fuji e900 macro shots?

[meinchewster]

hello all,

I am keen to get some macro shots of insects and wildlife in general, however i havent got a fancy camera fuji e900? digi and the macros are coming out to be well....not macro really. basically do i need to get a a better camera with macro lenses etc or should my camera be up to it?

By the way, I am a complete novice bar one great slow worm pic.

advice appreciated.

[NJP87]

I have never used that camera, but a quick look at the specs would suggest it is not very good for macro.

There are some compacts that are excellent at marco shots. (The Canon IXUS range)

The are also the bridge cameras like the fuji S8000fd

But if you want top image quilty and control it would have to be a SLR and macro lenses.

[Meta menardi]

I haven't used this camera, but the review here gives it a very big thumbs up (Fujifilm Finepix E900 Review - PhotographyBLOG).

There is a macro mode, down to 7.5 cm which isn't fantastic but it isn't bad. I find it useful to go back the camera manuals regularly, there is very often something I missed or had forgotten, and in some cases just not understood.

[Geoff F]

I started digital photography with a basic Canon Powershot G2 and eventually produced some acceptable macro work.

My chief recommendations would be: use spot or partial metering; experiment with exposure compensation to allow for false exposure readings like a dark insect on a white flower, you will soon get the hang of what to do; most important of all, get a tripod, a small cheap lightweight model will do. A monopod will help and is easier to carry around but you can't beat a tripod for stability and camera shake prevention.

Try to avoid bright sunshine as this can cause problems with extreme light and dark areas.

Use highest quality settings, can you use RAW settings with it? You will probably have to do some cropping and resizing with a suitable editing programme so the more pixels you start with the better.

And above all else; read the camera manual very carefully several times then experiment and keep shooting. Record the details of each shot (aperture, shutter speed, ISO etc and the light conditions) then try to work out what worked and, far more important, where you went wrong.

Then come back with some examples and ask for more specific advice. We are all here to help.

Geoff.

[meinchewster]

great advice given here, many thanks. Although its so simple, i should really have a read of the manual, i simply unwrapped it and point and shoot style photography which probably explains things!

Many thanks.

[Jim Ford]

Originally Posted by meinchewster

Although its so simple, i should really have a read of the manual, i simply unwrapped it and point and shoot style photography which probably explains things!

Reminds me of a Dave Barry quote:

"Congratulations! You have purchased an extremely fine device that would give you thousands of years of trouble-free service, except that you undoubtedly will destroy it via some typical bonehead consumer maneuver.

Which is why we ask you to PLEASE FOR GOD'S SAKE READ THIS OWNER'S MANUAL CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU UNPACK THE DEVICE. YOU ALREADY UNPACKED IT, DIDN'T YOU? YOU UNPACKED IT AND PLUGGED IT IN AND TURNED IT ON AND FIDDLED WITH THE KNOBS, AND NOW YOUR CHILD, THE SAME CHILD WHO ONCE SHOVED A POLISH SAUSAGE INTO YOUR VIDEOCASSETTE RECORDED AND SET IT ON "FAST FORWARD", THIS CHILD ALSO IS FIDDLING WITH HE KNOBS, RIGHT? AND YOU'RE JUST NOW STARTING TO READ THE INSTRUCTIONS, RIGHT??? WE MIGHT AS WELL JUST BREAK THESE DEVICES RIGHT AT THE FACTORY BEFORE WE SHIP THEM OUT, YOU KNOW THAT?
- Dave Barry, "Read This First!"

Jim

[zan]

That was my first camera, and I got some lovely underwater photos with it (see my WAB Gallery I think for a couple of examples) but it is old now, and I would expect it's been superceded... I didn't really take supermacro or very close up macro shots, so it was fine for me, but depends what you want.

[meinchewster]

Originally Posted by zan

That was my first camera, and I got some lovely underwater photos with it (see my WAB Gallery I think for a couple of examples) but it is old now, and I would expect it's been superceded... I didn't really take supermacro or very close up macro shots, so it was fine for me, but depends what you want.

I hope its not been superceded too much, Ive only had it just under a year, mind you, live with all technology, the day its made, something else is made to replace it.

Nice pics as you say, the camera takes some excellent shots, crisp clean quality due to high mega pix? but I have tried to get some close ups of small stuff and its not worked out for me so far.... reading manual soon!

[Lancashire Lad]

The Finepix E900 is a very good camera, but for macro work it is somewhat limited because the closest you can get to your subject, (and still retain focus), is 7.5cm. The actual magnification reproduction ratio isn't stated in Fuji's technical specification data, but I would imagine you won't be able to get an image of more than a sixth (1:6), or quarter (1:4), life size.

Most "bridge" cameras will let you focus as close as 2cm and some even down to 1cm. These generally give macro image reproduction of about half life size, or 1:2 ratio.

Dedicated DSLR macro lenses all focus down to full life size reproduction (i.e. 1:1 ratio), and a few more specialised ones go even further, being able to actually magnify the subject.

If you can work within the limitations of your camera, you should still be able to get some reasonble macro shots. Just remember to ensure that you have switched to macro mode before taking the picture. There is usually a small button to press, (Generally with a flower image on it), to get into macro mode.

The camera is 9 megapixel, so will allow a reasonable image crop provided that you have set it to jpeg fine (or whatever the maximum quality setting is).

The camera can also shoot in Raw format, but I suspect that you may not want to get involved with that until you are more experienced. (Raw, in theory, is the best possible quality - although there wouldn't be much to choose between jpeg fine - provided that you get your focus, exposure etc. etc. correct in the first place).

Best advice is to read your manual thoroughly, - and take the manual with you when you go out with the camera. - That way you can always refer to it when you aren't sure of what settings to use.

EDIT - PS: For macro you always need the maximum depth of field that you can get, so always try to use aperture priority mode and manually set the aperture to f8 (that is the maximum on your E900 camera). Note that this will often result in very slow shutter speeds, so you will need to support your camera rigidly, and preferably on a tripod (Bit of a nuisance, but believe me it will make ALL the difference to your photos).

Good luck
Mike.

[meinchewster]

Originally Posted by Lancashire Lad

The Finepix E900 is a very good camera, but for macro work it is somewhat limited because the closest you can get to your subject, (and still retain focus), is 7.5cm. The actual magnification reproduction ratio isn't stated in Fuji's technical specification data, but I would imagine you won't be able to get an image of more than a sixth (1:6), or quarter (1:4), life size.

Most "bridge" cameras will let you focus as close as 2cm and some even down to 1cm. These generally give macro image reproduction of about half life size, or 1:2 ratio.

Dedicated DSLR macro lenses all focus down to full life size reproduction (i.e. 1:1 ratio), and a few more specialised ones go even further, being able to actually magnify the subject.

If you can work within the limitations of your camera, you should still be able to get some reasonble macro shots. Just remember to ensure that you have switched to macro mode before taking the picture. There is usually a small button to press, (Generally with a flower image on it), to get into macro mode.

The camera is 9 megapixel, so will allow a reasonable image crop provided that you have set it to jpeg fine (or whatever the maximum quality setting is).

The camera can also shoot in Raw format, but I suspect that you may not want to get involved with that until you are more experienced. (Raw, in theory, is the best possible quality - although there wouldn't be much to choose between jpeg fine - provided that you get your focus, exposure etc. etc. correct in the first place).

Best advice is to read your manual thoroughly, - and take the manual with you when you go out with the camera. - That way you can always refer to it when you aren't sure of what settings to use.

EDIT - PS: For macro you always need the maximum depth of field that you can get, so always try to use aperture priority mode and manually set the aperture to f8 (that is the maximum on your E900 camera). Note that this will often result in very slow shutter speeds, so you will need to support your camera rigidly, and preferably on a tripod (Bit of a nuisance, but believe me it will make ALL the difference to your photos).

Good luck
Mike.

Excellent post Mike, taken on board! Many thanks.