Hi Elaine. Many thanks for the comment. I'm glad you found the video helpful. Hopefully can achieve some great macro shots - and of course enjoy the process!
great images as always - love the idea of the teleconverter with the extension ring ! I have old 70 -200 F4 and tried it out - great for macro and lovely soft backgrounds while keeping your covid distance :)
Really enjoying your vids, thanks for creating them! I have the exact same 100mm f2.8 USM, its the first "expensive" lens i ever bought and its still the best lens in my humble collection. Lovely to see it being used so well. Thanks again
Maybe it goes without saying but when taking insect images in the wild in a point and shoot scenario my main saving technique using very old kit (D70 autofocus to get close) is to take LOTS OF IMAGES This has saved my bacon so many times. I mostly use a Tamron 70-300 to avoid disturbing things. Thanks for the tips 👍
Yes, nothing wrong with taking lots of images if it helps you. I try to take fewer these days. Maybe try an extension tube on the tamron so you can get a little closer if needed.
@@PaulMiguelPhotography Just ordered a cheap F mount set on Aliexpress for £34 with good user reviews, AF and metering. Hopefully it will work with my ancient D70. Thanks for the inspiration 👍
That was great thanks, I have not tried macro photography yet. I wonder if you could use one of those 1 metre long grabbers to more reeds towards you before cutting.
Hi Paul, I have the 7D MK11 and recently decided to venture into Macro Photography, purchased the Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG Macro OS. using your tips and tricks, my images are showing a marked improvement, thanks bud 👍
Yeah, for macro set the lens to manual and closest focus and use your body to focus by moving back and forth. Also, get a flash system for macro. High ISO is bad for fine detail photography like macro. You want to be at ISO 100 f/11 or f/16 etc.
Indeed, body focussing, the only way, even for stacking (takes tiiiiime to master). Assisting light is a must for larger apertures like F13 and smaller... but be careful of diffraction (perceived as softness) - especially at f16, 18 onwards
Nice video! I recently got more into photography and took some awesome pictures of a damselfly with my 18-55 mm lense, wasnt really ideal though. I will try your manual focus tip next time 😄
Extender + Macro tubes + Macro lens -- I sometimes use that combination with my Laowa macro lens and I find that it brings the maximum magnification from 2x to around 3x magnification, but the depth of field becomes really razor-thin and at least with the lens I have, focusing becomes really hard! Not only is there nearly no DoF, also the lens is not able to focus very far out anymore. Anyway, it's an interesting way to get more reach, just not very practical on all lenses even if it does work! 😀
Paul great vid tutorial. I noticed that the Canon 25 EF extension tube wont fit on the Canon 1.4X ii extender. It seems the protruding lens from extender is too thick to fit inside the entry hole of extension tube. Is this because this extender version is thicker than iii? Thanks Update: it seems the extender has a rubber ring weather seal gasket around the protruding element. Its removeable. Now it fits the extension tube.
Enjoy your videos. Please continue to emphasize and post the camera settings. I notice that you have a number of shots with an ISO of 2000-4000. Do you get much noise at these settings that you have too repair in post? Thanks
Thanks for the kind comments. I am someone who generally tries to keep the ISO low and where possible I will use a tripod, however in this situation hand-holding is the best option. With a Canon 1DX mark i, I have very little noise to worry about in these images. 2000 is generally fine, at 4000 it becomes more noticeable. The key is to have a clean background.
Good video. I use a Sigma 180mm f2.8 OS macro lens on my D500 - it keeps me away from bum piercing thistles and stingers etc. I also have a matching Sigma 1.4 TC for the lens, but have yet to try it out. I have an Olympus 12 - 100mm f4 and Oly 300mm f4 + 1.4 TC which I use for close ups with my Oly EM1 mark II. The advantage with these lenses is that I can use in camera focus stacking. The most challenging area for me is capturing dragonflies and butterflies in flight. Most of my stuff is handheld, but I do occasionally resort to my Sirui 204S hybrid monopod, which is easier to manage in undergrowth than a tripod. Stacking still requires a tripod, though. A really good time for insects is on a chilly morning when the sun is up but the insects have not had a chance to warm up: they are very lethargic and easy to get close to.
I would love a 180mm macro - it must give fabulous backgrounds. The main advantage I'm sure is the working distance. I think your techniques are spot on Pete. Handholding is often more practical, but a monopod or even tripod can work sometimes. Definitely agree with you about the early mornings - that is my favourite time. I've also found that evenings can work too, but of course you don't have the dew.
I have a canon 5dmkiii with a sigma macro 105 what extenders or tubes could I use with that to get that soft back ground ..love your RU-vid tutorials thanks so much for sharing ..
Hi Chrissy. I'm not entirely sure and wouldn't want to give you the wrong suggestion. You should be able to find the answer online (maybe forums) but it can take a bit of time. I think it would be more difficult as you're using Canon and Sigma combination... anyone else here have suggestions??
What is the normal time of the year to see dragon flies? I was in Somerset last week 1-8 Sept and I saw quite a few, I thought they would have bred and left their mortal coil by now. The only problem was when I did see them I usually had a FSU Rangefinder loaded with HP5, which is a combination not known for its ability to photograph insects. Another superb video with great tips, I often use my macro lens on my 7DII which gives me effectively 160mm. But I do find my 5DIII is much better for focus stacking.
I'd try and use the 5D - my guess is you'll get better image quality. Dragonflies can easily be seen into September and even October. Think it will depend which species. I have to admit, I'm not a dragonfly or damselfly expert.. but love to see them!
Great question! I don't like to use high ISOs. The problem here is that getting a tripod close is often problematic so I usually handhold. Using the extension tube plus extender reduces the light considerably and with quite a high magnification too, it's necessary to use a fairly fast shutter speed.
Good video, just one question: have you considered using the MT24 EX flash with your set up? i use this set up and usually never go beyond ISO 800 and can shoot insects at 1/2000 sec no problem
HI Davy. Thanks for commenting. No I haven't really used flash for insects, but I do have an LED that I would prefer as an alternative. Personally I just like to used natural lighting. The LED just adds a little bit, particularly in the shadows
Very helpful video :)! Thanks for sharing! So you would only switch to a tripod for insect photography when the insects are resting? I use my tripod constantly with flower photography since apart from keeping the ISO low I also find it quite hard to stay in focus at times with macro as the plane of focus is so narrow. However, I have not been focusing like you by moving my body, which may solve that issue for me.
Thanks for watching Alwin. To be honest, I do try to use a tripod wherever possible - however the main problem I usually find (as in this video) is that you just can't get the tripod where you want it - and close enough. The other thing is that the time it takes to set up a tripod and the potential disturbance mean the insect might leave! But yes, if possible use a tripod.
Hi Paul, thanks for your video, I just tried the combination extender 1.4 - canon extension tube 25 mm. - macro 100 mm. is but I am not getting anything in focus! what distance do you take?
Hi Wilhelmien. It was probably around one 12 inches maybe? Focus your lens in the middle (manual), pick something a few feet away then keep moving towards it and it should become sharp.
Hi Paul, thanks for your answers, I ried several distances AF and MF but I got only focus being very short on the subject. And that is without the extender possible too. so I don't see the advantages of the combination you showed. I thought I could be further away from my subject than 12 inches.......
Wilhelmien Marti That's the difference between a tele-extender and an extension tube. The former allows you to get the same size image from farther away, or a larger image from the same distance. Extension tubes allow you to come in closer to get a larger image in focus.
Thank you very much Jaidev. Glad you found it useful. There is always potential noise when increasing ISO. With my 1DX mark i, I can get away with fairly high ISOs. Basically, if I can use a tripod, I will always try to reduce the ISO. If I have to hand-hold then I'll push it as I'd rather get a sharp image even if a bit noisy.
good video paul,i have movo extension tubes, 105mm sigma macro lens, no image, will a less expensive 1.4 extender work with my gear I own a canon 50d, and what will that do to the sigma less in comparision to a 180mm macro lens I m looking for the less expensive way out. thanks
Hi Daniel. Thanks for watching. I didn't fully understand your question, but basically you need to check everything as carefully as possible to know that it will all fit. Don't buy anything unless you are completely sure of compatibility. I found that only the Canon extension tube would work for the combination I use.
@@PaulMiguelPhotography no problem, Im enjoying your stuff. Trying to learn the art of bird photography (amongst other genres like macro and landscape) and you are excellent at making it easy to understand what your processes are.
