These photos were taken this morning
with my Sony SLT-A77V, and Sony DT 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 SAM lens.To be able to get in closer and get good results, can you please make some suggestions?
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Macro is awesome , that is what made me start all this photography obsession. I got my first real decent digital camera with awesome macro, i think back in 2007 which i paid $100 from my daughter's boyfriend which he bought prior off a friend. It was a Canon Powershot A610, 5 megapixels ....OMG how technology has rapidly excelled. Anyway i went crazy with bugs , reptiles and creepy crawlies. Then my partner got me the Canon SX10 IS for my 40th birthday - because of its super macro setting allowing you to be as close as 1cm or even having the subject touching the lens but i found it wasn't as effective as the A610. So i then got into photographing birds as the SX10 IS had the 20x optical zoom lens something i had never experienced before! Here are a few old macro photos i took back then with the A610 , I liked the way the camera gave a soft background to the subjects. ( the last two phots are cropped) .
Kerry - Perth, Western Australia.
Don't just say it M-L. Do it, it's a lot of fun. Birding in the morning, bugging in the middle of the day
Nice shots Shoop. I'll add a couple to try and entice M-L to get a macro.
Shorty......Canon gear
Canberra
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rawshorty/
No convincing needed, I want it !!!!!
Great photos, I love the fly ,shoop. What are you using Shorty? What should I be aiming for? Give me a few important pointers please.
M-L
I assume you want stick to a Sony lens, so your best bet would be the SAL100M28.
I use a Canon 100mm 2.8 Macro
Shorty......Canon gear
Canberra
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rawshorty/
Thanks Shorty, I just had a look how much this would set me back? Way back.... it'll have to wait until Christmas
, but we don't do Christmas
Tamron fits my camera? What do you think of the Tamron SP AF 90mm Di f.2.8 USD 1:1 macro ?
M-L
How do you like this one? Taken with my big lens
M-L
As for the Tamron, i don't know much about it for Sony mount. Print some of your photos and sell them? Get the Sony quicker
You shot i have no idea what it is?
This one you might guess
Shorty......Canon gear
Canberra
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rawshorty/
Dirt on a kitchen towel or sponge? Mud on a shirt?
I'm still waiting for someone to guess mine.
M-L
No.
Is yours Emery cloth?
Shorty......Canon gear
Canberra
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rawshorty/
No.
M-L
Looks like rain on a window at night but that's just a guess. Maybe a car window.
I love my Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro and, look ma, next to no noise! And it's not just a macro either. Ripper lens!
Melaleuca nesophila (Western Australian Native) by GirlinOz, on Flickr
Bee on Lilly Pilly by GirlinOz, on Flickr
Wendy
Mandurah, WA
Peel-Yalgorup System Ramsar Site
http://www.flickr.com/photos/girlinoz/
brilliant Wendy, I'm hooked
Your guess is very close. Tiny water droplets in the sun.
M-L
I'll have one more guess Shorty, a worm walked (?) over a muddy canvas or towel?
M-L
Not even warm
Here is more, the top left square is the first pic.
Shorty......Canon gear
Canberra
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rawshorty/
That's a map and the floor plan of ???. On the right hand side steps and bushes.There are pillars and one large pilon at the entrance of the building? It could be some ancient building, like a digging, or even under ground, seen from a satelite in space?
Am I getting closer?
M-L
You are correct, it is the plan for the New Parliament House on the $5 note
Shorty......Canon gear
Canberra
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rawshorty/
Hi , If you want to have a go at macro without lashing out on a new lens ,you could try using an extention tube on the lens you have now ,this will allow you to get closer to your subject. There are also a lot of older manual focus lenses around that can be used on modern cameras and still make stunning images.
Thanks sparrow,an extention tube, that's something I could do, .I will look into it
M-L
ML you would be a natural for macro...will get back to you on that one. ad
ML ,Ken Rockwell has a review on the Minolta maxxum 100mm F2.8 macro under "what's new" on his site .
When I said on another post that Minolta was responsible for some of the sharpest lenses ever made, this is one of them !
They show up on ebay from time to time ,I had one of these back in "olden" days of film ,I used it for close up and portrait it's one of the lenses I now regret parting with.
Thanks so much sparrow, I will look into it as soon as my PC starts to work better again. It always plays up when it rains.
M-L
If you're ever out in the wild with your binoculars & want to see a bug or flower or the like close up, reverse your binoculars for a macro peek.
Woko just reminded me of something.
If you put a lens reversed to the front of the lens on your camera you get a super macro result.
I took this one a few years ago with my 100mm macro on camera and an 18-55 reversed on the 100.
This is one of those tiny little ants that look like black dots and a sprinkle (hundreds and thousands)
Shorty......Canon gear
Canberra
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rawshorty/
Here is a link to some macro of mine: http://www.dsphotographics.com/tmacro.html.
(There is no direct link on the site at the moment as I'm in the process of updating galleries.)
When considering macro it is also worth considering lighting as it can cost as much as a lens.
@ML a Tamron lens maybe a consideration as they make some good glass...and as pointed out earlier macro glass is normaly the sharpest in the draw. A question on one of the major photo forums might be worth while if you want to consider the Tamron or Sigma brands. Alternatively one of the major camera stores in Melbourne may have something second hand? OR maybe a sale at Camberwell
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Thanks David, I've just come home, I will have a look later. But, thanks for now. I appreciate your information.
M-L
I just had a look at your photos David, thanks so much, great photography.What lens are you using?
What ever I will buy has to get a better result to what I have now, and I will think about it for a while, and it has to convince me
The Minolta maxxum 100mm sounds and looks good so far. My husband uses a Tamron 90mm macro, but I don't find it a LOT better than my Sony 18-55 mm standard lens![wink](//www.birdsinbackyards.net/sites/all/libraries/ckeditor/plugins/smiley/images/cry_smile.gif" "\"crying\"")
I do have a question, what determines Macro Photography? Where is the difference between a "close up, and macro"?
Here is an example: I took this photo of a mushroom with my old camera, a Sony SLT-A 55V, and a Sony 18-55 mm lens.
focal length was 35mm, shutter speed 1/400, ISO 1600, F 5.0
No1 is the original , No2 zoomed in, what I would call a close up, not macro. Where would be the difference?
(be patient with me
, I'm not an expert, just asking questions to learn something)
M-L
ML Thanks
Macro is defined as extreme close up, 1:1 or bigger, where the subject is larger than life size on the film or sensor. The confusion seem to come from photographing big flowers say and calling them macro when in fact they are smaller than life size.
It's becoming a common blurring of the definition and enhanced by telemacro lenses.
From memory there are 4 photos in the slide show I linked above that are not true macro
Two of those werre taken with a 14mm lens rather than a macro
David
Thanks David, for the great explanation. I have been confused about this for a while, even looking at some of the photos used by lens makers to show off what their lenses can do, I sometimes had the feeing, that that wasn't what I would call "macro".
Something to think about for me
M-L
M-L
Here are some from the sony lense that I'm using:
I LOVE THEM
The rose behind the wire fence is a great composition. I also love the "Orbs" 
in the last photo. (you know what I'm talking about?)
M-L
NathanY very nice work you have a good eye
the bokeh in #3 ad
Thanks to both of you,it took me a while,but I figured it's a lot easier to shoot macro with a tripod rather then by hand.
I actually didn't notice the "bokeh" in the 3rd picture,but now I do,I guess it adds up to make the shot a little better.
Appreciate the comments!
Yee Haw!!! I've got a Macro lens. I tried to bid a few times on Minolta, but no luck, so in the end there wasn't much difference to buy the replacement of it. Only a little bit more for the new Sony SAL 100mm F 2.8.
As Shorty said, I can do both
, one lens hanging around my neck, the other one under my arm
Here are the very first pics.
M-L
M-L
that's great
Peter
Well done ML good time of the year too you will have fun enjoy. ad.
So I guess we will see more macro, less birds, or more birds "Macro'd"
Nice work enjoy, as hopefully so will we.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
Thanks everyone
, I have taken some bird photos with that lens, not too bad either, very sharp.
Dale, I'm a girl, I can do two or more things at the same time
M-L
Fantastic! I used to do macro some years ago, had a Canon 100mm, and lovvved it. I was lucky enough to get a macro given to me ealier this year for my birthday, Nikon AF 105mm f/2.8G VR, but haven't had a chance to use it as much as I would have liked as had to borrow a Nikon body...long story. But a nice man delivered some lovely gold boxes to me today, so I'll get to play with my lens much more now I hope. You'll never regret getting a macro, and yes, they make great portrait lenses amongst other things. Have fun!
West Coast Tasmania
Maybe so........but you can't have two different lens on at the same time
BUT...you could have TWO bodies
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I do have two bodies, (camera bodies that is
)......Just have to get used to carry more gear.
M-L
I haven't read through all the comments but just quickly, be very mindfull that you will need very good lighting for doing decent macro photography. There are special flashes that can be bought for macro photography and they can be costly.
When macro shooting you will generally be shooting at small apertures to get as much depth of field as possible and if you are shooting moving subjects or outside where a very tiny tiny amount of movement will throw off your focus point you need to have lots of light to keep the shutter speeds up even when shooting off a tripod. And oh yes, you will need a decent tripod. Careful which one you pick for macro. The better ones will allow you to make small adjustments even when locked into position. These are better for macro.
I was born to live and I live to die.
You actually can aussiedavid. Which is actually also another technique for getting macro past the 1:1 off the shelf lenses.
This might be a worthwhile read.
http://stephenelliot.com/2007/05/15/reverse-lens-macro-photography-tutorial/
Also do a search on reverse lens macro photography for a lot more info.
I was born to live and I live to die.
abeleski, thank you for the link.
If you had read all the comments you would have noticed that rawshorty mentioned it (with excellent sample photo) and so I felt no need to comment any further.
I'm well aware of revesing lenses, bellows, forusing rails etc. etc. as this is a bird forum I did not wish to hijack the thread or introduce what could be technically difficult methods for some. ad
I have the rebadged Sony version of that lens on my A99. Of course knowing how to use it properly would be a bonus.
At f22
At f2.8
There;s a good article on dpreview on macro for anyone interested
Haha, I have the lens and I just love it
The A99 is my next dream
Flickr is down at the moment, I'll post some of my latest photos tomorrow. Are you happy with the A99?
M-L
How could you not be happy with the A99, my latest camera is only an A37, but it is better than anything I have ever had before, and just within my budget, just need your lens to go with it!
I will just keep dreaming.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
You have the 77 ? I wouldn't bother going to the 99 (SONY did just have a great deal; A99, HVL60 flash and grip for the same price as the camera) but for myself, coming from a DSLR (my Nikon D300 and most of my lenses were stolen) the SLT really is something great. Having a live view and being able to see your shot before you take it is a real bonus, couple that to having the back dial linked to EV compensation and I can tweak exposure easily before I press the shutter, that and focus peaking are worth it alone for me. Then you get stuff like the focus magnifer for macro etc etc The things I dislike are; no built in flash for off camera flash work and the poor battery life.
I was in two minds; it was down to the Nikon D4 or the A99 before I purchased (I had scrateched the Nikon D800 off my list as the A99 is better IMO). If the only things I was going to do was sports and BIF an dlow light I would probably have gone the Nikon D4.
Not sure where you are but of your near in the Northern RIvers areas you can come over some time and use mine and try a couple lenses if you don't have them ? I have a CZ 85 f1.4 (what a beauty, the lens I mean, not my parter though she is too ... ha ha),
CZ 2470 f2.8, Minolta 50 f1.4, Sony 70-200 2f.8 G (with a 1.4 TC)
and the Sony 100 f2.8 "macro" which you also have. I have the Sigma 12-24 on order, getting the A mount for it seems "tricky". I just can't justify the price of the CZ 1635 f2.8 at $2500 or so :(
I have an old Nikon D300 and a Sigma 50-500 permenatly connected to a tripod for my porch "bird camera"...
Here's one more,edited in Photoshop though...
Beautiful Nathan, go Sony
M-L
one Bee from me.
M-L
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