We’re still trying to figure out why are using F/32.
Depth of field/focus.
Note the fly is in focus but the flower is not and it is only 2~3mm farther away, and that is at f11 :weary:
f11 - 1/200s - iso 100 - 105mm lens
Sorry about posting a pic in your thread old4570, I will delete it if you ask :innocent:
Cheers David
Crank her wiiiiide open! 
Nice!!! Stunning as usual Old!
@pommie, yours is still mighty impressive as well.
( Sorry about posting a pic in your thread old4570, I will delete it if you ask
Cheers David )
Not a problem ! Post away …
F32 = Greater Depth of Focus …
A lot of experts will tell you that you cant use F32 for various technical reasons …
I’m not an expert , so don’t suffer from any such technical restrictions ( Techno Babel ) .
( Or perhaps I am an expert and dont know it ??? , Naaa ! I’m a hack , and I just hack away and do stuff without worrying about what can or can’t be done )
No , honestly I consider myself a student of Macro , and I just do ! ( One of two possible things will result , it either works or not )
And like they say , the proof is in the pudding ….
( Shhhhh ! I actually know something that most experts seem to have missed )
I have written a few Macro guides over the years , and just recently decided to add to them , or actually complete the work I started .
I’m just wondering if I should explain my understanding of why F32 works for me ( Its an interesting theory ) or just take it to the grave and let the experts scratch their heads ?
Because the pudding seems to be fine to me ?
You ever do focus stacking
Yes I have done it …
But for insects and nature photography its a no go for me , the idea of freezing insects and then posing them on a prop of some sort under studio like conditions ( not for me )
It certainly has its place though , and the results can be spectacular …
Especially with astro photography
Actually when shooting digital after F11-F16 you start running in to problems with focus and the depth of the actual sensor you are using. At least that is what I was told. I will say that I have shot at F16 with out much problem. So go for it. At F32 you look like you are getting 1/2 inch or so depth of field.
This, with digital it costs nothing but a bit of time to just try it and see, some of my best shots have happened like that, my keep ratio is probably no more than an average shooter, its just that I take a lot more so have more success, and believe me pro’s do the same thing, they see what could be a good (read sell-able) image then take around 20 to 50 shots of it changing F/stop, shutter speed and iso while doing so, me I cant be bothered, I take 4 or 5 and hope
Cheers David
Nice shots, for sure.
As with our flashlights (and virtually everything else) it’s in the variables. A difference sensor, a different processor, lens, flash, tripod, every little thing causes changes and each piece of equipment brings it’s pro’s as well as it’s con’s to the table. Shoot it, because you sure can’t get the pic (or build the light) if you don’t try.
Edit: Some things can be misleading, especially in photography. The 100mm lens on a Pentax K20D actually acts like a 150mm lens, allowing macro photography from a further distance. BUT, for the same reason, an f/stop of 32 is actually comparable to an f/48. This is all due to the 1.5x crop sensor. Merely pointing this out for anyone that might be wishing to duplicate these images, it’s about your equipment and your understanding of how it operates. As with literally all things, the fine points are debatable.
The “experts” will sometimes use a top tier camera at 14 fps to shoot hundreds of images to get the ONE you see that makes you think they’re such great photographers. Or a specialized team of professionals may set the stage for the camera guy to step in and get the shot. The behind the scenes story can, many times, be more interesting than the shot itself. lol
Yeah ! I don’t worry about what the experts say …
Just because some expert somewhere says it can’t be done ( don’t mean jack to me ) …
Always remember , the easiest thing in the world to do , is to expel hot air from your lungs and through some vocal chords …
The resulting sound may , or may not be worth listening too ….
I personally don’t want to tell people what to do , how to do it , or how it can be done ( photography ) …
Because I have read what the experts say , and then I have gone and done the very thing they say can’t be done ! So how much value should I place on ” Nay Sayers ”
I don’t know why so many people think f16 is some sort of barrier ?
My simple recommendation , is do it …
Get out there and do it … Forget about the experts , form an idea ……. then get out there and explore it !
Find a way to make it work . All it will cost you is some shutter actuation’s …
I remember when I got my Pentax K5 , I could not go outside and take less than 100 shots …
Seriously , every time I turned that camera on , I burned through 100 to 150 shutter actuation’s …
I didn’t try to analyse or overthink a photo , I just did it …
And as previously stated … It either worked or did not …
Learning Photography :
Learning how to take a picture is not about learning how to do something , because there are just too many ways of doing it to master all .
But rather a process of eliminating all the ways that don’t work …
Once you learn the things that don’t work , you are well on your way to being a photographer .
There are far far fewer ways of doing it wrong and possibly thousands of ways of doing it right , so in photography , it is much simpler to learn how not to do it wrong .
So by eliminating the obvious don’ts , you are left with a lot of ways of doing it right .
And the most important lesson of all , find what works for you … Forget what Joe Six Pack the local expert is doing , find your way !
In no way am I suggesting you don’t learn from people , but don’t cling to doctrine like a drowning man would cling to a life vest …
Too many times have I seen people fall back on techno babble to enforce their point of view ( ) often when they are trying to tell some one why something can’t be done !
The old saying hold true for me , the proof is in the pudding , it’s either good , or its bad …
So for me , the pudding has the last word …
Experts say you must not use over f16.
Experts say you cannot get rid of the green cast using a #8 welding glass as an ND filter.
Experts say you must not put the horizon in the middle, it must be 1/3 from the bottom or top.
Experts say you must use the rule of thirds.
Experts say you must have a point of interest for the eye to settle on.
I say, well I can’t say what I want to as its G rated in here
Suffice to say I am glad I am not an expert and I will let this image do the talking breaking all of the above :smiling_imp:
Iso 100 - F22 - 116.3 sec
Cheers David
nice 