Lensbaby

Hello. I am a brand new macro kit user and have a confusing technical question. When I am using the macro diopters on the camera I find that I have to move the camera back and forth to obtain focus. Is that true of all macro photography? If so, what is the purpose of the manual focus ring while using the diopters.

For example. If the 4x macro dipoter focuses from 6" to 13". Will adjusting the focus ring to it's maximum extension allow focusing at 6" from the subject? Conversely will the adjusting the ring to minimum extension allow focusing at 13" from the subject?

The whole point being that the camera has to be a certain distance from the subject based on the position of the LB optic from the camera sensor, right?

Sorry, I'm a newb!

Hej el-roi,

I use many times the macroset on the composer, and I can use the focus ring on a good way. Your dof is small with macro.
Always use a tripod. See some photograph's in my gallery.
For focusing you can indeed choose to move your camera back and forth, but it's not handy.
greatings and succes
Jan

Quote
el-roi
Will adjusting the focus ring to it's maximum extension allow focusing at 6" from the subject? Conversely will the adjusting the ring to minimum extension allow focusing at 13" from the subject?

The short version is yes. The focus ring allows you to move within the 6-13 inch range of your diopter.

The longer version.

When doing macro work a tripod will make your life easier by stabilizing your platform and allowing you do to micro adjustments with your focus ring until you get just the composition you are looking for. I use one whenever possible. As Jan stated the depth-of-field is very shallow when shooting with these adjuncts. You have the most depth with the +4 less with the +10 and virtually none with the two stacked on each other.

That being said, a lot of macro work that I do makes using a tripod impossible. I invariably find myself lying on the ground upside down shooting up and into a subject to get the angle I want for my shot. In those angles there isn’t a tripod that I have found that works. This means a couple of things to me. The first is that I have a high degree of bad shots because I must use my body as the ‘tripod’ and my body (although stiff from age) manages to wobble around quite a bit when magnified in the macro world. The second is that I do have to physically move in and out on my subject by adjusting my body position. Typically, when I am finally in the correct body position and have come close to the correct focus and have the Sweetspot where I want it , I try to fine focus using the focus ring. Every once in a while I have some success but often times I blow the shot and have to start over again.

In my opinion, good macro work is tough but the rewards are well worth the time and effort learning it.

Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time. (Thomas A. Edison)



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 10/23/2011 06:06AM by Outback.

Thank you both for the replies.

I have done some more shooting with better focus success. You are both right that a tripod is probably the way to go, though I have been doing all handheld work at this point. I will whip out the tripod for future shots.

You are also right about the DoF having a shallow plane with the macro rings.