Your form of Macro

walter g · Joined: 20 Feb 2010 Posts: 2463 Location: NC, USA

It seems there are many forms of Macro, or variations. I'm using a 80-200 macro lens with a Vivitar 52mm Close-up lens. I really like that combo.

I see really good results on this forum from bellows. You can get brand new bellows and rail setup from China for $50 US. Has anyone tried one yet?

My next thing to buy is a tube set. The set I want is pricey, has anyone tried the $10 set from China?

I take it that bellows or tubes are the best for macro. I guess bellows the main worry is light leaking in.

With tubes, I wouldn't think the quality of the images would change no matter what you used. But the old ones are built much better.

Diopters by what I read are supposed to be better than teleconverters.
But worse than tubes or bellows.

Reversing rings sound interesting, except for leaving the back of your lens open.

So, what form of macro do you do? Please give your opinion of what I've said. Any comments are welcome.

Money is tight right now, so I'm trying to get the most bang for my buck. But I don't want to buy junk.

Kram · Joined: 06 Feb 2010 Posts: 1344 Location: Portland, OR

My favorite form of macro is medium format with my Rolleiflex SL-66. The camera comes with bellows,
all SL-66 lenses (Zeiss) will reverse mount and to really go insane
I have an extension tube.

80mm 2.8 Planar reverse mounted, hand held (tricky).

For 35mm I have a 55mm and 105mm Micro Nikkor 2.8's and sometimes use a short extension tube.

Both of these images are from three year long series which I've made into books. One on cemeteries and the other on flora.
See previews here: http://bit.ly/mark-colman-book

Kram · Joined: 06 Feb 2010 Posts: 1344 Location: Portland, OR

I just bought a SMC Pentax 55mm 2.0 for $22 and a set of three Pentax extension tubes for $5. Decent macro for sure.

Wide open, no lens hood.

gcrimmins · Joined: 31 Mar 2008 Posts: 146 Location: Moscow, Idaho, USA

I have a MF 50mm macro that works well. I find the working distance a bit short, and the angle-of-view a bit wide for some things. But it's handy and very sharp. When I want a longer lens or more magnification I use a 75mm APO Rodagon D on bellows. It's an amazing lens. I've never used a closeup lens that screws on the front of a lens. I've never used the Chinese bellows or extension tubs. I do use some inexpensive Chinese lens mount adapters, and they all seem to work fine. I don't think I'd be too worried about trying Chinese extension tubes. I have no idea how the Chinese bellows would be. I bet someone here has tried them and can give more info. The local classified ads and some patience can also be a source of some good deals.

--Geoff

wilson.c · Joined: 18 Jan 2010 Posts: 363 Location: Hong Kong

I've got a Canon FD 50 Macro on my GF1. Very happy with it. Yes it's manual and I've missed my share of bumble bees and dragonflys in flight (at least in focus Wink

) Getting into shooting flowers, got a Contax Makro-Planar 100 coming for my 5DMkII and 500D. It's supposed to be a fantastic lens, time will tell.

cheekygeek · Joined: 05 Aug 2008 Posts: 183

I'm very interested in macro, but haven't done very much of it yet. The image above was taken with a S-M-C Takumar 50mm f4 macro on my K200D. I really love that lens! I recently obtained both the Tamron SP 90mm f2.5 macro (52B) and the Vivitar Series 1 90mm f2.5 macro (Bokina) with matching 1:1 converters. I've also got a set of Panagor extension tubes lined up, but not here yet.

A good focusing stage is on my WTB list.

kansalliskala · Expire: 2016-12-30

I started the whole MF adventure because wanted a cheap macro. Now I use MF lenses for almos every purpose but for macro I use only Sigma 50/2.8 AF macro. It is really good. Embarassed

martinsmith99 · Expire: 2013-11-18

I have a stack of macro gear but rarely use it. The cheapest way is a reversing ring or an M42 lens and M42 extension rings. M42 bellows are cheap too, so you can combine them all and get massive reproduction.

mflex-on · Posted: Sat Mar 13, 2010 8:37 am Post subject:

Very important for macro I think: clothes that my get some dirt. Macro-hunting for all these tiny creepy things on the floor means for me: get down on your knees and the elbows, smell the salt of the earth. Especially when using a 4/50 1:1 Takumar ...

indianadinos · Expire: 2011-12-05

Hi,

For macroing i use either a Kiron 105/2.8 or a Fujinon 55/3.5, but the cheapest way found up to now is an M42 bellow with an enlarger lens ...

Cheers

xjjohnno · Expire: 2011-11-18

I've got tubes, a macro/2X adapter, a Raynox diopter I use on a tele zoom and some macro lenses, both 1.2 and 1.1.
Being a lazy sod I also try taking all pics hand held versus using a tripod or rails as my Pentax K20D has the anti shake function that lets me get away with some fairly slow shutter speeds.

gaeger · Expire: 2021-03-09

Fairly primitive. Any of my lenses with a 52mm front thread to accept the Cokin slide in system, then a +3 close-up filter. This is on an 18-55mm Nikkor.

JerryMK · Joined: 16 Apr 2009 Posts: 98

My favourite shooting is Macro shooting and I have a kind of equipment for that.

Canon 100mm f4 with 50mm tube

Kiron 105mm f2.8

Canon FL Bellows with Canon 50mm f1.4 mounted

Panasonic Vario 45-200mm Kitlens with Canon 250D setup filter

My favourite though is the Tokina 90mm f2.5

More examples on: http://flickriver.com/photos/elchivato/popular-interesting/

Himself · Expire: 2013-05-30

From my collection of MF lenses all I`ve left is a Vivitar 55/2.8, 1:1 ratio and a SMC 55/2.
The rest of them, either sold or stolen.
I also have a Pentax bellows and a reverse ring that I use for macro shots with 55/2. Vivitar is always in my bag.
I had a product shot 3 weeks ago for a cafeteria. I used natural light.
Being there I realized that the light was not too good and I should`ve bumped the ISO too much to use the 24-70. The 70-200 IS was out of the question being too long.
The tripod that I had couldn``t hold the 50D+ 24-70 let alone the other lens. That`s why I purchased the Feisol combo.
I shot everything with Vivitar on tripod using live view. That little lens with the live view made wonders and saved me a$$.

Boomer Depp · Expire: 2011-12-04

I don't do true macro as a habit,but for flower shoots use various macro lenses probably 50% of the time.Rarely mount tubes except on the three 55mm lenses which always have there matching tube attached,but quite often remove them.

I do occasionally use tubes mounted on telephoto lens for flower shoots.I used to use my Zuiko 300mm shot wide open for bokeh exclusively for this,but last year started using various long lenses with tubes.My favorites doing this are the Zuiko followed by the Meyer Optik Orestegor 4/300 and the Pentacon 5.6/500.

Though I'm not really into reversing lenses,have done so in the past with a 50mm reversed on various lenses.With this setup use the aperture on the front lens...because the aperture on the rear lens stopped down causes vignetting,leave wide open.

I've been practicing of late using a 28mm reversed by itself mounted on the body for super close pics....but a very thin depth of field.

Played around last week going with a super thin depth of field with a Kiron 105....the nose of a honeybee

Olympus Zuiko 300mm f4.5 without tubes

Meyer Optik Orestegor 4/300

walter g · Joined: 20 Feb 2010 Posts: 2463 Location: NC, USA

I think, tubes and the reversing ring is a good place to start for me.The reversing ring really sounds like fun. It looks like to me , I could cut a rear lens cap, and cut a clear filter for protection. Either glue it in the cap or make a retaining ring.Anyone try this?

Hopefully after some practice, I can post some pictures.It's really nice to hear what everyone is using and see the wonderful results.

Macro is new to me, but I think i will really like it. Very Happy

jerobean · Joined: 05 Feb 2010 Posts: 29

damn, that bokeh on the bokina is just superb.

patrickh · Expire: 2011-11-18

Using high quality enlarging lenses (El Nikkor, Schneider Componon or Rodenstock Rodagon) on a bellows, extension tubes or helicoid tube will provide quality at least equal to any of these $300 macro lenses suggested (90 - 100/2.5's in particular). These lenses can be bought for well under $100, and often for less than $30 in the 50 - 150mm range. I have most of these specialist lenses, but am now hooked on enlarging lenses, because of their quality.
Here is a typical, almost classic with the Tamron 90/2.5

here is a comparable with an el nikkor 80/5.6, for which I paid $26

patrickh

walter g · Joined: 20 Feb 2010 Posts: 2463 Location: NC, USA

Patrickh,
I've looked at a few enlarging lenses on Ebay, and didn't know how good they were. This gives me more options in my price range.

Thanks Walter

rawhead · Expire: 2014-04-29

I started my MF lens hunting for macro, too. I have it all. I have my M42 macro bellows; I have extension tubes for PK, EF, M42, and P6; I had a Zuiko rails; I have a couple of reverse mount adapters; I had a PK mount 2x macro focusing teleconverter; I have plenty of M42 lenses I can use as well as an El Nikkor and Rodenstok enlarger lenses; and of course I have a few macro lenses��Volna-9 and Macro Apo-Lanthar. I used to have a Tamron 90/2.5 and a Pentax D FA 100/2.8, too.

The thing is, at the end of the day, reverse mounts, extension rings, and bellows are good so long as the macro is done indoors w/ stationary objects.

But out in the field, most of these techniques become nearly unusable, or at the least, very cumbersome. You'd need a tripod and rails at the least, and set them up on a flower (for example) and wait for some action to happen. I couldn't be bothered, so I carried around my macro lenses. I got the Macro Apo-Lanthar and decided I would never choose the Tammy or my Pentax over it, so sold those other two. I just have my Voigtl�nder and Volna now.

The only time I ever use an extension tube is when I want to do close-ups with my 501CM (I have a 32mm extension for that).

F16SUNSHINE · Expire: 2011-11-18

Wow Patrick Yellow "tentacle" tips look like an anemone under water.
Are these with your older Nikon yes?
Looks like some CCD sensor artifacts like my M8 could get sometimes.

poilu · Expire: 2019-08-29

patrickh · Expire: 2011-11-18

@Andy

Yes, the old D70. Darned artifacts are the bane of that generation, but I can live with them. Very Happy

I mainly use my D200/40D for macro now.

patrickh

RioRico · Posted: Sun Mar 28, 2010 10:18 am Post subject:

Ayah, what DON'T I have (except automation)? On my K20D I'll mount PK or M42 bellows or tubes, or reversed lenses of various breeds, or a couple of fixed-focus hybrids, or whatever. Enlarger lenses, MF folder lenses, TV lenses, whatever. Haven't tried the I-50 on tubes yet. I'll put a Raynox DCR-250 on my FA50/1.4 if I want to use a ringflash. Otherwise I'm most likely to carry my old Vivitar 90/2.8 macro (US$3 on eBay). But I don't get out enough. I don't crawl around very much here because the forest floor is spotted with deersh!t. And everything is brown or green. I'm tired of brown and green.
______________________________________________
"There's more than one way to skin a cat," she mused,
as she pinned its little feet to the dissecting board.

djmike · Joined: 01 Apr 2009 Posts: 930 Location: Taiwan

For me, Flek 35/2.4 MC is great macro.