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Pushing the G11 macro envelope – having some fun with a 50mm f1.8

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    Pushing the G11 macro envelope – having some fun with a 50mm f1.8

    Reversed Nifty Fifty fitted on a G11 - dragonfly exuvia (basically a wrapper for the first 12-18 months when it lives underwater before emerging and changing into a dragonfly) - bit of tabletop work to see how close I could go - all images are full frame e.g. no crop...

    Image at 140mm equiv


    Getting in a bit closer


    This was about the max I could get - not bad for a point and shoot!!!


    My models, taken with a +4 dioptre lens


    Photo of the kit - G11 fitted with an adapter tube mounted with a Raynox DCR 250 +8 dioptre close up lens (note this has been removed from its adaptor fitting and mounted on the tube with stepping down rings from 58mm to 43mm), on the front is mounted the Canon 50mm f1.8 reversed. Flash was off camera, controlled by off-camera cable, fitted to a reversed Custom Bracket RC, Canon 580EX fitted with a Gary Fong Whale Tail diffuser – main flash was set in Master mode, a second 550EX was also used as a slave. Also in the picture is a Hoodman Loupe used to confirm focus. Plus of course the box of photo models...
    _______________________
    John Baker
    Canon 1Dx, Canon 8-15, 17-40, 24-105, 50, 70-200, 100-400, 400 DO, Tamron 15-30, 180 macro

    #2
    Re: Pushing the G11 macro envelope – having some fun with a 50mm f1.8

    Bit scary, but clear images!!

    Comment


      #3
      Re: Pushing the G11 macro envelope – having some fun with a 50mm f1.8

      Superb as usual John and many thanks for showing the kit used and the explanation.

      Colin
      Colin

      Comment


        #4
        Re: Pushing the G11 macro envelope – having some fun with a 50mm f1.8

        Stunning clear images, gave me the heebeez though..... lol.
        Thanks for sharing.

        Gary

        Comment


          #5
          Re: Pushing the G11 macro envelope – having some fun with a 50mm f1.8

          Thank you for the kind comments, I really did not know what to expect. While it was good fun to try, I think it would be a bit of a challenge in the field, but then again I have friends who go out with their MPE's!!! One last one for you

          _______________________
          John Baker
          Canon 1Dx, Canon 8-15, 17-40, 24-105, 50, 70-200, 100-400, 400 DO, Tamron 15-30, 180 macro

          Comment


            #6
            Re: Pushing the G11 macro envelope – having some fun with a 50mm f1.8

            the detail and clarity is really good in these John, thank you for sharing the technique, but err . . . . . eugh!
            David




            EOS 1000D EFS18-55mm, EF 75-300mm, Kenko DG Extension Tubes

            Please bare with me on replies to your comments as my work commitments keep me away from here during the week.
            All of your comments and advice are gratefully received and appreciated though

            Comment


              #7
              Re: Pushing the G11 macro envelope – having some fun with a 50mm f1.8

              Dave, much to my wife’s disgust I have a box of these and things for some reason she does not like touching them!!! But while I am waiting for spring to finally arrive they are a fun subject, apart from when you breath too deeply and they float off the table, try to pick them up and legs and other bits fall off – note must vacuum the study before wife gets home, she is seriously going to freak at the assorted legs, antenna and other appendages lying on the floor – jeez the cat has just rolled half a body section off to god knows where….
              _______________________
              John Baker
              Canon 1Dx, Canon 8-15, 17-40, 24-105, 50, 70-200, 100-400, 400 DO, Tamron 15-30, 180 macro

              Comment


                #8
                Re: Pushing the G11 macro envelope – having some fun with a 50mm f1.8

                LOL!!!!!!!!!!!
                David




                EOS 1000D EFS18-55mm, EF 75-300mm, Kenko DG Extension Tubes

                Please bare with me on replies to your comments as my work commitments keep me away from here during the week.
                All of your comments and advice are gratefully received and appreciated though

                Comment


                  #9
                  Re: Pushing the G11 macro envelope – having some fun with a 50mm f1.8

                  Superb macro images, clever set up producing really good DOF thanks for sharing the method.

                  Ray

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Re: Pushing the G11 macro envelope – having some fun with a 50mm f1.8

                    Originally posted by John Baker View Post
                    jeez the cat has just rolled half a body section off to god knows where….
                    Our cat has just given me a dead rabbit to photograph :) Perhaps not - she has slobbered all over it - why couldn't she bring it in earlier so we could have had it for dinner
                    ef-r

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Re: Pushing the G11 macro envelope – having some fun with a 50mm f1.8

                      Amazing images !

                      In 3; and to a lesser extent 2, is the flash a little too intense ?

                      Trev

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Re: Pushing the G11 macro envelope – having some fun with a 50mm f1.8

                        Originally posted by Trevoreast View Post
                        Amazing images !
                        In 3; and to a lesser extent 2, is the flash a little too intense ?
                        Trev
                        Trev you are right – with a normal set up I would have eliminated the reflections. To be honest I was almost at the extreme of the cameras capabilities, working distance was really tight and getting any light in was proving complex. I did take plenty of others, with this one it was similar to internal lighting shining through the translucent exoskeleton…



                        Thank you for the other kind comments...
                        _______________________
                        John Baker
                        Canon 1Dx, Canon 8-15, 17-40, 24-105, 50, 70-200, 100-400, 400 DO, Tamron 15-30, 180 macro

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Re: Pushing the G11 macro envelope – having some fun with a 50mm f1.8

                          Trev you are right – with a normal set up I would have eliminated the reflections.
                          Hi John, the main thing you showed us is what is possible with your setup, and the results are amazing,and your post very informative.

                          I put my comments about the light as a question, as there are fads and styles within different genres that I'm not aways up to speed with. I've seen macro shots with obvious flash light before, and they have received nothing but praise from other specialist macro shooters.

                          Trev

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Re: Pushing the G11 macro envelope – having some fun with a 50mm f1.8

                            Hi Trev - Macro is a very subjective area, I am currently trying to push my boundaries. I have done a lot of work with normal macro lenses, I found that I was getting frustrated with restricted DoF and many images started to look very similar, I tried the all the tricks such as stacking, etc – but I was not getting what I wanted. I then moved onto “long macro”, using my 180 with converters so 1.4x (180 x 1.4 x 1.3 sensor factor = 327mm) and 2x (180 x2 x 1.3 = 468mm), going long allowed me to get great Bokeh, but because I was further away, I was then using the focal length to give me the magnification, the big killer of macro is getting in really close which quickly kills the DoF. I even did some work with my 400mm, a 2x converter and extension tubes, that was a bit of a handful, so 400 x 2 x 1.3 = 1,040mm close ups – I did get some amazing dragonflies in flight, but that is another story…

                            A good friend showed me work he was getting from his small point and shoot cameras, the tiny sensor (on the G it is a 4.6x factor) means you get massive DoF. The trouble is that many of the cameras are optimised to do close-up at the wide end of the zoom – now this opens up wonderful opportunities for wide angle macro shots, so you can get the whole flower in focus, plus the bugs and get a decent landscape in the background as well!

                            I then started to add supplementary close-up lenses, to allow me to access the long end of the zoom, but still focus closer. Supplementary lenses are fitted on a simple adaptor tube, which then bayonet fits to the front of the camera – quick and simple. Having several units’ means you can simply switch from different levels of magnification. I get most use out of my +1.6 dioptre Sigma Achromatic lens, this gives me a working distance of around 60cm, I can then use the zoom to go from 140mm right through to 560mm (while this is digital zoom, the images above are taken at this setting), but it still retainins the 60cm working distance! My next strongest lens is a +4 dioptre 49mm filter/lens, working distance around 20cm. The Raynox DCR 250 is a +8 dioptre, so works around 12cm. Reversing the 50mm is about a +20 dioptre, working distance is now down to 5cm and for some of these I was using the 50mm and the +8 but still using the equivalent of a 560mm lens. I have given several lectures on this at several camera clubs, you can see a small version of my slides on my web site: http://www.jfbclick.com/Pres1/index.html - I posted several of my images in another thread, you can see them here http://www.eos-magazine-forum.com/sh...l-sensor-macro
                            _______________________
                            John Baker
                            Canon 1Dx, Canon 8-15, 17-40, 24-105, 50, 70-200, 100-400, 400 DO, Tamron 15-30, 180 macro

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Re: Pushing the G11 macro envelope – having some fun with a 50mm f1.8

                              still EUGH!!!!!
                              David




                              EOS 1000D EFS18-55mm, EF 75-300mm, Kenko DG Extension Tubes

                              Please bare with me on replies to your comments as my work commitments keep me away from here during the week.
                              All of your comments and advice are gratefully received and appreciated though

                              Comment

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