Macro on a budget?
Posted 12/12/2013 - 19:07
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Tubes are the way to go. Finding a set with electric contacts is not easy and they tend to be quite expensive. PKA convertors on the other hand are cheap and plentiful. An option is to buy one and remove the glass.
Regards Steve
Regards Steve
Posted 12/12/2013 - 20:15
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Another possible option would be a 'Panagor Auto Macro 1:1 Converter' see here:- link or google for more info.
I have one which is in virtually new condition boxed and cased in an M42 mount which you would be welcome to for £36.00 inc postage and paypal fees.
That's if you are interested of course, or anyone else for that matter....
Regards.
I have one which is in virtually new condition boxed and cased in an M42 mount which you would be welcome to for £36.00 inc postage and paypal fees.
That's if you are interested of course, or anyone else for that matter....
Regards.
C.O.L.B.A.S victim
(Compulsive Obsessive Lens Buying Addiction Syndrome)
What you need are lenses, more lenses, bigger lenses, better lenses, faster lenses, vintage lenses and when you have these, your pictures will be perfect!
(Compulsive Obsessive Lens Buying Addiction Syndrome)
What you need are lenses, more lenses, bigger lenses, better lenses, faster lenses, vintage lenses and when you have these, your pictures will be perfect!
Posted 12/12/2013 - 20:20
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The Raynox will come in handy even if you get a longer macro one day. It'll work on your phone too
Tubes are brilliant, cheap and are essential kit for any macro enthusiast whatever lenses they own.
Surely your 50mm macro is already fine for dragon flies? they're huge!
Almost all these old images were taken with an SMC M 50mm 1:7 and tubes.
Tubes are brilliant, cheap and are essential kit for any macro enthusiast whatever lenses they own.
Surely your 50mm macro is already fine for dragon flies? they're huge!
Almost all these old images were taken with an SMC M 50mm 1:7 and tubes.
Posted 12/12/2013 - 20:23
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No-one has mentioned a reversing ring.
I have one and use it occasionally with my 50mm.
Cheap as chips, and well worth a go.
I have one and use it occasionally with my 50mm.
Cheap as chips, and well worth a go.
Some Cameras
Posted 12/12/2013 - 20:40
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Or just holding (taping) a wide angle prime backwards on the end of another lens or tubes (bog roll)
Then clean your sensor...
Then clean your sensor...
Posted 12/12/2013 - 22:56 - Helpful Comment
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... as you can tell there are lots of options
Raynoxes are very good and you'll have so much fun using them. The thing about using a 50 is you'll need to get quite close, and dragonflies can be quite flighty.
There is not a shortage of great value for money, used, good enough quality manual macro lenses (ie vivitar 70-210 is easily available on ebay) that will let you shoot from a bit further away. It's actually quite hard to find a really bad macro lens
Maybe just play with the Raynox for now and do some homework in the meanwhile to look up shots you'd like to use and see what the eq is that's used for them. Flickr is quite helpful for that.
Be careful, this is how we all started
Raynoxes are very good and you'll have so much fun using them. The thing about using a 50 is you'll need to get quite close, and dragonflies can be quite flighty.
There is not a shortage of great value for money, used, good enough quality manual macro lenses (ie vivitar 70-210 is easily available on ebay) that will let you shoot from a bit further away. It's actually quite hard to find a really bad macro lens
Maybe just play with the Raynox for now and do some homework in the meanwhile to look up shots you'd like to use and see what the eq is that's used for them. Flickr is quite helpful for that.
Be careful, this is how we all started
... just another middle-aged guy with a hobby. I have an extreme macro learning site at extreme-macro.co.uk - Pentax-centric, your feedback and comments would be appreciated!
Posted 13/12/2013 - 01:56
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oh for Gods' sake I've just bought a Vivitar 20-210 as per the above poster's recommendation.
Just when I thought I never needed to own another lens...
Just when I thought I never needed to own another lens...
Posted 13/12/2013 - 12:50
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You can not compare tubes with tele converters.
Tubes do not degrade the image at all, because no extra glass is involved. With tubes you can easy get 1:1 or even 0.1:1 but you loose a fair amount of light.
You then have problems with hand held shots. Also normally the 50mm F1.4's and 1.2's are not ideal for macro shots.
However a 50mm f2.8 macro lens reverse mounted will really give you very good close ups.
The drawback with tubes and mounting the lens reverse is, you loose the Infinity ability.
A tele converter does still let you focus to infinity, with most of them
you loose 2 f-stops and they degrade the IQ.
I would say, the ideal for flowers and insect macros is the Pentax 100mm f2.8 macro. Save up for it and you wont regret it.
With extension rings, your viewfinder gets quite a lot darker too.
Regards, Horst
Tubes do not degrade the image at all, because no extra glass is involved. With tubes you can easy get 1:1 or even 0.1:1 but you loose a fair amount of light.
You then have problems with hand held shots. Also normally the 50mm F1.4's and 1.2's are not ideal for macro shots.
However a 50mm f2.8 macro lens reverse mounted will really give you very good close ups.
The drawback with tubes and mounting the lens reverse is, you loose the Infinity ability.
A tele converter does still let you focus to infinity, with most of them
you loose 2 f-stops and they degrade the IQ.
I would say, the ideal for flowers and insect macros is the Pentax 100mm f2.8 macro. Save up for it and you wont regret it.
With extension rings, your viewfinder gets quite a lot darker too.
Regards, Horst
Posted 13/12/2013 - 13:35
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If on a tight budget a coupling ring is one of the cheapest options (You've already got the lenses) enabling a wide lens to be used reversed on another lens. Typically ~£5 on e-bay.
The advantage of teleconverters is they enlarge the image without reducing working distance, though this is at the cost of extra aberations which may be noticable.
It's worth a look at Nass' extreme macro website he covers all the options.
The advantage of teleconverters is they enlarge the image without reducing working distance, though this is at the cost of extra aberations which may be noticable.
It's worth a look at Nass' extreme macro website he covers all the options.
Mike
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Pentax:K5ii, K7, K100D, DA18-55, DA10-17, DA55-300, DA50-200, F100-300, F50, DA35 AL, 4* M50, 2* M135, Helicoid extension, Tak 300 f4 (& 6 film bodies)
3rd Party: Bigmos (Sigma 150-500mm OS HSM),2* 28mm, 100mm macro, 28-200 zoom, 35-80 zoom, 80-200 zoom, 80-210 zoom, 300mm M42, 600 mirror, 1000-4000 scope, 50mm M42, enlarger lenses, Sony & micro 4/3 cameras with various PK mounts, Zenit E...
Far to many tele-converters, adapters, project parts & extension tubes etc.
.[size=11:].Flickr• WPF• Panoramio
.
Pentax:K5ii, K7, K100D, DA18-55, DA10-17, DA55-300, DA50-200, F100-300, F50, DA35 AL, 4* M50, 2* M135, Helicoid extension, Tak 300 f4 (& 6 film bodies)
3rd Party: Bigmos (Sigma 150-500mm OS HSM),2* 28mm, 100mm macro, 28-200 zoom, 35-80 zoom, 80-200 zoom, 80-210 zoom, 300mm M42, 600 mirror, 1000-4000 scope, 50mm M42, enlarger lenses, Sony & micro 4/3 cameras with various PK mounts, Zenit E...
Far to many tele-converters, adapters, project parts & extension tubes etc.
.[size=11:].Flickr• WPF• Panoramio
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