As a gear head, I had come to a full cycle. Chronologically, I started my digital gears from Lumix FZ30, Canon 40D, 5DMK2, 1DMK3, Lumix GF-1 and now Fuji X-10. As I was holding, admiring the beauty of my Fuji X-10 and pondering upon the gears that I had; I feel so light and refreshing. A feeling that has alluded me for a long time. The X-10 bridges the digital divide, fuses the classic nostalgic feeling of photography with state of the art technology. Hmmm, I like it.
Much has been said about the camera but I would like to also mention that Fuji X-10 is an interesting tool for macro photography that bring new photographic possibilities to you. Lets look at the following attributes and you can decide whether it make a lot of sense to use the X-10 for macro photography.
a) AF - hey man, AF (macro mode and super macro) works. Fast enough and accurate but I would not use it for action/ sports photography.
b) MF - just when I thought that the Fuji X-10 MF implementation was idiotic, I realised that AF is not fool proofed. You will need MF for certain scene and also for critical focussing. Two key techniques you can consider practicing is using the "Focus Aid Zoom In" function with the 'rocking' forward /backward focussing technique. This overcome the X-10 badly implemented command dial manual focus by wire which does not give you any tactile feel of focussing.
c) The sensor size. This is a gem, and inherently, the smaller sensor size gives a better Depth of Field.
d) Built in Flash system. It was said that Fuji has a very intelligent flash system, and I reckoned that the flash system is well implemented. By fixing a diffuser near the tip of the len and forcing the flash to fire (super macro mode not supported), exposure is usually quite good. This can be further enhanced for hand held photography when you set the camera exposure to manual (example setting: ISO 400, A=f/8 and t=250) and let the flash automation kicks in (similar to what I did with my Canon / ETTL Flash setup).
e) Compatibility with Raynox DCR150 via the Fuji lens hood (LH-X10). This partially overcome the limitation of the super macro mode (due to flash is disabled).
f) Above all, X-10 is like "Zen" ; simple and light.
"Studio Wasp"
Canon 5DMK2 + EF 100mm f/2.8 L IS USM Macro with Raynox DCR150 + 580EXII. Tips: I had to unlearn what I’d learned about shooting macro with tripod. Believe me, finding and focussing tiny moving target with the camera stuck on a tripod is a real pain and headache. How about shooting hand held + flash and manual focus? A technique I used is to set the lens to manual focus (set to minimum focus distance) and start rocking backward and forward to get the target in focus. I'm not suggesting that you tango around and look like a fool. 'Rock' slowly and when the target is in focus, fire a few shots continuously! I also prefer manual exposure for consistency especially for flash photography. The E-TTL flash does the magic here, so try to use it when possible. The E-TTL flash exposes the foreground automatically. PS: Do not get me wrong, if you can use a tripod and track a moving target, it would be optimal but for me it is hard and just me! Another thing to mention is this shot was taken in broad daylight and the fact that the background is dark is because I used a small aperture (large f #), fast shutter speed and E-TTL flash. The E-TTL exposed the foreground (the hornet) and aperture/shutter speed combo kept the background under exposed. You got the idea of "Studio Hornet...eh.. Wasp" now?
Bangkok
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Monday, October 11, 2010
New Skool and Old Skool
Aw, come on... There are many ways or means to an end. No right way, no wrong way, and just your own way. Just remember to review and refine your way as you try it out and improvise. I'm not a techie but I adore hi-tech stuff and I do harness technology to improve my chances of capturing 'good' images. Contrary to usual proper macro techniques, I seldom use a tripod becos I love shooting insects more than flowers. And insects do move! I use high ISO like ISO 800 up to ISO 1250 to capture most of my macro images. Yes, AF and handheld which is why I love my 100mm f2.8L IS USM Macro lens so much. That is me with my way and popping those E-TTL flash to increase my chances of a keeper. Just remember to keep your flash diffused and off the camera.
(PS: when you plan to do focus stacking, tripod is a must!) Update: When the above setup is complemented with a monopod, the keepers dramatically increases!
(PS: when you plan to do focus stacking, tripod is a must!) Update: When the above setup is complemented with a monopod, the keepers dramatically increases!
Sunday, October 10, 2010
My Macro Gears (not an arms race)
Bodies
Canon EOS 1DMk3 (prefered) 1.3 crop
Or
Canon EOS 5DMk2 (Full Frame)
Or
Lumix DMC FZ30 (when I feel like travelling light)
Or
Fuji X-10
--------------------------------------------
Lenses
Canon EF100mm f/2.8L IS USM MACRO (1:1)
Zeiss Makro-Planar T* 50mm f/2 ZE(1:2)
Zeiss Makro-Planar T* 100mm f/2 ZE
LUMIX GF-1 + LEICA 45mm F2.8 DG-MACRO ELMARIT (2:1 35mm equivalent)(MFT)
Raynox DCR-150
--------------------------------------------
Flash System
Speedlite 430EX
Speedlite 580EXII
Speedlite 270EX
--------------------------------------------
Light Modifier
SpectraLight (this original one cost almost 2.5 x more than the chiong one)
Lumiquest Pocket Bouncer
Omnibounce for my 430EX and 580EXII (chiong one)
--------------------------------------------
Tripod
Manfrotto 190xprob + 486RC2 Ballhead
Benro C-1681EX Mg Carbon Fiber Tripod
Benro B1 Ball Head
Well, I did not use tripod yet (yucks and lazy on my part), pictures are taken mostly handheld and I shall attempt with a monopod next time.
Yes, I tried the Benro monopod (convertable) on 30 Oct. It really improves your hit rate.
Accesorries
Fotopro Dual Flash Mount Arm
Velbon Super Mag Slider
Pocket Wizard mini TT1 and Flex TT5
OC-E3 Canon remote off shoe cord
Kenko DG Teleplus Extension Tube Set
Raynox DCR 150
To be acquired: Wimberly Plamp
Canon EOS 1DMk3 (prefered) 1.3 crop
Or
Canon EOS 5DMk2 (Full Frame)
Or
Lumix DMC FZ30 (when I feel like travelling light)
Or
Fuji X-10
--------------------------------------------
Lenses
Canon EF100mm f/2.8L IS USM MACRO (1:1)
Zeiss Makro-Planar T* 50mm f/2 ZE(1:2)
Zeiss Makro-Planar T* 100mm f/2 ZE
LUMIX GF-1 + LEICA 45mm F2.8 DG-MACRO ELMARIT (2:1 35mm equivalent)(MFT)
Raynox DCR-150
--------------------------------------------
Flash System
Speedlite 430EX
Speedlite 580EXII
Speedlite 270EX
--------------------------------------------
Light Modifier
SpectraLight (this original one cost almost 2.5 x more than the chiong one)
Lumiquest Pocket Bouncer
Omnibounce for my 430EX and 580EXII (chiong one)
--------------------------------------------
Tripod
Manfrotto 190xprob + 486RC2 Ballhead
Benro C-1681EX Mg Carbon Fiber Tripod
Benro B1 Ball Head
Well, I did not use tripod yet (yucks and lazy on my part), pictures are taken mostly handheld and I shall attempt with a monopod next time.
Yes, I tried the Benro monopod (convertable) on 30 Oct. It really improves your hit rate.
Accesorries
Fotopro Dual Flash Mount Arm
Velbon Super Mag Slider
Pocket Wizard mini TT1 and Flex TT5
OC-E3 Canon remote off shoe cord
Kenko DG Teleplus Extension Tube Set
Raynox DCR 150
To be acquired: Wimberly Plamp
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