>>> "Gregg Iverson" <giverson@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> 09/16/99 09:18pm >>>
What are the pros and cons of the several ways of taking close-up
photos? I'm thinking of macro, extension rings/bellows, and close-up
filters. Would anyone care to give the +/- of each.
OK, I'm going to add my $.02. First, get John Shaw's "Close Ups In Nature"
Porter's Camera has them on close out for $14.95 +$2.00 shipping US. They had 4
of them left when I was there last.
http://www.porters.com/600605.htm. Anyway, here's my opinion, much of which
comes through Shaw's advice. I'll assume you're just getting into macro and
therefore will approach them based on price.
1. Close-up lenses. Pretty cheap. Can be stacked to achieve more magnification.
Can be mounted to many existing focal lengths if you get them wide enough and
use stepping rings. Small, easy to pop into your bag and give you "some" macro
capability at the cost of the space and weight of a filter. Essentially no light
loss. Should always be used with a lens hood. Can even be attached to zooms for
added flexibility. The catch :the image quality is not the best. Nikon makes
two-element close up lenses that give better results (3T, 4T, 5T, 6T). They're
designed for lenses in the range of 50-100mm (not just Nikon's) but are more
costly, so that you might as well get tubes. I did pick up a 6T on eBay at
$45.00 in LN condition.
2. Extension tubes. These move the lens further from the film plane enlarging
the image. This means a loss of light at the inverse square ratio. Give good
image quality since no more glass is involved. Come in only so many sizes which
might not be what you need. To get great mag with long lenses you'll need a lot
and his is unwieldy and impractical. (go ahead try to get to 1:1 with a 200
Zuiko, you'll need 200mm of extension) ! Because the lens is further from the
film plane the aperture is effectively smaller. This can lead to diffraction and
loss of image quality.
3. Bellows. This is essentially variable extension. Fragile, really only good
for studio work MHO. Most lose auto diaphragm or use double cable releases to
simulate it. Can get you access to special short-mount bellows lenses designed
for extreme macro.
4. Macro lenses. Corrected for best image quality in the macro realm. Costly in
general but often will double as a standard lens. But most people already have a
lens in it's FL. There's no 200 Zuiko macro like the Nikkor 200 mirco (sob).
Tend to be slower than the non-macro in the same FL. May still need extra
extension (often called 1:1 adapters, but they're just tubes) to get really
close.
5. Macro zooms. Tend to be feature additions to attract consumers. The macro
range is often only available at the short end of the zoom where it's less
useful. Try to get one with the macro at the long end. Obviously, can be very
convenient in a "three lens" bag. Quality is middling. You CAN put close-up
lenses on zooms and get good results.
6. Teleconverters. These can be used to bring the image closer as they don't
affect close-focusing distance. Are most useful in combination with a lens and
extension. This setup keeps the overall length of longer lenses reasonable. You
CAN use the 1.4XA in this config since the protruding front element will go into
the extension tube (if it's long enough). Have all the disadvantages of
teleconverters. I'd only use the 1.4 in this config as the 2x costs too much
light. A 200 Zuiko 31+21 extension (or the 65-112) and the 1.4 is a handy combo
to get more lens to subject distance and smaller angels of view.
7. Reversed lenses. Never used 'em. Obviously, you lose diaphragm coupling. Must
rig some kind of lens hood to protect the fragile rear element.
8. Stacked lenses. you're using one lens reversed and attached to another a as a
high power/quality close up lens. Cheap, all you need is a two-sided ring.
Really, the preferred way to get really big mag. No depth of field to speak of.
9. What I use. To chase insects, I find the 135 bellows lens on the 65-112 tube
has the advantages of a bellows and the sturdiness of tubes. A T-32 on a
butterfly bracket, a focusing stage, and tripod QR complete the setup so I can
go from hand-held flash to tripod-mounted available light with no reconfig.
See you at the Butterfly Pavilion!
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