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| Moderated by: chrisbet, | ||
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Adco
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I have a few questions and I know this is the correct place to get the answers. So should I ask in this thread or should I start a new one? Perhaps I should search the forum first. See, lots of silly questions already. |
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Adco
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I am interested in macro photography. I have a garden full of tiny insects and I have been taking shots of them over the last month or so. I am now bitten by the bug! I own a D3100 and recently bought a Sigma 105mm macro lens.(all I could afford). I will see how my intro goes before delving deeper into my issues I have with this new found pastime. |
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Robert
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Hi Adco and welcome. First off, there is no such thing as a silly question, if you want to learn just ask. We may not know the answer but we will always try. Nothing wrong with the D3100 or the Sigma 105. To keep things simple have you thought of using close up lenses which screw on the front of your lens and let you magnify your bugs a whole lot more. |
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Adco
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Robert wrote:Hi Adco and welcome.Hi Rob I haven't considered a close-up lens. Still trying to get myself around this new lens. May as well ask my first question: I like to use the single point focus on my camera. When I first turn the camera on, it is set for auto-focus area and I then set it to single point. Every now and again it jumps out of that mode back to auto-focus area. Why? Is there a "lock" setting that will keep the focus setting where I want it? I want to make single point focus the default and my camera isn't playing with. |
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jk
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Hi Adco, Welcome to the forum. Please start a new topic for your questions(s). We will try to help you as much as is possible. Also you can post a picture if it helps describe a problem or even if you want to show your photos. If you want to show many photos you can post to the My Gallery section where your photos can be held together under your username. |
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Adco
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No problem. I will give it a bash. |
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highlander
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Hi there Only silly people don't ask questions. But, if you will photograph insects then it is logical that you will be bitten by a bug.  Only photographers are bothered by their kit and other peoples kit. If the photo is good the photo is good, and nobody is going to care what you shot it with. Although, as this is a Nikon forum it does kind of make sense that it's a Nikon. But many of us here have used plenty of other cameras in our time and still do. It's a tool at the end of the day. Some tools are easier and nicer to use than others, but if you need a screwdriver you need a screwdriver, if you get what I mean |
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Eric
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Forgot to say, Adco....... whereabouts on the globe are you located? Add something to your profile if you will, to at least let other know which country you are in....if necessary, they can then answer questions more relevant to your location. |
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Adco
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Eric wrote:Forgot to say, Adco....... whereabouts on the globe are you located?Oops! Sorry about that. I'm in Johannesburg, South Africa. I'll go edit my profile. |
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Robert
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That's great, welcome again! Perhaps explains the bugs? |
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jk
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Adco wrote: Eric wrote:Thanks for updating your profile with the location. I really does help to know where you are located as different responses apply to different areas of the globe! |
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Adco
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Robert wrote:That's great, welcome again!I read that 2 ways: 1) Why do I take pics of bugs? I have always been fascinated by insects and we have an over abundance this side of the world. I got frustrated with my standard lenses and a friend loaned me a few lens extenders that I fitted to my 18-55mm. That showed me a totally new aspect to photography and I took some great shots using that method. After a while I more frustrated with the extenders for various reasons. I then bought a Sigma 105mm Macro. I am really enjoying the new lens but I need to go on a specific Macro course to learn how to operate it properly. There are a lot of aspects that I don't fully grasp but I will get there. 2) If you want detailed identification of the bugs I'm afraid that is going to be a task of note. It is very difficult finding easy sites to look up what each critter is. I am on a FB site https://www.facebook.com/groups/Butterfliesandbugs/?fref=nf where there a lot of well read folk who keep on identifying members insects. Go have a look at the FB page. There are some fantastic insect pictures and most are from SA. All of the pictures I put up are from my garden. Most afternoons after work, I go strolling around the garden searching for insects. I find at least 10 different species every time of which 2-3 are new to me. So far I have found over 100 different species in an area of 1300m2 (can't find superscript function to make the 2 smaller so it read as square meters) |
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Robert
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Ah, you missed MY meaning... LOL 3) South Africa must be a haven of small wildlife, (bugs) given the wide diversity of fauna and flora also the climate. I haven't investigated the South African bugs but I have looked closely at the flora in a specialised sense (commemoratively named species). The diversity of the two are related. One of the first things you need to do is abandon AF, which was why I suggested a less automated camera may be better for this type of photography. YOU need full control of the focus. AF will likely focus on the closest point in the focus area. You need to focus on the part which is of greatest interest. For stationary bugs perhaps focus stacking may work. The greater the magnification, the shorter the depth of focus, period. If you focus on the closest part of the subject, you are throwing away half of your depth of focus. You can increase your depth of focus by stopping down BUT only so far, each lens has a 'sweet spot'. The DoF may be greatest at f22 but the image quality of the lens will have fallen off at that aperture so you have gained DoF but lost IQ. Your call... Sharpening can only sharpen what's there, it can't work miracles and over sharpening creates halos around the contrast edges. I struggle naming species, AND stars! I have apps on my iPhone which help me to identify mushrooms, wild flowers, trees, orchids and butterflies, birds etc. I have no doubt there will be one which covers bugs. The creator of the apps I use are Mullen & Pohland GbR who use Isoperla to develop the apps but I guess there will be many more. |
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