Macro on the cheap - which way is better? (Page 4): Extension tubes are the way to go on a budget.

rstipe Loc: S. Florida

Extension tubes are the way to go on a budget.

mizzee Loc: Boston,Ma

You can also try a close up lens, looks like a filter and comes in a set of 2 or 3. When I talked to the rep at B and H about extension tubes, he suggested the close up lens instead. They aren't very expensive either.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

mizzee wrote:

You can also try a close up lens, looks like a filter and comes in a set of 2 or 3. When I talked to the rep at B and H about extension tubes, he suggested the close up lens instead. They aren't very expensive either.

Steamboat

I'd get a cheap used macro lens this is your best choice. Easier to use a great place to start and more fun.

1) extension tubes .........They are sharper

This assumes you would be buying cheap close up lenses?
....nothing worse than a cheap close up lens.

Do you have a tripod?

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

A reversing ring on a prime lens, if you have one, would be a place to start. This short video describes the setup.

https://youtu.be/m56ANbj9YpE

JimH123 Loc: Morgan Hill, CA

bellgamin wrote:

I want to experiment with macro a bit, so I want to do it on the cheap. I have read of 2 el cheapo methods:

1) extension tubes

2) macro filters (you know, those +1 +4 +10 sets - what is the correct name of them I wonder)

Which is better, 1 or 2?

Oh yes, just remembered --- focusing rails ... I assume they will attach to any standard tripod screw-it-on gizmo. Correct?

It is likely impossible to answer this question without actually trying it yourself. Some lenses aren't good candidate lenses for doing macro work with closeup filters or extension tubes. And some closeup lenses are better than others.

As for reversing a lens, it is best done with manual lenses as with newer auto focus lenses, you lose control of the aperture and most lenses stop all the way down by default without the camera attached.

That said, you likely can get acceptable results with either extension tubes or close up filters. I have both, but my macro lens is first choice.

wilsondl2 Loc: Lincoln, Nebraska

rhadams824 wrote:

From my understanding of Macro, this lens only give a 1:2 or .5x pic thus the pic is 1/2 the size of a 1:1 pic from a true Macro lens at its closest focal point. Not a true macro lens.

Being able to focus 1:1 is not what makes a macro a macro. True macros or designed with a flat view.
Enlarger lenses have a similar design. Older Nikon macros were 1:2 and had a extension tube to go down to 1:1. - Dave

LoneRangeFinder Loc: Left field

wilsondl2 wrote:

Being able to focus 1:1 is not what makes a macro a macro. True macros or designed with a flat view.
Enlarger lenses have a similar design. Older Nikon macros were 1:2 and had a extension tube to go down to 1:1. - Dave

Those older lenses were only designated as macro because they included the extension tube. True macro is 1:1 plus the design. FWIW, Canon has a lens, the MPE65 that has a range of 1:1 to 5:1. No infinity focus limits their use to macro. I have a knockoff that is 4:1-4.5:1. Because of the very short focal length it’s a challenge to use

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

bellgamin wrote:

I want to experiment with macro a bit, so I want to do it on the cheap. I have read of 2 el cheapo methods:

1) extension tubes

2) macro filters (you know, those +1 +4 +10 sets - what is the correct name of them I wonder)

Which is better, 1 or 2?

Oh yes, just remembered --- focusing rails ... I assume they will attach to any standard tripod screw-it-on gizmo. Correct?

Macro filters work, but just barely! They are worth owning for emergencies and special effects.

Extension tubes work best on a real macro lens! But they will work on a normal lens.

A bellows type focusing rail system with a flat-field enlarger lens, or a reversed normal lens will work quite well. I used a bellows/enlarging lens setup for years to copy and compose slides.

Steamboat

Has any one asked what exactly you want to shoot?

Macro is a big subject or do you just want to get a little closer to your subject?

Georgews Loc: Wellington, New Zealand

Try a reversing ring and either a) mount your lens reversed on your camera or b) I have also used a reversed 50mm lens mounted back to front on the front of another lens.
Either way is pretty cheap but with a) you lose automation all together
Cheers

chrisg-optical Loc: New York, NY

bellgamin wrote:

I want to experiment with macro a bit, so I want to do it on the cheap. I have read of 2 el cheapo methods:

1) extension tubes

2) macro filters (you know, those +1 +4 +10 sets - what is the correct name of them I wonder)

Which is better, 1 or 2?

Oh yes, just remembered --- focusing rails ... I assume they will attach to any standard tripod screw-it-on gizmo. Correct?

By far extension tubes...diopter lens will introduce distortion and vignetting and overall loss of IQ.

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

chrisg-optical wrote:

By far extension tubes...diopter lens will introduce distortion and vignetting and overall loss of IQ.

That does depend on the quality of the diopter lenses..., it is not a global truth.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Peterff wrote:

That does depend on the quality of the diopter lenses..., it is not a global truth.

rhadams824 Loc: Arkansas

nauticalmike wrote:

One thing I never see mentioned in these macro threads is the adaptor to control the aperture of the lens when used reversed. Personally I think that shooting macro with a reversed lens without one is lacking in realizing the full potential of reversed lens macrophotography. That being said I prefer using the extension tubes. I picked up a cheap set of them on amazon, Kenko I think, for around $30 and they autofocus and work flawlessly even when I stack all of them together.

Buy an older lens with a manual aperture control and you can control the aperture with a reversed lens. Try for an f1.4 or f1.8 lens so you can let in more light if necessary. The lower mm lens (eg. 28 vs 50) gives higher magnifications.