Macro shot help

Sigma 50mm Macro 4.5 seconds/f8. Lens about an inch away from the flower.


Compositionally, I really like this shot, however I couldn't seem to get rid of the blur from the bottom pedal. What I was really trying for was the entire flower in focus, however it seemed like closing up the aperature didn't do the trick. I went all the way to f16 and all I was able to accomplish was bringing the background into focus more. I moved the camera back half an inch, kept the aperature at f16 and re-focused, but ended up with much the same shot.

Originally I thought I was having a depth of field issue, but now I'm wondering if that bottom pedal focus issue was actually motion blur from people moving around in my home? What should I be doing next time? Maybe some lighting to speed up the shutter? This was shot next to the window, using nothing more than fading natural light.

Thanks for any pointers.

Are you using a tripod?
It might be out of focus or motion blur/camera shake.

The distance of one inch may not be enough room for the lens to focus on the subject.

Rob,

It's a good idea to start with something solid like a ring or a small jewelry box even an antique fork or a button to get used to the controls. Even moving your flowers away from drafts might help to get you going.

Frankly, I just lean my elbows on the table and take the pictures hand held and when I get it sharp the way I want, then I throw away the rest! However, that's just my impulse shooting for fun.

Tripod, mirror up all help and also flash to be able to get freezing of movement. A rail for your camera is another useful tool to consider from Really Right Stuff or Manfrotto. When you can take clean pictures of solid objects, then go for delicate materials.

Asher

Rod Snaith said:

Compositionally, I really like this shot, however I couldn't seem to get rid of the blur from the bottom pedal.

Click to expand...

Hi Rod,

That is not too much of a problem, and it also gives a sense of depth. However, I agree that a bit more depth of field (DOF) could have helped to get a bit more area in focus.

What I was really trying for was the entire flower in focus, however it seemed like closing up the aperature didn't do the trick. I went all the way to f16 and all I was able to accomplish was bringing the background into focus more. I moved the camera back half an inch, kept the aperature at f16 and re-focused, but ended up with much the same shot.

Click to expand...

Lack of DOF at these magnification factors is a given. There are only a few ways around it.
1. You can choose a narrower aperture, but that will increase diffraction blur. Depending on the final output size that will limit you to something like f/8 to f/11, if subject motion doesn't become another issue at the required longer shutter times. Another drawback is that the background also becomes more focused.
2. You can also shoot from a considerably larger distance (lower magnification factor) and crop the result more. That will limit the output size potential, but it will also avoid shading the subject by the lens. Again the background becomes more focused as well.
3. With limited subject motion, which is always difficult with flowers in the wind, you can try focus stacking. You'd take multiple exposures at different (overlapping) focus settings, and combine the in-focus areas in post processing. There is software to assist in that chore.

Bart

Hi Rod,

Just to add to what Bart says:

1. The minimum focusing distance for your lens is 0.189m or 7.44 inches. This is (usually) measured from the film plane, so you'll have to work out how far from the end of the lens it is, but I'd have thought that 1 inch is a bit too close to get focus.

2. Using a variety of DOF calculators, at f8 and MFD the DOF for your lens/camera combination is about 0.04 inches, so you're never going to get the whole flower in focus.

3. Given the miniscule DOF, 4.5 sec is a heck of a long time. Even a burrowing earthworm is going to move the flower enough to blur it

4. Bart mentioned focus stacking. There's a thread here which shows an example.

Regards,

Stuart

Thanks for all the help everyone. Really much appreciated.

Asher, could you explain what you meant by "mirror up"? I snooped through my books, and the only reference I could find was locking the mirror up for cleaning. This isn't what you mean, is it?

I'll also look into a rail. I've got a Sherpa 200R Tripod. Inexpensive tri-pod, but really not bad for the dollars.

Bart, Stuart, thanks for the focus stacking idea. I did try it through Photoshop, but only took a brief stab at it, so I'll look into some better software while I'm at it.

I'm also going to throw some diffused light at it tonight to get my shutter speed up. I've been able to bring the shot into perfect focus in the viewfinder, so I think I can get the DOF right with only two or three different shots.

Rod

Rod Snaith said:

...Asher, could you explain what you meant by "mirror up"? I snooped through my books, and the only reference I could find was locking the mirror up for cleaning. This isn't what you mean, is it?..

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That is exactly what he meant. Locking up the mirror is not only for cleaning the sensor. It is for reducing the vibrations caused by the mirror flipping up and down when the shutter is pressed. These vibrations are most harmful for certain shutter speeds. IIRC, there are some web sites which have done some testing to discover the limits. If you are somewhere between 1sec and 1/125 sec, there is reason to use the mirror lock up. The end result is just a tad sharper then.

Hi, Rod,

Rod Snaith said:

Asher, could you explain what you meant by "mirror up"? I snooped through my books, and the only reference I could find was locking the mirror up for cleaning. This isn't what you mean, is it?

Click to expand...

I forget what camera you are using, but most modern dSLRs offer a "mirror lockup feature" (not related at all to mirror control for cleaning).

With this feature, one can have the mirror flip up before the shutter is tripped (so vibrations resulting from the mirror movement will have died out by the time the exposure is taken). This is controlled different ways on different cameras. But in any event, "mirror lockup" is the usual term in the documentation.

Thanks, I'll have a look. I'll double check my D60 book, but I'm using a remote with a 2 second delay, and I _believe_ that the mirror flips up and then the shutter operates 2 seconds later. I've never left my eye on the viewfinder while using the remote, so I'm not 100% sure. If it does work that way, 2 seconds should be enough time for vibration to die? Otherwise, I can set one of the buttons to lock the mirror up and wait a little longer.

Rod