macro?

[speciespython]

hey,
first time here. i have an interest in macro photography, manly plants (as i live at a plant nursery) but my photo skills arn't magnificent!
Is anyone here a 'mirco expert'? i would love some tips/advise.
that camara i'm useing is a Olympus digital model no.c-370 zoom. not the best, and it chews through batterys :rolling: , but it will do for my skill level.
laura

[Ed W]

Ah, I thought you meant macro...

There are a couple of ways to get "true" macro (1:1+) shots:

1. Macro Lens.
2. Extension Tubes.
3. Macro Filters. (sometimes called close-up filters)

If your camera doesn't have a lens that can focus close enough to get a decent macro, you'll need either to either invest in a different camera, or buy some macro filters - assuming you can get some for your camera's filter thread size.

[custos]

Good suggestion. I bought some macro filters a while back and was dubious as to how good they would be since they're not that expensive. I was pleasantly surprised. I have a set of three, that come in different magnifications but can also be screwed together to get stronger magnification. Mine are for a standard 50 mm Nikon lens and they work great.

[Matt_3D]

Get a good set of macro filters and practice. It takes a while to get used to. You'll find you get many out of focus images as the isn't much room for error. Make sure you have a steady hand to ;)

[nightshadow]

I have taken a few decent macro shots with my olympus c-220 zoom, just by putting it on the macro setting zooming in (optical of course, digital zoom is hogwash) and snap. With that camera I don't think there is anything else you can do.

[WALLYDAG]

Hi
Unless you have an SLR (single lens reflex) camera with an interchangeable lens, the only way you can go is with the supplementary close up lenses (filter style that fit on the front of the cameras lens) but if your camera has an inbuilt macro facility try that first.
With macro the big problem is depth of field, that’s the distance beyond and in front of you subject that is also in sharp focus and the closer you get or more magnification that you use it reduces this to next to nothing so focusing is critical. The depth of field is grater with a smaller lens aperture so try to get as much light on the subject as possible and use a slower shutter speed but keep the camera very still USE A TRIPOD.
Your built in flash may be a problem if you are in very close 3 or 4 inches as there will be some parallax error and most or all of the flash will miss the subject.

Some Other Tips:

1. Use a reflector board ( a piece of white card or polystyrene or the silver sun protectors made for car windscreens) to reflect as much available light as pos onto the subject.

2. Keep the subject as still as possible (clamp it or get it out of the wind) in the case if insects a couple if minutes in the freezer works wonders.

3. Don’t give up..........macro and micro photography is fascinating stuff it opens up a whole new world, you may well get hooked and end up investing in more specialised equipment.

Cheers
wallydag

[falconboy]

Wow, I can't believe people are suggesting the screw in close up lenses - personally I think they cut down too much light, especially in combination with each other, and also I find with mine its hard to focus.

I bought a Sigma 60mm macro lens off ebay, which focuses to 1:2 (there is an adaptor to make it down to 1:1), and find it to be fantastic, and no stuffing around with screw in filters. I find 1:2 to be perfect for flower/plant close ups, and unless you want to get fine details like bees in the flowers really close, I don't think you need 1:1. I've found that when you are that close the bees or whatever don't stop for long enough to take the shot anyway! Unfortunately I don't use it enough now I've gone digital point & shoot, but I LOVE IT. Hopefully in a few months when digital SLRs drop that little bit more that make them more affordable for the infrequent hobbiest, I'll get a new love for the art.....