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FZ200 macro photography tips?
- Thread starter jtuccil
- Start date
nicodimus22
Senior Member
-The focal range is approximately 13-19 inches from the subject. If you stay more towards the far end, and use zoom, you'll get better bokeh.
-DOF is a big consideration, because it gets so thin with macro. Experiment and get a feel for how deep it is at different apertures.
-Don't bother using the Conversion>C setting in the menu.
-Make sure that the focus mode switch on the barrel of the camera is set to macro.
-Focus works best using 1-Area focus, with the smallest focus box possible. To change the size of the box, press the focus button on the left side of the barrel. You will see the box turn yellow on the display. Then, use the thumb wheel on the back right of the camera to make the box as small as it will go, then push it in like a button to set that size. Please note that it will stay that way until you power off the camera, and you will need to do this each time you turn it on. A small price to pay to make sure your focus is good.
-To eliminate camera shake, use a tripod or mini tripod, and either the camera's self-timer or a remote shutter release. If you have to shoot handheld, there are ways to minimize shake. Place your left hand on your right shoulder, and then rest the camera on top of your left elbow, using your right hand to press the shutter release. Focus on the subject, exhale, and then press the button. This is a very stable way of doing handheld that gets really good results.
-If it's a windy day and your subject is moving around a lot, you may need to switch to shutter mode and go with 1/250 or faster to freeze your subject with no blur.
-You may find that you get good results using fill flash (preferably with a diffuser.) I don't use it that often, but it's worth experimenting with.
Nick (gardenersassistant) has a ton of excellent information posted
http://www.dpreview.com/search/forums?query=gardenersassistant&forum=1033
Also, take a look in Yuki's weekly macro thread - Lots of excellent samples and people who will discuss their images...and yours
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Sherm
http://www.flickr.com/photos/32989985@N07/sets/
http://www.dpreview.com/search/forums?query=gardenersassistant&forum=1033
Also, take a look in Yuki's weekly macro thread - Lots of excellent samples and people who will discuss their images...and yours
--
Sherm
http://www.flickr.com/photos/32989985@N07/sets/
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Jtuccil,
You will get much good advice on this forum, and I see that it has already begun.
My personal preference is to set anything named "Intelligent____" or "i______" to off. I prefer using straight aperture priority with either macro auto focus or manual focus. Manual focus is straightforward on the FZ200. Move the selector switch to "M" and operate focus with the nearby button. Do not be shy about using wide ranges of focal length and aperture. At the long end of the focal range, be prepared to be about 1 meter from your subject.
Be careful of the camera settings for Noise Reduction and Sharpening. These corrections tend to be heavy handed on FZ200.
A tip from experience: I wear a light colored cap with a bill. The underside of the bill is flat black -- works similar to an old fashioned black focusing cloth.
Good luck,
David Dollevoet
You will get much good advice on this forum, and I see that it has already begun.
My personal preference is to set anything named "Intelligent____" or "i______" to off. I prefer using straight aperture priority with either macro auto focus or manual focus. Manual focus is straightforward on the FZ200. Move the selector switch to "M" and operate focus with the nearby button. Do not be shy about using wide ranges of focal length and aperture. At the long end of the focal range, be prepared to be about 1 meter from your subject.
Be careful of the camera settings for Noise Reduction and Sharpening. These corrections tend to be heavy handed on FZ200.
A tip from experience: I wear a light colored cap with a bill. The underside of the bill is flat black -- works similar to an old fashioned black focusing cloth.
Good luck,
David Dollevoet
gardenersassistant
Veteran Member
And excellent advice it is too. As well as practising to get a feel for the depth of field at various apertures, I would suggest a couple of other experiments to see what works for you.
One is to try hand held at various shutter speeds, and see how slow you can go and still get good results at least some of the time (particularly with flowers, and often with other subjects, you may be able to take multiple shots, and what you are looking for is at least one which is sharp enough for your purposes). What shutter speed you can use depends on how much zoom/magnification you are using, so you'll need to be aware of that when working out what shutter speeds work for you.
Another thing to try (which I use all the time with flowers, and quite a lot with insects etc when the subject stays still long enough to let me) is to try different angles on the subject and watch the background carefully to see if you can find a combination of subject and background that work nicely together.
For example, here is a photo some people quite liked when I posted it at another site, and a couple of them commented about the background. I remember working quite hard to find an angle that seemed to work nicely.
And here are a couple of photos that pick up on nicodimus' points about apertures, dof and blurry backgrounds.
The flower is nicely in focus in the first one. In the second one only some of the flower is in focus, but the background looks very different. Something in between might have been better. But it all depends on your personal taste as to what looks nice, so experimenting is a very good move. Experiment with apertures, shutter speeds, ISOs, flash, diffusers, backgrounds, tripod, hand-held, JPEG, RAW and more; it all helps, in my experience. Little by little you get a better feel for how these things work, how they affect one another, and what combinations of them you like. And experiment with different subjects, times of day and light (sunny, overcast, out in the open, in the shade, with light pooling down through foliage, reflecting off water etc etc).
And like I said, it's not just flowers when it comes to backgrounds (and composition). I quite like this sort of effect, where there's a bit of stuff going on in the background.
But some others think that sort of background is distracting, and would prefer a plainer background more like this.
And a lot of people aren't interested in this sort of photo either way, because they are only really interested in having a good close look at the subject, something more like this perhaps.
Although even that isn't close enough for a lot of people, who want to see all the wonderful details of parts of the subjects, like a fly's eye.
Here are a couple more photos where I like how the subject and background work together, but I'm sure loads of people wouldn't take a second look at either of them.
It's what you like that matters. It may take you some time to find out just what you do like to work with and achieve in the world of the small. There are so many options, alternatives, avenues, techniques, subjects, styles etc.
The first three photos in this post were captured with a Canon dSLR, the rest with an FZ200, which is what I usually use for insects, spiders etc, and quite often for flowers too. With and without add-on lenses, the FZ200 is a terrific instrument for closeups. Happy hunting. And may your experiments be fruitful.
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Nick
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ysal
Veteran Member
When I first started shooting macro, I stuck with P mode adjusting the ISO depending on the light condition, which is typically between 100 and 400. On very bright days, I sometimes use flash to eliminate harsh shadows. I never use a tripod when shooting bugs because they simply move around too much and I can't keep up with a tripod. But I always use the burst mode and shoot tons of images of each subject (if the subject stays put, I will shoot 15 to 20 or more shots of one subject) and I usually end up with 1 or 2 keepers. As Nico wrote, always use center AF with the small AF area setting. Find a good working distance that works for you. I think the 500D has the same magnification as my LC-55 which case I like to stay 12 - 20 inches from my subject. The further back you are and more you zoom in, you get stronger bokeh (blurry background) which isolates you subject nicely.
Its really all about practice and shoot as many as you can. Once you get comfortable, you can start experimenting with other settings.
I assume you are using the adapter tube? If you are attaching the 500D directly to your lens, some of these advice may not apply.
Please visit my weekly Monday Macro/Closeup thread and ask for camera settings and other advice, everyone's happy to help!
Its really all about practice and shoot as many as you can. Once you get comfortable, you can start experimenting with other settings.
I assume you are using the adapter tube? If you are attaching the 500D directly to your lens, some of these advice may not apply.
Please visit my weekly Monday Macro/Closeup thread and ask for camera settings and other advice, everyone's happy to help!
photojoe55
Leading Member
Hi, did you download, or install the Advanced User's Guide from the Disc, onto your computer? You will need it there for quick access. The FZ200 has an extreme amount of menu settings. I'll be bringing mine to a Print Shop that will make it into a book. They cost about $50.00 to have it done, or you can print it yourself, if you can print on both sides. You will use a full cartridge of ink, or more. It will be worth it though. There are many movies on Youtube, most are made by Graham Houghton, but not all his settings are ideal, so stick with the basics with his work. You've got a great camera there, treat it well. It is quite amazing. Good Luck with it. ... Joe
gardenersassistant
Veteran Member
kkardster
Forum Pro
When shooting macro with close-up lenses, the focal plane can be quite thin - leaving only part of you subject truly in focus. Shrinking the aperture may increase the Depth of Field (DOF) enough to get more of your subject in focus.
nicodimus22
Senior Member
Wider/lower-numbered apertures give a smaller depth of field, meaning that your subject will be in focus, but the things behind or in front of it will be (nicely) blurred, so that nothing else competes for your eye other than the subject. That effect is known as 'bokeh,' If you use a narrower/higher-numbered aperture, there is less or no bokeh, and it doesn't look as pleasing to the eye.
As a note, when you get down to macro photography, the depth of field gets to be incredibly shallow to the point where if you're doing a macro shot of a ladybug, the ladybug's head might be in focus, but the body will fade into blurriness. So you really have to consider your subject and experiment to get the correct amount of whatever you are shooting in focus.
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"If I handed my 5-year old daughter my iPhone and asked her to take a picture of that, would your photo look any different from hers?" -Scott Kelby
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I believe I heard at some point that it's best to keep the FZ200 at 4.5 or larger (or something similar like that) for reasons that are beyond my understanding
Is that not really the case with macro? I have noticed that it is quite difficult to keep the entire subject in focus with the current apertures I've been using (3.5-4ish).
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