Having problems having all the subject in sharp focus when shooting macros inside. I used my 18-55 and the only time everything was extremely sharp was when i used a flash. So I used a desk lamp as an external light source, to avoid the flash and used the self-timer to avoid camera shake.The result was nicely exposed but with blurry areas. :(
Its difficult to say what the "issue" is whitout an example of the shot you are taking and the camera settings etc.
If you have a tripod that will help eliminate blur. If the lighting conditions are low then a fast shutter speed is needed but this may result in areas in the background that are out of focus. You could try raising the ISO level.
Also on another point true macro is not achievable with a 18-55mm lens. You need a macro lens that allows 1:1 for it to be classed as true macro. The shots you will get with the 18-55 will simple be closeup shots etc. The 18-55 is not that great for low light levels as the lowest f stop is f3.5 I think.
I am sure the more experienced users will give you way more details than this.
You may be trying to get in too close with your lens. Try backing away from the object a bit and then doing the shot again, just like you've been doing. See if that helps. You can actually purchase macros filters that can be attached to the end of your lens that will let you focus in closer. May want to look into that. You can get a set pretty cheap.
@chanchiawei They do help. I have that same lens and a set of macro filters. While they're not a substitute for an actual macro lens, they let you get in a lot closer to an object than you can without them.
I have a set also. Got them on ebay cheap. A four pack that add 1x, 2x, 4x and 10x magnification. 1,2 and 4x work great but the 10x can be a little difficult to work with as you have to get really close. Great for still life stuff. Definatly worth the money but no substitute for a real macro lens.
@istacy1011@brav thanks guys. from what i read i understand that there will be distortion around the edge though. is this correct? if it is, how serious is it, and how could i resolve this (apart from a crop, i suppose)?
This is the subject in question and it's been cropped too.
The centre is all in focus yet the bottom left is blurry. The camera settings were: AF-S (single servo), auto area AF and auto WB. Thanks for the tips @istacy1011@brav & @chanchiawei
The shot looks good. The blur in the left adds depth to the shot. TO get the whole shot in focus I think would leave it flat but if that is what you are after you would probably need to ramp up the fstops (but you are already high anyway). Or do a really long exposure which you would need a tripod for.
If I was shooting that I would use Appature Priority mode, make sure it is well lite and start off at a low f stop. The lowest you will get is f3.5. That will get you lots of detail but some areas of blur which is good to add depth etc.
I nice idea would be to shoot this in a window during the day to give it some natural light.
This looks like it might be about depth of field. Macro or even close up work has a significant drop off of clarity before and after the focus point, especially when the plane of the object is not flat to the lens.This is generally considered to be a part of how the photographer calls attention to what they want to hi light and is a good thing. :)
Looks like you are not happy with your f value. I am not sure how much you have cropped of from this though. If you are in really close and have a very low f value, you will only get a small percentae of the item in focus. If you want more of the item in focus and less 'blurring' so to speak, you need to pull back a bit more, and also cangethe fvalue. If the fvalue. Yours for this shot is 10, trying changing it up a bit, or literally pull away from the item more then crop after if you want it to fill the frame.
When I am working in macro, I only go really close to the item if I want the blurring around the outside of the frame.
@chanchiawei Pretty much what they already said. The closer-up you try to focus on something, the smaller your depth-of-field will be. Aside from that, I've never had an issue with distortion using the macro filters.
pretty much what everyone said, its Depth of Field, and it gets no easier with a macro lens. i think theres a technique called image stacking where you take a few shots but focus on different areas and then bring them together in Photoshop. Personally i think a bit of blur is great :-)
Erm.. then use flash? I do when I'm out shooting bugs; set up at f8 or f10 or something - super-shallow DoF is not ideal - get the flash off the camera, set the manual focus as close as it'll go (I'll move my head to get precise focus and not have to touch the focusing ring at all), sneak up on the bugs and blaze away. :)
I've not had much luck with macro filters, blurring aside they cause way too much CA fringing. And I don't have a macro rail, so stacking is beyond tricky... besides, bugs move and I see little merit in shooting the already dead.
Those macro/magnifiers are not the best optics. Using a telephoto lens with them increases the difficulty of finding the focal range. Most macros lenses create a shallow DOF/focus range. Using a small aperture (big numer) like f16 will help increase DOF.
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If you have a tripod that will help eliminate blur. If the lighting conditions are low then a fast shutter speed is needed but this may result in areas in the background that are out of focus. You could try raising the ISO level.
Also on another point true macro is not achievable with a 18-55mm lens. You need a macro lens that allows 1:1 for it to be classed as true macro. The shots you will get with the 18-55 will simple be closeup shots etc. The 18-55 is not that great for low light levels as the lowest f stop is f3.5 I think.
I am sure the more experienced users will give you way more details than this.
I have a set also. Got them on ebay cheap. A four pack that add 1x, 2x, 4x and 10x magnification. 1,2 and 4x work great but the 10x can be a little difficult to work with as you have to get really close. Great for still life stuff. Definatly worth the money but no substitute for a real macro lens.
The centre is all in focus yet the bottom left is blurry. The camera settings were: AF-S (single servo), auto area AF and auto WB.
@istacy1011 @brav & @chanchiawei
If I was shooting that I would use Appature Priority mode, make sure it is well lite and start off at a low f stop. The lowest you will get is f3.5. That will get you lots of detail but some areas of blur which is good to add depth etc.
I nice idea would be to shoot this in a window during the day to give it some natural light.
When I am working in macro, I only go really close to the item if I want the blurring around the outside of the frame.
I've not had much luck with macro filters, blurring aside they cause way too much CA fringing. And I don't have a macro rail, so stacking is beyond tricky... besides, bugs move and I see little merit in shooting the already dead.
http://digital-photography-school.com/an-introduction-to-focus-stacking
I have taken all of your super tips on board and will be trying another "macro" shot again soon. Should get used to saying close-up from now on ;) Cheers and happy snapping @brav @chapjohn @asrai @intymalcolm @markyl @istacy1011 @michelleyoung @tigerdreamer @chanchiawei