I would love to start working with ultra macro photography, without having to mortgage the house. Especially since it's not my house!
The Canon 1x-5x looks like exactly what I am looking for, except I have only Nikon cameras. There doesn't seem to be anything like this for Nikon without going to bellows. Is this correct? And are bellows a decent option to start with, or am I better off buying a used Canon body? Suggestions welcome.
When I figure out which way to go, I will probably go used just to get my feet wet.
you can use a lens reversal ring with a normal lens. You lose electronic connections between the lens and body, but this set-up's been in use for years.
Outside of the Canon lens, there really aren't a lot of good field friendly choices out there for high magnification, not that I would regard that Canon lens to be friendly.
Bellows on 35 macro shots will work, but it is not going to be fast or flexible. I suspect that for things like insects, it will be an exercise in frustration. I've used bellows on LF and on 35 in studio and that just can't be a good idea in the field.
Reversing lenses can work. I've done it occasionally in studio and it may be a viable option in the field - certianly a better idea than bellows for 35 mm based digital. Check B&H for reversing rings.
Novaflex used to make a product, at least for Canon (and maybe Nikon as well - I am a Canon shooter so I don't know for sure), that allowed you to reverse a lens and keep the functions of the lens. The components on the camera went something like: camera, ring connecting the camera to the filter threads of a lens, lens attached to the ring via the threads, another ring that was wired to the camera-to-lens ring that transmitted the lens functions. The lens retained its usual functions for stopping down and metering. I am not sure about autofocus. Try looking for that.
Two questions: How much macro work have you done previously near 1:1 and how much magnification do you really want? If you have not previously spent much time near 1:1 or even used a true macro lens, going past 1:1 is going to be pretty brutal on your patience. Every weakness in your technique will become obvious and there is NO margin for error. I really wouldn't recommend the Canon MP-E lens as your first macro.
Since you shoot Nikon, you should be able to get past an effective 1:1 fairly easily without too much more special equipment. Nikon makes a very good 100 mm macro that will get you to 1:1. A 37 mm Kenko extension tube will get you to 1.37x. A cropped sensor body will get you to an effective 1.37 x 1.5 = 2x. Add a 1.4 teleconvertor and you are at 2.8x (effective), 2x convertor gives you 4x effective. That is a lot of magnification, probably not handholdable but you will have a focus ring to work with which makes it more tripod friendly. The Canon MP-E doesn't have a focus ring which is why you see a lot of people going to handholding for fieldwork.
Also be aware that as you get into higher magnifications the depth of field will get very shallow, and unless you intend to use stacking software you may not be getting the shots you're expecting to.
Why not get a couple of close up lenses that screw to the front of your 'normal' lens? There is no light loss as as there is with extension tubes/belows etc?
If you want to go really 'ultra' close-up get a s/h 50mm and 200mm prime lens, get two cokin adaptors for their particular threads, super glue the adaptors back to back, screw them to the front of the lenses, attach the 200mm lens to camera, make sure the 50mm lens' aperture is wide open, select whatever aperture you require in the 200mm lens.
This is a fantastic method, extrememly close up and once again, no light loss.
Looks like I already have the ingredients to give this a try. I have a 105 macro and just got a 1.4x converter. Sounds like that plus the extension tube on a D300 will get me where I want to be for now. I also have a ring that mounts my 50mm backwards on my 105, but I have had some problems with that. That is probably where the experience comes in. As I remember, it was very dark and impossible to hold still - even with a tripod. I am going to pull all of this stuff out today and see what I can do with it. Thanks for the info.
By the way, the order for extension tubes and convertors is lens, extension tube, convertor, camera. Extension tubes have more of an effect on shorter focal lengths.
Glen, your solution using your (mostly) existing Nikon equipment is a good one to start with, til you're sure you want to invest more.
You could then consider doing what I did this week, also wanting to get into ultra-macro stuff. I'm 100% Nikon.
1. Find a well-priced used Canon body (Thanks, Bob Steele) - for me, a 50D
2. find a good used Canon 1x-5x macro (thanks, KEH)
3. Luck out and find a good used canon macro twin light on Ebay ($470 today) - (For anyone interested, Adorama has a "Ex-" one for $599)
4. Get a pretty inexpensive macro focus rail , also on Ebay, for still subjects
Cheap? No, but cheapER than new, for sure. and all very re-sellable.
Now, for some experiementing, once it all gets here!
I more or less agree with Sandy's advice. with two potential qualifications. Her list is moderately expensive, depending on your definition of expensive. If the the sum of the costs sounds reasonable to you, go for it.
The other thing is the macro rail. The Canon MP-E lens is manual focus only and has no focussing ring. You focus the lens by moving the camera and lens as one unit, not by a focus ring or via autofocus. For field use with moving objects (by their own power or by the wind) and shooting well past 1x, a macro rail simply isn't going to be adjustable fast enough. Going hand-held, as much as I advocate a tripod at all times, needs to be considered. Depending on the subject's location, it may be possible to use a ball head and long lens plate as a pseudo-macro rail. But... If the subject is 8" back into a bush, this isn't going to work well.
On the other hand, if there is studio work in your plans or you plan to shoot objects that will not move, a quality macro rail is a necessity for doing the best possible work.
Here's another relatively easy set-up. My 105mm micro is AF-D and doesn't take the TC-17E converter, so I can't do that. But I can put a PN-11 tube on it as well as a Raynox DCR250 that's a cheapie little closeup lens that clips onto the front of the 105mm. Frankly, I've never used all three together since the lens at 1:1 plus the Raynox is about all I can handle for field work.
(I am a Canon shooter so take this for what it might be worth)
By any chance, would the 1.7x work on your 105 macro if you put the extension tube between the two? Not knowing the issue, if it simply a matter of various lens elements getting in the way, the extension tube should solve that problem. You'll still probably lose autofocus but a lot of the time, you'll be manually focussing anyway. And the lack of infinite focus doesn't matter at macro distances, unless Bigfoot walks up and asks what you are doing.
Discussion
10 repliesThe Canon 1x-5x looks like exactly what I am looking for, except I have only Nikon cameras. There doesn't seem to be anything like this for Nikon without going to bellows. Is this correct? And are bellows a decent option to start with, or am I better off buying a used Canon body? Suggestions welcome.
When I figure out which way to go, I will probably go used just to get my feet wet.
Bellows on 35 macro shots will work, but it is not going to be fast or flexible. I suspect that for things like insects, it will be an exercise in frustration. I've used bellows on LF and on 35 in studio and that just can't be a good idea in the field.
Reversing lenses can work. I've done it occasionally in studio and it may be a viable option in the field - certianly a better idea than bellows for 35 mm based digital. Check B&H for reversing rings.
Novaflex used to make a product, at least for Canon (and maybe Nikon as well - I am a Canon shooter so I don't know for sure), that allowed you to reverse a lens and keep the functions of the lens. The components on the camera went something like: camera, ring connecting the camera to the filter threads of a lens, lens attached to the ring via the threads, another ring that was wired to the camera-to-lens ring that transmitted the lens functions. The lens retained its usual functions for stopping down and metering. I am not sure about autofocus. Try looking for that.
Two questions: How much macro work have you done previously near 1:1 and how much magnification do you really want? If you have not previously spent much time near 1:1 or even used a true macro lens, going past 1:1 is going to be pretty brutal on your patience. Every weakness in your technique will become obvious and there is NO margin for error. I really wouldn't recommend the Canon MP-E lens as your first macro.
Since you shoot Nikon, you should be able to get past an effective 1:1 fairly easily without too much more special equipment. Nikon makes a very good 100 mm macro that will get you to 1:1. A 37 mm Kenko extension tube will get you to 1.37x. A cropped sensor body will get you to an effective 1.37 x 1.5 = 2x. Add a 1.4 teleconvertor and you are at 2.8x (effective), 2x convertor gives you 4x effective. That is a lot of magnification, probably not handholdable but you will have a focus ring to work with which makes it more tripod friendly. The Canon MP-E doesn't have a focus ring which is why you see a lot of people going to handholding for fieldwork.
If you want to go really 'ultra' close-up get a s/h 50mm and 200mm prime lens, get two cokin adaptors for their particular threads, super glue the adaptors back to back, screw them to the front of the lenses, attach the 200mm lens to camera, make sure the 50mm lens' aperture is wide open, select whatever aperture you require in the 200mm lens.
This is a fantastic method, extrememly close up and once again, no light loss.
You could then consider doing what I did this week, also wanting to get into ultra-macro stuff. I'm 100% Nikon.
1. Find a well-priced used Canon body (Thanks, Bob Steele) - for me, a 50D
2. find a good used Canon 1x-5x macro (thanks, KEH)
3. Luck out and find a good used canon macro twin light on Ebay ($470 today) - (For anyone interested, Adorama has a "Ex-" one for $599)
4. Get a pretty inexpensive macro focus rail , also on Ebay, for still subjects
Cheap? No, but cheapER than new, for sure. and all very re-sellable.
Now, for some experiementing, once it all gets here!
Sandy r
The other thing is the macro rail. The Canon MP-E lens is manual focus only and has no focussing ring. You focus the lens by moving the camera and lens as one unit, not by a focus ring or via autofocus. For field use with moving objects (by their own power or by the wind) and shooting well past 1x, a macro rail simply isn't going to be adjustable fast enough. Going hand-held, as much as I advocate a tripod at all times, needs to be considered. Depending on the subject's location, it may be possible to use a ball head and long lens plate as a pseudo-macro rail. But... If the subject is 8" back into a bush, this isn't going to work well.
On the other hand, if there is studio work in your plans or you plan to shoot objects that will not move, a quality macro rail is a necessity for doing the best possible work.
(I am a Canon shooter so take this for what it might be worth)
By any chance, would the 1.7x work on your 105 macro if you put the extension tube between the two? Not knowing the issue, if it simply a matter of various lens elements getting in the way, the extension tube should solve that problem. You'll still probably lose autofocus but a lot of the time, you'll be manually focussing anyway. And the lack of infinite focus doesn't matter at macro distances, unless Bigfoot walks up and asks what you are doing.