[Tom777]

As a beginner here are a few Photos


I have taken a few Photos of my Granddaughters cat it took me a while over a hundred photos and picked what I thought were the best,
only because she is a young cat only 9/10mths old.
( yes that is the true colour of her eyes )
she done a lot of moving about I just kept snapping photos,
and these are some of them all shot with the Tamron 90 macro lens which i got last week,
I was desperate to get a macro shot,
so I have included my FIRST ever macro shot, but I know its not brilliant and a little out of focus this was a Fly on the fence it was hand held I had taken about 20 shots some worse than others a few not to bad,
but that was my fault not the cameras,
I just wanted to get a bug or any insect close up,
I have now got a tripod for my next go, I suppose I just got a bit over excited at having a macro lens on my K3
I love my K3 I wish I had bought a D.S.L.R., years ago. but I'm learning fast and its great????
Cheers all
Tom G

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Last edited by Tom777; 06-24-2014 at 08:05 AM.

[TER-OR]

Great to see a new member of the DSLR club.

Insect macros - light is key, you need enough to really illuminate the subject so you can stop down to f8 or so. f11 or f13 should be no problem with that lens.

Practice makes perfect! Keep up the good work.

[Tom777]

Great to see a new member of the DSLR club.

Insect macros - light is key, you need enough to really illuminate the subject so you can stop down to f8 or so. f11 or f13 should be no problem with that lens.

Practice makes perfect! Keep up the good work.

Thanks for the advice
I have just bought one of those cheap ring flashes about £40 you know the one with the ring of led lights you can have them all on or the left/right/ side on separate whichever
how do you rate these,
It works with 4 AA batteries and clips on to the front of the lens.
thought I would give it a try the next week or two.
Thanks for the advice
Tom G

[Oldbayrunner]

When your going to do macro a tripod with an adjustable verticle to horizontal center column such as the Manfrotto 055XPROB or Vanguard Alta Pro's come in real handy. Just make sure you get a sturdy ball head and maybe a decent set of focus rails.

[TER-OR]

Those LED ring lights work well, they provide some extra light as advertised. I like using those rather than flashes - the light is softer and you meter off the light making things quicker.

[manntax]

Wow the K3 is a beast but looks like it's acting like a pup in your hands !! Well done - I love how you've captured these eyes in all their glory !

>>-manntax-->

[Tom777]

When your going to do macro a tripod with an adjustable verticle to horizontal center column such as the Manfrotto 055XPROB or Vanguard Alta Pro's come in real handy. Just make sure you get a sturdy ball head and maybe a decent set of focus rails.

Looks like I will have to start saving some monies ( Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod plus 496RC2 Head £169) I had a look at this seem s ok so mabey next month I could get one
wow its all money, money, money,
Thank you all for looking and the advice is appreciated
Cheers all Tom G

[manntax]

Looks like I will have to start saving some monies ( Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod plus 496RC2 Head £169) I had a look at this seem s ok so mabey next month I could get one wow its all money, money, money, Thank you all for looking and the advice is appreciated Cheers all Tom G

Hey before you shell out the hard earned cash - hold on to what you got ! With flash you are much more mobile and macro is about mobility ! Don't get tied to this idea that to get a decent macro shot you need to spent the whole lot of cash ! Been there done that !
I got my Pentax AF 160 ring flash like 2 years ago ( £479 !) and I've used it for macro only hadful of times - more times I actually used it for other types of photograpjy ( product, portrait ) - the same goes for tripods and focusing rails ! I got them all and the best shots I got in macro were actually taken with handheld camra and 2-3 basic flashes on the remote triggers !! This is where you can go - buy yourself a pair Cactus V5 triggers ( they have a Cactus V5 Duble package - for a good price around £40 i think ) and try to play with that - add to that two cheapo flashes ( something with 1-2 manual settings on is enough ) - you can get them for pennies off ebay - and you are good to go ! The most important thing you have already ( a superb camera and a macro lens !)
Good luck !

>>-manntax-->

[Tom777]

Hey before you shell out the hard earned cash - hold on to what you got ! With flash you are much more mobile and macro is about mobility ! Don't get tied to this idea that to get a decent macro shot you need to spent the whole lot of cash ! Been there done that !
I got my Pentax AF 160 ring flash like 2 years ago ( £479 !) and I've used it for macro only hadful of times - more times I actually used it for other types of photograpjy ( product, portrait ) - the same goes for tripods and focusing rails ! I got them all and the best shots I got in macro were actually taken with handheld camra and 2-3 basic flashes on the remote triggers !! This is where you can go - buy yourself a pair Cactus V5 triggers ( they have a Cactus V5 Duble package - for a good price around £40 i think ) and try to play with that - add to that two cheapo flashes ( something with 1-2 manual settings on is enough ) - you can get them for pennies off ebay - and you are good to go ! The most important thing you have already ( a superb camera and a macro lens !)
Good luck !

>>-manntax-->

Thanks Manntax will take your advice and do a bit of googling on items you suggest
Cheers Tom G

[Paleo Pete]

I shoot almost all my macro hand held with an older Vivitar flash. Usually I have to use a card to reflect it onto the subject since I'm using a 50mm lens with extension tubes, working only a couple of inches from the subject. With a 135mm and extension tubes no reflector needed though.

One thing I noticed. Looks like all the cat shots are at apertures around f2.8 to 3.5. Most lenses will do better on the f8 to f11 range, but that will slow down the shutter speed some. From these it looks like you have some room to spare there, the first shot was at 1/320, the 90mm lens can handle it down to 1/90 with ease, image stabilization may let you do 1/60 with little trouble. And the smaller aperture will get better sharpness. Plus more depth of field.

For macro, use manual focus, and an add on flash if possible. Hand held is best for insects, they won't sit there and wait while you set up a tripod, and get lots of practice. Keep the aperture at least f8, I like f11 or f16 better for a little depth of field, and instead of trying to use the focusing ring I set it to infinity and move closer and further away to focus. Makes it easier and you only have to move a fraction of an inch. Be ready for loads of iffy shots, macro takes practice. It's not something you master overnight. Macro will not get great depth of field, so your focus is critical, always try to focus on the eyes.

Look into some older manual lenses and extension tubes or teleconvertors. You can remove the glass and turn a teleconvertor into an extension tube pretty easy, I have 3 I use now with 50mm and 135mm lenses. I'm itching to run across a lens in the 70-90mm range...the 50mm gets really nice shots, but too close for insects, they don't often let me get 3 inches away. The 135mm gives me a working distance of a little over a foot, but not as sharp as the 50mm. Plenty insect shots, but not as good as I get with the nifty 50.

Keep at it, and always remember the 3 P's.

Practice

Practice

Practice

[6BQ5]

Nice start! Like everyone said... practice, practice, practice! You have paid for every shot you will ever take with that camera so don't feel bad taking lots of shots. However, also don't be afraid to erase lots of stinkers. Eventually your hit will go up.

Enjoy your K-3!!

[Tom777]

I shoot almost all my macro hand held with an older Vivitar flash. Usually I have to use a card to reflect it onto the subject since I'm using a 50mm lens with extension tubes, working only a couple of inches from the subject. With a 135mm and extension tubes no reflector needed though.

One thing I noticed. Looks like all the cat shots are at apertures around f2.8 to 3.5. Most lenses will do better on the f8 to f11 range, but that will slow down the shutter speed some. From these it looks like you have some room to spare there, the first shot was at 1/320, the 90mm lens can handle it down to 1/90 with ease, image stabilization may let you do 1/60 with little trouble. And the smaller aperture will get better sharpness. Plus more depth of field.

For macro, use manual focus, and an add on flash if possible. Hand held is best for insects, they won't sit there and wait while you set up a tripod, and get lots of practice. Keep the aperture at least f8, I like f11 or f16 better for a little depth of field, and instead of trying to use the focusing ring I set it to infinity and move closer and further away to focus. Makes it easier and you only have to move a fraction of an inch. Be ready for loads of iffy shots, macro takes practice. It's not something you master overnight. Macro will not get great depth of field, so your focus is critical, always try to focus on the eyes.

Look into some older manual lenses and extension tubes or teleconvertors. You can remove the glass and turn a teleconvertor into an extension tube pretty easy, I have 3 I use now with 50mm and 135mm lenses. I'm itching to run across a lens in the 70-90mm range...the 50mm gets really nice shots, but too close for insects, they don't often let me get 3 inches away. The 135mm gives me a working distance of a little over a foot, but not as sharp as the 50mm. Plenty insect shots, but not as good as I get with the nifty 50.

Keep at it, and always remember the 3 P's.

Practice

Practice

Practice

Thanks Paleo Pete
Great advice I will take heed of what you say Thanks
Tom G

---------- Post added 05-08-14 at 08:48 PM ----------

Nice start! Like everyone said... practice, practice, practice! You have paid for every shot you will ever take with that camera so don't feel bad taking lots of shots. However, also don't be afraid to erase lots of stinkers. Eventually your hit will go up.

Enjoy your K-3!!

Thanks 6BQ5
As you say Practise makes perfection Cheers
Tom G