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Mantide β Macro configuration
Published: 2009-01-24 08:18:41 +0000 UTC; Views: 2400; Favourites: 29; Downloads: 54
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Macro configurationRelated content
Comments: 22
omfg and i though i could do macro with only a lens.. 
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How much do you think all that gear would cost?
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Inspiring
I'm using sigma's 180mm which I love, but I really need to invest in a geared head like yours. Now I have this ballhead which isn't really that good for macro work.
Also on my wishlist is practically everything else on the picture
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Geared head is perfect for macro, I advice you!
You can make very precise movements...
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That's exactly what I miss on my ballhead. Not precise enough
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Absolutely, the ballhead + sigma 180 must be extremely difficult!!
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Complicate, don't you loose spontaneity when you have to "run" after an insect with all that?
I took great shots (of dragonflies for exihibition, not on DA) only with my old Nikon D70 and Micro Nikkor 105mm VR even without a flash (ok, sometimes they are blurry and the depth of field is small but it's also an effect we can look for...)
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I forgot to tell you that i almost never use the flash
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I never used it but sometimes I think I should... do you know if insects see the flash, and if they are affraid and fly away ?
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Is rare that they are affraid
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You're perfectly right , the spontaneity and the artistic parts are loose, or is very rare to maintain them, with that heavy asset.
Indeed i'm always in doubt if i should go for details or spontaneity, to achieve the both of them isn't easy, though sometimes it could be done.
For detail you absolutely have to use the tripod, it depend on your taste, and the mood of the moment
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I don't use a tripod because it isn't easy to approach dragonflies and beacause I look for original angles (face, belowe...), but of course sharpness isn't always perfect...
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amazing setup....thank you for sharing that....
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hi Cecily,
Many would say it's macro photography when the scale is 1:1, in teory.
But nobody really make this kind of distinction anymore, when you take a shot of an insect, even if it is taken with a strong close-up (a dragonfly head for example) or from a bigger distance ( a butterfly on a flower complete with background) they all are normally definited as macro fro coonvenience.
However, this is a thing that should not worry you, the important thing is that you choose wisewly wich kind of camera buy.
I won't suggest you a compact, becouse even considering that with some of those you can come close within a centimeter to the subject, they don't have the same quality of detail as a reflex.
I 'd suggest you to buy a reflex with a 1:1 macro lence (it is very imortant the 1:1 quality of the lence)
You should need:
- one good reflex camera
- a long 1:1 lence (180 mm - 200mm)
- one tripod
- one remote control
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I was told, "No, a closeup photo taken with a standard lens would not be a macro photo. You could reverse a standard lens onto a camera, or reverse one lens onto another. But in the long run it's easier just to buy a real macro lens." (Refer to [link] ), but I found so many beautiful photos taken with a compact camera (such as from [link] ) under Macro category. Would you say they are in the wrong category?
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Sorry, I'd like to correct myself that the sample photos I referred to are not all from a compact, but just look like closeup pictures.
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Ouch, itβs embarrassing to give you wrong link (should be [link] )and my mix-ups between a closeup and macro picture.
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it will not disappoint you, it allow you also very low shoots.
it's light and not too big.
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thanks for showing, what I should buy
I'd like to see you with this equipment at low position (as I've checked, this tripod allows minimum hight of 11cms) shooting spider in the grass
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