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Macro (on Auto) technique question. P530

macro closeup p530 blur

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4 replies to this topic

#1
Marco772

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Hi,

 

I love to take close up photos with my P530 but seem to have about a 50/50 success rate. The failures are unusable but the successes can be very sharp indeed! 

As a result I tend to take LOTS of photos of any single subject to improve chances of success but, obviously, I would like to reduce this by picking up any handy tips I can! 

 

I have posted some examples of these extremes (hopefully) to illustrate what I mean.

What I'd really like to know is...are there tricks, and I'm mostly using Auto mode with the Macro enabled, to getting your subject in focus quickly. Sometimes it happens straight away and other times I can be half pressing the button a zillion times before the foreground subject will snap into focus. This can be quite frustrating and means I've missed out on some lovely shots in the past!

 

I know with a "proper" camera you can manual focus but I'm not sure if this is possible with my bridge camera?

 

Also, I'm aware for true macro I would need a DSLR and a dedicated macro lens but I simply don't have that sort of money at the moment. What I'm trying to find out is how to make the best of what I have and be able to achieve it more consistently.

 

I am particularly interested in the focussing issue as I find this very perplexing! 

 

Any advice (other than "buy a macro lens") will be gratefully received. :)

 

Thanks

Mark

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#2
Jerry_

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I don't know the possibilities of the P530, so take the following as a general proposal for the type of camera that you are using, and apply those supported by your camera:
- (general point) all lenses have a minimum distance for focussing. (You can find out about this parameter in your manual). If you are at the limit or below that distance, it won't be able to properly focus.
- (general point) sufficient light is always needed, as otherwise the shutter speed will be set too low for you or the object to move.
- considering that what you want to capture does not fill the whole picture, use only a couple (eventually centered) focus points
- insects (and even flowers, with the wind) do move. The focus is usually set when you slightly press the button to take the capture. If your camera has en AFS-C mode (continous focussing), use it if you can't focus manually.

#3
Ron

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You have some pretty nice shots there already. I don't really know much about your camera and it's capabilities but I would suggest moving your light source away from the camera a bit. This will help separate your subjects from the background and help avoid the washed out spots you have on your last photo. If your camera has a hot shoe you might try buying a speedlight and getting an adapter+ cable to move the light away from the camera. If you don't have a hot shoe you can still buy an LED lighting kit that will accomplish much the same thing. Exposures will be trial and error but with a brighter light source you should have less problem with AF lock on.

 

Other than the above, I donno. Maybe you could try close up diopters ... they screw into the front of your lens like a filter and allow closer focusing. I would check B&H Photo for accessories for your P530 and work from there.

 

--Ron



#4
TBonz

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Great advice above...The highlights in the last shot can probably be reduced in post-processing, but obviously Ron's suggestions are good ones to get the image better straight out of camera.

 

I haven't used any of the Pxxx model cameras, but it has a VERY long zoom range (24-1000 as 35mm equivalent).  The further you zoom, the more sensitive the camera will be to any movement from you or the subject.  I'd suggest trying some of the different focus modes that it has to see which works best for macro and use that.  Depending on the items in the viewfinder, the camera may think you are trying to set the focus on something other than your intended subject.  The different modes may help with that.  Just try to make sure that the subject that you are shooting is in focus before you shoot.  If it is in focus in the viewfinder before you shoot and your resulting image isn't, then your problem would be movement (you or subject) rather than the focus itself.   In that case, post the photo here with the settings you used (ISO, aperture, shutter, and anything else you can provide).  That should help us help you.



#5
Ron

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Yeah, good camera support is a must for any type of macro photography because you're magnifying everything... including camera and subject motion. Using flash helps as well as high shutter speeds (where practical). But, in my own work where I use flash almost exclusively, I still use camera support.

 

Macro is really a whole different ballgame when it comes to photography. Many, many whole books have been devoted to macro photography.

 

--Ron







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