-= 80D owners unite! Discuss and post photos

Michael456 wrote in post #18416422
Not much of a setup, really. I shoot hand-held, no flash.
As to settings:
For shots like this one I use M-mode with auto-iso (I like to have one setting controlled by the camera so I don't have to change settings every time the light changes slightly).
For damselflies I'm usually at 400mm. When shooting at or near MFD (this one's pretty exactly at MFD) I stop down to f8, because sharpness of the 100-400 II isn't great at MFD wide open (and I get more depth of field that way). For this shot I used f10 because I wanted the whole damsel (head to tail) to be in focus and I couldn't get into a position exactly parallel to the animal (down-sloping riverbank).
1/200 is my go-to shutter speed for tele-macros with the 100-400. I'll use faster shutter speeds from time to time (when the light is good or the subject is moving) but have found out that my keeper rate decreases quite a bit when using slower shutter speeds.

TomCruise06 wrote in post #18416456
Thank you very much for this info as it helps a lot for amateurs like me.

lijoec wrote in post #18416566
and me

I'm waiting for more bee shots so I can quiz him on those!

Michael456 wrote in post #18419028
Everything assembled:


The qick release clamp is clamped to the tripod plate that's always on my camera anyway. That way I can quickly mount and unmount the whole thing without any tools. The flexible arm allows me to position the flash wherever I want it to be. Using the flash cable saves me the hassle of having to use the internal flash as a master (which would eat battery).
There are probably much smarter ways for a macro setup, but this works for me.
This is the setup I use for "normal" macros. With the MP-E 65 lighting the subject gets difficult (at least at higher magnifications) that way, so I use a Yongnuo 24EX twin flash with that.


As to camera settings:
I shot in M-mode, using one-shot AF, single point, moving the AF point around with the d-pad to wherever I want it (to get the composition I want). For shutter speed I use 1/200 or 1/250, I usually set aperture to f11 which is a good compromise between depth of field and diffraction.
I mostly leave ISO aut auto-ISO, which the camera always sets to ISO400 when using flash. ISO 400 is a nice compromise, as image quality is still very good and it still captures some ambient light for the background. Sometimes I use ISO100 or 200, but that often results in a black background (which can look very good but I don't want that for every photo).
I turn flash power down a bit, how much depends on how bright it is when I shoot - usually betwenn -1/3 to -1.

Some general things I try to consider when shooting bugs:

• I try to avoid sudden movements. When moving carefully, most bugs let me get pretty close.
  
• I try to get to eye-level (or below).
  
• I focus on the eye and try to either shoot from the side or head-on.
  

Michael456 wrote in post #18419028
Everything assembled:


The qick release clamp is clamped to the tripod plate that's always on my camera anyway. That way I can quickly mount and unmount the whole thing without any tools. The flexible arm allows me to position the flash wherever I want it to be. Using the flash cable saves me the hassle of having to use the internal flash as a master (which would eat battery).
There are probably much smarter ways for a macro setup, but this works for me.
This is the setup I use for "normal" macros. With the MP-E 65 lighting the subject gets difficult (at least at higher magnifications) that way, so I use a Yongnuo 24EX twin flash with that.


As to camera settings:
I shot in M-mode, using one-shot AF, single point, moving the AF point around with the d-pad to wherever I want it (to get the composition I want). For shutter speed I use 1/200 or 1/250, I usually set aperture to f11 which is a good compromise between depth of field and diffraction.
I mostly leave ISO aut auto-ISO, which the camera always sets to ISO400 when using flash. ISO 400 is a nice compromise, as image quality is still very good and it still captures some ambient light for the background. Sometimes I use ISO100 or 200, but that often results in a black background (which can look very good but I don't want that for every photo).
I turn flash power down a bit, how much depends on how bright it is when I shoot - usually betwenn -1/3 to -1.

Some general things I try to consider when shooting bugs:

• I try to avoid sudden movements. When moving carefully, most bugs let me get pretty close.
  
• I try to get to eye-level (or below).
  
• I focus on the eye and try to either shoot from the side or head-on.
  

bones519 wrote in post #18419111
Greatly appreciate the write-up Michael.

Michael456 wrote in post #18419001
As per request...



(I hope wasps are OK as well )