Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
New posts
New media
New media comments
New profile posts
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Members
Current visitors
New profile posts
Search profile posts
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Forums
Learning
Photography Q&A
Closeups with D3400 - having great difficulty !!
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Clovishound" data-source="post: 821101" data-attributes="member: 50197"><p>Macro photography has it's challenges, but it's not rocket science. The closeup mode they refer to only manages the exposure. That can be important, but focus is also critical. Personally, I would recommend either full manual, or aperture preferred. This will allow you to choose the aperture you want. Ideally, it should be a small aperture. I wouldn't go lower than F8, and prefer F11 or F16. This will give you more depth of field which will allow you to have more of the subject in focus. If you aren't using a flash, you will have to keep an eye on your shutter speed. Too low a shutter speed will give you motion blur, unless you use a tripod. Also, subject movement will give you blur, even with a tripod. </p><p></p><p>I would also recommend manual focus for extreme closeups. AF will often grab onto something other than what you want for focus point. If you do use AF, choose a single point focus mode and put the focus point on the eye, if it's an insect or animal. </p><p></p><p>The lens you mention does not focus close enough to give you "true" macro shots. It comes in at .38x. A true macro lens is considered on that will give at least 1.0x. If want to do closer on a budget, a set of extension tubes will get you in that range for well under $50. There are some trade offs, but they work well. </p><p></p><p>Don't be concerned if not all of your shots are in focus. Even experienced macro shooters have a significant proportion of their shots out of focus, particularly when shooting handheld. </p><p></p><p>Perhaps you could post a few pictures that didn't come out sharp along with the settings and conditions and we could figure out what went wrong. Keep in mind, closeups will naturally have a narrow depth of field, and usually have a narrow zone that is in focus. Using a small aperture helps a lot, but there are limits. There is a way to get around that with focus stacking, but that is a discussion for a different thread. </p><p></p><p>Hang in there. It can be done, and macro photography is a lot of fun.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Clovishound, post: 821101, member: 50197"] Macro photography has it's challenges, but it's not rocket science. The closeup mode they refer to only manages the exposure. That can be important, but focus is also critical. Personally, I would recommend either full manual, or aperture preferred. This will allow you to choose the aperture you want. Ideally, it should be a small aperture. I wouldn't go lower than F8, and prefer F11 or F16. This will give you more depth of field which will allow you to have more of the subject in focus. If you aren't using a flash, you will have to keep an eye on your shutter speed. Too low a shutter speed will give you motion blur, unless you use a tripod. Also, subject movement will give you blur, even with a tripod. I would also recommend manual focus for extreme closeups. AF will often grab onto something other than what you want for focus point. If you do use AF, choose a single point focus mode and put the focus point on the eye, if it's an insect or animal. The lens you mention does not focus close enough to give you "true" macro shots. It comes in at .38x. A true macro lens is considered on that will give at least 1.0x. If want to do closer on a budget, a set of extension tubes will get you in that range for well under $50. There are some trade offs, but they work well. Don't be concerned if not all of your shots are in focus. Even experienced macro shooters have a significant proportion of their shots out of focus, particularly when shooting handheld. Perhaps you could post a few pictures that didn't come out sharp along with the settings and conditions and we could figure out what went wrong. Keep in mind, closeups will naturally have a narrow depth of field, and usually have a narrow zone that is in focus. Using a small aperture helps a lot, but there are limits. There is a way to get around that with focus stacking, but that is a discussion for a different thread. Hang in there. It can be done, and macro photography is a lot of fun. [/QUOTE]
Verification
Post reply
Forums
Learning
Photography Q&A
Closeups with D3400 - having great difficulty !!
Top
