COBRA MANTIS!!! (photos & video)
- Thread starter Precarious
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Precarious
Well-known member
Hmmm... That doesn't sound right to me. So even if you are focusing on the eyes specifically? I rarely shoot below f22 unless I'm purposefully trying to blur the background more. I used to shoot everything at f32 and still get good detail. I did tests a while back to see how much fuzzier detail gets at higher f and it was noticeable but not a deal-breaker. That's why I now shoot at f22 (ISO 100, 1/200-1/100 in Manual mode w/ MT-24ex flash).
I recently had my EF100 serviced because I was getting intermittent overexposure and I swear all my shots are now looking better, causing me to suspect it had issues from day one. Couldn't hurt to try someone else's EF100 and/or body just to see.
I skimmed your photos and you are obviously a pro so I'm sure you know what you're doing. I'm pretty much a novice. Got my first real camera in January. No idea if I'm doing something different than the norm other than using add-on diopters to increase magnification. 1:1 doesn't cut it for me and I can't afford an MP-E 65 (although I have a rental right now and it's pretty amazing beyond 4x). I do focus stack here and there and I'm pretty experienced with Photoshop. I don't know if that would make the difference or not. I'm pretty good at bringing out detail in post.
Precarious
Well-known member
I wonder if that Tamron 2X AF TeleConverter is causing the issue? It's not recommended for lenses over 50mm. Do some test shots with and without and let me know.
Thanks a lot for the information. I ran into this same thing a few years ago after seeing somebody else's 100mm Canon macro shots that they claimed they shot at a high f number and there was a lot of compound eye detail. I kind of put it out of my mind and didn't pursue it much because I really wasn't shooting insects during that period and it was plenty sharp for anything else. Now I'm really pretty upset at all the pictures I missed by not having enough dof....seriously. I will go test another one if I can and since the resale value is so high, maybe sell it on Ebay and buy another on Ebay and won't be out hardly anything. I don't know if I'd feel right selling it like that though, but I've been happy with it for years the way it is and have taken a lot of good shots with it. I'll let you know as soon as I test another one. Thanks again.
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I'm just using my lens and nothing else. I honestly almost forgot I even had that thing.
It's been years since it was used. I do use extension tubes once in awhile.
Precarious
Well-known member
No tubes used in these shots. Some are straight EF100. Others use a $20 Opteka 10x over the Canon 250 D. I shoot a lot of macro video so I did extensive testing of diopters since that's all that's available for camcorders. The Opteka is the only I've found that appears to be truly achromatic. Very slight aberration toward the extremes but the 250 D eliminates that. I highly recommend you pick one up. I've tried many at three times the cost that couldn't even compete.
That's a heck of a deal on that diopter. Ok, I just now woke up from being a total moron. I haven't been shooting super close much for quite awhile and I usually am zoomed out for a different kind of shot and a lot of the time need the lower f number for the background light. Being embarrassed for being stupid is a small price to pay to get back on track though. Thanks for the conversation and helping me out. I wasn't focused in far enough in my earlier pics to get the compound eye at higher than f20. Here's a snap I just now took between posts with 2 250's stacked on the end of my 100mm and focused probably around halfway. Pic is straight out of the camera, with zero done to it, so it's a little rough. F32 and plenty of compound eye and just look at the dof.
I'm posting this one to show the dof....compound eye showing in both eyes, this close, while mantis posing at a side view. http://www.scottcromwellphoto.com/Other/test-shot/18868653_fbNrsB#1462570642_QtqtDVZ-O-LB
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Precarious
Well-known member
Nice! That looks more like it.Pic is straight out of the camera, with zero done to it, so it's a little rough. F32 and plenty of compound eye and just look at the dof.
Yeah, macro is a whole other set of rules. I pretty much only know macro so I forget people use modes other than manual. I rely on the flash nearly exclusively for every shot 1:1 and closer. I use f mainly to control DoF since the flash catches the slack. You do lose a little sharpness the higher you go but that generally only becomes an issue if you are going beyond 3x and plan on doing a complex focus stack, in which case they suggest f14 or lower.
