New to the site.. And Macro photography. :D

[Jack93]

Hi, im new to the forum... and about 5 minutes ago i ordered the Canon EF 2.8 USM Macro lens for my Canon EOS 500D. I've been trying to get the general gist of the macro techniques but i thought it'd be best to ask myself... so where better a place to ask, im grateful for any opinions you can give, im only 17 im not the most experienced of photographers.

So here goes:
is there a general rule on settings, for macro e.g. AI Servo, high aperture etc?

Does anyone have the Canon EF 2.8 USM lens and can you give me any tips specific to this lens and getting the best out of it.

Do I need external flashes, remote shutter release and the et 67 lens hood to get good shots? as at the minute i don't have either of these.

Any wise words?

Thanks

[Jack93]

sorry i meant 100mm*

[miketoll]

Super lens you have got yourself, whether it is the standard 100mm f2.8 0r the L version.
Ideally for none moving subjects use a tripod, remote release and mirror lock up. Many macro shooters use manual focus or a focussing rail in conjunction with manual focus. You need to stop down well, say f11-f16 to give a decent depth of field (DOF) and low ISO settings for maximum quality
Lazy casual types like me use servo autofocus (spot focus area on the subject like an insects head), highish ISO settings to keep shutter speeds up and to be able to handhold successfully. Sinful I know but this is often more practical if shooting insects outside. Camera shake and subject movement are quality killers, it is amazing how a very little wind makes an enormous amount of movement when viewed close up. Flash can be useful but I usually use available light sometimes with help from the pop up flash.
Hope that helps and is not too sacrilegious to the macro purists out there! Experiment and see what works best for you.

[Jack93]

Thanks for that Mike, very helpful - it's the non L version by the way, as the L was too expensive.
For Macro, I'm interested in mainly insects (hand held for this?) and water drops/ice etc (reading up on this), and non Macro i'm mainly into wildlife - I've been photographing birds (trying to!) for the 8 months I have had my camera, and realise how little keepers you get from wildlife photography

[miketoll]

Glad to help. Things like butterflies, hover flies bees etc tend to stay around for a very short time so I use hand held. Spiders and other bugs hang around so a tripod is fine and will give a better result, horses for courses The other approach is to say spot a likely flower and set up a tripod mounted camera and wait for something to arrive. Patience, not my style! Butterflies are less active when it is cold so get up early. An ideal day is bright but overcast windless day as bright sunlight makes for contrast problems.
Water droplets and ice use a tripod, plenty of time for composition and lighting.
Wildlife is very challenging, field craft is key plus a desire for ever longer lenses.

[Jack93]

Thanks again Mike I know a lot of people get annoyed at beginners asking simple questions like me

[miketoll]

That's the beauty of this site, people are usually very happy to help or are at least tolerant. Funny thing is most people start as beginners, there are not many instant experts of note!

[Jack93]

Just one more question...
The 100mm lens is an EF lens whereas my camera (500D) is an EF-S therefore will the minimum working distance change for this lens on my camera?

[miketoll]

No difference, it just means your camera will accept EF-S lenses as well as Ef ones but when an EF lens is fitted it behaves exactly the same way as if it was fitted on an Ef only camera except most Ef only cameras are full frame so no cropping of the image takes place but that is a different subject. On your camera the view you get is as if you had a 160mm lens on a full frame camera so you get an apparent magnification with your camera.

[Jack93]

ahh, okay, thanks It came today had a go with it for about half an hour or so, the light was awful and I wobbled all over the place hehe.