2nd try - D50 help with DOF please..

[Eatlard]

I finally settled on a Nikon D50 and a Sigma 70 - 300 Lense with Macro ability.

 

I've been out having a play and am finding it difficult to get a certain area all in focus at once. Its hard to explain so I thought I'd just post a couple of pics taken on the Sigma lense with the macro option on. My question is how do i expand the area in focus? I took alot of shots of the Damselfly and I think I got 1 where the entire insect was in focus.

 

Re-reading that perhaps I should explain more. As you probably guessed Im new to this . Using the damselfly picture as example - there was no way I could get the entire insect in focus without backing right out, it seemed I had a very small focusable area that was smaller even than the damselfly. This doesn't really make sense to me as although it's the macro function I'm using, the area in which I can focus in relation to the frame as a whole is very small. The booklet that came with the camera is next to useless btw, very basic. I'm thinking i need to increase my Depth Of Field - which is a function that the camera doesnt have a button for (I know some do). I guess I'm asking how I attain this using the settings I can control.

 

 

Any help greatly appreciated

 

No fun attaching the pictures so I've uploaded elsewhere, hopefully this will behave

 

 

and

 

Edited May 30, 2006 by Eatlard

[Guest CJS2]

You have used the magic word, depth of field. Now I'm not an expert, but I believe, as I understand it, in macro, the lens is at full telephoto mode, and works using a large aperture, a large aperture = very short depth of field. Hence all macro shots that I have seen on this forum display what you are complaining about, only 'centimeters' of depth of field. The trick is having the bit in focus that is the center point of you picture and using the out of focus areas as a background to draw the eye to the in focus area. Nothing wrong with the camera, same happens on them all, if macro is used.

 

There is no magic button, it is a function of the lens and it macro facility, this short depth of field will become less as you reduce the telephoto down to the wider angle of the lens and select or allow the camera to select a smaller aperture. I believe 'depth of field' is even a problem with a microscope? The depth of field button you refer to is nothing more than a preview button, press it and you can see what is in focus at a selected smaller aperture, as SLR's use the widest aperture to view through until you press the shutter button, then the lens closes to selected aperture and the shutter fires, cleaver a Macro is near or full open I believe?

 

Getting the bit you want in focus, thats down to experience, keep at it.

 

You need to a read of a good old fashioned 'how to' photographic book. It will explain all about aperture size, shutter speed, ISO's, long and wide angle lens, and their relationship to each other. Ignore the bit about dark rooms, thats old hat?

 

Thats my best understanding, any one got any more enlightenment for 'Eatlard' ?

 

Edited May 30, 2006 by CJS2

[Eatlard]

CJS2,

 

Many thanks for thye reply, it's starting to make more sense. The lense is "locked" at almost max for the macro function to work and I found this morning that the lense itself has a "locked " setting of F22 which I may play around with a bit to see what happens.

 

I certainly could use a decent book, looks like next stop is Amazon. Any books you can recommend?

 

Thanks again

 

Eatlard.

[Huge_Vitae]

I finally settled on a Nikon D50 and a Sigma 70 - 300 Lense with Macro ability.

Is your problem, I know little about Digital but presuming that similarities exist with "Wet" photography you expect too much for a lens so diverse.

 

Best Lenses are designed for single purposes, and you get what you pay for.

 

Years ago on my F4 Nikon I had a Tamron 90 Macro which was quite good costing about £100, it was however, outperformed by a Nikon 'Micro' cost about £2,000

 

Generally a lens is at its best "quality' at F8 either side of that shows a loss of image quality, this is to keep manufacturing costs down as only part of the lens is ground to high quality, you have to remember that Nikon became good by producing cheap

 

The smaller the aperature the greater the depth of field.

 

Depth of field is also proportionate to lens length, more zoom less DoF, wider angle more DoF.

 

lens length also affects perspective, longer the lens more 'flatter' the image.

 

If you want to get into macro I would suggest you try get hold of a Tamron macro, I think they were called SP90 or similar.

 

hope this helps.

 

PS. I still have a darkroom

[Clifftop]

Is your problem, I know little about Digital but presuming that similarities exist with "Wet" photography you expect too much for a lens so diverse.

 

Best Lenses are designed for single purposes, and you get what you pay for.

 

Years ago on my F4 Nikon I had a Tamron 90 Macro which was quite good costing about £100, it was however, outperformed by a Nikon 'Micro' cost about £2,000

 

Generally a lens is at its best "quality' at F8 either side of that shows a loss of image quality, this is to keep manufacturing costs down as only part of the lens is ground to high quality, you have to remember that Nikon became good by producing cheap

 

The smaller the aperature the greater the depth of field.

 

Depth of field is also proportionate to lens length, more zoom less DoF, wider angle more DoF.

 

lens length also affects perspective, longer the lens more 'flatter' the image.

 

If you want to get into macro I would suggest you try get hold of a Tamron macro, I think they were called SP90 or similar.

 

hope this helps.

 

PS. I still have a darkroom

 

 

well turn the light on mate.

[Guest CJS2]

CJS2,

 

Many thanks for thye reply, it's starting to make more sense. The lense is "locked" at almost max for the macro function to work and I found this morning that the lense itself has a "locked " setting of F22 which I may play around with a bit to see what happens.

 

I certainly could use a decent book, looks like next stop is Amazon. Any books you can recommend?

 

Thanks again

 

Eatlard.

 

The locking you have noticed is simply the camera Auto setting holding it shut, f22 is a very small aperture setting, depeding on what you are asking the camera to do will depend on that final setting the camera selects, 'thats untill you go into manual'. The smaller numbers are the bigger apertures, I know, confusing or what?

 

As for books, sorry, I'm very much self taught, (who said 'it shows' lol)set, point, shoot and hope! In the days of film that was a very hit and miss way of doing things, although 'P auto' helped. The advent of digital (and AN photo) has changed all that, near instant view, has made my work much more consistant, wander around the garden, or home, shoot a few subjects, three or four shots of each on diferent settings, load onto the computer, bingo, instant view of the good bad and average, EXIF details help to work out what you did.

 

As I say thats my way. You may prefer the book rout, a combination is probaly the best?