John Richmond Posted April 12 Share Posted April 12 The 1.4x converter will either increase the magnification for the same working distance or increase the working distance for the same magnification. You need as much DOF as possible with macro so f8 will be fine. I'd leave the converter on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sultanpepa Posted April 12 Share Posted April 12 2 hours ago, Phil Robinson said: I use a (Nikon, sorry) 105mm Micro lens, sometimes with a small extension tube or 1.7x converter. Now I am doing a lot more video, especially where natural history is concerned. The best combination I have found is, perhaps surprisingly, one of the cheapest Nikon kit lenses - 24-200 f4-6.3 and a small extension tube. At the 200 end I can film dragonflies and butterflies at a reasonable distance and at around 50mm it can get amazingly closeups of very small insects. I would certainly recommend extension tubes (though maybe not with a 100-400) They don't effect the image quality as filters can and used with a shortish telephoto they don't take too much light either. And they tend to be a lot cheaper than buying a new lens. The extension tubes allow closer focusing distance too I believe. I have a set but haven't used them yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mitchell Posted April 12 Share Posted April 12 25 minutes ago, Sultanpepa said: The extension tubes allow closer focusing distance too I believe. I have a set but haven't used them yet. Yes, you can get in very close, depending on the lens you're using. AF works OK with mine, but I usually end up switching to MF and swaying back and forth. It usually takes several shots to get a keeper. Macro photography really isn't my thing, but it can be fun. Have yet to be stung by a bee. 🐝 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M.Chapman Posted April 12 Share Posted April 12 (edited) NISI spec looks good, it's important to have an apochromatic design. Well worth a try IMO. https://nisioptics.co.uk/product/nc-macro-close-up-lens-ii-77-72-67mm/ Mark Edited April 12 by M.Chapman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill Morgan Posted April 12 Author Share Posted April 12 2 hours ago, John Richmond said: The 1.4x converter will either increase the magnification for the same working distance or increase the working distance for the same magnification. You need as much DOF as possible with macro so f8 will be fine. I'd leave the converter on. So I won't need to go down to f/11 or f/16? Of course now I am looking at diffusers and flashes. I see the money flapping out the window. Jill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betty LaRue Posted April 12 Share Posted April 12 (edited) I’ll echo the fact that with macro, you’ll be lucky to get 10-20 out of a hundred shots. Especially insects that move fast. Then of the ones that are sharp, you’ll lose some to bad poses you don’t like. But it’s fun. And exhausting. No telling how many failures I had to get this one. And you see it looks wingless!! Edited April 12 by Betty LaRue 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill Morgan Posted April 12 Author Share Posted April 12 6 minutes ago, Betty LaRue said: I’ll echo the fact that with macro, you’ll be lucky to get 10-20 out of a hundred shots. Especially insects that move fast. Then of the ones that are sharp, you’ll lose some to bad poses you don’t like. But it’s fun. And exhausting. No telling how many failures I had to get this one. And you see it looks wingless!! Great shot Betty. If I can get 10-20 useable images out 100, I'll be thrilled. Shooting birds in flight, I'm lucky to get a few decent shots out of 300. Jill 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDM Posted April 12 Share Posted April 12 (edited) 1 hour ago, Jill Morgan said: So I won't need to go down to f/11 or f/16? Of course now I am looking at diffusers and flashes. I see the money flapping out the window. Jill There is so much info in this thread there is danger of overload. So cutting to the chase hopefully, you don't need to use flash for modern macro photography unless you really like the effect of fill-in flash. I recall you are a Photoshop user so, instead of flash, use high ISO and Denoise in post. This can be worth around 6-8 stops in terms of shutter speed depending on the camera. In other words, let's say you need a shutter speed of 1/320 to freeze movement of an insect, then just up your ISO until you achieve that and use Denoise in ACR. I am shooting at much higher ISOs than I ever imagined possible before because of Denoise. I would strongly recommend getting a decent (secondhand) macro lens with stabilisation as mentioned above (Sigma or Tamron). These are designed for close-up photography (optimised for close focus unlike a normal telephoto) and make the task much much easier than using a telephoto zoom. I definitely would not use a teleconverter because of light loss and the effect on image quality. Close-up filter are never going to match a quality macro lens. Extension rings are great as they don't affect the optics but, if you buy a lens that goes to lifesize, you don't need extension rings unless you want to go super-close (true macro territory > lifesize). In summary, the only thing you really need to buy for high quality close-up work is a secondhand macro lens and they are not expensive. Edited April 12 by MDM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca Ore Posted April 13 Share Posted April 13 13 hours ago, MDM said: In summary, the only thing you really need to buy for high quality close-up work is a secondhand macro lens and they are not expensive. I tried some of the screw in auxiliary lenses and extension tubes, but what really works is a 1 to 1 macro lens. I do use a small flash for insects and flowers on windy days, with the wide angle diffuser over the flash. Canon has some interesting macro lenses, not sure what's available now. When I had a Nikon system, I used the VR 105mm. My closeups of Leica bits were taken with it and studio lights. I had one photographer tell me that VR and auto focus wouldn't work with macro. Not so. Extension tubes are useful, but a genuine one to one macro is just better. There are ways to get higher magnifications. John Shaw's Closeups in Nature is worth having, even though it's now dated. One to one -- size of the bug on sensor/film is the size of the bug in RL. Larger magnifications are possible with some lenses. A first rate macro lens can also perform well at infinity. I used my 105mm macro as a short telephoto with good results. Nikon made a 200 or 210mm macro lens with a long working distance useful for really skittish insects like dragonflies, but never had the cash for that. I think anyone serious about macro but not wanting too much weight is going to be happiest with something in the 90mm to 105mm range. This length is also a good (but perhaps too sharp) portrait lens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mitchell Posted April 13 Share Posted April 13 I was surprised to find that Sony SteadyShot (image stabilization) appears to work well with the cheap auto extension tubes that I purchased. It can be a big help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill Morgan Posted April 13 Author Share Posted April 13 I ordered the NISI filter. I will see how it does. I do like that I can easily switch from the macro to just the lens without having to switch lenses. If I enjoy it, I will ad a dedicated macro lens later on. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Hatton Posted April 14 Share Posted April 14 On 12/04/2024 at 21:46, Betty LaRue said: I’ll echo the fact that with macro, you’ll be lucky to get 10-20 out of a hundred shots. Especially insects that move fast. Then of the ones that are sharp, you’ll lose some to bad poses you don’t like. But it’s fun. And exhausting. No telling how many failures I had to get this one. And you see it looks wingless!! Pity that wasp\ hover fly spoiled your flower shot😄 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexander Hogg Posted April 14 Share Posted April 14 If you had been in the UK I probably would have given you my Canon EF 100mm f2.8L Macro IS USM Lens as I hardly ever use it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Robinson Posted April 14 Share Posted April 14 On 12/04/2024 at 19:58, Sultanpepa said: The extension tubes allow closer focusing distance too I believe. I have a set but haven't used them yet. That's all they do. When you focus a lens on something closer you are basically moving the lens further from the sensor. Extension tubes allow you to move it further away and therefore focus closer. You really should give them a try. They give you a whole new perspective on small things. And they are just adding space, with no effect on image quality, unlike closeup filters - unless you buy very good ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill Morgan Posted April 14 Author Share Posted April 14 2 hours ago, Alexander Hogg said: If you had been in the UK I probably would have given you my Canon EF 100mm f2.8L Macro IS USM Lens as I hardly ever use it I'll pay shipping. Got my NISI today. Had a bit of fun with it, but weather is real crap today, so figured I'd put it away until tomorrow. Jill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted April 14 Share Posted April 14 (edited) The Tokina atx-i 100mm f/2.8 full-frame macro lens is a very nice macro lens reasonably priced. Mine is sharp and it has 1:1 macro reproduction and min focus distance 4.5 in. from the front element. Lens mounts for Canon and Nikon. Mine is an Nikon-F-mount version that I use on my Fuji X-T4 with a Fringer adapter. https://www.imaging-resource.com/lenses/tokina/100mm-f2.8-atx-i-ff-macro/review/ Edited April 14 by Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betty LaRue Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 12 hours ago, Nick Hatton said: Pity that wasp\ hover fly spoiled your flower shot😄 I know! What in the world would a honeybee want with a flower, anyway? 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca Ore Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 18 hours ago, Jill Morgan said: I'll pay shipping. Got my NISI today. Had a bit of fun with it, but weather is real crap today, so figured I'd put it away until tomorrow. Jill DHL has some pretty reasonable rates. Free except for shipping is probably going to be as good a deal as you could find locally. A good macro is sharp out to infinity. I took my 105mm one to a falconry meet. Could have used longer in for birds flying but fine for birds on the gloves and for birds on kills. My current 30mm Sony macro isn't good to infinity so is macro to food only. A good macro (Nikon, probably also Canon) is a versatile lens: short telephoto, character portraits, architectural details, dog noses, food, flowers, and fish. If you have a good 24mm for wide, that covers most things. Godox has a small flash that could work as a fill flash. The Shaw book is worth having even if it's from the film days, according to recent Amazon reviews. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexander Hogg Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 23 hours ago, Jill Morgan said: I'll pay shipping. I'll let you know what I decide to do Am going to give another try and see what happens Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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