Macro Photography

[SixFooter]

I've spent hours on line looking at cameras as I'd like to have a go at taking portraits of my bees. I was initially amazed at how technical the reviews etc are, but I think I've settled on a Canon 60D. However; I have no idea which lenses to get.
There is a package that includes the camera with an 18-55mm lens and another that has an 18-135. A macro lens on top of this would take me into extreme online shopping, but I'm told an extension set for £200 will convert these lenses to macro lenses.

I'm a complete newbee to photography. Would the package lenses + extensions be a good bet?
I've seen some fantastic photos on the forum which have inspired me to have a go.

 

[Winker]

I've spent hours on line looking at cameras as I'd like to have a go at taking portraits of my bees. I was initially amazed at how technical the reviews etc are, but I think I've settled on a Canon 60D. However; I have no idea which lenses to get.
There is a package that includes the camera with an 18-55mm lens and another that has an 18-135. A macro lens on top of this would take me into extreme online shopping, but I'm told an extension set for £200 will convert these lenses to macro lenses.

I'm a complete newbee to photography. Would the package lenses + extensions be a good bet?
I've seen some fantastic photos on the forum which have inspired me to have a go.

That's a dammed good camera! A set of extension tubes would be the cheep way to go and you would get reasonability good results.

I have the canon 105mm macro lens and get these type of results:

But as i said a cheep lens and set of extension tubes can get close to the same results. On the down side you lose the functionality of your lens by using extension tubes.

Everyone gets caught up in pixel counts these days, but trust me you when I tell you that it’s the lens that counts more than the pixel crack everyone is addicted to. The 105 macro lens works great as a normal lens too for portraits, so your not just stuck with a piece of kit that’s only good for one job

I still use my 40d for quite a lot of my work, although I don't go anywhere without my 1Ds. I find the 40d and a good lens is all I need.

 

[BeeJayBee]

I think I've settled on a Canon 60D. However; I have no idea which lenses to get.

There is a package that includes the camera with an 18-55mm lens and another that has an 18-135. A macro lens on top of this would take me into extreme online shopping, but I'm told an extension set for £200 will convert these lenses to macro lenses.

If you choose to buy converters you will 'lose' shutter speed because they reduce the amount of light available to the lens by one or two stops. This means that without using additional sources of light, such as flash or reflectors, your pictures are more likely to be slightly blurry or too shallow a focal length.

Without checking the specs (I don't use Canon, so don't have these lenses) I think you would be better to buy the 18-135mm zoom, get used to it and see what you can achieve - I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Maybe buy the macro lens later, scour the second-hand sales to see what's available.

Can I also suggest you look at photography-dedicated forums such as Photo Camel http://photocamel.com/forum/ or DP Review http://www.dpreview.com/forums/ As well as having wildlife photography sections both also have for sale/wanted areas where members sell on unwanted lenses.

 

[RoofTops]

Don't forget to budget for the flash and a good tripod - although opportunistic shots of bees on comb probably don't need a tripod. You seem to be able to get ring flashes quite cheaply these days - although there are also some at eye-watering prices. Amazon have several for sale to suit all pockets, as they say.

 

[SixFooter]

Thanks All. It's encouraging that I'm not a million miles away. It's a lot of money, but it's taken me about 2 years to get to this point.

Fantastic picture; I think I can see her Organ of Johston.

 

[wondervet]

hoverfly taken with cheapo fixed lens canon A620 with extension tube. You can get great macro results with fixed lens cameras with a lot less expense, no hassle changing lenses and no dirt on sensor compared to interchangeable systems. Nikons are generally v good in this respect.

I've read that just about all of the available interchangeable macro lenses all are pretty good. Sigma 105 is relatively cheap and gives v nice sharp images -available in canon or nikon fit. Sigma 150 available with image stabilisation but (£500) more.

 

[wondervet]

forgot to say not quite so easy to get the nice shallow depth of field, blurry background with basic fixed lens cameras as they tend to have greater depth of field but this can be overcome with add-on tubes and lenses for a few ££.

 

[psafloyd]

That's a dammed good camera! A set of extension tubes would be the cheep way to go and you would get reasonability good results.

I have the canon 105mm macro lens and get these type of results:

But as i said a cheep lens and set of extension tubes can get close to the same results. On the down side you lose the functionality of your lens by using extension tubes.

Everyone gets caught up in pixel counts these days, but trust me you when I tell you that it’s the lens that counts more than the pixel crack everyone is addicted to. The 105 macro lens works great as a normal lens too for portraits, so your not just stuck with a piece of kit that’s only good for one job

I still use my 40d for quite a lot of my work, although I don't go anywhere without my 1Ds. I find the 40d and a good lens is all I need.

Winker, is that a prime 105mm lens? With my 40D, my prime 50mm becomes a tolerably good portrait lens. Though 105mm was the classic Canon portrait lens. Wish my A-1s could 'go digital'...

 

[Winker]

Winker, is that a prime 105mm lens? With my 40D, my prime 50mm becomes a tolerably good portrait lens. Though 105mm was the classic Canon portrait lens. Wish my A-1s could 'go digital'...

Yeah its the 105mm Prime, great lens sharp as it gets

 

[Nose Ma]

With bee photography like that - is propolis and other gunk a problem?

Should OP be thinking about some camera protection too if he's going to be opening up the hive to do a few shots?

I agree on the pixel count. Camera phones with ridiculous pixel counts still have an issue of physics with a tiny lens and next to no distance to the sensor.