Macro and live view

Since my wide angle lens is away for repair this week, I've decided to dig out my Canon 100mm macro lens and get some shots I've been meaning to get for a while. I've also been meaning to use the live view feature which I've never used in the 14 months I've had the Canon camera!

For normal landscape and portrait shots the live view feature really is of no use, but when it comes to macro photography where focusing is crucial, especially when depth of field is so limited, it really does come into its own. The live view doesn't only give you a larger view, it also allows you to zoom in on any particular area at 5x and 10x to ensure the focus is spot on. Auto focus is not supported in live view, but since macro photography really demands that you use manual focus this really isn't an issue.

There is one other feature that I've never looked at before that comes with the EOS utility software which is really amazing. 'Remote live view' allows to to view the image in real time on your computer monitor with real time DOF preview! you can also adjust the aperture and other settings from here and take the shot. The ability to see the image at such a large size on your PC and judge the actual DOF is a real godsend and I can't believe I've overlooked this for over a year!

So what am I shooting at the minute? Well I have some ideas for guitar closeups and reflections (see shot left) and a few other things which I'm keeping to myself! As usual if you are interested in seeing more of my work go to the website at www.chasethelight.co.uk.

Cheers for now.

Sigma 10 - 20mm lens softness problems

Well it seems there's a serious problem with my Sigma wide angle lens! I was examining some recent photo's when I noticed that the left side of the images looked soft, particularly if there was dense foliage there. I don't know how long the lens has been like this because if there is not a lot of detail on the left side it is actually hard to detect. Below are a sample from the left side and the right side of the same image, shot at 10mm, F16 with the focus point set at 4 feet so everything in the frame from about 2 feet and back should be in sharp focus. Spot the obvious softness on the left!














I googled the subject last night and discovered that this is actually a very common problem on this particular lens called 'decentering', mostly affecting the right side and on brand new lenses too! How the hell does something like this get past Sigma QC, especially if it is happening as often people are claiming?

My particular lens is actually around 14 months old now so it is well past the warranty which means I'll have to cough up for the repair. I've emailed Sigma support for a quote and the turnaround time is usually about 2-3 weeks, so in the meantime I'll dig out my Canon 100mm macro lens as I've been meaning to capture some ideas that I have.

Cheers for now.

Glenariff forest, the glens of Antrim

Firstly a happy new year to everyone! I hope you all have enjoyed the festive season and are looking forward to what 2009 will bring.

I took the opportunity this week to visit Glenariff forest park in the Glens of Antrim. This area is famous for its glens and waterfalls which really are stunning. I'd been meaning to go here for sometime, so knowing it would be quiet this week I got up early and headed over.

Following the signs the first main waterfall you come to is 'Ess-na-Larach' which is a huge thin waterfall that looks to drop at least 40 feet in two sections. This waterfall is quite deep in the glen which means that the light level is low. This leads to another issue - I like to shoot waterfalls at around 1 to 2 seconds. Anymore than that and the water just looks like a huge blown out blob with no detail at all. Even whacking the ISO up to 400 and dropping the aperture to F9 only yielded shutter speed of 11 seconds! Far to slow!

I decided to move on to see what else there was along the route as only two large waterfalls are shown and named on the fixed maps that are dotted around the forest. There are many other smaller waterfalls, one in particular is really spectacular (shown left) and I'm sure this must have a name! If anyone out there knows then please let me know.

I had the same issue here with low light all though not as bad as before. This image was shot at 1.5 seconds at F11, ISO 400.

There are many other small waterfalls along here although access to some are impossible without risking a broken neck due to the height of some of the walkways of the ground!


The last one I visited is called 'Ess-na-Crub' which really is spectacular and has excellent access off the walkway to get up close and personal!

This waterfall (shown right) consists of three main shafts of water with lots of little streams and trickles which make this one very photogenic. On days where there has been alot of rain I believe this one is really transformed into something completely different, so well worth another visit on one of these type of days!


Anyone interested in seeing the rest of the shots can see them on the website at www.chasethelight.co.uk.

Thanks for listening.