My First Macro - Araneus diadematus

Just got my new canon 100mm 2.8l Macro lens and these are my first attempts.
For the closer one i used a 12mm extention tube and a 2x Extender.

I am trying to conker my fear of spiders by seeing them up close - not sure whether its making it worse though - theyre still bleeping ugly. Still scratching now.

What do you make of them.

Good ones, especially the first. Why a 2X TC? Is the 12mm tube the only one you have? If not, I'd add another tube instead. What f/ were these taken at?

First was at F10 - 1/50 - Iso 250 and the second was F29 - 2.5 Secs - ISO 400 and I used my Canon 5d III.
I also have 20mm and 36mm extention tubes but i sed a doubler thinking I could get more light through thhe lens if I was further away, would it be better with tubes only ?

Meercat007 wrote in post #17142801
First was at F10 - 1/50 - Iso 250 and the second was F29 - 2.5 Secs - ISO 400 and I used my Canon 5d III.
I also have 20mm and 36mm extention tubes but i sed a doubler thinking I could get more light through thhe lens if I was further away, would it be better with tubes only ?

Stay away from f/29. Diffraction at that aperture will soften your image. Personally, I wouldn't go above f/14-16.

I would use tubes before using a teleconverter like the 2X, though you may be right about the light. If you're going to be doing a lot of bug-shooting, think about investing in a flash.

The above are just my opinions; other people will have their own, of course. Different strokes, and all that.

But again, those are decent images

LV Moose wrote in post #17142825
Stay away from f/29. Diffraction at that aperture will soften your image. Personally, I wouldn't go above f/14-16.

I would use tubes before using a teleconverter like the 2X, though you may be right about the light. If you're going to be doing a lot of bug-shooting, think about investing in a flash.

The above are just my opinions; other people will have their own, of course. Different strokes, and all that.

But again, those are decent images

Thanks for the advice, the books were telling me to go high on the F Number.

Meercat007 wrote in post #17143849
Thanks for the advice, the books were telling me to go high on the F Number.

For increased depth of field, that is correct, but as in all things, there are trade-offs. I try to find a happy medium that will give me both a decent DoF, and a sharpness I can live with.

The best thing to do might be to find a static subject, use a tripod, and try different setting until you find what works best for you.

There are several examples of the effects of diffraction on the internet. Here's one site:

http://www.luminous-landscape.com …eries/u-diffraction.shtml

You can see a big differences in sharpness between medium apertures (f/8-f/11) and smaller ones (f/22-f/32).

I think the 2x because the OP didn't want to get too close to the scary spider?

Martin Dixon wrote in post #17143894
I think the 2x because the OP didn't want to get too close to the scary spider?

Well I was standing on a chair while taking the shots

Why...you got a new lens that you have no clue how it works and you decide to shoot something in that environment.

chauncey wrote in post #17154055
Why...you got a new lens that you have no clue how it works and you decide to shoot something in that environment.

Huh?