What's in Your Bag
The salesman at Green Mountain Camera recommended the Canon 100mm macro. We also talked over the Tamron and Sigma lenses but I'm on a fixed income now. I bought a used quantaray 18-200mm is lense this spring and it does well. I have a new canon sx10 camera with the 20x zoom now. I've been using the super macro setting and have had good luck with it. The 20x zoom has been real handy. I use the rebel for everything between macro and 20x.
I have never used them, but I have spoken with folks who have used the screw on macro lenses (they screw on the front of the lens like a filter) and I understand they work reasonably well. They are relatively inexpensive.
The Canon SX does an admirable job. But in my view, you are giving up a lot in creative control. With flower closeups, I always recommend a tripod and playing around a lot with different apertures. I also fiddle around with off-camera flash, trying different lighting angles. If you have a diffuser (or an old piece of cheesecloth or a sheet or something, you can often get interesting (or if the light is too bright -- better) results. Also, using some foil (gold, if you can get it) as a reflector, directing the sunlight around on the subject will often yield pleasing results.
When I find a good subject, it is not unusual for me to crawl around on my hands, knees, and even belly, for hours in the same area.
The Canon SX does an admirable job. But in my view, you are giving up a lot in creative control. With flower closeups, I always recommend a tripod and playing around a lot with different apertures. I also fiddle around with off-camera flash, trying different lighting angles. If you have a diffuser (or an old piece of cheesecloth or a sheet or something, you can often get interesting (or if the light is too bright -- better) results. Also, using some foil (gold, if you can get it) as a reflector, directing the sunlight around on the subject will often yield pleasing results.
When I find a good subject, it is not unusual for me to crawl around on my hands, knees, and even belly, for hours in the same area.
Last edited by Andy on Wed Jun 17, 2009 11:23 am, edited 1 time in total.
Andy
If it sounds too good to be true, its probably . . . .
If it sounds too good to be true, its probably . . . .
I wasn't sure what kind of hike it would have been at the Bog so I didn't bring the big tripod. My niece borrowed my light weight tripod for a trip. I got to get that back. I'm not in a big hurry to buy a macro right now. Them problem is no one has the sigma or tamron lenses on hand so I can't look them over before I buy any of them. The one thing I can do is too examine all of my photos and see what works.