WELCOME TO MICROCOSMOS!!!

[bonecarver_OG]

hehe yeah i bet the difference in a tele on macro mode and a macro doing its job is VERY different hehe to say the least. its not dificult to understand the optics necesary for both are completelly different - and really the macro mode is rather just an "cheapo" option to get closer to something - but with out the clarity and detail of a true macro lense

the solar haze here makes an UV filter handy - especially for shots that are close to the sea etc but yep - its mainly there so i dont mess up while rolling a spliff whilst up in some rock and knock the cam about - i doo have the lense caps on but u never know better safe than sorry hehe

u are right the about tele with macro beeing better - to get closer to things further away - thats clear BUT the universal optical marriage thing makes my 28-200 to back-focus and its a bitch to compensate for that in the field. indoors though - its cool. just using a measuring tape i can fix that.

yep bug-hunting is a bitch but still to get good inflight pics etc id need a ringflash etc.. darn it all piles up doesnt it hehe. i hate hobbies they all tend to get expensive! hehe

im not posting pics here - im sending u a few to check out but yes its not 1:1 and the truth is - i tried a macro lense in a shop and i agree its way better image quality but also more expensive hehe. for my very bad eye sight i need the auto-focus and etc to work and this makes my range a bit more pricy. atleast i have seen the ringflashes are cheap on ebay- just got to find one that is known to work well with my cam.

i know i can get the cam tuned to the lense - but then later with an other lense id get other probs hehe..

peace mate

 

[Trich watcher]

Hi, l33t,

May I say I have profound admiration for your photography. Your macros are stunning works or art! Keep up the great work!

I have a Canon Rebel Xti with an EF-60mm macro, which is one of their "cheaper" macro lenses. I'm thinking about upgrading to a better macro lens, but perhaps I should try extension tubes first, before I put out more big bucks.

I'm very happy with the macros my camera takes, but my macro lens is not capable of the extraordinary depth and detail that you are achieving.

Very beautiful work!

 

[l33t]

bonecarver_OG: SLR are very good ... you dont have to worry about your bad eyesight... just can buy a viewfinder magnification thing for accurate focussing ... indeed our hobby can get TOO expensive Beware that you will be only able to use a macro ring flash , with automatic exposure, only if there are automatic connections between the lens and of course you cant use it with a reverse mounted lens in front of another lens . You can still use it in manual mode but you will have to set the exposure settings manually. Generally macro ring flashes are for bugs etc and can be used up to 1:1 ... with higher magnifications they dont work well . Plus I dont really like flashes for trichomes but for bugs they are great as you always have high shutter speed to freeze movement even if you use the lowerst aperture (eg f/16) and lowest ISO speed. Basically the reverse mounted lens , acts as a powerful diopter. Hope this make sense
Here is a pic of a converter , it goes in front of the viewfinder and you can select 2x magnification for very accurate focusing .

trich watcher: The ef-60mm macro is a very OK lens . I would suggest investing in a bellows or extension tubes . The basic difference from your lens and other more expensive lenses are that they can focus down to 1:1 and not 1:2 like yours . So if you buy 25mm of extension tube you will have 95% same quality as you would with another , more expensive , macro lens . The only problem is that if you buy cheap extension tube that wont have electrical contacts .. you will loose automatic exposure and autofocus ...

Thanks for your kind words ! Have fun !

 

[bonecarver_OG]

hehe there is too much to think about i think im opting for saving for a canon 100mm or 160 mm 1-5x but thats for some time next winter or something

now i think im going to go for the kenko 2x or 3x tele converter to use with my tele lense. all dependends on if they work well together. because of this i think i most likelly will buy it in a shop where i can try it first

i really should get one of those things for the eye! i cant see a darn thing in the view finder!

but first i need to find a place that can sell me the ring for reverse mounting the 58mm infront of the 72mm i dont care for flash with that setup this is for fun only - and since it would be cheap - its interesting to try first of all

 

[l33t]

3x teleconverter is overkill , degrades quality . I have an older kenko 2x 7 element and it is JUST GREAT . bought it for like 10 pounds but it is full manual . I wouldnt suggest you to buy it new from a shop ... it will cost you like 150 euros ... but it is an automatic version so if you can afford it its fine . The automatic version is great to double the 200mm and make it 400mm with almost no quality loss . But using a teleconverter with a macro lens is totally different . It doesnt make the 50mm to a 100mm when used with extension tubes , it just doubles the magnification .. if that makes sense . Btw you dont have to worry about the "optical marriage" between a teleconverter and a lens . If you have a good lens and a good teleconverter it will always give you very nice results .

Ebay is great for those little accessories... trust me on this one . You can always try it at your local store and then buy it from ebay or at least from an online retailer . Have a look here http://www.srb-griturn.com/index.asp?function=DISPLAYCAT&catid=23 . It is a uk based site and it explains what some of those accessories ,I mentioned above , do.

What do you mean by canon 100mm or 160 mm 1-5x ? The only lens at the market that offers 5:1 magnification is the Canon EOS MP-E 65mm 1-5X which is too expensive and I would recommend against buying it .

have fun !

 

[bonecarver_OG]

ah ok cool so the tele converter can be used in macros too.. nice!

so the image quality thing explains why the 3x is about the same price as he 2x! so then im going to opt for the 2x one yeah its gonna be nice to take inflight bird pics etc hehe hopefully - if the autofocus will work ok

some more math - the sensor size's conversion factor on the 400D (1,6) - makes a 2x converter with my 200 a 640! that should be enough for most wildlife for me!

but yep to get the 2 x conversor is easy i can get it everywhere - it seems more dificult to get the 72 to 58 mm coupler.

hey man thanx

ah yeah it seems i made a typo hehe i meant the 65 - but to be honest its way pricy - i rather go for the 100 + extension tubes etc when time comes

im gonna check that page out

peace mate

 

[l33t]

"some more math - the sensor size's conversion factor on the 400D (1,6) - makes a 2x converter with my 200 a 640! that should be enough for most wildlife for me!"

Indeed The good about APS-C sized digital sensor are that you can easily get telephotos ... but wide angles are way pricey ... you have to get a 10mm to get 16mm etc.. 10mm are way more pricey than 16mm .. which makes sense of course.

When we use a teleconverter in macrophotography it always goes directly into the body , before the extension tubes . That way it just multiplies the image that it receives. So lets say you have 4:1 with your system... put a teleconverter and you will get 8:1 . Thankfully the image degration is less than using the teleconverter to make a 200mm lens to 400mm

Yes its kinda tricky to get hold of a 58-58mm ( I am pretty sure you wont find a direct 58-72) but I just did a search on ebay and other uk photography stores and I could find some for like 10-20~ euros . That link I gave you , they sell coupling rings .

cheers

 

[PablowPicasso]

awww they are kissing, how cute!!..

ahahah LOL very true!!

wow this thread is going fast!
very good infos here

cheers!

 

[Trich watcher]

Bonecarver, try, www.bhphotovideo.com

It may be the largest photo shop on line. They probably have what you want, or can tell you were to get it.

They have a toll free number: 800-947-9927. (They're in New York.)

 

[bonecarver_OG]

cool guys a HUGE thank u

 

[DoobieDuck]

l33t...your thread is still going...great...and some new fantastic images..have you heard of Genuine Fractals? This software enables you to crop the extreem close up then re-size, upsize, with very little loss of quality. I plan on purchasing this software...you can find it at genuinefractals.com see Ya...Dr. Duck.

 

[bonecarver_OG]

thanx for the tip doobie!

 

[charlie garcia]

Cool info! learning a lot about some macro
Beautifull shots, many thx for sharing