Macro Advice Please

[ssick92]

Hey everyone,

So today I went and picked up my first DSLR. After tons of research and asking questions at photo stores, I decided on the Canon EOS Rebel T3i. I did not purchase this only for my aquarium, so I haven't yet purchased a macro lens.

I did however, get a good deal on some extension tubes, and have started to try them out on the standard 18-55mm kit lens. Well, obviously since I am a HUGE noob, the pictures, well, they suck IMO (to be expected, I know).

Can you guys offer me any advice for getting better shots without using a designated macro lens? The photos have good color, but lack that sharpness that I desire. Here are the pictures I have thus far. These were taken with the 18-55mm lens with a 20mm extension tube.

IS and AF were Off
Shutter Speed was 1/500 I believe
ISO was shot on Auto at 3200
f5.6 is the largest aperture for this lens.

I believe I need to increase shutter speed, but since I can't open the aperture any further, would I also just need to increase Exposure? Or a higher ISO as well? As you can tell, I am just finding my way around this deal...

They were shot in RAW format, and slightly modified in PhotoShop.

 

[SushiGirl]

More light = more sharpness. Less light = more grainy or blurry. I take pics with full lights & flash to achieve this. Barring that (or even with it), tripod & remote shutter help a lot. Objects closer to the glass usually produce the best results. That's about all the advice I can give you LOL.

 

[frankyrivera]

First off ISo 3200 is gonna make pictures grainy or introduce unwanted noise in image turn off flow and pumps turn on lights use tripod remote shutter release and make sure lens is square on at tank not angled. Macros are not only for close ups u can take great portraits with an 85 mm macro

 

[ssick92]

Well, these are a little bit better, I particularly like the chalice.

 

[dendronepthya]

You really need a tripod for this type of shooting. A longer exposure time and lower ISO will go a long way.

 

[dendronepthya]

If you have 5 minutes, take a look at this reef photography video I made about 6 months ago:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McneJvCWmf8

 

[Misled]

Nice vid Than!!!! :thumbsup:

 

[Reef Bass]

Very nice video. Relaxed, informative presentation style. Good job covering many of the basics. Liked the different apertures chart and dof example. You might consider adding a blurry and sharp fish to demonstrate shutterspeed and an ISO example showing the same subject in two shots, a dark low noise image and a properly exposed though noisier image.

Might I suggest "why are my reef pics so blue?" as your next topic? It would save a lot of typing.

ssick92, sorry for the hijack. Your pics are improving! +1 for the tripod recommendation. And make sure you always shoot straight through the glass.

 

[ssick92]

Wow, that was a nice video. Is there a part 2?

And, I just purchased a Sigma 50mm f/2.8 Macro lens. Reviews were fantastic, and I got it off ebay, like new condition, for 200 bucks.

Looks like I'll be returning my extension tubes and shooting with a designated macro lens. Stay tuned for about a week until I receive the lens

 

[Misled]

I have a Sigma 50mm macro!!! Nice lens, though not the best for shooting tanks, (you can move things closer to the glass for better shots though), I use mine quite a bit. Keep the extension tubes though. They will still do other things, they just have a steeper learning curve.

 

[ssick92]

Also, I just talked to my parents, and apparently they have an older EOS film camera lens. I'm not sure what to make of the specs though.

I haven't seen it yet, but I was told it says: Tamron AF 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 LD Macro. I wasn't aware that such a lens could be macro... Will this be a useful lens for me (I mean for anything, not just aquariums)?

 

[BlueCorn]

That lens could still be used for things but it's not a real macro.

 

[ssick92]

Couple more pics

Couple more pics

Here is just a couple more photos. I guess they are slowly getting better...

How do I get rid of that "scratch" on the lens?