lenses for close ups

[gazza3535]

Hi,

i have a EOS d300 and would like to take really close up photos of my aquaruim fish, need to get around a couple of inches away from the glass, could anyone advise me of what lense i would need to be able to do this

thank you

[Stephen]

That's a pretty solid composite, Waddizzle! 

[Waddizzle]

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@Stephen wrote:

That's a pretty solid composite, Waddizzle! 

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Thanks, but I give all of the credit to the freeware application, Regi-Stax 6.  I might have gotten away with just 4 shots, but I wanted more overlap on the areas of tight focus, so I took 6 shots.

[ebiggs1]

"...  I give all of the credit to the freeware application, Regi-Stax 6"

That is an easy task in Photoshop.  It is called Focus Stacking if you don't know where to find it.  No additional apps required.

[Waddizzle]

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@ebiggs1 wrote:

"...  I give all of the credit to the freeware application, Regi-Stax 6"

That is an easy task in Photoshop.  It is called Focus Stacking if you don't know where to find it.  No additional apps required.

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I tried RegiStax just to feel it out.  It's really made for grabbing astrophotos on the fly.  In fact, I think it applied a white balance to the photos that turned the quarter a different color.  In the end, I may have used Photoshop CS6.  I dunno.  It's all a blur.

[ebiggs1]

Is that a 1932-D ? 

[RobertTheFat]

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@ebiggs1 wrote:

Is that a 1932-D ? 

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With "QUARTER DOLLAR" and the mint mark on the obverse? I think not! 

[gazza3535]

i can get this close with the 50mm 1.8 with a add on 0.45X wide angle lens with macro add on to the 50mm f1.8 which is quite good

[Waddizzle]

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@gazza3535 wrote:

i can get this close with the 50mm 1.8 with a add on 0.45X wide angle lens with macro add on to the 50mm f1.8 which is quite good

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Okay, now we have an image to use as a starting point.  I'm not sure what those lens additions are that you used.  But, how "close" are you looking to get? 

The image of the "mushroom" looks a little soft, and even softer in other areas.  I think you're running up against a Depth-Of-Field limit with your camera and lens.  Check out the web site DOFmaster dot com to see what you're up against.

I think that add on lens could be taking away more than it adds.  There is nothing wrong with cropping a photo.  In fact, the photo of "The Quarter" that I posted is highly cropped, and shot with natural light.  It was an exercise in photo stacking technique, and not so much for photographic perfection. 

The full frame could have captured a 4x4 array of quarters laid out on the table.  That's just how much it was cropped.  BTW, I had reached into my pocket and pulled out what I had thought was a nice, clean and shiny quarter.  It was shot using a EF 16-35mm f/2.8 II USM lens, set at 35mm using a 14mm extension tube, and shot at f/4 at a distance of about 8 inches from the image sensor, which means the quarter was about 2-3 inches from the front of the lens.  The normal minimum focusing distance is about 12 inches.

Have you tried cropping that photo?  I'd bet that the soft focus reveals itself when you do zoom in.  I also suspect that the tank's glass cannot have a beneficial effect on the focus.  I think the glass may be the culprit behind the soft focus.  I would try to shoot as perpendicular to the glass as practical.  Speaking of focus, did you use auto focus, or did you manual focus on a tripod?  I'd recommend the latter.  Did you use a white balance adjustment?

[gazza3535]

yes i used auto foucus and hand held, i have just ordered a tripod and a set extension tubes i did read an article about fish tank photo's and it was quite insistant that you needed to use a lense hood up against the glass to get rid of the problems associated with shooting through the glass

[Waddizzle]

"yes i used auto foucus and hand held, i have just ordered a tripod and a set extension tubes "

How durable of a tripod?  I hope "ordered a tripod" means what I think it means.  I have Induro and Benro tripods, which is basically the same company.  I like the Manfrotto tripods, but I think the price/performance ratio is Induro/Benro is better. The Induro/Benro tripods come with excellent bags, and the bigger ones are quite strong and stable.  Of course, a great set of legs go to waste with a weak tripod head, just  like a great camera is wasted with a cheap lens.

I just picked up a Benro Series 3 Combination Long, with the Benro V3 head, at clearance pricing.  I am going to use it with a SunwayFoto levelling base I have on hand.  [My son said he didn't need it!  Okay, dude.]  I plan to use it for astrophotography, but with an Induro PHQ3 Pan/Tilt head.  In fact, I just might need to use both heads to do it right.  BTW, I like using a leveling base because it is far easier and quicker to level a head, than it is to level out a set of tripod legs.