Im Eyeing Up A Macro Lens

[markandhisfish]

im finding the draw of a macro lens harder and harder to resist. im looking at a few , they are quite pricey , but im getting an itchy wallet finger

 

[BigTom]

Love my Sigma 150 macro, but you're right about the prices - got mine at a bargainous £330 brand new about 4 years ago, they're £580 now!

 

[markandhisfish]

i was looking at a nice canon 1 for £370 but i decided to get a 2nd hand sppedlite and wireless trigger instead and spend the change on revamping my tank

 

[ZoddyZod]

I've got one for my Canon EOS 50D, it's fantastic for tank pics of fish. If you want to do a full tank shot though, you need to stand about 30 feet away

 

[markandhisfish]

i find the 18-55 kit lens best for tank shots . you can get a pretty wide angle with it .

 

[raptorrex]

i was looking at a nice canon 1 for £370 but i decided to get a 2nd hand sppedlite and wireless trigger instead and spend the change on revamping my tank

atm, i feel, that may be your best approach.

but if you want to try some, real, macro try one of these. linky not necessarily this one, lol wrong screw size (only an example). best on you 50mm/standard lens. (oops, if you have one.)

 

[markandhisfish]

ahh the reverse mounting ring. ive been thinking about trying 1 of those on my 50mm prime lens. but at the moment im trying to get to grips with this external flash . using it remotely above the tank isnt doing anything for my shots . mounting it on the cameras hotshoe is greatly improving my shots , but slightly washing out the colours on the fish . this is the stumbling block im trying to overcome at the moment.

 

[raptorrex]

ahh the reverse mounting ring. ive been thinking about trying 1 of those on my 50mm prime lens. but at the moment im trying to get to grips with this external flash . using it remotely above the tank isnt doing anything for my shots . mounting it on the cameras hotshoe is greatly improving my shots , but slightly washing out the colours on the fish . this is the stumbling block im trying to overcome at the moment.

if its washing out. your probably too close ,with the flash, though not the lens. maybe set the widest setting on the flash zoom. you could try placing some tissue paper over the flash head. or (assuming a ex430) try to bounce the light. though its probably best not to use flash at all. i could help you build a setup to work, more a technique really, some of which i have mentioned before.

ultimately i feel the whole problem is lack of avaliable light. looking at the price of, even, basic gear for DSLR's. you may will be better off buying a twin ballast and tubes. place these inside the hood with your current lights (just for photos), and try none flash shots. i think you will find most of the best fish shots, pro and amateur, shots are flash-less.

 

[markandhisfish]

im using a speedlite 420ex . il have a play with the tissue idea . im guessing that acts like a diffuser?

 

[CletePurcel]

Check out the Tamron 90mm macro.

 

[raptorrex]

im using a speedlite 420ex . il have a play with the tissue idea .
im guessing that acts like a diffuser?

i was meaning it had a bounce facility and a zoom head.
yes that's right, but it also reduces the power of the flash.

there should be a tripod screw in the base of the, off camera, hotshoe. providing you have a tripod. (even one from the £1 shop will do).

put the off camera shoe on the tripod, flash too. now angle the flash to about 45 degrees to the tank front. ensure you cant see your own reflection (through the viewfinder). now try a few shots. make adjustments to the angle of both, flash and camera, until you get a satisfactory result. having got, roughley, the type fo shots you want. now you experinent with, small adjustment, in all aspects.

another technique, involving no flash. is to PAN your shot. i understand this is more associated with high speed shots (F1, MOTO GP and Rally), but it is just as useful here. you simply follow the fish with your camera. the trick is to fire the shutter, WHILE, you are still panning. with practice you will get sharp shots at shutter speeds of 30th a sec, even below. but it takes practice! and lots too. though its cost is nil (for you lot. it cost me a fortune. i had to develop all my shots to see the result.)

at the risk of being boring. for quality a versatility, avaliable light it the way to go. flash is a great feature, but gives a false sheen to its shots. its true, with lots of practice, you can adjust the result with an image editor. my thought is though, isn't there enough to learn with the photography, without another layer?

 

[markandhisfish]

those photo editing programs are too much for me lol most of those things ive got absolutely no idea what they are , nor the desire to learn. i know how to re-size pics for posting , and how to crop , thats all i need to do. as for the flash ive been getting some fairly good results with the wireless trigger / overhead flash technique .