - thanks!!!
Hey Ofer,
I love the twin lights.....you can now buy diffusers for them or home make some with sheer cloth. The lens has a pretty big learning curve. Steve Maxson.....one of the macro mods is the best one I have seen using it.....so you may want to drop him a PM and let him chime in.
Thanks Roman!Originally Posted by Roman Kurywczak
Saw Steve's work and already sent him a PM...
Your working distance with a 65mm macro lens is going to be very minimal with subjects that small. My personal preference would be for a 180mm to 200mm macro lens that will give the same subject size at a much greater working distance from the subject.
Thanks for your input Alan. I am also not crazy about working from such close distance but I have heard that working from greater distance introduces more circular highlights from the flash...
I will have to use both lenses before I decide.
Thanks,
Ofer
Ofer; the working distance of the Canon MTE-65 is not the only problem. It is limited to F16, and there is no way to increase the extremely narrow DOF from that point. Image stacking may become necessary.
Your light sources will be diffused light, so as far as I know circular highlights are not a problem.
I don't know if you PMed Steve, but I've noticed him staying away from the MTE-65 the last few times I checked.
A good 100mm Macro would be a better investment IMO. You may find suitable subjects a bit larger than 3-5mm some point in the future, and the MTE-65, which incidentally is manual focus only, isn't going to be nearly as useful as a standard macro. Besides, you'll be saving quite a bit of money. regards~Bill
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Thanks Bill,
You are making some very good points!
I have sent Steve a PM and got some great help from him. He also mentions the Canon 100 Macro as a good option. I also like the idea of the Canon 180 macro. I guess I will have to do some more homework as I know almost nothing about macro photography.
What is the difference between Canon 100 macro and Canon 180 macro? Will I be able to get a creature which is about 5mm long - big enough in the frame to make a nice sized print after cropping?
Thanks,
Ofer
The Sigma 150mm macro is another well regarded lens for macro shooters, even more so than the Sigma 180 macro. These may be good alternatives to the Canon lenses.
Hey Ofer,
I have the Sigma 180mm macro.....now discntinued I think.....but I have heard great reviews on both the Sigma and Tamron 150mm lenses.......so for 1/2 price of the canon 180 a viable option if $$$ is an issue. No negatives on the Canon 180mm. I have had the 100mm macro also but the biggest difference/advantage I see of the 180mm lenses is that the extra reach allows you to apporach insects much more easily. You are further back when approaching to achieve the same magnification......but all just go to 1:1. Thats where the MTE-65 is the stand alone magnification king.....as it allows you to get up to 5:1 ratio. Again.....learning curve involved and not quite as versatile as the 180mm macro IMO.
Whichever direction you go.....I look forward to your images as you work hard and I know they will be a treat to view!
PS The 100mm may be better when working in aquariums or other tight areas.
Last edited by Roman Kurywczak; 06-05-2011 at 10:15 AM.
If yoy look at the MTF charts:
100mm macro:
http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consum...l_macro_is_usm
versus the 180:
http://usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/p...3_5l_macro_usm
the 180 mm is a much sharper lens, especially off-axis. Now these MTF charts are for infinity, so I don't know the MTF at macro ranges. It would be nice if they published those too.
Regarding detail on a subject, at 1:1, that means the spacing of pixels on the subject is the same as the pixels on the sensor. So, for a 1DIV at 1:1 you get 5.7 microns per pixel on the subjet. A 4 mm (4000 microns) hsubject will then be 4000/5.7 = 712 pixels. With a 7D with 4.3 micron pixels, you would get 4000/4.3 = 930 pixels across the 4 mm. Depth of field will be an issue, and when you stop down, the diffraction will reduce contrast and finest details. Getting below 4 to 5 microns of true resolution is quite difficult, but 4 to 5 microns gives a lot of interesting detail.
Roger
Thanks for your comments and suggestions Alan, Roman and Roger!
I will post a new thread with a clip of what I would like to photograph and see what people think.
Thanks,
Ofer
Hi Ofer.
I've been talking about the MP-E and the 100 mm macros in my PMs to you, but I haven't mentioned the Canon 180 mm macro yet - I have that lens also. It will give you 1:1 magnification just like the 100 mm. As noted above, it gives you more working distance from your subject which can be important at times. It also will give you a narrower field of view which can help eliminate distracting background items. It is considerably larger and heavier than the 100 mm which may or may not be an issue. You can still use the MT-24EX macro twin flash with this lens, but because you are now several inches farther from your subject and the flashes are close to the lens barrel you have less ability to model the light using side lighting, etc. The flashes, even when diffused, become more of a point source of light rather than (more or less) surrounding the insect with even lighting as they would when very close to your subject. This will lead to more flash-generated specular highlights on shiny-bodied insects. Some photographers use a single off-camera flash with diffuser attached with a lens like this and get good results. I've tried that, but haven't mastered it yet. Maybe some other folks can chime in on that subject.
Steve
How would a single off shoe flash work for one side and a small reflector for the other side? Or maybe just two reflectors.
Bill
Last edited by William Malacarne; 06-05-2011 at 08:23 PM.
Bill - I haven't tried that so I can't really comment. It might work well. If you are photographing mobile or skittish insects it may be challenging to position everything before the subject moves - just thinking out loud here.
Single flash off camera and reflector works great on stationary subjects like flowers and mushrooms (teach that in my macro workshops) and maybe even some insects.....but can be challenging or impossible when outdoors and the critters are skittish. Getting the flash off the camera is key ........you can even use a secondary flash that is slaved on a stand......but depends on conditions and subject.
Hi guys, my niggling question on this is the following:
For a 60mm lens 1:1 is achieved from a lot closer to the subject than on a 150mm lens. Would that not mean that the same insect would fill more of the frame when focussed on the 60mm lens?
I have a Nikon 105mm f2.8 and feel that with really small insects i need to crop a lot due to the lens not allowing me to focus any closer. Would this not be even worse with the 150 or 200mm macro lenses?
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