DOF ?

[fishguts]

i would imagin if ya want good depth of field in a macro lens you need to get your wallet out rite? does faster= better depth of field in a macro? sorry if this sounds like a dumb question but im just learning.

[LordV]

Basic answer is no but depends on what you mean by better DOF. A faster lens enables you to get shallower DOF . Most macro shots are taken in the range F8-F16 to get a reasonable level of DOF so a fast lens does not really help.
Brian v.

[John_B]

fishguts,
You can get your wallet out but it won't help with DOF in macro photography. However closing down the aperture would help. You could also do it with software by stacking multiple images.

[fishguts]

thanks for the replys, what i mean by dept of field is say a bug facing you. ive seen some pics were the head and rear of the bug is in focus. them some only a small part of the bug is clear. im thinking of getting a macro and want a lens that will get deeper DOF. is there any that stand out for this?

[John_B]

fishguts,
Here at dofmaster.com (http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html) you can see the different DOF measurements.

The smaller the lens the more DOF ex. the Canon 60mm f/2.8 will have a tiny bit more DOF then the Canon 100mm f/2.8
However your subject will need to be closer to the lens the shorter the lens is.

[LordV]

Short answer is no - there is no magic lens. The DOF in macro shots is purely determined by the aperture and the magnification not how the magnification is achieved. Shorter focal length macro lenses can give the appearance of more DOF simply because the OOF regions are more recognisable in the BG compared to long macro lenses which tend to have "creamy bokeh".
Brian v.

[Madweasel]

Lots of people in the macro world (including plenty here) increase DOF by "focus stacking", taking a series of shots at slightly different focus distances and combining the sharp parts of each in post-processing to get a deeper DOF than would be possible in a single shot. When focussing very close, even f/22 gives quite a shallow DOF.

[fishguts]

ok thanks all. im not even close to post processing so i guess i will get me a mid sized macro and look for skinny bugs and shoot them from the side!:) now i got to make my mind up tamron 90 or canon 100.:confused:

[LordV]

ok thanks all. im not even close to post processing so i guess i will get me a mid sized macro and look for skinny bugs and shoot them from the side!:) now i got to make my mind up tamron 90 or canon 100.:confused:

You can increase the apparent DOF in macro shots of typical bugs by shooting at magic angles. If you start off level and head on to a bug the rotate sideways around 30 to 45' and then up by 30 to 45' and you should find you can get just about all the bug in focus in one shot.
Brian V.

[fishguts]

good tip brian thank you. i seen some really nice shots taken by liewwk on another post with a 150 sigma, think im gonna shoot for one of them. i got a 150-500 sigma it was more than i wanted to pay but i havent regretted it one bit. figure once i retire i will be using this stuff a lot so i may as well get something i will be happy with.

[LordV]

good tip brian thank you. i seen some really nice shots taken by liewwk on another post with a 150 sigma, think im gonna shoot for one of them. i got a 150-500 sigma it was more than i wanted to pay but i havent regretted it one bit. figure once i retire i will be using this stuff a lot so i may as well get something i will be happy with.

Only problem with the sigma 150 is it's a bit heavy for general handheld use. My advice would be to stick with a lens around 100mm.
Brian v.