Confused and disoriented newbie..


stlimkh

New Member
Oct 26, 2010
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Hi all,

I am amazed at what macro shoots captures and would like to venture further into this field of photography. I thought a macro lens (I have a 85mm micro) is all it takes but I guess I'm totally wrong.. I am hoping to go beyond 1:1...

I've been reading threads of discussion and youtubing to learn more but now am the juncture where the investment (hopefully not alot) will start..

Appreciate if someone can advise which option I should consider..

1. reverse one lense on the camera, but this means I need a manual aperture ring lens
2. Reverse one lense onto another lense (that is mounted normally on the camera), i have an old minolta lense (motor drive 28-80) that i can wedge the aperture open, then use another lense on my cam thru a reversing ring. But what lense do i use? A telephoto?
3. Add extension rings to my 85mm micro?
4. Get a macro convertor? (but i have a macro lense)

Maybe there is another option that i haven't yet read about?

Appreciate all comments and suggestions to help me sort out my confusion...

Rgds, Steven
 

Am new to this too but i guess u can try Raynox 250 or extension tube. Go google for it and you will find more info. Else wait for the Masters here to help:)
 

Thanks for this additional suggestion orbi69, I wonder how I did not come across the Raynox250 (it'll be #6). I'll try to do also a cost-benefit list later... hopefully the masters here will shed some light...
 

Thanks for this additional suggestion orbi69, I wonder how I did not come across the Raynox250 (it'll be #6). I'll try to do also a cost-benefit list later... hopefully the masters here will shed some light...

Trust me! all members,seniors and master/sifu :thumbsup::thumbsup: here will definitely help you out.....

Sign off:
A complete newbie who benefited.....:bsmilie:
still got long long way to go......LOL
 

Hi Steven, I have never tried reverse lens which i think very few ppl also use it. Since you already have a 85mm macro, adding extension tubes would be more than enough for you to go beyond 1:1. Go round asking for the prices of these ext tubes. There are cheaper ones below $100 selling here under the mass sales section. I personally like the Kenko extension tubes which come in a box of 3 tubes - 36mm, 20mm, and 12mm. Depending on which system you're using, they might not make for a particular system. All these things seem necessary, using a diffuser is as important unless you're taking natural light photography. Good luck to you in your journey of macro photography.
 

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Hi Steven, I have never tried reverse lens which i think very few ppl also use it. Since you already have a 85mm macro, adding extension tubes would be more than enough for you to go beyond 1:1. Go round asking for the prices of these ext tubes. There are cheaper ones below $100 selling here under the mass sales section. I personally like the Kenko extension tubes which come in a box of 3 tubes - 36mm, 20mm, and 12mm. Depending on which system you're using, they might not make for a particular system. All these things seem necessary, using a diffuser is as important unless you're taking natural light photography. Good luck to you in your journey of macro photography.

Hi Victor, thank you for this suggestion, and kudos to your many macro images in this forum.. They are really inspiring, esp your very recent yellow spider.

In my further reading last night, I thought that the extension tubes will probably be my best investment. I will be going for the Kenko ones for Nikon AF. I'm hoping to start trying them out tonight. Will definitely need to do something about the light though... I think I will DIY a "softbox" type diffuser to connect with my SB (got my wife to visit the stationary shop also already)... What an exciting moment!

Thanks for the good luck.. I'm sure I'll need loads of it along the way...
 

I too thought that ext tubes is your best option but do note your viewfinder will be a little dark though it does not bother me. If still need more, then add another closeup filter like raynox 250. Enjoy your new toy! :)
 

Hi Melvyn, thanks for confirming my thoughts.. I got the tubes last night and they were a pleasure to play with. Am trying to get familiar with the lights and the manual focusing (more me moving forward and back.. seem easier than trying to turn the dial). Took some pics of stuff around the house to start and amazed at the extra magnification, and the detailing that appears (including the dust atop the clock.. even that is colourful). I can already imagine what a raynox 250 can/will do..

I was shooting with the SB700 using the built-in white card. I think its okay to start.. will start toying around with larger reflecting cards and maybe DIY something soon for the flash.

To all the experts and masters, and those claiming to be newbies (I'm sure not as new as me).. wondering with a single hotshoe flash, what is the recommended diffuser setup? Thanks in advance...
 

If you're on a canon system, the "easy" solution is MP-E 65mm Macro Lens. Gives you 5:1 magnification without any additional close-up attachments required.

Otherwise, Raynox could be your best bet.

Cheers
 

Hi, be careful of using marco lens more than 1:1 requires more light and you might need to invest in a marco ring light.

Can try for MR-14ex for Canon , Sunblitz DigiMarco 6000i or GoDox Ring 48 LED
 

Hi all,

...

Appreciate if someone can advise which option I should consider..

1. reverse one lense on the camera, but this means I need a manual aperture ring lens
2. Reverse one lense onto another lense (that is mounted normally on the camera), i have an old minolta lense (motor drive 28-80) that i can wedge the aperture open, then use another lense on my cam thru a reversing ring. But what lense do i use? A telephoto?
3. Add extension rings to my 85mm micro?
4. Get a macro convertor? (but i have a macro lense)

Maybe there is another option that i haven't yet read about?

Appreciate all comments and suggestions to help me sort out my confusion...

Rgds, Steven

Hi Steven..

Have you read this?
 

If you're on a canon system, the "easy" solution is MP-E 65mm Macro Lens. Gives you 5:1 magnification without any additional close-up attachments required.

Otherwise, Raynox could be your best bet.

Cheers

Thanks fv18m, afraid I'm not using a canon system. I'm using nikon.. But I found someone selling a set of 150 & 250 very cheaply and just collected from him yesterday. I did some tests with different combinations and will post this later..
 

Hi, be careful of using marco lens more than 1:1 requires more light and you might need to invest in a marco ring light.

Can try for MR-14ex for Canon , Sunblitz DigiMarco 6000i or GoDox Ring 48 LED

Hi BlitzWerks, thanks for this advise. I have a SB700 right now and will experiment first with some reflector cards and diffusers. Gonna try to DIY those. Will continue to keep posting here on my own progress into this new arena of photography... But I did read online about ring lights... wondering if I buy those high intensity LED torches will it work also?
 

To all the masters that have helped to answer my queries.. thanks. It helps me greatly in my search to understand this. I think I've gotten past the gear and now time to go shoot. Excited and nervous...

BTW, with what I gathered this week, I found out the following views with the combinations (I hope the way I describe them is correct.. 1:1 means focusing at the nearest correct?).. Thought will be interesting to share.

105mm micro @ 1:1 shows 22mm of my ruler
105mm + 12mm extension shows 19mm
105mm + 20mm extension shows 17mm
105mm + 36mm extension shows 15mm
105mm + 68mm extension shows 11mm
105mm + raynox150 shows 13-14mm
105mm + raynox250 shows 11mm
105mm + 68mm extension + raynox150 shows 8mm
105mm + 68mm extension + raynox250 shows 6mm

The magnification looks fantastic, but the light is a different story. Will need to find a way to understand how much light is required to create equivalent "intensity".

Hopefully this makes sense and is useful.. appreciate any comments/suggestions/corrections.. Thanks again!
 

Newbie question, since we r taking abt ext tubes here also: what's the diff between a kenko n some cheap brand? Build quality? Or, will cheap ext tubes affect the resulting pictures?
 

Newbie question, since we r taking abt ext tubes here also: what's the diff between a kenko n some cheap brand? Build quality? Or, will cheap ext tubes affect the resulting pictures?

Hi SkimMilk, when I was looking for extension tubes, there were kenko Nikon AF, and the other non-kenko stuff. Main diff I see is the connectors for the lense. The non-kenko extension tubes did not have those electrical connectors. These connectors are for sending data back/forth between the lense and the camera. Unless you know what those data are and know clearly you don't need those, I think kenko is safer.

Maybe the masters here can help shed some light...
 

Hi SkimMilk, when I was looking for extension tubes, there were kenko Nikon AF, and the other non-kenko stuff. Main diff I see is the connectors for the lense. The non-kenko extension tubes did not have those electrical connectors. These connectors are for sending data back/forth between the lense and the camera. Unless you know what those data are and know clearly you don't need those, I think kenko is safer.

Maybe the masters here can help shed some light...

those are the CPU connectors where body sends info to the lens for AF (auto focus) / Aperture control etc. If that's the only difference, it does really make a huge difference! any masters out there can enlighten us?
 

I tried to search online to try to find out what the data transfer were but found no additional details... duh.