Medical Photography

Hi Guys,

1st post... I am a proud owner of a REBEL XT and would like some advise on a lens for medical photography... This is Getting pictures of Surgeries, closeups of surgical specimens in low light conditions etc....

I was thinking about a EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM what do you guys think?

I am a newbie getting started with the kit lens

Best Flash as well for htis tipe of job?

Thanks....

I'd suggest wider and some macro capability. Sigma 18-50 2.8 macro would be good for this purpose. A 430EX flash with a diffuser should do the trick, if you are getting very close you might need an off camera cord and a flash bracket.

I think you need something faster then a 3.5-5.6 if you want to shoot low light

Depending on what you’re trying to do and how close you need to get, and what you’re looking to spend, maybe a Canon 17-55 f/2.8IS with a ring flash would give you the best results. The lens gives you a bit of zooming capability from a decent close-up to much wider and with IS makes hand holding very easy and the ring flash give very even lighting.

http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …F_S_17_55mm_f_2​_8_IS.html

http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …R_14EX_TTL_Ring​_Lite.html

gjl711 wrote in post #4326670
Depending on what you’re trying to do and how close you need to get, and what you’re looking to spend, maybe a Canon 17-55 f/2.8IS with a ring flash would give you the best results. The lens gives you a bit of zooming capability from a decent close-up to much wider and with IS makes hand holding very easy and the ring flash give very even lighting.

http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …F_S_17_55mm_f_2​_8_IS.html

http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …R_14EX_TTL_Ring​_Lite.html

I think that would be an excellent combination. This is a situation where you don't want to go into it half-assed. Even having an external flash with cable will be awkward and get uncertain results. And, you do want a lens fast enough to freeze movement as well as camera shake.

So, if you want professional results rather than something akin to "snapshots of surgery" you'll want to invest some money to get the best results!

At work we use the XTI, 100mm macro, kit lens and ring flash.

This set up can produce great pictures of catheters, surgical areas, etc. The key is to know how to take the picture. Far to many of my teammates have no clue about taking pictures and they all come out blurry

The basics of photography apply here as well. Appropriate focus, suitable depth of field and decent light.

jeremy

my father takes medical pictures..using canon 30D, 100mm 2.8 macro, and canon twin lite macro flash...goodstuff, but very expensive for the flash

I don't know how using a flash will go over with the surgeons though. Have you thought of the 50 1.4 or Sigma's 30mm f/1.4? How 'Low Light' can an OR really be? I'm a little confused on the low light thing given the whole surgery thing.

Are you the surgeon? the OR Tech? For what reason are these pictures? medical illustration? Chart Documentation?
Buy a nice point and shoot. They have excellent Macro capabilities. Low light is usually not much of an issue in the OR, given the over head lights are usually quite capable. Furthermore, if you are not using flash, you can shoot at f2.8-f4 with a P&S, vs F8 minimum with a macro lens on a dslr. That negates any advantage you would get from a noise free sensor. Having a live view in the macro range for specimen photography is key, as you are generally not allowed to stick your head in the surgical field.

jdando wrote in post #4326854
At work we use the XTI, 100mm macro, kit lens and ring flash.

This set up can produce great pictures of catheters, surgical areas, etc.

jeremy

I agree totally. Ditto on that recommendation.
BTW, I'm a surgeon.

I use several different lenses with the 100 macro being the one I have used the most. The lights in the OR are so bright a flash is usually not necessary. In the old film days a 30 magenta filter would put you right there color wise.

HTTP response: 404 | MIME changed to 'image/gif' | Byte size: ZERO | PHOTOBUCKET ERROR IMAGE

ChucklesKY wrote in post #4327175
I agree totally. Ditto on that recommendation.
BTW, I'm a surgeon.

shouldn't there be plenty of light in an operating room to forgo the flash?

ed rader

I am a dentist and I use a Canon 100mm Macro lens and the Canon ring flash. Obviously my photographs are made of a small parts of anatomy. But the quality I can achieve with a simple standard technique is astounding. I use clear over-gloves over my latex gloves intra-procedure to maintain asepsis. Depth of field is the greatest concern with macro photography depending on your subject matter so I tend to use the highest f-stop I can get away with. Flash lets me do this and maintain a reasonable shutter speed. It all depends on your specific situation.

There you go. The Doctors have spoken !Nothing better than a recommendation from someone how actually shoots in the same situation.

Unless you get a macro lens with a minimum focus of over 1' (180L) then the lens will shade any ambient light. You'll need a ring flash or a speedlite on a flash bracket