Fly's , Newbie to macro - C+C welcome

the other day i noticed that my sigma 24-70 f2.8 "macro" and 2x TC give me a 100-140mm f5.6 with a working distance of 1-15cm from the front of the lens
today i spent about an hour over the course of the day chasing fly's and wasps around my garden
here is the best of what i got
C+C is welcome, tell me why they suck or why they are good

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Hi. macro is fun
Good series of shots- hoverflies in flight are pretty difficult so you did extremely well there. #3 is also pretty good but looks like you were focused on the rear of the fly on the RHS (or the leaf edge) rather than the eyes.
Brian V.

LordV wrote in post #2570319
Hi. macro is fun
Good series of shots- hoverflies in flight are pretty difficult so you did extremely well there. #3 is also pretty good but looks like you were focused on the rear of the fly on the RHS (or the leaf edge) rather than the eyes.
Brian V.

thank you - im not totally happy with #3, that is the best of about 5 frames.
im probably going to spend most of tommorow chasing bugs round my garden
regarding the hoverfly shots, they are easier than trying to get a wasp in flight. the hover fly's seem to sit there for 3-4 seconds giving you time to quickly focus and then shoot, the focusing screen in my 1dMk2N seems to be much easier to focus with than my old 350D.
i really enjoyed taking these photos today, i can see myself saving for tubes and a ringflash soon - Damn POTN, i wouldnt have known this expensive world of good gear existed otherwise

as Brian stated you missed the crucial focus area on the Greenbottles. Any flight shot is pretty tough so to say the lighting seems too harsh is being very critical.
1DMKIIn would seem a bit heavy for macro given need to hold rock steady- I would like to get one for my sports but dont envisage using it for handheld macros.

racketman wrote in post #2571760
as Brian stated you missed the crucial focus area on the Greenbottles. Any flight shot is pretty tough so to say the lighting seems too harsh is being very critical.
1DMKIIn would seem a bit heavy for macro given need to hold rock steady- I would like to get one for my sports but dont envisage using it for handheld macros.

ok - lighting to harsh, and missed focus with #3,
#3 was taken in full sun - im not surprised that you think the lighting is a bit harsh.

your right about the weight of the 1d though, it is heavy, especially once you stick a flash and fairly large lens on it. however it does shoot 8 fps, and it has a great focus screen and a nice bright viewfinder, its miles better than my old 350d for manual focus, i think i can manage with the weight considering this is just a hobby, something i discovered my lens and i can do that is fun

here is some more from this morning
i actually really enjoy this

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That must have been tough to get those flies in focus! These look great to me, I am a macro newb myself.

Good second set of shots- assume these are all natural light shots?
Brian V.

LordV wrote in post #2574244
Good second set of shots- assume these are all natural light shots?
Brian V.

nope, shutter was set about 1 1/2 stops under and filled with ETTL flash (580ex)
using a pulse of flash seems to freeze motion (of the fly in the first shot) and me moving a bit better than a fast shutter speed, it also allows me to stop the aperture down a little and get a deeper depth of field (its still a tiny DOF though)

Echo63 wrote in post #2574612
nope, shutter was set about 1 1/2 stops under and filled with ETTL flash (580ex)
using a pulse of flash seems to freeze motion (of the fly in the first shot) and me moving a bit better than a fast shutter speed, it also allows me to stop the aperture down a little and get a deeper depth of field (its still a tiny DOF though)

Ah in that case you might want to try a diffuser on the flash- the lighting does look a bit harsh.
Brian v.

LordV wrote in post #2574635
Ah in that case you might want to try a diffuser on the flash- the lighting does look a bit harsh.
Brian v.

any particular diffuser ? i have a stofen omnibounce or would a bounce card work (bouncing the flash down toward the lens barrel)

oh - and the 580 is still mounted to the hotshoe, i dont have a off camera cable yet, its on the list of stuff to buy still

If you have a stoffen I'd try that, or make something from plastic milk bottle. I've also used a bounce card to good effect on a camera mounted flash.

Brian V.

ok ill give that a go
i tried the stofen but took it off because i didnt think i needed it (it cuts light output by heaps) will give it another go tommorow morning