New guy with a question: Auto Focus with Macro photography?

13 years 6 months ago #2169 by Gene.Culley
I just bought my first DSLR camera. It's a Nikon D90. I made the mistake of buying it as the body only. So when it came to me in the mail, my excitement of getting out and instantly taking photos was short lived. I went to a local camera shop and was recommended to buy this 105mm 2.8 lens. When I got home the more looking around I've done I've realized this lens is a very good lens for macro photography. So I have been trying to practice macro photography. I have the camera in aperture mode (is that good for macro?) and having problems with this auto focusing in the wrong spot I want. Am I doing something wrong, or should I turn the auto focus off and just manually focus?

Thank you in advance for the help.

Gene


Photo Comments
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13 years 6 months ago #2668 by Travel Nut

Gene.Culley wrote: I just bought my first DSLR camera. It's a Nikon D90. I made the mistake of buying it as the body only. So when it came to me in the mail, my excitement of getting out and instantly taking photos was short lived. I went to a local camera shop and was recommended to buy this 105mm 2.8 lens. When I got home the more looking around I've done I've realized this lens is a very good lens for macro photography. So I have been trying to practice macro photography. I have the camera in aperture mode (is that good for macro?) and having problems with this auto focusing in the wrong spot I want. Am I doing something wrong, or should I turn the auto focus off and just manually focus?

Thank you in advance for the help.

Gene


Hi Gene,

First off, welcome here. Second IMHO when shooting macro/close up shots I always turn off the automatic focus. The camera get's confused where to focus. Plus you can control the focus point better. Aperture is a good mode to shoot in when you want to control your depth of field. Hope this helps.


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13 years 6 months ago #2671 by e_r_b
Hi everyone,

Travel nut is correct. If your having a hard time on manual focus, try activating live view mode, this would make it easier for you to focus.

:cheer:


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13 years 6 months ago #3790 by Gene.Culley
Got it. Thanks for the advice that did work.


Photo Comments
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13 years 6 months ago #4200 by cbartlett800
How close are you getting to the subject in question? I have the Nikkor 60mm macro, and my auto focus works great for macro, though I rarely ever use it. Macros, any lens for that matter, usually have a very hard time focusing if you are too close to the subject. With a 105mm macro you should be able to stand several feet away from your subject and still get a stunning shot.


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13 years 6 months ago #4201 by Screamin Scott
Standing several feet away isn't going to result in a macro shot as the OP is trying to do...

Scott Ditzel Photography

www.flickr.com/photos/screaminscott/

Photo Comments
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13 years 6 months ago #4313 by cbartlett800
Part of the reason for getting a 105mm macro is so that you do not have to be inches away from your subject. Most macros still have a minimum focus distance of 12" unless you are spending a pretty penny for them. I have taken several great macro photos with my 60mm lens and I was not right up in the subjects "face".


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13 years 6 months ago #4319 by Nod
I would suggest that you set your metering to "spot" use manual focus and use the flash to fill in the dark spots.


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13 years 6 months ago - 13 years 6 months ago #4763 by jimbo
Manual focus is just the first step to get a great Macro.

Item 2 is a good tripod, which I use about 99% of the time. This will also allow greater depth of field if that is wanted. Results will be much sharper with a tripod, turn the VR to the off position with the tripod.


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