Macro madness

[pbyrne]

Hi all

Macro is driving me mad!!!!! :x Could you please tell me why it is that in 99% of my outdoor macro shots the background or an area other than the one i want is in focus, even though the LCD tells me all is the way it should be.

Thanks in advance,

Peter the newbie

[Scottes]

In macro the depth of field is generally quite small. Often insanely small. So if your focus isn't ***perfect*** it could actually be focusing on another section.

An LCD screen is *not* going to show you the absolute correct focus point for macro images. There's just not enough resolution. My eye through a very good lens has a tough time.

Depending on how macro (1:1?) you are, it can be very tough to get exactly what you want to be in focus. Very small apertures will help since they'll increase the depth of field.

[pbyrne]

Thanks

I am very new to photography and only have a limited manual capability with it. I have read something about depth of field and aim to read more. Is it the camera or me? Do other contributers have this probem?


Peter

[Scottes]

Everyone has a problem with DoF in macro when they first begin! It's definitely not you or the camera.

Well, the camera could be giving you a hard time if it doesn't have the right lens or capabilities. For instance, the 10D has a Depth of Preview button which will stop the lens down to the set aperture. This will give me a good idea of what's in focus - if there's enough light. However the 10D isn't so great for judging focus - the screen is a little dark, and it's difficult to tell your focus point.

Which camera are you using?

[pbyrne]

Sorry on the recomendation of many people i took the S500 as a good starter camera. You can see some of the shots that have worked for me at the following link

http://peterbyrne1067.fotopic.net/c206855.html



Peter

[where1]

As you adjust your aperture for more DOF, your shutter speed gets longer. Camera shake and wind will become your enemy, causing blur. You may think it is OOF, but it really isn't, it just moved during exposure.

I shot some macros of some flowers my wife had on the table. After many shots, I discovered we all had to stand still, walking on the floor was causing them, and the camera (mounted on a tripod) to shake ever so slightly. This caused some blur with the long shutter speed and closeness of the lens. This couldn't be seen on the LCD, but sure was noticeable on the computer. But after a bunch of shots, I got a few nice ones.

[John_T]

Those are nice pix Peter. You are off to a good start. As Scott and Where point out, jiggle, known as motion blur, often looks like a focus problem. Doesn't matter which moves, the camera or the subject, it comes out to the same thing, so first concentrate on getting a stable camera, best on a tripod, them move on to focus. When you have too many things going on it's hard to determine which is the cause, so a process of elimination is best to follow.

Getting an LCD hood with a magnifying loup in it can be of help too.

[pbyrne]

Thanks for the advice veryone I went and bought a mini tripod for my s500 this morning and im going out now to show the macro subjects of the world who the boss really is :D


Peter