Best settings for close up

hi,
when you use macro, you must stay really near the subject... so if you use the zoom to get closer, that want to say that the camera is too far, you may put it nearer and so, use less zoom, or get rid of the macro and only use the zoom (and you can move the camera to good distance) you'll get better results !
cheers,
mich

Besides any problems with the focus mechanism which should be fairly obvious, your shutter speed may be too slow. A slow shutter speed can be set manually or caused automatically when using a smaller aperture in lower light settings, the camera compensates by opening up the shutter. Try testing your lens out in bright scenes with the aperture open. Another problem is with manual lenses at low apertures. It can be difficult to manually focus at just the right point because shooting around f.4 with a longer barrel lens leads to a very shallow depth of field. To compensate, try a smaller aperture or take a few photos of a subject while adjusting your focus to get the "money shot." If all the above fails make sure to double check your sensor and lens are clean, a greasy or dirty lens will always lead to less crisp photos.

With an SLR you only get true macro focussing on a lens that has proper macro focussing abilities. Unfortunately in the photogaraphy world, there are a huge number of lenses which claim to have macro ability but are stretching the term far too much.

Strictly speaking, macro means that the lens is capable of producing images on the sensor which are the same size as the actual subject or even bigger, at life size this is described as 1:1 macro. Your Tamron lens is only capable of a maximum 1:3.7 "macro", and that's only at the 200mm zoom setting with the subject no closer than 45cm from the lens. By SLR zoom lens standards, that's actually pretty good, but if you want to go closer and get greater magnification you need to either use a supplementary close-up filter lens or for better optical quality use a set of extension rings. The trade off with close up filter lenses is poor image quality and usually plenty of colour fringing and with extension rings is that if you're using a 2x magnification at 200mm, your f5-ish maximum aperture at 200mm becomes a very dark f10.

The only way to get good macro results is to either use a proper (=expensive) macro lens and excellent lighting, or use extension rings plus a good ring flash unit. However you can improve your macro by investing in a more capable zoom lens with a closer minimum focus distance and a better aperture at the telephoto end of the range. This can be expensive, or you can pick up some very cheap 35mm film SLR lenses. Using an adapter will never allow you to achieve infinity focus on a Canon digital SLR but you can get a close focussing 200mm f3.8 very cheaply. The crop factor of your smaller sensor means it will have the same angle of view as a 310mm lens but the aperture will remain at f3.8. As Canon digital SLR's have the deepest body register (lens to sensor distance) of the current systems then you'll also have the effect of using it on an extension ring. The downside is that you'll have to use the lens in a totally manual mode as no information will be communicated to your camera body. By mounting the lens back to front using a reversing ring you can achieve some really stunning macro magnifications but then you need a tripod, powerful flash and absolutely no wind... There was also a Makinon 80-200mm zoom which sells for next to nothing on auction websites, but it had a macro collar which allowed it to achieve around half size macro (1:2).

Alternatively, if the Fuji still works and does the job just keep it in your camera bag ready for those types of shots. overall, that seems the easiest and best solution unless you really want to get heavily into macro shooting.

I hope that I've helped you, please ask more if there's anything unclear. I've tried to keep a very complicated subject as simple as possible. Please also take a moment to rate my answer.

Like all Quantaray lenses, this lens is a very cheaply built model and so lacks the refinements, build quality and optical capabilities of better lenses. As a result, it does not have a macro mode so is not designed to focus on nearby objects.

That just leaves it as a 100-300mm telephoto zoom lens. The 100mm end may be suited to head and shoulder portrait shots (if it can focus close enough), the 300mm end is a long telephoto for subjects such as architectural close-ups and best used on a tripod or monopod to avoid unsharpness caused by camera shake. Usually a 300mm would be suited to wildlife shots, but the very slow f6.7 maximum aperture at this end really limits this function to non-moving objects simply due to the longer shutter speeds required to compensate. You could turn up the ISO sensitivity, but then you get noisy images...You may find that the maximum aperture at around 200mm is around f5.6, this is still quite poor but far more useful and as long as the light levels allow a 1/200th or faster shutter speed it should also be possible to hand hold the lens without worrying about camera shake. If your camera has seven megapixels or more, then shooting at 200mm and then cropping the shot afterwards to achieve the same view as a 300mm will probably give better results.

Your lens has it's limitations, but a good photographer will learn to work around them when necessary and to embrace them as needed. The 100-300 is known to be a very poor optical performer, but for portrait work a soft lens can be used to good effect. At the end of the day, it's a US$100 lens so you can't expect that much from it but you as the photographer can make a lot of difference by using it creatively.

I hope that I've helped, if so please take a moment to rate my answer.

Description: Sleek and stylish, the exciting new Nikon One-Touch Zoom 90QD offers real zoom power in a lightweight, easy-to-use design. The One-Touch Zoom 90QD has a sharp, clear, 2.5x zoom lens with a 38-90mm range and a macro mode for shots as close as 11 inches. The One-Touch Zoom 90QD features a built-in automatic flash with five versatile modes (auto flash, anytime flash, flash cancel, slow sync and red-eye reduction). The active infrared autofocus, infinity focus (for landscapes and faraway subjects), real-image zoom viewfinder and fully automatic exposure control all help to ensure clear and balanced photos.

Depth 2.1 in. Film Type 35mm Width 4.6 in. Height 2.5 in. UPC 018208018789 Battery Type 1 x 3V Lithium Battery (CR-2) Weight 7.84 oz. Self Timer Yes Camera Type Point and Shoot Focus Type Autofocus Minimum Focus Distance 1 ft. ISO Range - Automatic Setting ISO 100 - 800 Red Eye Reduction With Red Eye Reduction Zoom Size 2.4 Auto Exposure Yes Min Aperture f10.5 Waterproof No Max Aperture f4.8 Zoom Lens With Zoom Lens Zoom Range 38 mm - 90 mm

User Manual can not be found up to now. Very soon will be available.

Take it to a repair shop.

Your lens is the limiting factor to take macro photos, the kit lens provided with you camera won't focus very closely, nor it will have decent magnification. There are special purpose macro lenses which can stretch up to and over $1000 for a decent quality one. Tamron's 90mm f2.8 is probably the best value one.

A tripod will be of benefit too, as it slows down the process, so you think about your composition, use manual focus and a small aperture for better depth of focus (field).

The camera fails to control the flash output automatically due to the high intensity of Macro ring flash, causing the image to be over-exposed. Please set the camera as below to prevent a undesired result. Camera and Flash Settings - Set the sensitivity to ISO 100 using the function dial of the camera. - Set the flash metering of the camera to Pre-Flash TTL from the recording-mode menu. MACRO RING FLASH 1200 - Set the camera exposure mode to A or M mode. - Set the aperture to f/6.7. - Attach a ND filter x4 (0.6D) to the camera lens. MACRO TWIN FLASH 2400 - Attach a diffuser to the flash tube units. In case the flash tube and the subject is too close, eg. Not using the arms, set the camera exposure mode to A or M mode and the aperture to f/6.7. A subject at minimum distance may still be overexposed. Use exposure compensation to obtain the best result.

You are able to shoot at F8 by opening the lens barrier and sliding the macro switch to the Macro mode. This provides a mechanical aperture of F8. We recommend the use of this setting either when shooting close up images or when shooting images in a very brightly lit scene. Unfortunately, because the aperture is mechanical, the EXIF information is not recorded. Therefore, you can not see whether you photographed an image in the Macro mode or if the aperture has been changed. However, you can physically see the aperture close down by looking at the lens with a magnifying glass or loupe when turning the sliding the macro switch to the Macro mode.

You are able to shoot at F8 by opening the lens barrier and sliding the macro switch to the Macro mode. This provides a mechanical aperture of F8. We recommend the use of this setting either when shooting close up images or when shooting images in a very brightly lit scene. Unfortunately, because the aperture is mechanical, the EXIF information is not recorded. Therefore, you can not see whether you photographed an image in the Macro mode or if the aperture has been changed. However, you can physically see the aperture close down by looking at the lens with a magnifying glass or loupe when turning the sliding the macro switch to the Macro mode.