What did I do wrong

[SharonHearn]

I have just tried my macro lens for the first time and obviously did something wrong as these are the results, problem is I don't know what it was. Camera - Nikon Z50, Lens - Meike 60mm f2.8 macro lens, Aperture priority. There isn't a lot in focus, can anyone help
please?

 

[cgw]

Plainly a DOF issue. Large aperture=shallow depth of field. Try f8 or less. Have a look at the many online macro tutorials for the basics.

 

[Thiophilos]

It's not a bad picture. It is OK. It is normal to have blurry parts in macro photos.

But it could be better. You need to pay attention to lighting - quality and quantity. More light will allow a narrower aperture, and more diffuse light will help control the shadows.

As cgw says, there is lots of info online, and also here at TPF.

 

[21limited]

I often use a tripod, and ƒ16-22, setting my focus with Live View and focus assist, to precisely position the focal plane.
2022-05-28-local-Red-Baneberry by Norm Head, on Flickr

 

[PhotoHobbyist]

Like the other have said, try small apertures like F11 or even smaller F16. That will give you wider depth of field so less parts out of focus. Small apertures will require longer shutter times so use a tripod.

You could tinker with frame stacking using free software CombineZP. You take a few pictures at F8 varying the focus from front to back and then stack them with the software. It automatically merges all the in-focus parts into one picture.

 

[smoke665]

As others mentioned DOF, but there's some other things going on that can be easily cleaned up. Could it be better...yes, but for a first time it's actually pretty good.

 

[SharonHearn]

Thank you everyone
Unfortunately I can find no way of changing the focal point, all I get on the camera is f----
I am using a Meike macro lens on a Nikon z50, the lens is for that camera but I guess there will be a better one out there.

 

[cgw]

Thank you everyone
Unfortunately I can find no way of changing the focal point, all I get on the camera is f----
I am using a Meike macro lens on a Nikon z50, the lens is for that camera but I guess there will be a better one out there.

This might help things along.

 

[greybeard]

What exactly do YOU see wrong with this picture? I ask this as I have seen many shots like this that were exactly what the poster wanted, more or less. So, if I knew what you thought was wrong, I could suggest a solution.

 

[SharonHearn]

Thank you everyone

I think it's the fact that the focus/sharp area is smaller than I thought it would be but there are a few things above that I can try next time which will hopefully get me the photo that I'm hoping for.

 

[smoke665]

Thank you everyone
Unfortunately I can find no way of changing the focal point, all I get on the camera is f----
I am using a Meike macro lens on a Nikon z50, the lens is for that camera but I guess there will be a better one out there.

You'll need to go into the menu to change change you focus point settings.

think it's the fact that the focus/sharp area is smaller than I thought it would

What you're seeing is Depth Of Field, the area in an image that appears sharp, and is a function of the aperture used (smaller the aperture opening the greater the DOF), and the distance to the subject (closer you are the less DOF)

 

[greybeard]

The closer you get to your subject, the shallower you DEPTH OF FIELD (depth of acceptable focus). f/11, f/16, f/22 will cure most of your problems. Best advice is to keep shooting and experimenting with different f stops.

 

[SharonHearn]

Thank you