[Darrell Raw]

Looking for some tips, these are about the best I'm getting. Finding DoF difficult to control with the old Vivitar.

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[slackercruster]

Get halcion focus

[Fontan]

I am not into macro, but they seem to be a bit out of focus. Tripod? You are not using auto focusing, aren't you?

[jcamero]

WInd is a big problem with outdoor macro photography. The DOF is so narrow, a 5mph wind seems like 500mph. Any sway in the subject will throw focus off. I've seen somewhere a photographer made a box out of clear plexiglass to put around the subject to shield it from the wind. Try some indoor Macro shots to see if it was just the wind, (lens issue). Remember, 1/16" will make a difference in focus. A tripod will help, as long as the subject, (bugs) cooperate.

[Vasyl]

Are you looking for the tips to the pictures or to the process on the first shot?...)))
Just kidding...

I use flash on my K20D with F/11 - F/16 aperture for macro...agree...wind is a killer for focus...
For better result I trap the light from the flash and direct it onto the object...by using a hand made light channel from cardboard...

[smf]

Below is a link to Michigan-based close-up nature photographer Mike Moats' video on how to build a windbox.

You Tube

You Tube

For more from Moats, whose macro photography "boot camp" I attended, seetinylandscapes.com

You Tube

You Tube

[Vasyl]

here it is some example

[Gregory_51]

Hello
The dof in the field is difficult. It's shallow to begin with and you have the added problems of wind and subject movement. The exif doesn't show the aperture used. Most lenses are sharpest at about f8 and depending on the lens start to lose sharpness due to diffraction as you stop further down. You get more depth of field but the true sharpness takes a hit. Even though it might go to f22 or f32 you shouldn't use them, f11 or in a pinch f16. The other aspect of course is the need for higher ISO or longer shutter speeds. You should use the lowest ISO that lets you get the picture. With the K5 800 or 1600 would allow you to get the shot and fix it with software in pp. Noise can really be tamed but if the photo is blurry to begin with there isn't much you can do. A tripod or even a monopod will help. Tripods are great if you can maneuver them into position. You can get the framing you want and such but can be a pain especially if the subject is moving. A monopod is much quicker to position and will help steady things up. They are lighter and less expensive. Each has it's pros and cons. An option to increase your dof is to take two or three shots quickly with slightly different focus points and merge together in pp depending on your photoshop skills. For all the difficulties things are exponentially easier with digital than they were with film. Of the two photos I like the second one best. Nice framing and positioning. It would have been a little more effective if the ladybeetle was coming towards the viewer instead of away. I would tone down the greens a touch as I find them a little electric for my taste. Also a very slight subtle vignette would help keep the eye in the frame.
Regards
Greg

[Darrell Raw]

The red bugs were shot using f16 I think, the ladybird would have been f8. It's a manual lens so the camera can't record f stops in exif.

[top-quark]

How you do even manage to compose anything at F16 with a lens that doesn't support auto-aperture so that you can compose in a nice, bright viewfinder? Did you use a tripod, focus and then stop down?

Given the limitations, I'd say you did an admirable job.

You'd definitely find macro photography easier with an auto-aperture lens. The Tamron 90mm is really good and not too expensive (~£230 second hand). For 1:1 shots I use F16 (diffraction be damned: it's a lot sharper than stuff that's not in focus!) and the popup flash along with a little Interfit Strobies diffuser that fits over the lens.

[bluestringer]

I could be wrong, but I think the Vivitar 90 has aperture control. The most helpful thing for me when I started doing macro was a flash. You can even use the built in flash, just put some type of diffuser on it. That way you can shoot at 1/180 and experiment with the aperture. I'm usually shooting between f8-f16 using a Sunpak ringflash.

[Na Horuk]

Try catch-in-focus?

[Darrell Raw]

I use catch in focus with my regular manual lenses, but on the Vivitar the DoF is too shallow and I end up firing when focused on a back instead of the head. The lens is manual aperture only. As for composing at f16, it's actually quite bright in sunlight - at least on the Vivitar although I can't say the same for my Pentax M 50mm macro. These shots are taken on my lunch break at work, I have a 3 year old so that's about all the time I can find for photography at the moment! I have a cheap flash diffuser that sits on the built in flash but as its a manual lens the flash always fires at max and the images have very harsh lighting, forcing me to use f16-f22 depending on how close I am. The Vivitar is sharpest at about f8-f11 so that doesn't always work out so well. Vasyl, processing tips welcome as well - I know the first pic is over processed!

[Darrell Raw]

Another note, I don't use a tripod - for no other reason than that these bugs are all in dense vegetation, and setting up a tripod almost always results in spooked bugs running for the hills.