Macro filming with the Sigma 50mm f2.8 Macro lens

Love the shots...really nice light and SHARP. The movement was a little distracting but I understand it's tough to get those shots. The ladybug one was great :)
 
Just very light exposure correction. Just use the auto function in the 3-way colour corrector in FCP 7. On some shots it didn't seem to change a thing.

My scene file is one I made up myself.
 
Movement is normal. I had no problem with it. If it is, then get a still camera.

But as Shooter said, having a good head and sticks is always a good idea though.
 
footage looks great! not sure I would block the wind, maybe overcrank. Did you have any proxars on the lens? How close can you get to the object with the lens?
 
Hi, I didn't think to overcrank! The lens is just a naked lens - no proxars.

Regarding proximity, I can get as close as maybe 2 inches and still get in focus.
 
I've not got much experience with macro video yet, but I've got a lot of experience with macro stills photography. I think you did really well to get this nice selection of footage in such a short time. Good light, nicely framed and well handled. Subject movement is the killer with macro as all the movement is greatly magnified. With stills in the film era I used to wonder why some long exposure shots were sharp and others weren't when the subject seemed still. However magnified live view on DSLRs soon answered that question. Often the movement is so slight you can't see it with your eye or in the viewfinder, but it is there. Full frame on the camera LCD it looks fairly still, but zoom in and you can see it is bobbing about. I find the best time for truly still conditions are at first light or as the sun goes down. Just be aware that at first light everywhere is pretty damp and you can get quite wet getting those low angle shots. I've tried various types of windbreaks out. What you'll find is that with anything but a light breeze you can still get enough eddies to cause some movement behind the screen. That is unless your screen is large or wraps around the subject. The higher the magnification the greater that apparent subject movement, even when to the eye the air seems quite still. Obviously the taller a plant stem is, the more it moves. So low plants or lower down the plant there is less apparent movement than at the top.

The Sigma 50mm f2.8 is a great macro lens and I have an old manual focus version. I've got a few other newer Sigma macro lenses, but the 70mm, 105mm and 150mm. As far as stills are concerned I prefer the longer lenses for use on a tripod and shorter focal lengths for handholding. The difficulty with shorter focal length macro lenses is getting an angle other than looking down at the subject at short distances, whereas a longer stand off allows you to get more side on without getting so low. Although a shorter focal length lens allows you to dramatically change your angle on the subject without having to move too much. Fortunately with stills I can use flash to freeze movement so I can get away with handholding at even high magnification, and it allows me to explore more angles and compositions. This is obviously not so easy to do with video. I do know a technique for handholding that locks the subject movement in the same phase with camera movement. You basically hold onto the subject, or what it is sitting on, say a flower or stem, and then rest the end of the lens on your left hand that you are using to hold onto the subject or its perch. It can only be done with a lens that has a short working distance. Whilst difficult to master you can get a lot of stability with this technique because the subject movement and camera movement get locked into the same phase of movement. btw. The minimum focus distance on the lens specs are the subject to the focal plane and not the working distance, which is the end of the lens to the subject. That's why you we able to get closer than the lens specs indicate.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9578475@N02/
 
Thanks for the really comprehensive feedback. It's much appreciated.

Love your Flickr gallery - some amazing shots in there and that diffuser rig you've made, looks awesome! What a neat idea!!
 
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I have recently acquired a Nikon 55mm Macro for shooting plants with my AF-101. Will try and get some pictures together to show you.
 
Scene File is this:

Detail Level -3
V Detail Level -5
Detail Coring +2
Chroma Level - 2
Chroma Phase -3
Master Ped 0
A.Iris Level 0
DRS OFF
Gamma Cine-Like V
Knee Auto
Matrix Norm2
Skin Tone DTL OFF

Hope that helps!
 
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