new member from balloch scotland

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allan_j
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Jun 29, 2009 6:43 am

new member from balloch scotland

Post by allan_j »

Hello all, another newbie to the site.
My interest in photography started as a kid. In the last few years I have really taken to photography doing the landscape, seascapes and photographing anything that moved thing,
Macro photography interested me greatly.
I started taking flower shots with my macro lens which is a sigma 105mm macro, over the last few months I,ve been looking at epz and flicker websites and seen amazing macro shots of bug and insects I would love to learn how to photograph those kind off subjects I,ve managed to order a canon MP-E 65mm F2.8 macro lens which will be the last lens I will buy ( I said that last year when I bought my zoom lens)
I would be grateful for any advice and tips

kind regards allan_j

rjlittlefield
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Post by rjlittlefield »

allen_j, welcome aboard. :D We have been remiss in not welcoming you sooner!

No doubt you'll have fun with that MP-E 65, but you're going to find it challenging as well. At higher magnifications, depth of field (DOF) gets paper-thin. It will help a lot to stay stopped down to f/11 or so, and that will require some added light or you'll run into motion blur.

What sort of flash units did you plan on using with that MP-E 65?

--Rik

Harold Gough
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Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2008 2:17 am
Location: Reading, Berkshire, England

Re: new member from balloch scotland

Post by Harold Gough »

It's good to see you here.
allan_j wrote:....lens which will be the last lens I will buy ( I said that last year when I bought my zoom lens)
I said that this week too, days before PayPay offered free points on future eBay purchases! (In my case it was an X-Pan 30mm, leaving me virtually penniless anyway).

Harold
My images are a medium for sharing some of my experiences: they are not me.

allan_j
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Jun 29, 2009 6:43 am

Post by allan_j »

hello rik and harold
hopefully i will get great shots with the canon mpe macro lens the kit i have is a canon 300d also canon 5d also a canon 580ex flash unit and a sigma macro ring flash plus various lens i did,nt get the nick name mr pilkington for nothing from the members of helensburgh camera club :-) tripod is a benbo which is old faithfull i must admit stumped and this will be a learning curve for me so one step at a time .....

regards john allan.....

puzzledpaul
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Post by puzzledpaul »

Welcome aboard allan_j

You've certainly got some good gear for getting decent shots with ... although am not familiar with the sigma ring flash.

I've been using a 550ex with my mpe since getting it about 18months ago ... have you considered / are you intending using your 580 (with macro arm) as well as the sigma flash?

Certainly be interested in seeing results from the 5D / mpe combo... as I was sniffing around a cosmetically challenged (hence cheap(er)) used 5D a couple of weeks ago - but eventually didn't go ahead.

pp
Boxes, bottlebottoms, bits, bobs.

allan_j
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Jun 29, 2009 6:43 am

Post by allan_j »

hi paul

regarding your question about the flash i am am not sure it will be a learning curve, although i had good results with my 580ex flash unit with a sigma 105mm macro lens at a butter fly place in edinburgh last year i will be keeping the ring flash on full auto for a while to see what results i get now to find some critters to photograph

regards john allan

Harold Gough
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Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2008 2:17 am
Location: Reading, Berkshire, England

Post by Harold Gough »

allan_j wrote:i will be keeping the ring flash on full auto for a while to see what results i get
John,

Not knowing your level of experience wirth auto flash, I just wanted to remind you that you will need to use compensation factors for light (e.g. white) or dark subjects. That should do it, if your subject fill most of the frame.

Harold
My images are a medium for sharing some of my experiences: they are not me.

Cyclops
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Post by Cyclops »

Hya Alan. You're not dalantech on deviant art by any chance?
Canon 5D and 30D | Canon IXUS 265HS | Cosina 100mm f3.5 macro | EF 75-300 f4.5-5.6 USM III | EF 50 f1.8 II | Slik 88 tripod | Apex Practicioner monocular microscope

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