Need Help with Coupler! - DPChallenge Forums

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4.0L USM

07/28/2004 12:40:02 PM · #1

Okay,

I just got my coupler ring for my 50mmm to go with my sigma 105mm. I put it together yesterday to try some shots out & no matter what I did, I couldnt get anything in focus.
What am I doing worng?
Can anyone help me figure this out?
Thanks in advance!

Ecce_Signum

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

07/28/2004 12:42:26 PM · #2

How close were you? I was hand holding a 50mm reversed on my 75-300 last night and had about 1-2mm to work in and was about 1/2" from the subject.

hopper

Canon EOS-80D

Canon EF 35mm f/2 IS USM

07/28/2004 12:42:49 PM · #3

you need to be reeeeeeaaaaallllyyyyy close

Jacko

Canon EOS-20D

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4.0L USM

07/28/2004 12:46:34 PM · #4

1) Don't use the autofocus. You need to to set the Main lens on manual focus. Then rock the camera back and forth until you see the image focused. Then you can take your shot.
2) You will only be about 1-3 inches away from the subject, so get real close. This will usually not make it very practical to shoot bugs in the field, though some will let you get real close, like grass hoppers and caterpillars. Forget about it for flies.
3) You need to set a small aperture (big F number) in order to get any kind of workable depth of field.
4) Your on-camera flash will not give you any light. You will be able to use a 420EX or a 550EX for lighting but don't set the lens close to the 1:1 mark ... move it mid range.
5) Shoot outdoors in bright sunlight if you don't have an off camera flash (I use a 420EX and a 550EX triggered by a ST-E2 wireless transmitter).
6) Your field of view will only be 2/5 of an inch, so you'll see all kinds of detail you've never seen before.
7) Practice Practice.

07/28/2004 01:42:26 PM · #5

thanks!
I will give it a whirl today... if the sun ever comes out or if I ca, in the traditional fo the venerable Jacko, come across a dead bug.

thanks guys. I thought I was doing something horribly wrong.

Gordon

RIM BlackBerry Curve

Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM

07/28/2004 02:02:06 PM · #6

All the other advice is very true. You need to be extremely close, and there is very little DoF - mainly as the 50mm lens will be wide open all the time.

More advance usage of reversed lenses require a couple of shutter releases, so that you can stop down the aperture on the reversed lens as well.

Also it is worth remembering that you now have _two_ focus controls, one on both lenses. They will both impact where you can actually focus.

07/28/2004 02:15:00 PM · #7

Originally posted by Gordon:

so what you are saying is that I hae to do manual focus on both lens? How can I do that?

hopper

Canon EOS-80D

Canon EF 35mm f/2 IS USM

07/28/2004 02:20:30 PM · #8

Originally posted by Rooster:

so what you are saying is that I hae to do manual focus on both lens? How can I do that?

You can, but you don't have to. They should both be set to manual focus, but you don't have to use them both. I think you'll find it easier to set them both to one spot and then rock your body back and forth to achieve proper focus. Tripod use will most likely require using the focus ring, but again, you don't have to tweak them both if you don't wish.

07/28/2004 02:24:24 PM · #9

Originally posted by hopper:

Originally posted by Rooster:
so what you are saying is that I hae to do manual focus on both lens? How can I do that?

You can, but you don't have to. They should both be set to manual focus, but you don't have to use them both. I think you'll find it easier to set them both to one spot and then rock your body back and forth to achieve proper focus. Tripod use will most likely require using the focus ring, but again, you don't have to tweak them both if you don't wish.

okay, i feel a bit stupid here. How can I change the focus on both the lens. How will I know which one to do if it is our of focus.
Heck! I think I'll go try this out & see what happens. Will report back to all you good people in a bit!

hopper

Canon EOS-80D

Canon EF 35mm f/2 IS USM

07/28/2004 02:32:55 PM · #10

exactly ... once you have the camera in your hands again and get that close to your subject ... I think you'll figure it out.

ps ... don't accidentally slam into your subject, it hurts your face.

.... i've heard anyway

Gordon

RIM BlackBerry Curve

Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM

07/28/2004 02:43:26 PM · #11

Originally posted by hopper:

True - you don't have to tweak both of them at the same time, but they both have significant impact on the focus distance from the lens - depending on how you set them you can have really short focal distance or really really short focal distance.

shows an example set up (with an additional 1.4x teleconverter and 25mm extension tube in the mix. You can see the focal distance to the coin i nfront of the lens, is roughly an inch. With the 50mm focus adjusted, this could become about half an inch.

Gives quite good results though : This is the 'D' on a dime.

Practice is certainly the best approach to work out where things are in focus - but it is worth realising that there are two focus controls - stick both of the lenses on manual focus and adjust both rings to get a feel for how it changes the results.

Message edited by author 2004-07-28 14:44:17.

Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS

07/28/2004 04:34:04 PM · #12

I just ried a whole mess of shots. None of them cam close to anything. Well, one did, but crazy out of focus. Hmmmm. gordon the set up helps. I tried to get rael close both with & wothout a tripod. Nada!
I will have to keep practicing. Half an inch, eh?
It's too HARD! Will keep at it. Maybe in a year or two I will be able to post a good shot here!
:P

kirbic

Canon EOS R5

07/28/2004 06:13:05 PM · #13

Originally posted by Rooster:

...Maybe in a year or two I will be able to post a good shot here!
:P

A year? My clock sez you have exactly 4 days, 5 hours & 48 minutes until the deadline for "Macro IV"... no pressure tho ;)
Betcha by end of the week you're doing fine.