Canon 100mm macro, hand-held?

Is it possible to take reasonable macro shots with Canon 100mm USM macro lens without using a tripod or a macro flash? Is 60mm EF-S a much better choice for hand-held macro shots?

I take them hand held all the time, but use at least my regular speed-light. ( Actually a NIKON one on manual ) So ... no need for a macro flash, but best if you have some kind of flash.

A few hand held samples:
http://www.pixeldream.com/pics/macroTest_IMG_5822.jpg
http://www.pixeldream.com/pics/mdiff_IMG_6235.jpg
http://www.pixeldream.com/pics/macroTest_IMG_5849.jpg

-A

arpat said:

Is it possible to take reasonable macro shots with Canon 100mm USM
macro lens without using a tripod or a macro flash? Is 60mm EF-S a
much better choice for hand-held macro shots?

Click to expand...

I do all most all my macro stuff hand held using a Sigma 150mm macro. But I do use a flash. You are the best judge of the slowest shutter speed you can hand hold a 100mm lens at, but the rule of thumb is 1/100 sec or faster, for the 60mm it would be 1/60 sec or faster.

--
Those who forget history are condemned to go to summer school.

arpat said:

Is it possible to take reasonable macro shots with Canon 100mm USM
macro lens without using a tripod or a macro flash? Is 60mm EF-S a
much better choice for hand-held macro shots?

Click to expand...

in general, it is difficult to handhold a macro shot. the reason is that at macro distance the DoF will be razor thin (sometimes literally) and you might end up having to shoot at f/16+ to get some decent DoF for your flowers, etc. the corresponding shutter speed will be really slow. check John Shaw's book and you will see that most of his shots are below 1/50s, some are even 1s exposures.

if you want depth of field and a reasonable
shutter speed.
The macro twin flash is very nice.
maljo

20D, EF100mm macro with on camera flash, hand held

Malodave

arpat said:

Is 60mm EF-S a
much better choice for hand-held macro shots?

Click to expand...

No, in many respects the focal length matters little. At or near 1:1 you will find little difference in the ability to hand hold.

With normal shooting distances much of the camera shake problem comes from angular motion, which is exaggerated by longer focal lengths. At macro distances the main problem is the paper thin depth of field, and this causes problem with motion along the axis. For a given aperture at a given magnification, there will be no discernible difference in dof.

Compared to something like a 180 mm macro lens, the 60 mm is smaller and lighter so it can be hand held for longer without tiring, but I don’t find the 60 mm macro lens any easier to handhold than the 100 mm lens, at least high magnifications.

As the other responders have said, you may need a tripod or lighting to get small enough apertures for a reasonable dof. Even in bright sun there is frequently not enough light for small apertures at fast enough shutter speeds. With a flash as the main light you can shoot up to the sync speed of the camera.

Brian A.

I ALWAYS handhold with my 100macro... I don't like to have haul a tripod chasing down butterflies. But, I don't do as close-up stuff as some do.

No flash, handheld:



Camera model: Canon EOS 40D
Flash used: No
Focal length: 100.0mm (35mm equivalent: 936mm)
Exposure time: 0.0040 s (1/250)
Aperture: f/5.0
ISO equiv.: 100

This one is a crop, also no flash and handheld:



Camera model: Canon EOS 40D
Flash used: No
Focal length: 100.0mm (35mm equivalent: 942mm)
Exposure time: 0.0010 s (1/1000)
Aperture: f/3.5
ISO equiv.: 100

I suppose it just depends on what one wants to do with it.

--
~ Lydia
Life is good... even when it's not.

Great response! Thank you all for the replies. I will plan on getting a flash and a tripod down the line for dedicated macro work. Yet, I am happy to see that the lens would still be functional with the build-in flash and my monopod..

I am trying to find the optimal photo setup to carry around during my fieldwork (as an ecologist), and it seems like 100mm macro will be a keeper.

Are there any specialty filters that would be required for macro photography? Does a UV filter distort the image at macro distances? How about a circular polarizer, does it come handy for taking the reflection off of shiny insects on shiny leaves, or is it redundant at such close distances?

Thanks again for sharing your expertise..

I'm hardly a long term macro user but I have had some success hand holding with the 100mm macro, even at 1:1 using f/2.8. One trick I use to over come focus accuracy and a very shallow depth of field is to use the multiple shot mode. That way the natural waver in your body will move the focus plane back and forth slightly. Usually one of the shots will have the focus plane were you want it.

Cheers,
Finn.

arpat said:

Great response! Thank you all for the replies. I will plan on getting
a flash and a tripod down the line for dedicated macro work. Yet, I
am happy to see that the lens would still be functional with the
build-in flash and my monopod..

Click to expand...

At times I have used a monopod, but IMHO the flexibility of shooting hand held outweighs the advantages of greater stability a monopod provides.

arpat said:

I am trying to find the optimal photo setup to carry around during my
fieldwork (as an ecologist), and it seems like 100mm macro will be a
keeper.

Click to expand...

I have a 50mm macro and a 150mm macro. Not to say the 50 does not have advantages, but for fieldwork the 150 would always be my choice. The reason is that the working distance provided by the 150 is so much greater.

The biggest problem most folks have shooting bugs is getting close to them. There is a huge difference between having to get the front of the lens 4 inches(maybe closer) from the bug as opposed to a foot from the bug.

arpat said:

Are there any specialty filters that would be required for macro
photography? Does a UV filter distort the image at macro distances?
How about a circular polarizer, does it come handy for taking the
reflection off of shiny insects on shiny leaves, or is it redundant
at such close distances?

Click to expand...

Part of the problem with shooting with a flash is it is not so easy to reflections before the flash goes off. I dont use any filters on mine, but lots of this is shooting style.

Some folks do use a CU filter and I have had good luck with them. The gold standard seems to be the Canon 500D and the Nikon 6T. I have used both and find little to choose between the two, except the filter size. The 500D is a bigger one so it works on bigger lens, while the 6T fits smaller lens. Of course a setpup/step down ring could be used, and might be needed in any case.

arpat said:

Thanks again for sharing your expertise..

Click to expand...

--
Those who forget history are condemned to go to summer school.

If your plan is to take shots of insects or moving objects, then you'll find using a tripod difficult. A monopod will be earier to work with. Hand-held and using a flash will allow for greater depth of field and a move 'hand-haldable' shutter speed.

If your aim is to generally shoot plants, flowers or more static objects, then I suggest you use a sturdy tripod - with cable release, mirror lockup, 3-way head, angle finder, rotatable tripod mount, often a gold-color reflector and a diffusor to block out hard contrast of direct sunlight.

The main advantage I've found in using a tripod is that it allows time for composition. I pay far more attention to the foreground and background as well as shadows, depth of field and focus plane than in the 'old days' when I hand-held my camera. I often need 20 minutes of more to find the best setup. Can't hand hold that long.

Some tripods allow the center column to reversed with the camera mounted upside down in order to get closer to the ground. I've never found enjoyment with a center column. I've had mine removed and made sure that the tripod legs spread completely in order to get as low as possible to the ground.

I've tried shooting bees, butterflies and other insects with my 100/2.8 macro and have found a monopod very useful. I've used my tripod only in the early September mornings when shooting dragonflies perched on long grassy stems. But as soon as the sun rises, that opportunity is over.

In my analog past I used a 50mm macro lens. I found the working distance too close to the subject. Either I cast a shaodw over the flower or quickly scared away any insects. With my 100 macro I can keep a more comfortable distance. I'll probably pick up a 150 or 180mm macro lens some day in order to increase the working distance and also blurr the background more - I prefer shallow depth of field.
--
Mike Baginy

.. almost all the time. I am usually shooting insects or the centres of flowers blowing in the wind, and a tripod would be unworkable in this situation. As others have said - use flash so as to enable small apertures (f11-f16) to get a reasonable depth of field (fractions of millimeters on the MP-E at high magnifications) I use the MR14EX ringflash on the MP-E65 and 5D and a 550EX with the 180L and the 1DmkIII. My friend shoots with a 150 Sigma on a 30D and has good success with the onboard flash. Of course neither of my bodies have onboard flash so I need external units. When I was using the Tamron 90 macro, a 220EX flash unit gave sufficient light, but the longer working distance of the 180L requires the use of the 550EX. If you shoot in manual focus, you get used to setting the magnification you want with the focus ring and then kind of "rocking" backwards and forwards to get the plane of focus where you want it. Practice teaches you when to hit the shutter button to catch the subject "going through" the plane of focus.....if that makes sense?

of course it is posible to hand hold with the canon 100 macro and no flash.

...but it depends on what you are shooting, the light, shutter speed etc. when I can I use a tripod and remote shutter release as well as mirror lock-up.

here are some of mine with a 20D hand held.

http://www.pbase.com/llukee/image/67844492

http://www.pbase.com/llukee/image/68275923

http://www.pbase.com/llukee/image/79453868

http://www.pbase.com/llukee/image/82637105

http://www.pbase.com/llukee/image/81625374

Used a 430EX flash, off to the side on a bracket. This shot was done from the top of a ladder. No tripod possible!

Some folks (like myself) can handhold the 100 even with teleconverters on it quite well. The 60mm would be even easier. Here is a handheld shot with a sigma 180mm and a 2xTC (on a 20D).



--
Happy shooting,
Mark
http://www.mplonsky.com/photo

I love that first shot, Lydia! Orange is my favorite color. But that's not the only reason for my statement - a really fine shot!
--
Mike Baginy