Going micro

Dick on Aruba

I considering to obtain a lens like the "AF Micro-Nikkor 200mm f/4D IF-ED" for micro shooting like the picture shown.

Is a close-up filter a fair alternative?

Especially for incest, details are crucial important and for that I want a lens.

What is your experiance and what do you suggest? Can you support your answer with some (insects) samples?



Dick.

Awais Yaqub

Great shot ! isn't right side too much empty ?

Skippy

Dick on Aruba wrote:

I considering to obtain a lens like the "AF Micro-Nikkor 200mm f/4D IF-ED" for micro shooting like the picture shown.

Is a close-up filter a fair alternative?

Especially for incest, details are crucial important and for that I want a lens.

What is your experiance and what do you suggest? Can you support your answer with some (insects) samples?


Dick.

Hi Dick, I have no experience with Nikkor at all, but I would think that KENKO make Extention tubes for those as well wouldn't they?

Extention tubes would be my choice .... Skippy
.

Dick on Aruba

Awais Yaqub wrote:

Great shot ! isn't right side too much empty ?

Thanks you Awais.

I tried a tighter crop but find this actually more suitable.

Dick.

Dick on Aruba

Skippy wrote:

Hi Dick, I have no experience with Nikkor at all, but I would think that KENKO make Extention tubes for those as well wouldn't they?

Extention tubes would be my choice .... Skippy
.

Thanks Skippy.

I could take this in consideration and I will. Detail is where I'm looking for. I don't know if extension tubes can have a degrading detail factor on a lens.

Dick.

Lord Vetinari

Good shot
Dick,
My recommeneded setup for getting more detail in shots like this would be a macro lens around 100mm and a set of Kenko ext tubes.
100mm because they are easier to handle and give higher magnifications with ext tubes than longer lenses and ext tubes because they are the only way of getting higher magnifications from a lens without degrading the image. It may be you don't need the macro lens but could just use extension tubes on an existing lens esp if you have a prime around 40-70mm. Depends on how close (what magnification) you want to get to.

Brian V.

Dick on Aruba

Lord Vetinari wrote:

Good shot
Dick,
My recommeneded setup for getting more detail in shots like this would be a macro lens around 100mm and a set of Kenko ext tubes.
100mm because they are easier to handle and give higher magnifications with ext tubes than longer lenses and ext tubes because they are the only way of getting higher magnifications from a lens without degrading the image. It may be you don't need the macro lens but could just use extension tubes on an existing lens esp if you have a prime around 40-70mm. Depends on how close (what magnification) you want to get to.

Brian V.

Thanks Brian.

Don't I loose a couple of stops with extension tubes? Light is in micro photogrphy very important.

Dick.

Lord Vetinari

Dick on Aruba wrote:

Thanks Brian.

Don't I loose a couple of stops with extension tubes? Light is in micro photogrphy very important.

Dick.

Well sort of but you don't really notice it as you tend to want to stop the lens down to F8-F11 to get decent DOF.

Brian V.

Dalantech

Dick on Aruba wrote:

Thanks Brian.

Don't I loose a couple of stops with extension tubes? Light is in micro photogrphy very important.

Dick.

No. You'll lose some light, but probably less than a stop.

To add to what Brian said: another way to go above life size is to add a diopter like the Canon 500D (or the 250D) to the end of the lens. I've used the 500D and there is no noticeable decrease in image quality -and no decrease in the light coming through the lens. For Canon's 100mm macro I was getting about 1.375x life size. Example with flash:



As for macro and light: If you are shooting above life size then you'll need to use a flash, and since you'll be in control of the light adding tubes, a teleconverter, or anything else that decreases the amount of light coming through the lens is irrelevant -the flash will still give you a proper exposure.

Dick on Aruba

Lord Vetinari wrote:

Well sort of but you don't really notice it as you tend to want to stop the lens down to F8-F11 to get decent DOF.

Brian V.

True.

Thanks Brian.

Dick on Aruba

Dalantech wrote:

No. You'll lose some light, but probably less than a stop...

...-the flash will still give you a proper exposure.

Thanks for this useful info! Nice capture btw.

Maybe I have to comsider extensiontubes. If I compare to cost with the lens I had in mind, than it is worth to try.

Hmmm...

Dick.