Some Macros from the Archives

VERY cool.  The focus is incredible.
Is that pollen on the fly's eyes and head?

What lens are you using for macro work?  Do you use tubes, filters, or do you have a 1:1 lens?  Amazing photos, as usual!

Travis

Thanks for the info, Mike.  Do tubes reduce the quality of the image?  I hear so many conflicting statements on this.  I don't do enough macro work to justify a Nikkor-Micro lens.  That'll have to be one of those 'for fun' purchases... someday.  I have heard that you lose image quality with the filters (often called close-up lenses for some reason), so I'm tentative about that, although they are a cheap way to go.  I'm guessing that you lose a stop or two with an extension tube, but that may be acceptable in daylight conditions.  What's your thoughts on the options?

Travis

PS, we may have had this discussion, but I'm still trying to decide what to do, so I'm asking again .

OK, no problem on the confusion between extenders (or teleconverter, right?) and extension tubes.  I have never seen a tube, so I didn't know they didn't have glass in them.  Does that cause any problems with the size of the image circle on the film/sensor plane?  Also, is there a way to know how much light loss to compensate for with tubes?  Simply extending the lens from the sensor will require more light for a proper exposure.  Maybe the good glass filters are the best way to go then?  They won't take up much room, are lightweight, can be bought in sets with some variety of magnifications...?  Thoughts?  Do you want me to start another thread, or is this OK to talk about here?

Travis

Travis,

Tubes increase the size of the image circle.  That's how you get higher magnification.  There are tables and formula for "lens extension" when using tubes.  These are the same that you would use when close focusing a view camera.

One other differece between extension tubes and multipliers:  Extension tubes (and close up filters) prevent your lens from focusing at infinity.  The longer the tube or the more powerful the filter the shorter your maximum focus distance will be shorter.

One note to give you some idea how this works . . . if I remember correctly a 50mm extension tube will allow a 50mm lens to have a 1:1 reproduction ratio.

Ed

Sorry this is off topic, or back on (not sure)
But I have a big flowering plant/bush thing in front of my porch (not sure what it is, I am not a plant person) and it's just COVERED with bees this time of year.  I like them, most visitors to my home don't.
Anyway, I was attempting the laborous effort of hauling out my camera to attempt some shots... then this topic got brought to the top again, I looked at Mike's image and said "Nah, Mike already did it and much better than I could".  Just thought I would share... oh and that's why I don't ever want to shoot famous things, landscapes and especially sandy beaches with palm trees and blue water.  Someone else already did it better before I have even tried.