Mushrooms

[PatrickMarq]

Hi all,

I have the possibility to go on a workshop next weekend, for me it’s just for the location because all the other persons have a digital camera.

The first part of the day will be landscapes, so no problem. Here with my 4x5, but the afternoon wil be mushrooms.
I have only a 150mm and a 300mm do you think that I can use them for the mushrooms ?

Thanks
Patrick

[Jim Noel]

Yes, you probably will need to get close. I don't know the length of your bellows, so use the 150 which will allow plenty of bellows extension.

[Doremus Scudder]

Your 150mm lens will work fine for close-ups. How close you can get will depend on your bellows, but even the most compact cameras usually have 300mm of bellows extension, which will get you 1:1, likely enough for most shots :)

It will give you a chance to brush up on using your bellows extension factors too. Make sure to bring your tape measure and extension tables or whatever you use to determine your exposure factor.

Depth-of-field is shallow with 4x5 and close-up work; don't hesitate to stop down as needed. Exposure times are likely to be long too, so bring your stopwatch/timer/whatever (I count seconds up to five minutes, but like my watch with a rotating bezel or my iPhone timer for longer times).

Best,

Doremus