MP-E 65mm Macro

[Seabee]

Just been handed a MP-E 65mm Macro to play with indefinately!
What in the name of Sam Hill am I to do with this lol..............this will be some sort of learning curve, I can tell ya!

I have a sliding rail thingy to use as well (No, I get that bit lol)
With just a quick play I am assuming I need light and lots of it.
Any tips, suggestions would be most appreciated so I dont feel the need to have a spaz attack when it doesn't sink in to the noggin.

One thing I wont be taking is 'spiders'.....
I have avoided the macro forum so far because of this very reason

Thaks in advance

[FallingHorse]

I haven't used this lens but from what I understand it is a manual focus lens so you have to move in/out to get the subject in focus. It has a ratio of 1:1 - 5:1 so it means extreme closeups. I think you need a lot of light. I would head over to the Macro forum and ask - there are people ther much more knowledgable ... spiders and all

[mrDooba]

There are plenty of people who use handmade flash set ups but the MR-14EX or MT-24EX are awesome with the MP-E 65. I have the MR-14EX. This flash has a little light on it so you can see your subject in lowlight situations.
I usually use mine handheld. It is quite challenging and my success rate is average but shooting bugs with a tripod would be even harder(I think).
If your not in the market to purchase one of the above flashes, google "Handmade macro flash diffuser" and get some ideas on how to make your own from a speedlite.

Just a few things to consider

[Mary Anne]

Yes you will need plenty of light for that Lens Cindy especially when you get down to 5x I use the MT-24EX TwinLite
I have to use live view when I get to about 3x it is not an easy lens to work with..
Dennis has a good flash set up Here not sure if he uses the same one for his MP-E-65mm lens though.

[arthurking83]

......
What in the name of Sam Hill am I to do with this lol..............this will be some sort of learning curve, I can tell ya!

.....

Learn to do focus stacking.

Do a search for CombineZP the most modern release.

Easy to use(kind'a .. once you've got used to guessing what it's ask of you!! ).

is you slidy-rail thingy a focus rail, or just a rail that slides to allow you to comnpose.

if you have a macro rail.. this thing doesn't just slide, you adjust the distance from camera to subject with a screw operated doodle, and it moves the camera back-forth in very fine increments.

A slide rail does just that .. it slides. You have very little precision to deal with when moving back-forth with one of them.

If you haven't tried focus stacking yet, it's a good way to capture good macro images.. a bit tedious, but rewarding when it all flukes into place for ya!!

You can use 'extra light' but sometimes it looks a bit fake. I do all my greater than 1x macros in natural light, or maybe use a bit of LED torch here or there, but very rarely use flash any more.

exposures at f/5.6 generally tend to equal about 1/10 - 5 sec or so.

The reason you'd use focus stacking is to keep the aperture at an optimum setting like f/5.6 and use the extra images at varying focus distances to blend into a psuedo deeper DOF.

My last macro(of the screw) is at 1:1 .... just a simple test image, but the DOF was barely a 1/2 millimeter or so. Shot six images and got the diameter of the screw threads into the entire DOF in the image, but maintained a good blur from the background. At f/11 the image loses a fair amount of detail due to diffraction, and the background looks pretty dreadful too!

Also note that I don't have Canon gear, so have no experience with this particular lens.

main point tho, is to use it as much as you can and see what pans out .. I'm sure it'll eventually come good for ya.

[fabian628]

flash is a good idea if going greater than 1x magnification. if you intend on shooting live subjects rails are not practical, hand held is more or less neccessary. requires some practise to get lens co ordination, being able to point the lens at the subject quickly (since in the view finder you only see 1-2cm across can be easy to lose the subject).
If you have an existing external flash it can be used witha bracket to get very good lighting, macro flash is not neccessary, but can make it easier, but the results are not always better.

[Bennymiata]

You can buy cheap ring flashes for around $150

I have one that cost me about $130, and it works really well with my EF-S 60mm macro.
The only thing is that you have to adjust it from the camera menu, but when you've done this a couple of times, it's easy to do and saves you a fortune.

[Seabee]

WOW thank you to everybody for your informative responses!
That is a lot of thought and expertise going into this genre hooly dooly lol!
Mary Anne that set up of Dennis's is certainly imaginative, but well worth the effort considering the fantastic results.

Well best thing to do is start organizing some lighting and get shooting.........something!
Thank you to you all, plenty of thought and plenty of fodder

[nardes]

Hi Cindy

First of all, thanks to Mary Anne for providing the link to my macro set up and the answer is yes, I use the same set up for the MP-E65 as well.

I graduated to the MP-E65 after spending a couple of years honing my skills with the 100mm F2.8 and I was glad of that apprenticeship. I’m not sure how I would have fared with the MP-E65 as my first macro lens!

With the 100mm F2.8 and using AI servo with the centre AF point I am confident shooting hand held and capturing insects in flight.

With the manual focus only of the MP-E65 I almost exclusively use it on a tripod with the Kirk focusing rail, so that I can use Live View at x5 and sometimes x10 to nail the focus. Needless to say, I only shoot slow moving insects with that set up.

The MP-E65 demands good technique and patience as it is manual focus only and has a narrow DOF. It also requires good lighting when you start going above 1:1.

Cheers

Dennis

[Seabee]

Thanks Dennis...........I can see this will take some getting used to and I agree about the apprenticeship thing, will do more with my 100mm macro then a day with the 65mm...back to the 100 etc, alternate so as not to completely frustrate myself.
I see this is going to give me some much needed lessons in 'patience' lol

Thanks for dropping in Dennis and I must say your stuff is sensational

[Steve Axford]

I have this lens and I think it is one of the very best, if not the best of all the lenses I have. There are two ways to use it (that I know of). The easiest is with a flash, preferable a ring flash or a canon twin flash. But this can be expensive. The other way is with a tripod, a focus rail and natural light. I think that this is the best way, if you can manage it. You do not need bright light for either of these methods. In fact bright light will usually spoil the photo. The last photo I posted was done with the MPE, and uses focus stacking, though I would try without to start without. Always use f16, unless you want a vanishingly small dof. I usually try to shoot when it is raining and then late in the day to get the softest lighting possible. It is a hard lens to learn to use, but it really is worth the effort. I doubt that you will ever have used a lens of that quality before.

[Seabee]

I have this lens and I think it is one of the very best, if not the best of all the lenses I have. There are two ways to use it (that I know of). The easiest is with a flash, preferable a ring flash or a canon twin flash. But this can be expensive. The other way is with a tripod, a focus rail and natural light. I think that this is the best way, if you can manage it. You do not need bright light for either of these methods. In fact bright light will usually spoil the photo. The last photo I posted was done with the MPE, and uses focus stacking, though I would try without to start without. Always use f16, unless you want a vanishingly small dof. I usually try to shoot when it is raining and then late in the day to get the softest lighting possible. It is a hard lens to learn to use, but it really is worth the effort. I doubt that you will ever have used a lens of that quality before.

Thanks Steve...........I did view that pic and thought WOW that took some serious patience!
Thank you so much for your tips, lets see if I can apply all this excellent info
to you all!!

[Steve Axford]

Give yourself a least 6 months.

[crafty1tutu]

Wow, how lucky!!! This is my dream lens and I am determined to buy it one day. I do a lot of macro and I have been told that it is the ultimate for macro work. I have also been told that it takes a lot of practice to get used to (something I am willing to do LOL).

[Seabee]

Wow, how lucky!!! This is my dream lens and I am determined to buy it one day. I do a lot of macro and I have been told that it is the ultimate for macro work. I have also been told that it takes a lot of practice to get used to (something I am willing to do LOL).

Oh what a shame you dont live near me...................I would let you play with it too
I hope you do get it one day, I havent had time to put all this information into practice yet.............fingers crossed