Trouble focussing macro.

Hi Dan. Thank you so much for your detailed and very considered reply. It is very much appreciated, in fact I have printed off a copy so that I can address and consider issues over timeand while photographing. I am particularly relieved about your remark in reference to wearing glasses " ..they wont make a blurry image look good.." That was an issue I couldnt resolve in my own mind and if the opposite to what you say were the case it would be a problem almost impossible to correct. It is a difficult question to explain especially online so I am most grateful that you picked that up. Your subtle observation also about the tripod head actually moving just BEFORE you lock it is absolutely true now I think about it. However my two fairly heavy duty tripod heads are both Manfrottos and I am surprised neither perform better than this. I am very interested in your idea about a geared head thugh and will have a look at them. However your point about the LCD hiding small errors of focus during macro work is hugely important. I have not been using live view magnification and didn't even know it was an available function on the 7100 until I looked it up after your remark. . I aim to practice that tonight. Thank you so much for you articulate and carefully set out advice .. I really like the four steps at the end of your post. Many many thanks. Denise. PS I love you macro photos. Oh that I could ever achieve such sharp beautiful pics. !

thanks for your reply Robert. No my macro lense does not have image stabilization. However I am about to try using the magnification feature on live view and see how I go with that. thanks so much .

Hello Ted. thanks for all those snippets of information.. and your sympathy... The hint about the DOF and moving back a little is especially useful. Cheers Denise.

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Originally Posted by Geranium

Thanks Grahame.

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You are welcome. As for the uploading through TinyPic you will get used to it:)

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Originally Posted by Geranium

This is F14, Shutter speed O.8 and ISO 500. Yes I was starting to realise after taking a few shots that the speed of the snail was quite an issue.

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For any moving critter (including snails, caterpillars and worms) I would try and use a speed of at least 1/160th second. But this is very much dependent upon the activity of the subject. From experience I have found that certain small critters tend to stop all movement now and again and if you are ready that's the time to snap them but it far easier when you are hand holding.

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Originally Posted by Geranium

So would you use Shutter priority for say a snail of a caterpillar?

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I generally shoot my macro in manual mode but any mode can be used as long as you remain aware of what is happening with speed, aperture and ISO.

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Originally Posted by Geranium

I am surprised at you saying shallower DoF.

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What I meant was at the 'cost' of DoF & noise which is something you would not want with this subject example and that shooting angle.

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Originally Posted by Geranium

Thank you so much for your careful consideration. this was also taken at night with a makeshift spotlight with a cool white LED globe. I may need a better light.

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You can always experiment with flash:)

Hi Geoff. I love your reference to "the glasses shuffle" . what a nuisance it is.. and yes I have lost glasses also! Interesting that you prefer the viewfinder to focus..do you have the live view window magnification function on your camera? I have only just found out about it and will have a go at using it. Thanks for your reply. cheers denise.

Thanks again Dan.

Larry. Many thanks thanks for your detailed and helpful reply. Cheers Denise

Hi George . thanks for your post. I am actually using a three way ball head and have also ried my grip handle ball head. The grip handle head is too much for my hands. . Cheers.

There have been so many useful comments I cant thank you all enough. I have been using Live view and magnifying it to check sharpness. Some of you suggested to magnify 5x. I can zoom out or zoom in but there is nowhere on my D7000 or mentioned in the instruction manual to adjust the magnification to a specific size. I may be in the wrong Focus mode but cant find a solution. Maybe it doesn't matter. I wonder if anyone has this camera and could comment on this.

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Originally Posted by Geranium

There have been so many useful comments I cant thank you all enough. I have been using Live view and magnifying it to check sharpness. Some of you suggested to magnify 5x. I can zoom out or zoom in but there is nowhere on my D7000 or mentioned in the instruction manual to adjust the magnification to a specific size. I may be in the wrong Focus mode but cant find a solution. Maybe it doesn't matter. I wonder if anyone has this camera and could comment on this.

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I thought 100% is 2 steps before the maximum. If the maximum is 5 steps, then step 3 is 100%. You must find a suitable value for your self.

George

Thanks to many of your tips and advice I am focussing and controlling the tripod head a great deal better. I have returned to this thread to upload one of my photos from tonight' s little workout. Cant guarantee that I will be able to load it/them here. It all seems very confusing. http://i64.tinypic.com/1zfo1o4.jpg

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Originally Posted by Geranium

Thanks to many of your tips and advice I am focussing and controlling the tripod head a great deal better. I have returned to this thread to upload one of my photos from tonight' s little workout. Cant guarantee that I will be able to load it/them here. It all seems very confusing. http://i64.tinypic.com/1zfo1o4.jpg

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Nicely done - the plane of focus is clearly discernible in the foreground as was presumably intended.

Next steps could be 'Depth of Field' and 'Sharpening Methods' . . very good tutorials here for both of those subjects . .

This confirms that George is correct that Live View on a D7000 is 100% at two steps before maximum magnification. The same is true when reviewing the captured image on the camera's LCD.

I would just recommend one more thing (well, two). You are on a tripod. There is no wind. Your subject is not moving. Use iso 100. that will give you the greatest dynamic range and the least noise. Your shutter speed will slow down but that is neither here nor there if you are on a tripod and using remote release. I use a D7100. Though it is ok at iso 640, I much prefer shooting at iso 100 when possible.

This picture seems fine to me. There is a curious thing about macro. When shooting closeup, the dof is 1/2 in front and 1/2 behind your focus point. So, if you focus at the front of the subject, you will lose some of your depth of field. Just as in a landscape, it is best to shoot into the scene somewhat unless you intend to get blur behind your focus point. If you can't quite make up your mind, take several pics with different focus points and decide later on your computer when you can really see what has happened.