How am I doing

[Zoanuts]

Learning to take pictures. Tell me how I am doing please

 

[revhtree]

SWEET! I am really digging the first couple pics! Man the 3rd one is so close!

What's your equipment?

 

[Zoanuts]

Cannon EOS-5D 12.8 mp with a Canon EF 180mm f3.5L Macro USM AutoFocus Telephoto Lens. Just trying to tune it in. Finally figured out the WB mode. Man what a difference. What do you think about the paly's?

 

[revhtree]

In the paly pic I think you are lacking in DOF. Maybe try AV mode and see how that does.

 

[Zoanuts]

Thanks Rev!! I may have been wiggling too. I can't remember what I had it set at.

 

[revhtree]

Did you use a tripod?

 

[Zoanuts]

Yeppers!! I gotta T-pod. It's got more buttons that my computer. OOPS my FStop was set at 9.5 in Av mode. That kinda screws up the DOF I think?

 

[revhtree]

Yea looks like the very center of the right paly was very on focus but them starts to blur out.

 

[Nikon_Guy]

Great equipment and nice snaps. You’re off to a great start. I love that pink Yuma.

What happened with the picture of the paly is easy to correct. The focal plane is actually toward the rear of the paly rather than in its center. The focal plane is the point that everything is in sharp focus. As items get farther from that exact point they gradually become less sharp. This process starts immediately, however because it is a gradual effect the human eye doesn’t notice it until it reaches a certain point. Keep in mind that the area that falls within the acceptable range of sharpness tends to be greater behind the focal plane than it is in front of it.

If you look to the rear of this picture, the skirt of the polyp that is behind the “featured†polyp is in the range of acceptable sharpness. This tells me that the focal plane is a bit toward the rear of the featured polyp and that is why you lost the sharpness in the front.

You could experiment with manual focus to be able to better control the position of the focal plane or increase the distance between the lens and the subject.

HTH

Bryce