taking close ups

this post is for explaining to people how you take those great close up shots,everyones methods are welcome,i use 2 different methods myself which i'm going to try and explain now

1st method,crop and resize
1st i get as close to the plant as i can without losing focus,do not use the zoom,just get as close as posssible like in picture 1,remember it's a digital camera so take loads of pics at different distances,select the picture that is clearest(see pic 1)
next using either the zoom function on your camera or photo editing software,zoom in on your pic and select an area you like the looks of,then simply crop and resize it to original size(see pic 2)


2nd method
this requires a jewellers loupe,i generally use the 10x,this is simply held over your camera lens,you need to get close to the subject,within an inch or 2,check the lcd on your camera and when it looks good take a load of pics,move slightly closer and further away as you take the pics,some will be out of focus(see pic 3) some will be focused better(see pic 4)again it's keeping what you like,ditching what you don't,
now that you're in close why not try zooming your camera in,it will take care of that black ring round your pics and give you even more detail(see pic 5)
and if you really want to push it you could try the crop and resize method on pic 5,it's really up to you

all pics taken with a 4mp sony dsc s40,under flash conditions,in poor ambient lighting

hope this is useful to at least someone and i look forward to seeing how others take some of their great pictures i've seen posted here

or you can just use the digital macro setting.

ive also found that using a tripod makes a world of difference.

most cameras have a bad autofocus for closeups and you end up focused on the wall behind the bud. this is just a programmed action and it happens when you are too close or not enough light. holding the button down halfway will give the camera more time to focus and decide an appropriate focal range. try focusing the camera on something large, flat, and well lit, hold the camra 6inches away from the wall and push the button halfway and see if it focused clearly on the wall, may need to have 12"+ depending upon your camera. once you find out exactly how close you can take a picture focus on the wall again and once it stops and is clear move over to your subject. still holding the button halfway, move the camera to where you get a nice crisp shot and take at least 3 pics. i use this to get the closest possible focus without hassle and hundreds of trash shots.
the 10x lupe in front of the camera works surprisingly well, macro mode zoomed out all the way. hard to hold still with that kinda magnification

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Originally Posted by five0addict

macro mode zoomed out all the way. hard to hold still with that kinda magnification

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see comment above about the tripod.

also if youre handy you can make a light box/tent or you can buy one for anywhere from $30-$150 and youll be amazed at the quality of the pics.

I think I'm gonna try the second method, but I just need that thing. Lol! It's funny because if you search jewellers loupe on Google Images the first two pictures are of close-up of cannabis plants xD. At least it looks like it because of the green leaves and trichomes and the pistils.

the silver one is a loupe 10x,the other 2 are eyepieces from my telescope turned backwards giving about 15x and 20x,coupled with the cameras zoom gives pretty high magnification

Quote:

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Originally Posted by omegagodly

nice plant.

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cheers dude,as it goes the plant don't look so healthy,think it's ph issues,but i'm not worrying to much at this late stage,7 weeks into flowering now

Wow man, what's the name of that?

Not hijacking, merely contributing...I use a 30x jeweler's loupe over the end of my lens and use macro setting with no more than 1.0 zoom..camera is polaroid i533..can take great macros..best way to get an idea when to harvest rather than struggling trying to keep the scope still :thumbsup: