Macro water drop - Focus advice needed

[TheKingInYellow]

First off, here is the shot that I did manage to take:



This is a water drop on a recordable DVD, shot with a Rebel XSi, EF-S 60mm Macro and 580EX II at 1/200th, ISO 200 and f/20.

I'm wondering if someone can give me some advice on getting proper focusing with a shot that is taken this close to a small subject. I placed a pin on the DVD and set my focus manually using it, but even at f/20 the DOF is so razor-thin that I can't bring the whole splash into focus, and any deviation in where the drop lands completely ruins the focus.

Am I missing a trick here, or is it just 'shoot, shoot, shoot' until you nail it?

[photog1107]

I would have followed exactly the same steps, so I will eagerly wait to see what others have to offer here. Nice capture, though.

[woogiekids]

I do a good amount of waterdrops, and I've found the trick is to back off just a bit (maybe 6-8 inches), set my shutter at least 1/250, and take about 500 pictures. You're never going to nail them all.

You can check mine out on my website if you like.

HaygoodPhotography's Photos- powered by SmugMug

[TheKingInYellow]

Originally Posted by woogiekids

I do a good amount of waterdrops, and I've found the trick is to back off just a bit (maybe 6-8 inches), set my shutter at least 1/250, and take about 500 pictures. You're never going to nail them all.

You can check mine out on my website if you like.

HaygoodPhotography's Photos- powered by SmugMug

I suppose I didn't want to do this since I wanted to avoid cropping (this image is not cropped) and the 60mm doesn't give much in the way of reach.

I suppose a crop isn't the worst thing in the world, and I have no idea why I didn't think of this...