New to DSLRs, talk to me about lens sizes

[CuriousMike]

Good god, this photo makes me nauseous.... something about the pin cushioning ?

Some pics with new lens:


.

 

[fralexandr]

I've used a smaller version of this to blow the dust off my camera sensor a few times.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...ist&sku=259157

Get to clean area with relatively low dust (i.e. inside a house)
set camera to sensor cleaning/mirror flip up
hold camera with sensor facing ground
blow dust out.

The giottos come in various sizes. Medium or small are better for portability (i.e. camera bag), Large is better for air pushing power.

If those don't work, you'll have to get one of the various cleaning kits and manually remove the dust , or get it professionally cleaned.

digital revs lens/sensor cleaning review
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gouSOlgvQg0

the distortion on those pics is like gaming with FOV set way too high -> nausea (similar to too low FOV causing nausea)

 

[xSauronx]

Good god, this photo makes me nauseous.... something about the pin cushioning ?

its the blur/warping on the edges that bug me on those.

 

[slatr]

Red this site has some information you may find interesting.

Lots of info on macro photography.

http://www.diyphotography.net/taxonomy/term/216

 

[Red Squirrel]

I've used a smaller version of this to blow the dust off my camera sensor a few times.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...ist&sku=259157

Get to clean area with relatively low dust (i.e. inside a house)
set camera to sensor cleaning/mirror flip up
hold camera with sensor facing ground
blow dust out.

The giottos come in various sizes. Medium or small are better for portability (i.e. camera bag), Large is better for air pushing power.

If those don't work, you'll have to get one of the various cleaning kits and manually remove the dust , or get it professionally cleaned.

digital revs lens/sensor cleaning review
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gouSOlgvQg0

the distortion on those pics is like gaming with FOV set way too high -> nausea (similar to too low FOV causing nausea)

One of those came with the kit I bought. I'll have to try it. Maybe in the bathroom after running the shower for a bit to clear any dust.

These pics were taken with the zoom all the way, so zoom + macro is probably why I get that "effect". Idealy, I would normally crop out the centre.

Eventually I want to look at more expensive, dedicated lenses though.

 

[Spoooon]

Good god, this photo makes me nauseous.... something about the pin cushioning ?

I wonder if vignetting would help. Or just cropping, not sure how large an area that is.

 

[slashbinslashbash]

Eventually I want to look at more expensive, dedicated lenses though.

As a Nikon user, you have the option of going for an older, pre-AF lens (as long as you don't mind manually setting the focus and aperture). It will mount right on your camera and should be substantially cheaper than the newer Nikkor macros, but the image quality should still be very good.

Alternatively, you can get very good macro results from 1) reversed lenses mounted on standard lenses and 2) standard/cheap lenses with the front or rear elements removed (the old Canon 35-80 film kit lens is famous for this).

There are also macro tubes that go between your body and lens, which can make any lens focus closer. At their simplest, they are simply metal or plastic tubes with a lens mount on both ends -- they do not provide electrical contacts for AF or aperture control, although more expensive ones provide both.

There are lots of options for getting a "true macro" lens that will produce nice, sharp images at a cheap price, as long as you are willing to work around some technical limitations, which usually are a lack of aperture control, lack of auto-focus, or both.

I need to start pulling out my macro lens more... here are some photos that I took a few years ago.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Wow those are nice. Definitely going to look at something more serious if I find myself playing a lot with macro shots. What is a good site to get accessories such as the tube you speak of, or even whole lenses? (preferably one has a Canada version) I've just been looking at ebay

As for cleaning up the sensor, I got the courage and managed to get it cleaned. Used a Q tip with a bit of rubbing alcohol (the 99% stuff) and only slightly dabbed/wiped the affected area. From what I read this is often oil from the actual shutter/mirror assembly and wont come off with just blowing or using the cleanup option.

Worked nicely. There is a visible streak though, and I could probably clean it better, but I don't see the spots anymore with maxed F stop so I wont touch it more than I have to.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I forgot to post these. Know that first lens I bought where I needed a converter? Well it fits on the +10 lens... MOAR ZOOM!





(that's before I cleaned the sensor)




Yeah they are a little ridiculous at this point.

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

that's your standard for "not too bad"?

 

[alkemyst]

that's your standard for "not too bad"?

It's all subjective in the end, but I agree; it's a typical person that would have been better off with a good P&S until they learned more.

That said, the OP should read a bit on photography and understanding how everything comes together.

 

[slashbinslashbash]

Hey, as long as he's having fun..... those photos do have a certain "engage the warp drive" quality to them

OP, you can get the macro extension tubes on eBay. I bought some of the $5 ones several years ago for giggles, and... yeah. Quality was bad, but you can probably get better images out of them than your add-on lenses. The ones in the $40-$60 range actually look pretty decent.

http://www.ebay.ca/sch/i.html?_trks..._nkw=macro+extension+tubes&_sacat=0&_from=R40

 

[Red Squirrel]

Like I said I'm not looking at spending tons of money, this is just a hobby, not pro. I know a $700 Nikkor macro lens would be better than what I have, but I also don't want to pay that much right now.

Though I keep spending lot of money on misc stuff latetly, I can see how this can be addictive. Just bought a wide angle lens add-on for close to $100, as well as a reverse mount ring.

The nice thing about these add ons is when I get more real lenses in the future it's something extra to experiment with. I also ordered a reverse mount ring.

Now to wait till all of this comes in.

 

[zCypher]

Like I said I'm not looking at spending tons of money, this is just a hobby, not pro. I know a $700 Nikkor macro lens would be better than what I have, but I also don't want to pay that much right now.

Though I keep spending lot of money on misc stuff latetly, I can see how this can be addictive. Just bought a wide angle lens add-on for close to $100, as well as a reverse mount ring.

The nice thing about these add ons is when I get more real lenses in the future it's something extra to experiment with. I also ordered a reverse mount ring.

Now to wait till all of this comes in.

in short, you're doomed

it is tons of fun though.

 

[alkemyst]

Like I said I'm not looking at spending tons of money, this is just a hobby, not pro. I know a $700 Nikkor macro lens would be better than what I have, but I also don't want to pay that much right now.

Though I keep spending lot of money on misc stuff latetly, I can see how this can be addictive. Just bought a wide angle lens add-on for close to $100, as well as a reverse mount ring.

The nice thing about these add ons is when I get more real lenses in the future it's something extra to experiment with. I also ordered a reverse mount ring.

Now to wait till all of this comes in.

You orders a One Ring?

 

[Throckmorton]

I don't really understand the purpose. It doesn't seem to have a wide field of view. It just distorts your photos and makes them look like crap. You'll get better macros with your kit lens alone

 

[Imp]

That's a ton of vignetting on your old lens. Threw a filter on?