Tips on taking better macro photos for cannabis?

[weedsmokerca]

I recently purchased a a nikon z5 with a 105mm f/2.8 macro lens. I am still pretty new to photography. I was told this camera and lens was the combo to get for my needs.

I bought this camera and lens specifically to take high quality cannabis bud shots. The problem I'm having is when I'm trying to take up close macro shots of the trichomes of the buds. Whenever I try to have the camera up close to the bud it would not focus. I would need to move the camera back until it focuses. When I do that and take a series of photos and then focus stack them, the trichomes still isn't very clear. Am I doing something wrong?

What apeture should i be setting it at? Should I get extension tubes? I heard this would help with the focusing problem.

These are some of the photos i would like to take..

The 2 bud shots are the ones i took..That is the closest i can get to the bud before it won't focus.

 

[Chuckeye]

I recently purchased a a nikon z5 with a 105mm f/2.8 macro lens. I am still pretty new to photography. I was told this camera and lens was the combo to get for my needs.

I bought this camera and lens specifically to take high quality cannabis bud shots. The problem I'm having is when I'm trying to take up close macro shots of the trichomes of the buds. Whenever I try to have the camera up close to the bud it would not focus. I would need to move the camera back until it focuses. When I do that and take a series of photos and then focus stack them, the trichomes still isn't very clear. Am I doing something wrong?

What apeture should i be setting it at? Should I get extension tubes? I heard this would help with the focusing problem.

These are some of the photos i would like to take..

The 2 bud shots are the ones i took..That is the closest i can get to the bud before it won't focus.

Greetings @weedsmokerca !

Lots of good Nikon forums out there but for now....

You are coming up against the minimum focusing distance of that lens which is roughly 12".

What I do with an older version of that lens is use a tripod, shoot in Aperture mode ~@f11, AF-S, center weighted focus and the largest size file. I also shoot in raw but that's another learning curve !

Depending on the lighting set the iso as high as 1000 to get a shutter speed of ~ 1/160.

With a tripod, a two second shutter delay And your fans off you should be able to capture a clear image.

Focus on an object about 1/4 into the frame.

And then crop the image to get "closer"...

There are extension tubes available but be prepared to lose some quality.

Have fun, it's a rabbit hole

Cheers

 

[weedsmokerca]

Thank you very much for your response!!

I am fairly new and photographing cannabis is pretty fun so far. I am able to get some pretty good shots of the whole bud, however when it comes to macro and shooting trichomes I am a complete noob.

I definitely have a tripod + a good light box. I shoot with ISO 100 no problem.

The 2 pictures I took were with f/5 and shutter speed of 1/100. They were also the closest I could be without losing focus. Is this normal..?

As you can see from the pictures the trichomes aren't very clear. Even if I focus stack them and crop this is the outcome..

 

[Chuckeye]

Minimum focusing distance is just that, the closest you can be and have the auto focus work.

And f5 is still a fairly narrow depth of field for such a small object

Try at least f11....

Cheers

 

[SmokingWings]

The 2 pictures I took were with f/5 and shutter speed of 1/100. They were also the closest I could be without losing focus. Is this normal..?

As you can see from the pictures the trichomes aren't very clear. Even if I focus stack them and crop this is the outcome..

And those two look very good, even closer in than the two in the first msg that you are using as an example of what you want.

 

[weedsmokerca]

And those two look very good, even closer in than the two in the first msg that you are using as an example of what you want.

Really? I feel like the first 2 photos i wanted have sharper images of the trichomes heads which is what im trying to go for.

I will use a higher apeture and report back!

 

[SmokingWings]

Really? I feel like the first 2 photos i wanted have sharper images of the trichomes heads which is what im trying to go for.

I will use a higher apeture and report back!

Look sharp enough to me. In your photos the trichomes look less mature than in the photos you used as an example of what you are trying to do.

 

[Roy Growin]

A 105mm lens has a very shallow depth of field so you'd need at least f5.6-f8, which means you'll probably need to set ISO to 400/800
2/3 of available depth of field is behind the focal point, so focus very slightly in front of your intended focal point
If you have manual mode, you can also set the focus to max, then move the camera until it is perfectly in focus exactly where you want it
Make sure you have adjusted the dioptre for your eyesight - easily overlooked!
I find 105mm hard work because of the above
It's easier to use 55mm lens with a 2x/4x [I have a 10x but it is impossible to use] with the camera set to fine/large, then crop it down to reveal the detail
In manual mode, stop the flash down to -0.7 so the fill-in gives you highlights - stick a cigarette paper over the flash if it's too harsh
I was taught A] Set the aperture you want B] set the shutter speed you want [eg f8, 1/250] C] Adjust ISO until the histogram shows you an even curve, which is probably easiest until you get the hang of it
Take a couple of test shots and adjust aperture, exp, flash etc until you find the sweet spot
Also, don't forget to calibrate the colour temperature so you get clean whites if you are shooting under a lamp
Hope that helps

 

[weedsmokerca]

These are the best I can do with the camera and lens that I have..I guess maybe I need an extension tube or something else to get more clear shots of the trichomes?

 

[Indicolas]

What you want to do is focus stack several images. Use an aperture of f8-11. Set your exposure ISO to shutter speed. Shoot on a tripod. Take your images with focussing on front to back of your subject. Every lens has a minimal focus distance. Back off a bit so you can use the focus ring.