Macro shots

I've seen some great macro shots in other threads and thought I'd start a new thread on that subject.
Here's what I got when I reverse mounted a 50mm 1.4 to my istds2 mounted 85mm soft focus. Also rigged up my af080c ringflash to it.
It's a 1974 canadian penny.

Don,

Impressive, if a little fuzzy at the edges. Roughly how far from the lens was the subject ? I'm guessing it would be only a few centimetres, or maybe even millimetres away.

Regards, Pete.

12 mm, and sharp center and fuzzy edges is what the 85mm soft focus lens does....

Yes of course, I missed the fact that the 85mm was soft focus. Cab I ask how you fixed your ring flash to the mount end of the reversed 85mm ?

I know that there is a special ring light adapter, and I've tried to make something similar without success so far. Or did you use the tried and trusted duct tape solution

actually, the 85mm was on the camera body and the 50mm was reversed onto the 85mm so the flash was mounted to the bayonet of the 50mm.
I used a 58-49 stepdown ring to act as a spacer between the 50mm bayonett and the ringflash and yes I taped the rig together with electrical tape (right width).

By the way...I know that there are dust spots, lint, and flaws in the image, but I find that when I'm experimenting, I tend to focus on concepts and ideas. The purpose is to learn and practise. When it comes to making salable images I've often said "The Devil's in the details..."
If I was trying to sell an image like that I'd huntdown a coin collector and offer photograph something more interesting than my life savings that happened to be rattling around my pocket. I'd take the time to clean it up. And I'd use a sharper lens...But the concept is good and I used only what I had lying around. You need a proper Exorcism if you want salable images.

I like that image Don. Here's something similar I shot with a set of extension tubes on my 50mm 1.7 FA lens http://www.ammonyte.plus.com/galleries/ExtensionTubes/images/foto1.html
It was illuminated with two 60W light bulbs and I used the tungsten white balance setting to correct. As and when I have time I'm going to work through most of my lenses and test different combinations of the three tubes and the various lenses

I also have a reversing ring, but have been to busy to play, sorry , experiment with it

Am I correct in assuming that the magnification is 85/50 = 1.7 ?

Hi Mannesty,

I have no idea how to work out the numbers.. (I'll have to go and google it now) but if the coin is about the same size as our penny, and the image is uncropped, then it's something like 26mm width on the sensor, 5mm width on the coin; magnification of 5:1.. ish????

Cheers

Liam

Hi Pete,

http://xoomer.virgilio.it/ripolini/Close_up.htm

lots of lovely numbers.. I'd explain it myself but err.. umm.. ahh.. I need to wash the err.. yes.. : :

[EXIT: Stage left]

Cheers

Liam

Numbers?
Your talking to a guy, who as a kid, argued with his jr. kindergarten teacher that: one plus one could equal a hundred...bunnies...

I was sooooo misunderstood.....
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Having just read through all that, there is a handy chart at the bottom setting out the depth of field at various magnification ratios and apertures, so even if the rest is too complicated to worry about that chart will help with focussing as acurately as possible. At the 5x magnification here, we are looking at a small fraction (I think it's about 0.027mm (27 thousandths of a millimetre)) even at f22.

That's not much to work with..

Cheers

Liam

In which case Don, we'd both better wait for a growed up to explain it to us..

Cheers

Liam

Try this link http://www.jeffree.co.uk/Pages/macro-lens-calcs.html The author has created a handy spreadsheet so you can just plug your numbers into it to get the magnifications etc.

Strewth, now I know why P&S cameras are so popular. You don't need a degree in quantum physics to work out how to use 'em.

I bet you guys that have been taking macro images of your pencil tips never realised how difficult it actually is. You are to be applauded for your prowess in working in what seems to be . . . a completely different universe.