I will not talk about specific camera models or Nikon vs. Canon here.  This is for those who want to become photographers – not equipment collectors.  Therefore, the following are my recommendations for people who want to get into photography.

What should I do first?

This is simple, do not buy anything? Huh!? Before buying any equipment, I strongly recommend you go to the bookstore/library and get one or two books on the type of photography you are interested in.  I do not recommend the general photography books as those aren’t very helpful.  Get books from photographers known for their work.  The book I started out with is John Shaw’s Nature Photography Field Guide – though if you’re into portrait photography you’ll probably want a different book.

The point is you need to understand some things before you buy.  Unless you understand what an SLR does for you and what the differences are between different lenses, you’ll be unlikely to make an informed decision.

The biggest mistake beginning photographers make

The single hugest mistake I see is too much reliance on Photoshop.  There is an assumption by some photographers out there that Photoshop can take an awful shot and make it awesome.  That is simply not true.  It is a tool to add a bit of ‘oomph’ to an already good photo.

To be honest, I do not recommend that beginning photographers purchase any Photoshop books or spend a good deal of time learning Photoshop.  Understanding things like curves, contrast, RAW, and levels is a good thing – but you can learn those things in a short amount of time.

I do not recommend purchasing fancy Photoshop filters or that perfect skin tones plugin.  Your goal is to learn how to take excellent pictures.  The nice thing about digital is you can always edit the pictures later.

My approach is still the same and I do not think I am a good enough photographer yet to spend large amounts of time in Photoshop.  I still have to learn more about composition and other details of photography.

Therefore, avoid the Photoshop trap and spend your time learning how to be a photographer.

What camera should I buy?

Well, you should buy an SLR as they are far more flexible than point and shoot cameras.  I’ll leave the details about the differences to other blogs, but that is the key thing.

When choosing a camera line, keep in mind that once you go one path it is very difficult to switch lines as you’ll need to replace most of your accessories and lenses.  Therefore, I highly recommend that you do not make your decision based on a single camera body.

The big players in SLR cameras – Nikon and Canon – leapfrog each other every once in awhile.  So if the current ‘great’ camera is a Canon – chances are it will be a Nikon in a year or two – followed by a Canon again.  Instead, I recommend you look at the lenses each manufacturer offers and choose which line provides the lenses that best work for the type of photography you want.

I also recommend that you look at the bodies in general and choose the one with the controls and feel that work best for you.  Nikon and Canon differ quite a bit in operation – so choose the one you like better.

In general though, a common mistake is a beginner putting all of his/her money in the camera body.  Lenses offer much more capabilities than individual cameras, have a much longer life, and are where you should put your money.

What lenses should I buy?

Of course, this will depend on what you want to photograph.  There is no one single ‘go everywhere’ lens that does a good job.  I do not recommend the 18-200mm lenses or other ‘superzooms’ unless you are content with only making small prints and posting pictures on Flickr.

Good lenses cost a lot and I recommend buying the best possible ones for the job.  I also recommend starting out with about two lenses – as it takes awhile to get used to an individual lens.  You’ll also get a better idea through those two lenses which lenses you truly need.  If you buy top quality lenses – you’ll be able to sell them for near what you paid for them.

The following are some guidelines for lenses based on the Canon line.  Nikon has similar lenses. (Important note: these are just examples – please do your homework before buying anything)

Macro - 100mm 2.8

Portraits – 50mm 1.4, 85mm 1.2, 135mm 2.0

Landscapes – 16-35mm 2.8 II, 17-40mm 4.0

Weddings – 24-70mm 2.8, 70-200mm 2.8

Wildlife – 100-400mm 4.5-5.6 IS

Walkaround/travel – 24-105mm 4.0 IS, 70-200mm 4.0 IS

What else should I buy?

A tripod is extremely important – depending on the types of photographs you want to take.  In particular, landscape photography requires a good tripod.  Flowers, some types of portraits, and serious wildlife photography also require a tripod.  If you are serious about photography – you’ll want to get a good one (or buy another one later – your choice).  The best tripods are sold in pieces.  You buy tripod legs, a head on which your camera will rest, and an adapter for your camera and any lenses with collars.

The best tripods are made by Gitzo, though Manfrotto tripods are also pretty good.  Really Right Stuff, Markins, and Kirk are all well known ball head manufacturers.

You’ll also want to buy an external flash and have some way to shoot with it off the camera.  Both Nikon and Canon have a full line of flashes – though I recommend you buy the top of the line flash if you can afford it.

What should I do after buying the equipment?

Take pictures of course!  Get out there and take as many shots as you can – then show them to other photographers for critique.  Enter your pictures in challenges and read up on techniques on the Internet and read more photography books.  Also take a deep look at photographs that you like from true professional photographers and see what makes them work.  If you click on the reviews link at the very top of this page there are a number of books that may help.

Very often I find myself getting too wrapped up in the equipment aspect and forgetting to actually improve my pictures.  Don’t get caught in this trap – always work towards improving your shots.  This is also the big issue I have with Photoshop nuts – they spend so much time figuring out new tricks with Photoshop that their photography suffers.

That’s all for this short introduction.  As I have already stated, my opinions are quite biased so do some research before buying anything.  Just don’t lose sight of the fact that you want to become a photographer – not someone who ‘collects’ equipment or depends on a small arsenal of Photoshop filters.  I have made the mistake of putting too much emphasis in my equipment and I can tell you from experience that my photography did not improve.

Focus on taking the best shots you can and then learning how to critique those shots and improve upon them.  In terms of equipment, remember that the goal is to buy things to enable you to take the photos you want.  Things like top quality lenses, lighting, and possibly a tripod will enable you to focus on your photography while running into fewer barriers caused by your equipment.

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However, let’s get more specific on the differences between a diopter and a true macro lens.

The above shot is one of my favorites from the 500D paired with the Sigma at 400mm.  However, the above size doesn’t truly show the real sharpness.  Here is a view at 100%.

When you compare it to the MP-E 65 and 180L shots from yesterday, this shot is nowhere near as sharp.  There are several reasons for this.

1. The telephoto lens I had on the camera, the Sigma 80-400 4.5-5.6 OS, was nowhere near as sharp as the MP-E 65 or the 180L.  Keep in mind that when you use the 500D, the image will be no sharper than the sharpness of the lens you place it on – in fact it will be worse but we’ll get to that.
2. Macro lenses are calibrated for short focus, while telephotos are usually calibrated for objects near infinity.  Of course all good lenses should be sharp all around, but when designing macro lenses engineers pay particular attention to the sharpness for objects that are close in – as that is the main purpose of the lens.
3. The 500D itself causes a loss in sharpness.  This is one reason why extension tubes are often preferred – though they do not increase magnification greatly on a telephoto lens.  Still, the 500D is a very good diopter and you will lose much less sharpness than simpler single element diopters.

Therefore, the 500D is not nearly as sharp as a true macro lens.  Another large difference is the magnification.  The true magnification that you receive with the 500D mounted on top of a telephoto varies with the layout of the optics within the lens, but I found that on the Sigma at 400mm I managed .75x at the highest magnification.  With a shorter lens such as a 200mm, the magnification will be even less.  Since true macro lenses start at 1x, you will get better magnification with a true macro lens than the 500D on a telephoto.

The following are other differences.

1. A true macro lens is much faster. The 100mm is 2.8 and the 180mm is 3.5. The top telephotos are 2.8 but many are 5.6. Since you lose at least a full stop when you add the 500D, you wind up with f/4-f/8.
2. You’ll generally find that the color contrast is much better with a macro lens.
3. AF is slowed down significantly with the diopter on, though for the vast majority of photographs AF is not necessary.

Still, the following are the main advantages of the 500D.

- It is significantly cheaper than a true macro lens.  A 77mm filter runs about $150, compared with the most often used macro lens – the 100mm 2.8 at almost $500.

- You can quickly switch to taking macro shots while taking other types of shots.  I used to keep the 500D in my pocket while trying to photography birds.  When I found a cool insect, I would quickly put the diopter on the lens and shoot away.

I often recommend that those interested in macro photography buy a 500D or extension tubes to see if they like macro photography before spending more on one or more true macro lenses.  It tends to sell used for around $100 so if you decide that you no longer need it, you will only wind up paying $50.

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Here’s the ugly truth, for the majority of macro photographs natural light simply won’t cut it. Yes, there are exceptions of course. I once had a discussion with another photographer on whether the MT-24EX (or the MR-14EX) is necessary when using the MP-E 65. His answer was that he does abstract photography at F2.8. Well, if you want to take blurry pictures at F2.8 (and I must admit that his look quite nice) then you do not need lighting. If you object is stationary, you can use a tripod and macro rail and unnatural lighting may not be necessary – though you will probably find some reflectors and diffusers helpful. For insects and flowers bouncing in the wind though, you will need some lighting.

There are a variety of lighting solutions you can use and there are even more custom solutions out there. The key gotcha in macro is that your standard on-camera flash will not work. It has to do with the angle between the flash and your lens. Because you are getting very close to the subject, your lens will block some of the light. In a number of situations you will also need the light to be powerful – meaning almost right on your subject. On camera flash simply cannot do this. Note that by “on-camera” I mean both the popup flashes you find on some camera models and the hot-shoe flashes (such as the Canon 580EX) that you can buy. There is a difference though. While the popup flash is practically useless for macro, a hot shoe flash can be made useful if you can direct the light better to your subject or get the flash off the camera.

To get the flash off the camera, simply buy an extension cord. They are not very expensive and are well worth it. If you follow strobists, you can also use his techniques for off camera. Another solution is to create a reflective “tunnel” that goes from the flash mounted to the hot shoe to the front of the lens.

When I first started in macro photography, I would manually hold the flash off the camera. I used a tripod to hold the camera and I held the flash and the remote trigger. This took decent photos, but eventually I wanted more. “More”, meant a solution specifically for macro.

Canon happens to sell two different lighting solutions for macro. Nikon also has solutions, but I am not as familiar with them. At the low end is the MR-14EX, which is basically a ring flash. At the high end is the twin flash MT-24EX. There is, of course, debate on which is better. Those who favor the MR-14EX say the MT-24EX is too harsh (the flashes are bare vs. the MR-14EX diffused) and they prefer the effect of the MR-14EX. Those who favor the MT-24EX like its increased versatility and feel the light from the MR-14EX is too flat, too with MR-14EX favorers respond that this can be fixed through settings. Personally, I strongly prefer the MT-24EX. It is true that out of the box the lights are too harsh – but this is easily corrected with diffusers. I prefer this mainly because I can reposition the lights as needed and try more interesting effects – such as changing the direction and angles of the lights.

In terms of what type of lighting you will get, this mainly has to do with money. If you can afford it, and you are serious about macro, get the $650 MT-24EX. If you don’t know how much you’ll get into macro, get an extension cord for your hot shoe flash. For an end today, I will show two photos of somewhat similar subjects to show how lighting (and lenses) can make a difference.

The first was taken with a Canon 500D diopter on a Sigma 80-400mm lens with a 580EX flash off the camera. Notice the shadows and poor details.

This one was taken with the Canon MP-E 65 and the MT-24EX.

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The Canon 100mm 2.8 lens.

Before I start discussing the individual lenses, I will mention what you should look for in a macro lens. The following are very important when dealing with macro lenses.

1. Magnification. Most macro lenses are 1:1, though the MP-E 65 and the Canon 50mm are not.
2. Focal length. The longer the focal length, the more distant you can be from your subject. For some types of insects, this is critical.
3. Weight. Some lenses, such as the Canon 180mm, are quite heavy. It is up to you what weight you feel comfortable with.
4. Sharpness. Obviously you want as sharp as possible. Sharpness is more critical for macro then it is for most other types of photography.
5. Color contrast. You don’t want to spend all of your time in Photoshop.

What you should not care about is autofocus. Very often I have seen in the reviews of particular macro lenses that they do not autofocus well. This is partly to do with the fact that macro lenses focus closer than normal lenses, so there is more distance the AF must follow. However the truth is serious macro photographers almost never use AF. In a future blog I will cover how to focus, but whenever you read a review trashing a macro for its poor AF performance you should consider the writer a novice in macro photography.

Canon, Tamron, and Sigma all offer several macro lenses each. I will now discuss each of these macro lenses that exist at this time. Please note that all macro lenses are currently primes (with the possible exception of the MP-E 65). A number of zoom lenses claim to have “macro” capabilities but none offer 1:1 magnification. All true macro lenses will have at least 1:1 magnification (actually all but the MP-E 65 are 1:1).

Canon 100mm 2.8 – This is simply the best choice to start out with for macro photography. This focal length is ideal for most types of macro photography and this is one very sharp lens. Unlike many other macro lenses, this lens also makes a decent portrait lens. This lens is also very reasonably priced for the quality you get.

Canon 180mm F/3.5L – If you have the money, this is the lens to go for. It offers the best length for the Canon macro lenses and has the best color contrast. It is also the most expensive macro lens available.

Canon 50mm F/2.5 Compact – This isn’t a true macro, as you need to buy the life size converter to get its magnification to macro levels. It’s also a bit too close for most macro work. I would recommend staying away from it unless you have a specific situation where it is necessary.

Canon MP-E 65 – This is a very unique macro lens capable of very high magnification. I will cover this lens in detail in future posts but for now keep in mind that this is a very difficult lens to use and will take a lot of practice to get good shots. Also, this lens usually requires high end lighting to get good shots.

Canon EF-S 60mm F/2.8 – This lens only works on cropped sensors, so it will not work on the 5D or 1D series. 60mm is also a bit on the short end for macros. The 100mm Canon is a much better buy.

Sigma 150mm F/2.8 – Generally I am not very crazy about Sigma. In my experience Sigma lenses tend to lag behind their Canon counterparts in image sharpness and other matters. Sigma lenses also tend to have poor resale values. However, for the price this lens is certainly worth a look. I know of one individual who swears by this lens.

Sigma 180mm F/3.5 – The reviews I have seen compare this lens favorably with the Canon 180mm, though individuals who have used both almost unilaterally prefer the Canon. This lens costs quite a bit less than its Canon equivalent so it is worth consideration.

Sigma 105mm F/2.8 – This lens compares favorably with the Canon, but at near the price why take the hit with resale value? Just buy the Canon.

Sigma 50mm F/2.8 – For most situations, 50mm is simply too close. The 100mm macro is a much better working distance.

Tamron also makes lenses in a number of these focal lengths. In my experience, while Tamron generally makes good lenses, the resale values are even lower than the Sigma equivalents. Still, most of their lenses, like the Sigmas, are priced a bit lower than the Canon equivalents and are worth a look.

I will end today by posting one of my macro shots that I took of a fly (now that I have figured out how to post images). In future blog posts I will detail further how I took this shot and ones similar to it.

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Macro photography equipment falls into two categories.

1. Optics – most people realize this. Standard lenses simply cannot take macro pictures. You need either a macro lens or an adapter for an existing lens. I will discuss this in more detail shortly.
2. Lighting – most people do not realize that proper lighting is vitally important for many types of macro shots. I will discuss when lighting is necessary and what types of lighting are available shortly.

Before I get into the different types of equipment you can buy, I need to mention what is meant by 1:1 when discussing macro photography. Basically, when you take a picture at 1:1, this means that your photograph fills the space equal to the size of your sensor. So, if you have a Canon 5D camera with a 35mm sensor, a 35mm object will fill the entire frame when taking a picture at 1:1. At 1:2, a 70mm object will fill the entire frame and at 2:1 a 17.5mm object will fill the entire frame. When people speak about macro photography, they generally mean photography close to or exceeding 1:1.

The first thing you will need to do is purchase the optics that enable you to take macro shots. There are two choices you have – either buy a macro lens or buy an adapter for an existing lens. If you are not sure how much you will get into macro photography, the latter is probably where you will want to start. There are two types of adapters that you can purchase.

1. Extension tubes – basically extension tubes are hollow tubes that increase the distance between the front lens element and the back of the camera. To determine the magnification using extension tubes, divide the length of the lens by the length of the extension tubes and add the original magnification of the lens (available in the specifications of the lens). So, if you have a 50mm lens that by default has .25x magnification (1:4) and you add 25mm of extension, the final magnification will be .75x. (25/50) + .25 = .75. From this information it is evident that extension tubes work best on short lenses. In order to achieve 1:1 magnification with a 400mm lens you would need almost 400mm of extension! Extension tubes are rather inexpensive and I recommend those made by Kenko. The set comes with 12mm, 20mm, and 36mm extension tubes and costs only $169.
2. Diopters – basically these look like a thick filter that is placed at the end of the lens. The formula for determining the resulting magnification is complicated and depends on the inner optics of the lens, but in general diopters work best on long lenses. Using a diopter you can achieve close to 1x magnification on a 300mm or a 400mm lens. Some photographers do not like diopters as much as extension tubes though because there is a loss of optical quality, as you are adding optical elements. An ideal diopter to purchase is the Canon 500D. Although it is made by Canon, it will work with all SLRs – including Nikon. The price of the 500D depends on the size you need but a 77mm 500D costs about $140.

   This picture of a spider was taken with the Canon 500D on a Sigma 80-400mm lens on the Canon 5D.

   Tomorrow I will continue this discussion with information about macro lenses.

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