Finally bought the Canon 100 mm Macro!

[Itaysworld]

Hello Everyone,

I've been a silent reader of this folder of the forum. I'm pretty active on the Large Reef Tank section, and here is my build thread:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=1403283

I've been in the hobby (reefkeeping) for a little over 6 months now, and have a pretty well established 180 gallon tank.

Photography is another big passion of mine, and while I still have an older camera (Canon's first Digital Rebel - the 300D) I decided at this time, to invest in new lens and and not in a new camera.

So I went and got the lens I've been drooling over for quite some time.

Most of my pictures are posted on my thread, but here are a few from yesterday. I'm still figuring out the best conditions for the macro shots. I'm taking my photos in RAW mode and post processing in Aperture.

Best,

 

[Diveshaman]

Nice work my friend. I am very impressed.

 

[saltwater creep]

very impressive nice pics

 

[Itaysworld]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13481469#post13481469 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by saltwater creep
very impressive nice pics

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13481429#post13481429 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Diveshaman
Nice work my friend. I am very impressed.

Thank you both!

It's very dangerous when 2 great *and expensive* passions/hobbies intersect like reefkeeping and photography...

...Just like the ghostbusters crossing streams :lol:

 

[Diveshaman]

Cheers buddy I am right there with you. I have got to figure out a way to upload some more of my shoots and get better shoots of my tank critters. I am huge on underwater photography and have a hard time when I am not in the water with my subject. I have been trying to shoot through the glass but am tempted to set up my Nikonis V with macro set up and reach hands in All my best and again great shoots. Any settings you've found work for you using the new 100mm would be greatly appreciated?

 

[mana]

Great works.

You've got the right lens.


Wish to see more pics.

 

[heyfredyourhat]

I have been considering that lense for awhile now. What is the working distance on it? I am using a kit lense and find that i almost need a zoom lense to get to the back of my 2' wide tank...Would this lense be capable of pulling nice macros from 2' away?

 

[MrSandman]

Awesome lens, and awesome shots. The post-processing does appear to be a tad overdone though. May want to ease up on the saturation and sharpness just a tad. The lens should be able to give you good color and sharpness right out of the box. Looking forward to seeing more shots!

 

[SALT WATER CRAZ]

nice pics

 

[Itaysworld]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13483173#post13483173 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Diveshaman
Cheers buddy I am right there with you. I have got to figure out a way to upload some more of my shoots and get better shoots of my tank critters. I am huge on underwater photography and have a hard time when I am not in the water with my subject. I have been trying to shoot through the glass but am tempted to set up my Nikonis V with macro set up and reach hands in All my best and again great shoots. Any settings you've found work for you using the new 100mm would be greatly appreciated?

Thanks again.
As far as settings go, I'm not doing anything different than with other lens. I work in the Aperture Priority mode (AV) or in P and use a tripod. I shoot in RAW and I'm working the images with Apple's Aperture.

 

[Itaysworld]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13484391#post13484391 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mana
Great works.

You've got the right lens.


Wish to see more pics.

Thanks Mana! I've seen some of your outstanding fish photographs. I will have to try those too

Hope to post more soon.

Best,

 

[Itaysworld]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13485748#post13485748 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MrSandman
Awesome lens, and awesome shots. The post-processing does appear to be a tad overdone though. May want to ease up on the saturation and sharpness just a tad. The lens should be able to give you good color and sharpness right out of the box. Looking forward to seeing more shots!

Thanks for the comments Mr.Sandman -

I agree, I'm not very happy with the overprocessing. I'm still learning the ins and outs of Aperture and I'm also struggling a little bit to get the right white balance and tint.

Mostly I'm struggling with the necessary exposure length for f/2.8 shots. I'll have to play around some more.

I will have to try and not push the saturation and sharpness so much.

 

[Itaysworld]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13485753#post13485753 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SALT WATER CRAZ
nice pics

Thanks Much appreciated

 

[Diveshaman]

Much appreciated and keep sharing the photos they are fantastic.

 

[Itaysworld]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13485597#post13485597 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by heyfredyourhat
I have been considering that lense for awhile now. What is the working distance on it? I am using a kit lense and find that i almost need a zoom lense to get to the back of my 2' wide tank...Would this lense be capable of pulling nice macros from 2' away?

Hey there-

You can certainly take pictures from 2 feet away, but in that case, you are not using the lens at 1:1, basically the more focal length you add to your photos, the less magnification you have, and you'll end up having to crop your photo.

Cropping is fine, providing that you have a shot that is in focus in the area you will crop and that your sensor has enough pixels to give you an image that's large enough for your taste.

I think you should be fine if your camera is 6 megapixels or higher. You should be able to get the shots you want.

If you need more magnification, you may have to get tubes for your camera, basically an adapter that goes between your camera and lens, increasing the distance to the optics and adding another factor of magnification.

I've never used them, nor can I speak for the results you would get.

My tank is 2 feet deep too, but most of my stuff is a bit closer on the live rock. I also have a small point and shoot (Canon SD 630) for which I have an underwater casing (It's the camera I use while scuba diving) that I sometimes use from inside the tank.

Good Luck and I hope this info was helpful.

 

[Diveshaman]

I was thinking of doing the same thing. Using my underwater camera housing and take some shots. Much better results.

 

[grubbie]

Hey great shots.

 

[Torpus]

My 100mm macro lens is waiting for me when I get home after work. I am excitedly waiting until 4:15.....

I might suggest a slightly larger DOF to get a little bit more of the subject in focus.

Since I haven't had a chance to get home yet and look for myself, does the lens have manual fstop control on the lens itself?

 

[TitusvileSurfer]

No, this is the age of digital. Manual f-stop controls on the lenses are pre-EOS. I also think you will find that thin DOF is much easier pointed out than dealt with. When you start working with macro, one way to get more DOF is to take multiple pictures, focusing at different ranges, and then piece them together in Photoshop like a fuzzy edged puzzle. In Macro, DOF is often measured in millimeters.

 

[Torpus]

awesome lens, I only got to mess around a little bit but I def. need a tripod or to drink less caffeine to get a steady shot