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Archive 2015 · Macro Photography

  
 
gedmerson
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Macro Photography


I have been doing landscapes and portraits for a few years. I decided I wanted to try my hand with Macro Photography. I am a canon shooter and would like to know recommended macro setups. Not sure if I need an extension tube or an extender and a macro ring light. Any help would be appreciated. I currently have a Canon 5D Mark III and a 100Lmm Macro lens.


Feb 19, 2015 at 01:43 PM
henryp
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Macro Photography


gedmerson wrote:
I have been doing landscapes and portraits for a few years. I decided I wanted to try my hand with Macro Photography. I am a canon shooter and would like to know recommended macro setups. Not sure if I need an extension tube or an extender and a macro ring light. Any help would be appreciated. I currently have a Canon 5D Mark III and a 100Lmm Macro lens.


I presume you have the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM Lens, The lens will do 1:1 magnification without other accessory tubes or close-up filters. Without knowing more I'm reluctant to suggest you buy anything else. If you want to consider a ringlight, look at these.

Henry Posner
[email protected]
B&H Photo-Video



Feb 19, 2015 at 02:16 PM
15Bit
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Macro Photography


What level of macro are you talking about, and what subjects? If you want to get really close to small insects and such, you'll probably want some lighting, something like the 100mm that Henry recommends and possibly some tubes also. You'll also likely want something to hold it all - a tripod equipped with a sliding rail or such.

For casual shots at lower magnifications, the Kenko tube set is good value and will go on any canon lens, so gives a lot of flexibility. That would probably be a good place to start. I would recommend an evening spent browsing the Macro forum here too.



Feb 19, 2015 at 02:40 PM
jcolwell
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Macro Photography


If you want to use a tripod (which is usually a good idea for high magnification), you might want to get a "focus rail". As you get to higher magnificantions, like near to the 1:1 max. mag. that your 100/2.8L Macro provides, you generally focus the lens by moving it (lens + camera) closer to or further from the subject; rotating the focus ring doesn't work at high mag like it does for 'normal' subject distances of say a metre or so to 'inifnity'. In general, you use the focus ring to set the magnification, and then move the lens+camera to get the right part of teh subject in focus.

I've attached a photo of my Contax focus rail, which is attached to a 12" general-purpose rail. The camera (or lens) is attached to the quick release (QR) clamp at the top left of the gizmo. The knob in the centre of the "block" turns gears that move the rail forward and backward. I use the long 12" rail on the bottom for coarse adjuctment (it slides in the QR clamp on the top of the tripod), and then do fine adjustments with the geared knob on the Contax rail. The vertical knob just under the QR clamp at the top left doesn't actually touch the 12" rail under it - it just looks that way in this photo.

You might also want to visit the Macro World forum, https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/board/45

You could start with this thread,
Post Your Set Up! https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/780820





Contax focus rail with RRS B2-FAB mini QR clamp, bottom of Contax rail attached to Hejnar 12




Feb 19, 2015 at 02:43 PM
Ian.Dobinson
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Macro Photography


gedmerson wrote:
I have been doing landscapes and portraits for a few years. I decided I wanted to try my hand with Macro Photography. I am a canon shooter and would like to know recommended macro setups. Not sure if I need an extension tube or an extender and a macro ring light. Any help would be appreciated. I currently have a Canon 5D Mark III and a 100Lmm Macro lens.



go have a look on the macro forum . there is a 'show your rig' thread at or near the top . lots of very interesting DIY setups to look at



Feb 19, 2015 at 03:12 PM
jcolwell
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Macro Photography


Jinx! You owe me a beer.


Feb 19, 2015 at 04:05 PM
dodgyexposure
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Macro Photography


gedmerson wrote:
I have been doing landscapes and portraits for a few years. I decided I wanted to try my hand with Macro Photography. I am a canon shooter and would like to know recommended macro setups. Not sure if I need an extension tube or an extender and a macro ring light. Any help would be appreciated. I currently have a Canon 5D Mark III and a 100Lmm Macro lens.


The 100L is a very good macro lens. It is sharp, adn the IS is quite handy. It's worth noting that the practical benefit of IS decreases as you approach 1:1 macro distances.

The main difficulty with macro is getting enough light on your subject in order to shoot at a narrow enough aperture to get a sufficient amount of your subject in acceptable focus. As you would expect, shooting at narrow apertures requires either additional lighting, or long exposure.

If you have a stable tripod, then you can shoot natural light macro of static subjects.

If you have a flash unit, then you have everything that you need to start shooting handheld macro. The links posted above will give you some useful ideas for flash rig setups. Easy dedicated solutions are using Canon's MR-14EX Ringlite or MR-24EX macrolite units. I have the MR-14EX, which is not the ideal for artistic shooting (it tends to act like a beauty dish in giving all around frontal light), but it is great for poking your camera into foliage chasing insects and having the light available at the end of your lens where it is needed.

It's also perfectly acceptable to handhold your general off camera flash unit at an angle, but this can get a little trickier, requiring one handed shooting (unless you are using a tripod).

Extension tubes work well with the 100L to increase your maximum magnification to almost 2:1. Unlike with non-macro lenses, adding extension tubes to the 100L doesn't decrease the MFD of the lens. It does, of course, reduce the working distance by the length of extension tubes added.

You can't use a Canon extender with the 100L. I guess you could interpose an extension tube between the extender and lens, but I haven't tried that.

Focus rails are another very useful addition to your macro kit, but far from necessary. They are necessary if you want to focus stack - take multiple images while varying the focal plane, and then combine the resulting images in post - so as to get sharp focus on a subject from front to back.

Good luck.




Feb 19, 2015 at 08:02 PM
Ian.Dobinson
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Macro Photography


jcolwell wrote:
Jinx! You owe me a beer.




that'll teach me to skim read the answers in a thread beer on its way Jim



Feb 20, 2015 at 02:13 AM
gedmerson
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Macro Photography


15Bit wrote:
What level of macro are you talking about, and what subjects? If you want to get really close to small insects and such, you'll probably want some lighting, something like the 100mm that Henry recommends and possibly some tubes also. You'll also likely want something to hold it all - a tripod equipped with a sliding rail or such.

For casual shots at lower magnifications, the Kenko tube set is good value and will go on any canon lens, so gives a lot of flexibility. That would probably be a good place to start. I would recommend an evening spent
...Show more

I want to do detailed pictures of insects. I saw a setup of an extension tube and a macro light but I didn't know if that was sufficent for what i wanted to take. Didn't know if I needed an extender either. I've seen setups with either



Feb 20, 2015 at 01:54 PM
gedmerson
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Macro Photography


Thanks everyone for your replies


Feb 20, 2015 at 01:56 PM
danski0224
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Macro Photography


You can do a lot with a 50mm lens and an extension tube and get to 1:1 easily (I think you need ~25mm of tubes).

An older 50mm lens with manual aperture and a reversing ring does the trick, too.

Problem is, you will be close to your subject.

The 100mm, 150mm, 180mm macros all give you more distance to the subject.

Depth of field will be an issue, even stopped down. If you stack photos, you really need a rail (and tripod) to change the position of the camera, not by changing the focus of the lens. Positioning the camera on a tripod with a ball head is a pain.

Yes, if you use the Canon 100mm macro with an extender, you need to put a 12mm tube between the lens and extender.

Lots of tips over in the Macro World forum. Have fun



Feb 20, 2015 at 02:30 PM
Chris Court
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Macro Photography


jcolwell wrote:
Contax focus rail with RRS B2-FAB mini QR clamp, bottom of Contax rail attached to Hejnar 12


That's a handy looking setup you have there, Jim. How do you find it works? What's the build quality of the Contax rail like?

C



Feb 20, 2015 at 03:11 PM
ReyGay
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Macro Photography


I recommend you get the Mamiya 120mm f/4 Macro APO lens. Amazing lens for a waay cheaper price.


My Flickr Gallery
My interesting photos on Flickriver
my Deviantart gallery



Feb 20, 2015 at 07:56 PM
mmbma
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Macro Photography


slap on an extension tube, then a reverse lens adapter. You can use any lens you already have, and add a flash with a diffuser you are good to go.
No need to spend a lot of money on a macro lens.

if you do decide to buy a macro lens, buy a long focal length one, so you can have some room between the camera and the little bugs.



Feb 24, 2015 at 09:42 PM
Chrissearle
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Macro Photography


For insects - if they are static -, you should consider focus stacking software, the results will amaze you.


Feb 25, 2015 at 05:12 AM
jcolwell
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Macro Photography


jcolwell wrote:
Contax focus rail with RRS B2-FAB mini QR clamp, bottom of Contax rail attached to Hejnar 12

Chris Court wrote:
That's a handy looking setup you have there, Jim. How do you find it works? What's the build quality of the Contax rail like?

C


Hi Chris,

It works great! The Contax rail is very smooth and well-damped. It has tension adjustment from slight to locked, using the small knob on the back of the 'center block', as seen in the posted image.

The Contax rail is made to a very high standard of construction for both materials and fit/tolerance, just like most professional gears from "those days".

Jim




Feb 25, 2015 at 07:43 AM
sjms
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Macro Photography


my newest rail from Kirk no less







Feb 25, 2015 at 08:32 AM
diverhank
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Macro Photography


I only shoot a few macros per year so I didn't invest in anything fancy (no rail, no ring lights). I have a 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro lens, a reverse ring and an old FD mount 50mm f/1.8 for closeup. I use photoshop for focus stacking and I find it very forgiving - auto align then auto blend.

Here is a hand held shot of a fly using the 100mm f/2.8L lens with only 3-shot focus stack; 5DIII; f/7.1, 1/500; ISO 4000:



Green Bottle Fly by Tongho58, on Flickr

Below is a hand held shot of another fly using the 100mm mounted with the reversed 50mm (which gives you 2:1 magnification); Canon 5DIII, f/8; 1/100; ISO 500 using natural light. Actually this was a focus stack of 20 images. Considering I didn't use a tripod, the photo turned out way better than I expected...giving credit to the forgiving nature of photoshop (CS5)



Fly On Cactus 2 by Tongho58, on Flickr



Mar 03, 2015 at 02:44 AM
danski0224
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Macro Photography


How did you use the 100mm and the reversed 50mm together?

Either image goes against the "you must use a tripod for macro crowd".



Mar 03, 2015 at 06:48 AM
diverhank
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Macro Photography


danski0224 wrote:
How did you use the 100mm and the reversed 50mm together?

Either image goes against the "you must use a tripod for macro crowd".


I'm not advocating not using a tripod...I'm just too lazy to use one most of the time. With a tripod, the images, especially the 2nd one could have been much better.

What I did with the reversed 50mm was to buy an adaptor which is just an empty ring with threads that go on the lens (where you normally mount the filter) from Amazon for about $10. Then I would mount the 50mm backwards onto the 100mm, which is attached to the camera the normal way. The FD mount 50mm aperture is closed by default and I had to keep it opened for this...a quick search on the internet showed me how. You only have to do it once.




Mar 03, 2015 at 03:37 PM
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