So to gain maximum DoF, I set the aperture to f/32 or f/22, I dont remember exactly. Point is, how come this lens does not suffer from diffraction like most other lenses do from f/16 and above?
Also, I hate the way my backgrounds are completely black because of the tiny aperture and fast shutter speed? I use the mp-e with my mt-24ex set at 1/250 and aperture to f/32 or f/22. This results in black backgrounds. I would really prefer soft out of focus ambient lit backgrounds such as when photographing flowers and the sort.
Any suggestions?
It does suffer from diffraction, but is so sharp to start with that it affects it less! (I've noticed that with the 100mm 2.8 macro too. I've also noticed all the wonderful junk on my sensor that shooting at f8 doesn't show up!).
To get more ambient light in you need to use higher ISO/wider aperture/longer shutterspeed (and tripod) or some combination of the above. For stationary subjects you can use a wider aperture, bracket focus and then combine in post processing (Helicon focus does a reasonable automatic job at this)
you could try using a second flash with less output and a large diffuser screen to provide soft background illumination without mucking up the main lighting too much.
I'm not sure about the diffraction - common sense tells me that a sharper lens will suffer more, not less, from diffraction than a softer lens. After all, it's the sharp detail that goes first. If the image still looks sharper than another lens then that indicates the other lens is suffering from poor optics rather than diffraction. I guess it depends on the magnification and the amount of fine detail in the image. If small details have been enlarged to the point where they look like large details then they may not suffer the diffraction effects so obviously.
CorruptedSanit wrote:
Odo, did you read that anywhere? I would be interested in readin the article or documentation.Thanks!
Canon lens documentation is poor and I don't know whether they indicate the
reason for f/16 being the smallest available aperture. At a 5x magnification f/16
effectively becomes f/96 (as far as exposure and diffraction are concerned) and
that really shows.
CorruptedSanit wrote:
So to gain maximum DoF, I set the aperture to f/32 or f/22, I dont remember exactly. Point is, how come this lens does not suffer from diffraction like most other lenses do from f/16 and above?
Also, I hate the way my backgrounds are completely black because of the tiny aperture and fast shutter speed? I use the mp-e with my mt-24ex set at 1/250 and aperture to f/32 or f/22. This results in black backgrounds. I would really prefer soft out of focus ambient lit backgrounds such as when photographing flowers and the sort.
Any suggestions?
If you don't want black backgrounds , use natural light and or don't use the flash as your main light source, set flash for auto fill set flash exposure in camera for -1 or so, use AV mode and let the cam pic the shutterspeed. If the pics are soft which they probably will be, don't hand hold and use a tripod.
Tom, but some subjects would not wait idle for me @ f/16 Av mode.
Haha then what ?
Obviously it occured to me to avoid flash as the main lightsource and use longer (metered according to cam) shutter speeds.
When your camera is on the tripod and you've taken the flashed shot and the model has flown away, expose the background normally on another frame. Then collate the frames in photoshop. Or is that cheating?
CorruptedSanit wrote:
Also, I hate the way my backgrounds are completely black because of the tiny aperture and fast shutter speed? I use the mp-e with my mt-24ex set at 1/250 and aperture to f/32 or f/22. This results in black backgrounds. I would really prefer soft out of focus ambient lit backgrounds such as when photographing flowers and the sort.
Any suggestions?
This is what you need,then.Scroll down and see how she used MT-24ex and 550EX combo to avoid black background.
