Macro Photography help with DLSR and Macro lens.

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road8514
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Macro Photography help with DLSR and Macro lens. - Thursday, December 3, 2015 1:39 PM
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Hello, 
 
All I am looking for some help with macro photography of eggs and larval/ fry. I currently have Nikon D5000 with Nikkor Micro 85mm lens. I have been reading on some different photography forums about how to use but I am still running into problems with focus and getting close up shots. I am wondering if I need to add extension tubes or flash light rings. Also looking for help with setting that will help to give me some good shots. I am looking to use this instead of a microscope if possible. 
 
Thanks 
Joe 
 

mPedersen
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Re:Macro Photography help with DLSR and Macro lens. - Thursday, December 3, 2015 2:19 PM
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Flash definitely helps in all my photography, but you have to set it up correctly and diffuse it properly.  That's about as much as I can offer.

CaptCrash
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Re:Macro Photography help with DLSR and Macro lens. - Thursday, December 3, 2015 7:38 PM
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I use a Canon 7D with either a 100mm macro lens or an MP-E lens.  Both on their own or with extension rings depending on what I am trying to photograph.
 
In terms of lighting, I find the onboard flash to be more pain than its worth.
Its position tends to just create a dark shadow due to the lens and the inevitable close up nature of the subject.
 
My solution has been to do one of the following
1. With fish fry I use a lens mounted ring light/flash, one that can be on permanently, something like
 
  Then attach the ring flash to the macro lens and away you go.

2. With smaller items like eggs or shrimp fry it is still difficult to light them with the ring light attached to the lens.
For these smaller subjects, I place the ring flash on a table and then suspend the subject on a piece of slide glass an inch or so above the ring light (or just on the ring light if I am feeling lazy).
Then using a tripod, shoot vertically down onto the slide and I have my photo (back lit so you can see detail, but loose some colour).
To focus with the extension rings and the MP-E, I lock the tripod then put weight on the height adjustment, to move the entire camera and lens fractions of a MM to get close to focus (middle of the water drop).
For final focus, it generally means pressing the table that the subject is on with my thumb about a foot from the subject.  This allows for a distortion and for focus to be achieved.
With the live and moving subject, depth of field is very difficult, so I don't even bother.
 
This shot is with the slide placed on the ring flash, you can see the texture of the ring flash in the background

 
This shot is raised up from the ring light

 
Hope this helps

 
<message edited by CaptCrash on Thursday, December 3, 2015 7:50 PM>
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Lrood
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Re:Macro Photography help with DLSR and Macro lens. - Friday, December 4, 2015 3:22 PM
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Those are great tips, thanks.  I'm hoping to get a decent SLR camera this Christmas.  I'm getting tired of my iPhone being the best camera in my house!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ken