new macro lense, time for some photos

[imisky]

im sure alot of us who are in this hobby has always dreamt of owning a macro lens sometime in there life time. I finally found the courage to jump in and grab one. I was on the market for a 2nd hand lens that was in mint condition and had 2 lenses in mind:

canon EF 100mm USM macro
sigma 150mm EX DG HSM macro

both are great cameras and my budget was $700

i finally found a sigma 150mm macro for $700 in mint condition, no scratches or anything and is only 10months old. thats close to $420 worth of saving if i was to buy retail and pay for a brand new + tax!! so i bought it instantly. and took a few pictures with it and WOW it is an amazing lens, much sharper imo than the canon EF 100mm, but it might just be me being crazy.

Sigma 150mm on my Canon XSi:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y298/imisky/IMGP6578.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y298/imisky/IMGP6574.jpg

some test shots:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y298/imisky/IMG_0714.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y298/imisky/IMG_0776.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y298/imisky/IMG_0778.jpg

[JOEL]

Pics look good I wish I had a lens like that.

[sphelps]

Very nice pictures and lens. I have the same one for my Nikon but I got it new for just over $800 from Dons Photo, must have been on sale I guess.

It's a pretty strong macro and you need a tripod most of the time to get a good DOF.

[Lance]

Nice pics! I want one.

[imisky]

Very nice pictures and lens. I have the same one for my Nikon but I got it new for just over $800 from Dons Photo, must have been on sale I guess.

It's a pretty strong macro and you need a tripod most of the time to get a good DOF.

The lenses nowadays seems to be getting more and more expensive, i remember a year ago the Canon EF 100mm was only $500 and its $700 without taxes. you would expect things to drop in price a little due to the recession but the photography business seems to be pushing the new highs for lens prices..cant wrap my head around it still.

those test shots were taking without a tripod and the results surprised me, although you can def see some blur in the image it isnt bad for a 150mm macro lens that does not have any VR (nikon) /IS (canon)

im going to try and get a few more shots tonight and play around with the lens a bit more later will keep you guys updated.

[sphelps]

Yeah they aren't bad for starting with that lens, but you'll want to use a tripod for these kind of intense macros. You'll want to decrease your aperture to at least 5.6 or until your DOF covers the majority of the frame. If you're too lazy to use a tripod (like me) try using the shade and resting it against the glass. This will allow for a slower speed. You're also a little under exposed which resulted from shooting in shutter speed priority which maxed out your aperture, try aperture priority instead.

If you're still having trouble with DOF you can try a focus stacking technique which involves stacking multiple pictures at different focus points together. I gave it a try a little while ago and had good results, these were made from 7 separate images:

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a174/sphelps/Corals/12.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a174/sphelps/Corals/08-12-21_175959_MA_R8_S4.jpg

You just have to be a little careful because the stacking does seem to create some over exposed areas. These could be fixed with a little layer blending in photoshop.

[imisky]

those are nice pictures,

I'll give those ideas a try, i will give Av mode a try as i heard from a few others that Av is the mode to use for macros :)

When you say stacking photos, do you mean using HDR? -2, 0, +2 or using custom white balance to try and capture all the colors.

[sphelps]

Focus stacking is different from HDR. You take multiple pictures at different focus points not exposures. You can then combine the pictures using a program like Helicon Focus to produce an unlimited DOF.

[imisky]

ill give the photo stacking a try later always willing to learn something new :)

meanwhile i took a few more pictures, imo they are decent but theres always room for improvement.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y298/imisky/IMG_0871.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y298/imisky/IMG_0864.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y298/imisky/IMG_0859.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y298/imisky/IMG_0869.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y298/imisky/IMG_0873.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y298/imisky/IMG_0877.jpg

[subman]

I think they look amazing!

[lastlight]

I had planned to get the 105 VR for my nikon but now you really have me wondering! Though I want to shoot portaits too...the VR is nice.

[imisky]

I had planned to get the 105 VR for my nikon but now you really have me wondering! Though I want to shoot portaits too...the VR is nice.

lenses with stabilizing is always a welcome in photography, it would make it much easier for you to take photos of your tank or portraits much quicker without the use of a tripod. I think if the 105mm working distance works for you go with it as most macro lenses on the market are all good lenses considering alot of zoom lenses made are crap imo.

the sigma 150mm macro works great but definitely needs a tripod for 1:1 as any shake creates a blurry image and you cant really use it for portraits but its definitely one of the best marcos for the price range ive tested. that includes the canon 60mm and 100mm macros.

[imisky]

the tri color close up...omg this coral has to be the hardest coral to take a picture of to show its 3 colors....

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y298/imisky/IMG_0857.jpg