CactiGuide.com

I wanted to share some macro photos of cacti that I took, maybe some other people could also share their photos and equipment that they use as it's interesting to know what other people use to take photos.

Here are some of my photos, I use a Canon EOS 60D and a 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens, and I reverse the lens to achieve macro.
I hope you like them!

Very nice,especially the E.adustus.

Thanks Alber khan

Nice.
Looks like you are getting some pretty decent magnification there just running a reversed lens.
I tend to either just slap a set of extension tubes behind the lens, depeding on the lens I can get up towards 1.7:1 magnification. Or if I want to go absolutely overkill break out an old bellows setup with a 50mm lens, that one will go beyond 3:1 magnification but the depth of field is razor thin to say the least.

Unfortunately it seems my camera is going funny on me now so we'll see how much I can photograph in the near future

Yeah I was surprised when I first tried it, I might buy some extension tubes soon, might not get as much magnification but it will be easier to use. That's the problem I always have with macro, the focusing is always a pain, even on my usual setting of around f/16 I find it very hard handheld.

Bad luck, I hope it can be sorted!

The problem at higher magnifications can be diffraction, when you can no longer use the smaller apertures for depth of field but need to open up the lens to sharper apertures, then the depth of field is so small the only answer is focus stacking.

http://www.discoverdigitalphotography.c ... ffraction/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutori ... graphy.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Of course we can often get away with smaller apertures for Web posting due to the low resolution of computer screens than we can for higher resolution prints, where diffraction effects will show much quicker:-

http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2013/03 ... tekaphobia" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Yeah that is a problem Dave, although I've never actually really noticed it in my photos, I'm sure it's there. Unfortunately I neither have the software or equipment, like a tripod head allowing me to make very small movements forwards or backwards, to do focus stacking.

Also thanks for the links, I will have a read through them

As they say with all things that can be demonstrated in the laboratory, "if you can't see it in your day to day photography, don't worry about it!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nw03yP-5vZs" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If your photography is intended for the web you will probably not be troubled much with diffraction effects down to about 2x magnification due to the computer screens poor resolution.

http://ophrysphotography.co.uk/pages/tu ... action.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Depends what magnification you work at of course and the quality of the lens:-

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/phot ... macro.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I suppose that is true I haven't had to worry about it yet so hopefully I won't need to any time soon! I'm not sure what magnification the reversed lens achieves but I'm pretty sure it's not too high to be a serious problem.

Once again thanks for the links!

Speaking of macro photography, here's a subject you really dont want to find anywhere near your property......as in my case in my own backyard.

Yikes, definitely not something you want! luckily the worst thing here in England are black ants, we have a couple of nests under out front path which get annoying when they all fly out but that's probably nothing compared to what your little pests could do!

JamesEG wrote:Yikes, definitely not something you want! luckily the worst thing here in England are black ants, we have a couple of nests under out front path which get annoying when they all fly out but that's probably nothing compared to what your little pests could do!

Give me the ants any day, James. What I don't want are red spider mites, mealies, sciara flies and slugs and snails in that order. Oh, I have also had problems with mice nibbling the plants on occasion, and usually only the Lophos!

Steve

Think I could live with things nibbling my plants, it's when they potentially have started nibbling on my house already that I get cold sweats!
Got a pest control company coming in Friday to find out if I'm screwed or not

SnowFella wrote:Think I could live with things nibbling my plants, it's when they potentially have started nibbling on my house already that I get cold sweats!
Got a pest control company coming in Friday to find out if I'm screwed or not

Obviously you are correct, Snowfella, that would tend to focus your thinking! So what is that creature, some type of woodworm?

Steve

Termites presumably?:-

http://www.orkin.com/termites/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

They even construct tubes to reach timber so they don't have to come out into the daylight:-

http://www.doityourselftermitecontrol.c ... tions.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.aacutepestcontrol.com/termite_tubes.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;