Close-up Photography On A Budget
Right Image:
35mm SLR,
100mm macro lens, Fuji Provia 100, Bogen Tripod and
pan tilt head. Multi-segment metering, 1/30 sec at f-16. Aperture priority and manual focus.
Quality close-up photography does not require very expensive equipment. Any camera will work as long as it has aperture priority or manual mode. Macro lenses are ideal for close up photography. They can focus down to life-size (the image on film is exactly the same size as in real life) all by themselves without the need for extension tubes or other close-up accessories. Longer macro lenses give more working distance. With a 100mm macro lens you need to be twice as close to your subject compared to a 200mm lens. 100mm and 200mm macros have high price tags.
50mm macros are very popular and cost much less than longer focal length macro lenses. Main problem with 50mm lenses is the limited working distance. This can become a serious problem when photographing butterflies or other insects. You can scare them away and miss your shots if you are not careful. You can buy a 50mm macro lens that focuses down to 1:2 or 1:1 life size from your camera manufacturer or an independent lens manufacturer for reasonable price.
Right Image: 50mm macro lens
You can photograph
flowers, insects, and even use 50mm macros for copying prints or slides. You can add a 2X
teleconverter to 50mm macros for more working distance. The combination gives you a 100mm
macro lens that can focus down to 2X life-size. At this magnification, you can photograph
smaller insects and fill the frame or get portraits of butterflies and larger insects.
This is not to say you should photograph at this magnification all the time. Higher
magnifications can result in more unsharp images. Use only the magnification that gives
you the image you are after without overdoing it. If you decide to add a 2X teleconverter
to your 50mm macro, keep in mind that camera manufacturers 2X converters won't mate with
50mm macro lenses. Camera manufacturer teleconverters are designed to work with certain
long telephoto lenses and cannot be attached to any other lens. Tamron, Sigma, and Kenko
2X teleconverters can be attached to most lenses and they are much more affordable. As you
know, teleconverters degrade image quality to some degree. This is not a real problem in
macro photography. At high magnifications very small apertures are required to gain
depth-of-field. By closing the lens down to small apertures, you can bring everything into
sharp focus.
Another economical way to get into close-up photography is by adding a set of extension
tubes to your standard 50mm lens or a zoom lens which covers 50mm focal length. You need
50mm of extension tubes to reach life-size. You can buy a quality used 50mm lens for less
than 50 dollars since most photographers traded them for zooms. I have seen dozens of 50mm
lenses in used stores in excellent conditions at very low prices. Invest another 30-40
dollars on a set of extension tubes and you are ready to shoot close-ups of flowers and
insects. You can always add a 2X converter to your 50mm+extension tube for higher
magnifications. Make sure to add the teleconverter behind the extension tube for maximum
magnification.
Extension tubes
If you find 50mm lenses difficult to use and prefer a 100mm macro lens, then Vivitar or
Phoenix 100mm f-3.5 macro lenses are the answer. These macro lenses cost less than 50mm
macro lenses and focus down to 1:2 life-size with very good results. For Less than 200
dollars you can own a new 100mm macro lens. You'll be surprised with the results. This is
a sharp macro lens that comes with a life-size filter accessory. Just screw on the
close-up filter and you can get life-size images with acceptable results.
Close-up filters are the least expensive way to enter close-up photography. Just buy the best you can afford and close down the lens enough to get the corners into sharp focus. Stay with +1 to +3 powers and use them on shorter lenses for best results.
Above: Close-up lenses
or diopters
No matter which system you choose, use your equipment on a solid tripod. Don't even think
that you can hand hold your camera and still take sharp close-ups. The lowest priced
camera and lens used on a tripod will produce much better results than a pro camera and
lens in shaky hands. Don't let the high cost of close-up equipment discourage you from
getting into macro photography. With a little investment you can find unlimited and never
seen before photo opportunities.
Recommended reading:
Macro photography: Learning from a Master
Topics covered in this outstanding guide range from practical advice about basic equipment and more sophisticated accessories to aesthetic concerns such as composition and color. After explaining how to proceed in the variety of terrains nature photographers may encounter in their travels, the book examines macrophotography in the studio, discussing how animal and plant life can be shot in aquariums and vivariums and using studio backdrops.
KENKO AUTO EXTENSION TUBE SET
Extension tubes are designed to enable a lens to focus closer than its
normal set minimum focusing distance. Getting closer has the effect of
magnifying your subject (making it appear larger in the viewfinder and in
your pictures). They are exceptionally useful for macro photography,
enabling you to convert almost any lens into a macro lens at a fraction of
the cost while maintaining its original optical quality. The extension tubes
have no optics. They are mounted in between the camera body and lens to
create more distance between the lens and film plane. By moving the lens
father away from the film or CCD sensor in the camera, the lens is forced to
focus much closer than normal. The greater the length of the extension tube,
the closer the lens can focus. The KENKO AUTO EXTENSION TUBE SET contains
three tubes of different length, a 12 mm, 20 mm, and 36 mm, which can be
used individually or in any combination to obtain the desired magnification.
Kenko's Auto Focus extension tubes are designed with all the circuitry and
mechanical coupling to maintain auto focus and TTL auto exposure
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