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GF1 + Canon FD 50mm f/3.5 Macro - Field Test

s.agar

Member
Chris,

Excellent photos.

Where did you find all these in the middle of a cold winter. It's all covered with snow in the northern hemisphere. We can't even go out.
 
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christan

Guest
Holy cow Chris-- I saw your pic before I saw your disclaimer re: voltage and all I could think was AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, not the hot shoe!! :ROTFL:

I use a couple of these old 285HV flashes off-camera for MF, serious workhorses, but I well remember what happened when folks tried to use these old flashes on some of the first digital SLRs before checking the voltage-- real badness and resultant sadness..

Cool rig, I have the same setup as Gary, gotta give this a try. But maybe find another subject, *shiver*.

JT
LOL .. I've re-edited my earlier reply to bold the disclaimer just in case :D ...

Ahh, I didn't read well enough. Was wondering why the hoodloupe would be better than the EVF - I thought these were taken with the G1. Thanks for the pic, I have to try that if I ever get another day off :rolleyes: I have an older Metz flash that should work (according to their customer service) and one of these blow-up diffusors And I can choose between the Canon FD 50 and the Leica Elmarit 60 macros :) Now where are these bugs...

Stefan
Yeah, without the hoodloupe on the GF1, this would have been a futile attempt given how bright the sun was ... lol

It's my understanding (from the article referenced below) that the latest Vivitar 285HV model was redesigned specifically so it would work with digital cameras re voltage requirements, so shouldn't present a problem. Older models of the Vivitar 285 would likely be a problem.

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2007/02/return-of-classic.html

Gary
If I recall correctly, there are some 285HV that are high voltage. The 285HV has been around for a really long time ... the one I have is probably from late 80s ...

Chris,

Excellent photos.

Where did you find all these in the middle of a cold winter. It's all covered with snow in the northern hemisphere. We can't even go out.
Well, I'm in Malaysia ... we have 3 seasons here too ... hot, hotter and hottest ... :ROTFL:
 

pellicle

New member
Christian

Well, it's not really any different from using my Canon DSLR for macro, except for the lack of an OVF :) ... shooting under bright sunlight, the LCD isn't really useful for judging focus given the really shallow DOF, which was why I used the hoodloupe ...
ok ... didn't spot that in the post ... and btw I had never heard of the hood loupe.

Now that has me seriously interested.

before I blow $70 on this, how do you find them? I have used some magnifiers on my screens in the past (not that the 20D has a significant screen) only to find that the LCD pixelates badly under the 'magnification'

if these don't magnify but just allow close examination that would be great.

I'd be keen to hear of your experiences.


BTW, for anyone who's thinking of using the Vivitar flashes, I would highly recommend that you test the trigger voltage with a multimeter first. Some old Vivitars have very high voltage and could fry your cam ... my 285HV had a max voltage of just below 6V ...
...
thats a good point. I'm using a Metz 32 CT-3 which is great and has both tilt and swivel (but no zoom manual or otherwise) Metz of this model are safe too.

its always good to grab a cheap multi meter and measure the voltage on a flash before trying it on a camera ... you can get one to do the job for about $5 at most cheap hardware stores!

:)
 
C

christan

Guest
Christian


ok ... didn't spot that in the post ... and btw I had never heard of the hood loupe.

Now that has me seriously interested.

before I blow $70 on this, how do you find them? I have used some magnifiers on my screens in the past (not that the 20D has a significant screen) only to find that the LCD pixelates badly under the 'magnification'

if these don't magnify but just allow close examination that would be great.

I'd be keen to hear of your experiences.
Here's what it looks like looking thru the hoodloupe on the GF1 LCD :) ... Just a note, the slight barrel distortion is actually due to the PnS cam I used to take this pic ...



The hoodloupe turns your 3 inch LCD into a more or less 1 inch viewfinder, so ... no, it doesn't magnify ... the resolution on the GF1's LCD is high enough that you don't really see pixelation ... you can see the pixels, but they're quite tiny dots ...

Another factor that made me decide to get the hoodloupe instead of the LVF is because I can use the hoodloupe with any camera, so it's pretty much future proof. It's also useful for videoing on bigger SLRs, since you can't use the OVF for videoing ...
 

pellicle

New member
Christian

Here's what it looks like looking thru the hoodloupe on the GF1 LCD :)
...
The hoodloupe turns your 3 inch LCD into a more or less 1 inch viewfinder, so ... no, it doesn't magnify ... the resolution on the GF1's LCD is high enough
ok ... that's interesting. I'm willing to bet it looks better than my old Nikon CP 5000 with my +3 close focus specs I use under the hood of my LF camera :)

thanks for your inputs :)
 
C

christan

Guest
Christian

ok ... that's interesting. I'm willing to bet it looks better than my old Nikon CP 5000 with my +3 close focus specs I use under the hood of my LF camera :)

thanks for your inputs :)
Glad to be of help :)
 

Howard

New member
Christan,
I am impressed with the quality of your Macro photos. I have the same Canon FD 50 f/3.5 macro lens and finally figured out how to focus it manually. I put the lens attached to an extender and an adapter on my G1 and put them on a tripod and was shocked how difficult it was to get even tiny leaf all in focus. The slightest movement of the leaf by the breeze was magnified. This further impressed me how you got your insect subjects to remain in place while you composed and focused the lens. I knew your photos were excellent, but after I attempted to photograph a leaf, I gain an even greater appreciation for your photos. Thanks again for posting the photos as well as your camera, lens and flash setup.

Howard
 

photoSmart42

New member
BTW, for anyone who's thinking of using the Vivitar flashes, I would highly recommend that you test the trigger voltage with a multimeter first. Some old Vivitars have very high voltage and could fry your cam ... my 285HV had a max voltage of just below 6V ...
My 285 measures at just under 9V, so while it's not hundreds of Volts like some older models, I've been reluctant to put it directly on the camera. I like using it off-camera anyway using an old flash mount, so that's OK. That way I can mess around with various flash angles, etc.
 
C

christan

Guest
Christan,
I am impressed with the quality of your Macro photos. I have the same Canon FD 50 f/3.5 macro lens and finally figured out how to focus it manually. I put the lens attached to an extender and an adapter on my G1 and put them on a tripod and was shocked how difficult it was to get even tiny leaf all in focus. The slightest movement of the leaf by the breeze was magnified. This further impressed me how you got your insect subjects to remain in place while you composed and focused the lens. I knew your photos were excellent, but after I attempted to photograph a leaf, I gain an even greater appreciation for your photos. Thanks again for posting the photos as well as your camera, lens and flash setup.

Howard
I actually shot all the above pics handheld :) ... The settings I used is typically Manual mode, ISO400, 1/160, f/8-f/11 ...
 

Howard

New member
Chris,

Hand held, I am impressed. When I tried to shoot with the same setup (excluding the flash), it was difficult to hold the camera steady just to focus. Then the DOF is so narrow. I took some photos with the camera on a tripod which I will post after I upload them.


Howard
 

photoSmart42

New member
Chris,

Hand held, I am impressed. When I tried to shoot with the same setup (excluding the flash), it was difficult to hold the camera steady just to focus. Then the DOF is so narrow. I took some photos with the camera on a tripod which I will post after I upload them.


Howard
Shooting at f/8-f/11 should widen your DOF significantly, which is where the flash comes in to add the extra light you need for that smaller aperture. The 1/160 shutter speed is automatically set when you use a flash on your hot shoe, but it should be enough to mitigate any major vibrations. Worst case you take the flash off-camera and decrease your shutter speed even more (although you'll need more light for that again). Without a flash, these photos are really difficult to take, and you run into the steady camera issues you're having.
 
C

christan

Guest
Chris,

Hand held, I am impressed. When I tried to shoot with the same setup (excluding the flash), it was difficult to hold the camera steady just to focus. Then the DOF is so narrow. I took some photos with the camera on a tripod which I will post after I upload them.


Howard
The flash is necessary, as photoSmart mentioned below.

Shooting at f/8-f/11 should widen your DOF significantly, which is where the flash comes in to add the extra light you need for that smaller aperture. The 1/160 shutter speed is automatically set when you use a flash on your hot shoe, but it should be enough to mitigate any major vibrations. Worst case you take the flash off-camera and decrease your shutter speed even more (although you'll need more light for that again). Without a flash, these photos are really difficult to take, and you run into the steady camera issues you're having.
Generally, most small insects require about f/8-f/11 to get sufficient DOF to capture it ... while bigger insects like dragonflies may need f/16.
 

Howard

New member
Following are several photos that I took with my G1, FD to M4/3 adapter with a Canon Macro 50mm 3.5 lens. The camera was on a steady tripod and no flash was used.







Howard
 
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grum

Guest
These pics are incredible - just wondering what the diffuser on the flash is? Is it home made or a purchased item?

Thanks
 
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