Macro photography

[Tywais]

There is a macro photography show & tell, but thought one on the technical aspects would be good. http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/814190-macro-photography/

Since I'm getting a nice tax return compliments of the Thai government my next purchase planned is the Olympus 60mm f/2.8 macro lens which has high reviews including from FR.

Stumbled on this site which covers pretty much everything - http://extreme-macro.co.uk/

As for focus stacking, I just found that my Olympus EM-1 has Capture software that allows me to remote control it from the PC including full manual focus. Of course that limits me to items I can put on the table top but is a good practice platform.

This video is a bit extreme but interesting what can be done.

[Tywais]

Something more useful for us beginners.

[Tywais]

Some useful techniques using flowers including use of extension tubes (cheap macro) and limits of ring flashes.

[sunshine51]

Great videos Tywais! The first is amazing, the second is my speed & the third is

great info as are the previous two. Good post...

[Tywais]

Macro photography on the cheap - extension tubes.

A cheap way to get into macro photography and to play around with it is to use extension tubes. These allow any lens you have to have macro or closeup capabilities. They are non-optical and as such no optical interference between the lens and the sensor. Two primary types, manual and auto extension. The 1st type has no electrical connection between the lens and the camera so no auto aperture or focus so a fully manual lens would be best there. The other allows all normal features of the camera to lens to work. The first is the cheapest and the 2nd more expensive but in either case significantly cheaper than buying a dedicated macro lens.

[Tywais]

Extension tubes explained - cambridgeincolor

macro extension calculator

And if you are really strapped for cash, DIY.

[Goshawk]

Those lovely folks at Venus Optics (the NKOTB, that make that cool 2:1 Ultra Macro) have just announced this flexible twin macro flash . .

looks good . . . more info: http://www.venuslens.net/product/macro-twin-flash-kx-800/

[shaggy1969]

Cheers for posting those videos Tywais.

That guy in the first video Thomas Shahan,amazing work.

Just been and had a look at his Flickr account,well worth a look if you like macro.

This is his album of his favorite shots,mind blowing work!

Favorite Shots

[Tywais]

Came across an excellent article in DPreview on Understanding Magnification, an important thing to be aware of when doing macro. By Erez Marom

Photography, like any other art, demands both compelling content and expert technique to create a pleasing result. In my previous article, I discussed some of the aesthetic choices involved in creating a successful macro image. Technique, however, is an absolute must; it's the artist's tool to convey his artistic vision.

Nature, landscape and wildlife are some of the most technically challenging fields of photography, and macro photography comes with its own unique set of technical considerations. In this article I'll be discussing one of the most important ones; magnification.

Some of the greatest challenges in macro photography arise from the simple fact that we shoot from very close distances. Thus the magnification of our subject becomes of primary importance. The magnification ability of a given lens is stated in its specifications but in my experience, few photographers understand the meaning and implications of this designation.

To understand the concept of magnification, it's worth taking a very brief look at how a photographic image is created. Every point in a given scene reflects light rays. The front element of the camera lens 'captures' these rays and then focuses them onto the imaging sensor, producing a projection of the scene at the location of the sensor.

More here - Macro photography: Understanding magnification

[sometime]

Came across an excellent article in DPreview on Understanding Magnification, an important thing to be aware of when doing macro. By Erez Marom

Photography, like any other art, demands both compelling content and expert technique to create a pleasing result. In my previous article, I discussed some of the aesthetic choices involved in creating a successful macro image. Technique, however, is an absolute must; it's the artist's tool to convey his artistic vision.

Nature, landscape and wildlife are some of the most technically challenging fields of photography, and macro photography comes with its own unique set of technical considerations. In this article I'll be discussing one of the most important ones; magnification.

Some of the greatest challenges in macro photography arise from the simple fact that we shoot from very close distances. Thus the magnification of our subject becomes of primary importance. The magnification ability of a given lens is stated in its specifications but in my experience, few photographers understand the meaning and implications of this designation.

To understand the concept of magnification, it's worth taking a very brief look at how a photographic image is created. Every point in a given scene reflects light rays. The front element of the camera lens 'captures' these rays and then focuses them onto the imaging sensor, producing a projection of the scene at the location of the sensor.

More here - Macro photography: Understanding magnification

Thanks for that link.

I never actually thought or knew that if you take a photo in Macro and the whole image is visible it’s not Macro, to achieve a macro image you would have to crop.

Macro can there for be achieved either by shooting at close range, or cropping an image to fit the definition.

Never too old to learn

[FracturedRabbit]

Came across an excellent article in DPreview on Understanding Magnification, an important thing to be aware of when doing macro. By Erez Marom

Photography, like any other art, demands both compelling content and expert technique to create a pleasing result. In my previous article, I discussed some of the aesthetic choices involved in creating a successful macro image. Technique, however, is an absolute must; it's the artist's tool to convey his artistic vision.

Nature, landscape and wildlife are some of the most technically challenging fields of photography, and macro photography comes with its own unique set of technical considerations. In this article I'll be discussing one of the most important ones; magnification.

Some of the greatest challenges in macro photography arise from the simple fact that we shoot from very close distances. Thus the magnification of our subject becomes of primary importance. The magnification ability of a given lens is stated in its specifications but in my experience, few photographers understand the meaning and implications of this designation.

To understand the concept of magnification, it's worth taking a very brief look at how a photographic image is created. Every point in a given scene reflects light rays. The front element of the camera lens 'captures' these rays and then focuses them onto the imaging sensor, producing a projection of the scene at the location of the sensor.

More here - Macro photography: Understanding magnification

Thanks for that link.

I never actually thought or knew that if you take a photo in Macro and the whole image is visible it’s not Macro, to achieve a macro image you would have to crop.

Macro can there for be achieved either by shooting at close range, or cropping an image to fit the definition.

Never too old to learn

"I never actually thought or knew that if you take a photo in Macro and the whole image is visible it’s not Macro".

I don't think the article actually suggests that. If you fill the frame with a bug the size of your finger nail, then that is certainly macro!

[Goshawk]

if i didn't already own a Tammy 90mm 2.8 macro . . . . this one out of all of them would be top of the list . .

That extra 60mm reach would be very useful + on a crop (Nikon) APS-C, you've got a lovely 225mm prime. I may trade up . . .