Macro Photos

[j]

My friend gave me her old DSLR when she upgraded. It is a Konica Minolta Dynax 5D

The two lenses she gave me are an AF DT 18-70 and an AF 75-300.

The camera doesn't have a macro setting.

I'm only just venturing into the world of manual settings and I'm just wondering what the best setting and lens etc would be to try and take macro shots. I've taken a couple of close up shots that I'm reasonably happy with, but they were mostly flukes and just on the auto setting. I see photos taken by some DOLers and I'm green with envy.

Could someone please explain (in very basic language) what I should be looking at to try and achieve some decent shots. Should I be sticking with auto shots to start with, or trying for fully manual? Or something in between?

Thanks in advance

[Aubrey]

I think this really depends on the lens.

Different lenses will focus on something closer than others. Macro lenses tend to focus on things that could be 1cm away to 10cm away, where as other normal lenses could be 25cm to 1m away before they get focus.

Best thing to do is to try manually focusing on something close and see if it works... you'll probably get the best manually at close than auto.

[Aubrey]

I think this really depends on the lens.

Different lenses will focus on something closer than others. Macro lenses tend to focus on things that could be 1cm away to 10cm away, where as other normal lenses could be 25cm to 1m away before they get focus.

Best thing to do is to try manually focusing on something close and see if it works... you'll probably get the best manually at close than auto.

[j]

Thanks Aubrey

Both lenses say they are Macro, but I don't think they are macro as in dedicated macro or macro specific? Does that make sense?

[Guest Tess32]

Neither of them are macro lenses so you won't really be able to take macro shots, but your best bet out of the two is the 75-300.

How close you get depends on how close the lens focuses.

I would stick to auto for now, and then do some reading on aperture/shutter speed and ISO and how they relate, and then you'll begin to understand how to use manual settings. No point jumping into manual if you don't know the reasons why.

Might help if you explain what is going 'wrong' with your shots too.....eg help