macro lenses

[Groucho]

That looks pretty nice. I wonder how it compares side-by-side with the Tamron 17-50mm F2.8 digital-only lens... though that one isn't available in my mount but hopefully will be in the future. The Tamron seems to be getting good reviews and is a bit wider.

 

[chirurgeon]

I was at a Ritz camera the other day (pretty much the only photography game in town unfortunately) and I asked one of the sales people about getting a macro lens for my Canon XT. He said I could use my zoom lens as a macro, I just would have to be at least 2.5 ft away from the object I was photographing. Has anyone heard of this or done it? Any opinions?

 

[MarkBarbieri]

The Canon 70-300mm IS has a closest focusing distance of 4.9 feet. It's maximum magnification is 1:4. That means that the image on your sensor will never be more than 1/4 the size of the object you are photographing.

For comparison purposes, the Canon 100mm macro lens can focus on objections less than six inches away and has a maximum magnification of 1:1. So while you can do "macro" photography with the 70-300, you'll be able to shoot much smaller objects with a real macro lens.

There are two ways that you can get decent macro photos with your 70-300mm. One is to buy a Canon 500D closeup filter. This filter screws onto the end of the lens and allows you to focus much closer. The other is to buy extension tubes (I recommend Kenko rather than Canon). These move your lens further from your camera's sensor which allows you focus closer. I find the closeup filter to be much easier to use, but many people prefer extension tubes.

 

[JR6ooo4]

Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT
Exposure Time 0.0031s (1/320)
Aperture f/5.6
ISO 100
Focal Length 275mm (440mm in 35mm)

Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT
Exposure Time 0.02s (1/50)
Aperture f/10.0
ISO 100
Focal Length 300mm (480mm in 35mm)

I have heard of reversing the 50mm before the 70-300 (or something like that) producing realy close macros.

Mikeeee

 

[jann1033]

you can also use a 1.4 teleconverter ( kenko i think fits most lenses ) which would give you what ever 1:4 x1.4 would be( knew ratios would come back to haunt me some day) but not 1:1... but you lose a stop of light and have to be over 100mm, over f4( not sure what aperture the 300 end would be) not sure if the same restrictions apply to the extension tubes or not but i would imagine you lose some light with them as well

 

[jann1033]

Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT
Exposure Time 0.0031s (1/320)
Aperture f/5.6
ISO 100
Focal Length 275mm (440mm in 35mm)

Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT
Exposure Time 0.02s (1/50)
Aperture f/10.0
ISO 100
Focal Length 300mm (480mm in 35mm)

I have heard of reversing the 50mm before the 70-300 (or something like that) producing realy close macros.

Mikeeee

interesting ...anyone know any details? i think i recall something similar to increase zoom length with an adapter ring between the 2 lenses but didn't know it would work for macro and could never figure out how the lenses would work anyway

 

[DVC Jen]

I just posted this one on another thread - but I took it in macro mode using my 70-300.

I hate those things.

 

[jann1033]

ok what would you use as a starting off point for your aperture? i would guess you would want to maximize dof since it's so limited yet maintain sharpness so i have been trying around 8-10 but still am not getting the whole thing in focus...
f8

f9

f10

i used an auto adjustment hoping it would all process the same (but maybe not since they look different), none are cropped, all on tripod and autofocus then manual focus tweaking. all 100 mm prime macro at 1:1
so any ideas? maybe i am approaching it wrong via aperture ? guessing normal dof calculations wouldn't apply with macro lenses. and guessing macro rails would be basically for focus but how are they used... guessing it would be for broader focusing not final?

 

[tinksdad]

The frustrating part about macro is the small DoF! On a general zoom lens you're talking feet. On a macro lens you're talking inches, and the larger the aperture the smaller the DoF. I try to increase the aperture using a macro, starting at f/8 and sometimes taking it up to f/22 or so.

Does your camera have a DoF button? Most lenses will give you the most light through the viewfinder and that will change on your shutter release following the aperture that has been set. The DoF button will allow you to see the "true" look of the composure.

You're right about the macro rails. I've done the same thing manually, moving my head back and forth to get the shot in focus. I need to get me one of those things......

 

[tinksdad]

This is a very small flower I took today up in the mountains. Probably about 3/8" total across. I focused on the stamen of the flower, you can see the end of the petals at the front and the back inside of the flower out of focus a bit just due to the very shallow DoF.

f/8
shutter 1/1000

 

[jann1033]

resurrected this thread from the bowels of the photoboard
some tiny little bee taken with my 70-200( 1:4) so close up not really macro

wood poppy

fern fronds just coming out

 

[tinksdad]

I like the macro stuff too!! Got a new toy today. Nothing big, it's a male to male 52mm coupler so I can put my 50mm f/1.8 on the end (backwards) on the end of the 105mm f/2.8. It gets REALLY close, but the DoF is miniscule!!!
Now I really need a macro rail

Here is the picture of a little bitty bug, must have been all of 3/64" long. Kind of fun!

 

[jann1033]

I like the macro stuff too!! Got a new toy today. Nothing big, it's a male to male 52mm coupler so I can put my 50mm f/1.8 on the end (backwards) on the end of the 105mm f/2.8. It gets REALLY close, but the DoF is miniscule!!!
Now I really need a macro rail

Here is the picture of a little bitty bug, must have been all of 3/64" long. Kind of fun!

can you explain how that works...does the outer lens still have the lens end toward the front? i can not picture it...or better yet can you post a picture of it ? guessing the lenses would have to be the same diameter?unless maybe you could use a step up ring but do the electronics still work? i'm going to be getting a 1.4 teleconverter so that would give me 1:1.4... i think.... or maybe not... i can't figure out how to figure it out with my 1:2 macro( without the adapter that makes it 1:1) got that???? actually i want a 1:1 lens that you can focus 4+ ft away from the object.

 

[tinksdad]

can you explain how that works...does the outer lens still have the lens end toward the front? i can not picture it...or better yet can you post a picture of it ? guessing the lenses would have to be the same diameter?unless maybe you could use a step up ring but do the electronics still work? i'm going to be getting a 1.4 teleconverter so that would give me 1:1.4... i think.... or maybe not... i can't figure out how to figure it out with my 1:2 macro( without the adapter that makes it 1:1) got that???? actually i want a 1:1 lens that you can focus 4+ ft away from the object.

I'll take a picture in a bit. But for now, the coupler just screws into the end of the lens like a filter. Then the other lens screws into that on the filter end as well. I put the 50mm on full open aperature so it's basically a big magnifier. Both my 105mm and 50mm are the same size. But you can get the adaptor rings for different size lenses.

Here's a link to the one I picked up. as you can see, it's really nothing to it at all. But adding the two lenses together and reversing one, it really lets you get up close and personal. I haven't tried the AF yet since I usually use manual for macro anyway. The first lens is connected and registered the aperature and shutter speed correctly and I was able to use the DoF preview as well. Check out this guys rig, it's Canon gear. and is just one lens reversed with the connections for the electronics and a couple of extender tubes.

Edit to add pictures: I blured the background cause I was to lazy to set up a light box.

Here is the camera with the 105mm plus the adaptor screwed onto the end, like a filter.

Here is a shot of the 50mm reversed attached to the 105mm

 

[jann1033]

I'll take a picture in a bit. But for now, the coupler just screws into the end of the lens like a filter. Then the other lens screws into that on the filter end as well. I put the 50mm on full open aperature so it's basically a big magnifier. Both my 105mm and 50mm are the same size. But you can get the adaptor rings for different size lenses.

Here's a link to the one I picked up. as you can see, it's really nothing to it at all. But adding the two lenses together and reversing one, it really lets you get up close and personal. I haven't tried the AF yet since I usually use manual for macro anyway. The first lens is connected and registered the aperature and shutter speed correctly and I was able to use the DoF preview as well. Check out this guys rig, it's Canon gear. and is just one lens reversed with the connections for the electronics and a couple of extender tubes.

so then basically since the lens that is connected is really controling the aperture that is what lets you expose it correctly? i have some manual focus extension tubes i could never get to work right...everything was totally over exposed. i also have some cheap macro filter type lenes i should dig out and see what they would be like on my 70-200 lens. they are way to big for my 100mm unless i stack some step up rings...that will be tomorrows play time

 

[Gdad]

Thats interesting Kevin-

What kind of ratio do you end up with that setup? I have tried reversing my 50/1.8 right on the camera but never on the end of another lens. This guy was tiny tiny.

My 105/2.8vr is already 1:1- adding the 50 might be fun.

 

[tinksdad]

Thats interesting Kevin-

What kind of ratio do you end up with that setup? I have tried reversing my 50/1.8 right on the camera but never on the end of another lens. This guy was tiny tiny.

My 105/2.8vr is already 1:1- adding the 50 might be fun.

I have no idea of the ratio???? It'd be fun to figure it out, but I have to admit that I don't know how......

There is a straight reversing ring that you can get as well, but you're not going to get AF or metering that way. This is the main reason I went for this route as a "cheap" experiment. Here's an interesting write up on the several different types of macro fun stuff if you're interested.

 

[Gdad]

I have no idea of the ratio???? It'd be fun to figure it out, but I have to admit that I don't know how......

Yeah- me neither. Maybe someone does?

I'll check out the link.

 

[tinksdad]

That got me thinking..... (smell something burning??)

Found this link and quote on Wikipedia.

Reversing a lens of lesser focal length in front of a normally mounted lens using a very inexpensive "macro coupler," which uses two male filter threads to join lenses. This method allows most cameras to maintain the full function of electronic communication with the normally mounted lens for features such as open-aperture metering. Magnification ratio is calculated by dividing the focal length of the normally mounted lens by the focal length of the reversed lens (i.e., when a 50 mm lens is reverse mounted on a 200 mm lens a 4:1 magnification ratio is achieved). The use of automatic focus is not recommended due to the extra weight of the reverse-mounted lens. Attempted use of automatic focus with this technique could result in damage to the camera or lens. Working distance is significantly reduced as compared to the original lens.

So, if that is true then that 105mm divided by 50mm is 2.1:1. Not bad! I wonder what I'd get if I added the +5 diopter on between???

 

[tinksdad]

I don't know what the ratio is but it makes a dime look big!!