to marcro or not to macro

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lucien

Senior Member
Hi, I have a d50 and new to dslr's. I can't for the hell of me get a picture to focus for real close up's on my camera. I have a tammy lens 24-200mm 3.5-5.6 autofocus. I put something on the floor and put the setting to the "flower" icon. And the camera won't focus, even in auto. My nikkor af 75-240mm 4.5-5.6 I haven't tried it on. It won't even focus on manual focus. The lighting is good. Do I actually have to get a Macro lens? Will my 18-55 vr do it when it comes?

Saving space. Part 11

The first time I tried it my fuji hs25 did everything as advertised in the macro mode? I don't understand:eyetwitch:
 
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J-see

Senior Member
I don't really understand your problem. What exactly are you trying to get in focus?

Every lens has a limit to its focusing distance. You can't take a 75-240mm and try to get something in focus that's only an inch from the lens.
 
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lucien

Senior Member
ok, the thing in question is a fossil rock I have with some shells embedded in it. I put it on the tile floor. Let's say I'm 5' ft from the ground and the fossil rock is on the ground. It won't come into focus even on 24mm setting all the way up. I'm not trying to take a pic from 1 ft away lol. Sorry for the confusion. What is the macro button on the cam for then And I'm trying this on the tammy aka tamron lens
 
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Eyelight

Senior Member
I believe all the "macro" setting on the camera does is change some settings like the focus area and it will also control the f/stop and shutter.

The camera/lens may not focus if it doesn't have good light or if the subject is difficult for the AF to see. Should be able to manually focus if the subject is in the focus range of the lens.

Depth of field may be an issue. The DOF, for instance, at 5' using 25mm and f/2.8 is about 24" +/-, but the image will only be sharp at the focus distance and sharpness will fall off well before the reaching the edges of the calculated DOF, especially if enlarging the image.
 
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lucien

Senior Member
Thanks, I'll play around some more. There is alot of science/math in this isn't there. When I first got this the flash wouldn't go off, sorted that out. I mean in dark situations. Now this non-focus issue. Ah well one step at a time.
 
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Eyelight

Senior Member
A little more.

What you describe would not be a macro shot unless you were using a telephoto macro lens.

The 18-55mm will focus fairly close at a little less than 11 inches.
 
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Blacktop

Senior Member
Try this. Take your fossil rock and don't put it on a tile floor. Tile floor maybe too shiny. You don't want anything reflecting behind your subject.

Set the cam to "A" mode. (that is aperture priority, not Auto)

Use your 18-55mm lens.

Set your aperture(F/stop to between 11 and 16)

If you have a tripod , use it and set your ISO to 100.
If you don't have a tripod make sure you're taking the shot in a well lit room or even outside.
If no tripod and shooting hand held, start increasing your ISO untill your shutter speed reaches at least 1/50th of a second. No less.

Now get about a foot away from your object and start zooming in. You will be able to get auto focus.
Hold the cam with a steady hand, press the shutter halfway untill you hear a beep, then depress all the way.

This is just a guideline I'm giving you. You may have to experiment with different lighting, and aperture settings. Remember your camera is not very good in low light and a high ISO setting to achieve a faster shutter speed, may result in a noisy shot.

If you are going to shoot static objects close up like a fossil, I highly recommend a tripod.
 
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lucien

Senior Member
Hi again, I should have included this with the post, silly and lazy lol. The exact lens in question is Tamron 28-200m af aspherical 1 3:8-5:6 model 710N. It's an oldie and I picked it up with the body from the camera store. It might even be as old as the cam. no LoL. My 18-55mm is in transit from Korea. I'll try the above suggestion and if it doesn't work, then wait on the 18-55mm. I haven't tried the Nikon 70-240mm because it has even less range than the 28-200 by that I mean the starting zoom is too big 70mm. I think it is anyway ;)
 
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aroy

Senior Member
Every lens has a minimum focusing distance. Varies from 10" for some macros to over 24" for 200mm.So keep that in mind while trying to focus.

In your case, I would suggest the following
. Take the fossil out in open bright light
. Put it on a dull back ground - wooden porch or plain soil will do
. As suggested set the camera to - ISO 100, Aperture Priority, F11. In reasonable light you should get speed of between 1/100 and 1/500. . If you are using a zoom, then set the lens at maximum focal length
. Now stand 2 feet away from the fossil and try to get it in focus
. If successful, then keep moving closer till you can no longer focus. If not keep moving back till you get the focus.That is the minimum focusing distance.

If you find the image too small then you have to use a lens with more magnification. Here are some magnifications
. 18-55 at 55mm = 0.31X with AF, 0.36X manual focus
. 60mm F2.8G macro = 1x
. 105mm F2.8G macro = 1x
. 105mm F2.8 AIS = 1.2x with extension tube, 2x without
 
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