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Extreme macro lenses?
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Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 2:23 am
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Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 2:23 am
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I'm doing it in another approach nowadays.
Small sensor camera with a macro lens.

Using a Pentax Q with a Pentax F100mm or Vivitar 55mm macro gives a flexibility that the setup focuses from infinity to 1:1, unlike reverse lens or extension tube setups that limit focus range.
The crop of 5.5x also gives a pseudo 'magnification'.

Here are some samples :







These picts are not cropped for any magnification (only for composition).


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Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 10:33 am
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Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 10:33 am
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pinholecam wrote:
I'm doing it in another approach nowadays.
Small sensor camera with a macro lens.

Using a Pentax Q with a Pentax F100mm or Vivitar 55mm macro gives a flexibility that the setup focuses from infinity to 1:1, unlike reverse lens or extension tube setups that limit focus range.
The crop of 5.5x also gives a pseudo 'magnification'.

Incredible pictures!


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Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 10:58 am
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Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 10:58 am
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Miles Teg wrote:
pinholecam wrote:
I'm doing it in another approach nowadays.
Small sensor camera with a macro lens.

Using a Pentax Q with a Pentax F100mm or Vivitar 55mm macro gives a flexibility that the setup focuses from infinity to 1:1, unlike reverse lens or extension tube setups that limit focus range.
The crop of 5.5x also gives a pseudo 'magnification'.

Incredible pictures!


Nice photographs indeed and the macro set up works well. Most of my macro is done with my Nikkor 50mm f2 AI and with nothing else. That lens is so sharp it picks up most details and I simply crop a 24mp image down to 1/4 size or whatever suits. Little specks in the full image blow up to still show remarkable detail. The later versions of the 50mm F2 had the MFD reduced to 45mm from 60mm, so on my DX frame camera it works out to be a very versatile lens.

Pentax Q seems to work in a similar fashion but better. This camera is similar to Nikon 1 system. The sensors are very small and that's the only thing that would concern me. The samples suggest there's nothing to worry about.

Last edited by parabellumfoto on Tue Jun 25, 2013 11:01 am; edited 1 time in total


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Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 11:00 am
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Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 11:00 am
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Incredible result. But it means also that lenses you mentioned are quite sharp if they resolve so much details on such dense sensor. Well done.


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Posted: Wed Jun 26, 2013 9:05 pm
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Posted: Wed Jun 26, 2013 9:05 pm
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just starting to do macro that is nearing extreme. my setup is Olympus E-M5 , Olympus OM 90mm/2 macro + vivitar macro focusing teleconverter + sfr-11 olympus ring flash




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Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 8:00 am
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Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 8:00 am
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I can add two pictures.
Carl Zeiss Jena Flektogon 2.4/35mm @ f~8 + Spacer, handheld. First successful tests with Focus stacking (3 images), no PP except stacking.



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Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 11:03 am
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Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 11:03 am
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Miles Teg wrote:
I can add two pictures.
Carl Zeiss Jena Flektogon 2.4/35mm @ f~8 + Spacer, handheld. First successful tests with Focus stacking (3 images), no PP except stacking.


I'm curious, how do you focus stack images from handheld shots?

How do you manage to get the alignment right?

Shocked


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Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 1:11 pm
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Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 1:11 pm
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parabellumfoto wrote:

I'm curious, how do you focus stack images from handheld shots?
How do you manage to get the alignment right?
Shocked

Because up to now, I did not find THE tripod that fits all my needs, I am forced to shoot from hand. So much to the background. Smile
This is (was) a long and frustrating process starting with the fact that I was trying to stand still like a stone while shooting. Then the selection starts, with looking for the "best" pictures. Then there is a lot of fiddeling (?), the manual selection of different images and trying to stack (with different options in Helicon Focus) them until the result is somewhat pleasing. Not an efficient way, but at the moment, the only way for me.


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Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 1:48 pm
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Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 1:48 pm
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Miles Teg wrote:
parabellumfoto wrote:

I'm curious, how do you focus stack images from handheld shots?
How do you manage to get the alignment right?
Shocked

Because up to now, I did not find THE tripod that fits all my needs, I am forced to shoot from hand. So much to the background. Smile
This is (was) a long and frustrating process starting with the fact that I was trying to stand still like a stone while shooting. Then the selection starts, with looking for the "best" pictures. Then there is a lot of fiddeling (?), the manual selection of different images and trying to stack (with different options in Helicon Focus) them until the result is somewhat pleasing. Not an efficient way, but at the moment, the only way for me.


It sounds like an impossible task. I have never tried focus stacking and I don't think I ever will. Macro by itself is challenging enough. Hand held focus stacking? -> Confused


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Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 3:57 pm
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Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 3:57 pm
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parabellumfoto wrote:
It sounds like an impossible task.


It just requires patience, and a little practice.

Stack of three shots:



Stack of four shots:



Stack of six shots:



All handheld. All at about X2-X3 magnification, minimally cropped.


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Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 4:43 pm
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Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 4:43 pm
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Some fantastic images here Very Happy

Kudos for the handheld stacking shots, that takes a lot of patience and effort.


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Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 5:33 pm
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Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 5:33 pm
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parabellumfoto wrote:

It sounds like an impossible task. I have never tried focus stacking and I don't think I ever will. Macro by itself is challenging enough. Hand held focus stacking? -> Confused


This technology is new to me too, so I googled it. Found Helicon's website and a good article on the subject at Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focus_stacking


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Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 8:55 pm
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Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 8:55 pm
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cooltouch wrote:
parabellumfoto wrote:

It sounds like an impossible task. I have never tried focus stacking and I don't think I ever will. Macro by itself is challenging enough. Hand held focus stacking? -> Confused


This technology is new to me too, so I googled it. Found Helicon's website and a good article on the subject at Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focus_stacking


Thanks for the link. I will check it out.
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