[aslyfox]

@tryphon4 and @dms

I claim no expertise in photography, especially in macro, I just post a lot

but it seems the OP has indicated specifically what is wanted

Spending a hundred bucks

Field work, distance doesn't matter much i don't mind getting extremely close, i wanna shoot spiders and such to fit half of the resolution without cropping, probably 100mm would be the best option

[JensE]

Field work, distance doesn't matter much i don't mind getting extremely close, i wanna shoot spiders and such to fit half of the resolution without cropping, probably 100mm would be the best option

It sounds like you're looking at 1:1 and maybe above - unless you are after really big spiders

My recommendation for a setup would be dependent on what you have already. At high magnification, you're anyway limited by the diffraction vs. depth of field compromise, which is really narrow as you can e.g. see in JensE's Album: Macro beyond 1:1 - PentaxForums.com for a few different setups on similar subjects. So what lenses do you have available already? E.g. reversing a wide angle in front of a short telephoto lens might only need an inexpensive ring ...

Raynox dcr-150 and such filter alike things, saw the reviews about them, they are okay to use but you lose the sharpness, sharpness is my #1 go for ;(

You can get very sharp results from a Raynox M250 even in front of a 'junk' lens, see e.g. the picture showing a single aphid with a droplet and details within that - a deep crop into a 3:1 exposure. A bigger problem than sharpness are chromatic aberrations and there the exact combo needs to be tested - hard to predict. At least for me a lot of green/purple on high contrast edges in front or behind the subject aren't my cup of tea.

[Thagomizer]

Lefkowitz's book is an excellent source for macro set-up ideas.

Also, another recommendation for the Raynox achromats. These were taken using a Tamron 90mm f2.8 55BB with a Raynox 250:







Extension can work too, but as noted above, comes at a cost of light loss. Reversing rings also work very well, but aren't as easy to use, as you lose automatic diaphragm and auto aperture control.

Reversed Pentax DA 35mm f2.4:







The above at 100%:





With a reversed zoom lens, you get variable magnification. Here are some of my results from a reversed Pentax DA 18-55 II:

[ramseybuckeye]

There's been a few threads about this in the past... you might want to have a look.

The short answer, in my opinion is, if you want a 1:1 macro lens the cheapest is usually a Sigma 50mm f/2.8 Macro. The old manual focus versions can be found for less than 100 dollars when they show up, and the autofocus version anywhere from 100 to close to 200.

I agree with this, I have the manual focus Sigma 50 and it is very good, and even has the A setting making it that much easier. Generally most true macro lenses are really good. I also have an autofocus Tamron 90 that I got a pretty good deal on, it is as good as the Sigma, I never use the autofocus.

[mattt]

OP was looking for cheap

You can reverse a wide angle prime lens on the ind of a medium telephoto for the cost of a male to make stepping ring adapter. l have one on the way from eBay/Amazon/B&H for <$10. Depending on what lenses you put together you can get up to 5 or 6x.

You can also take that wide angle lens and reverse it with a PK- 49mm male threaded adapter. Cost is a few bucks more but still super reasonable. Mine just arrived today Getting about 2.5x with my 24mm f2.8.

Cheap as chips and lots of fun. Especially good with some off camera flash.

[JensE]

Just noticed that I have a full resolution example for the Diaplan + Raynox combo on flickr, nicely showing both the level of detail and the level of chromatic aberrations - noticeable e.g. on the rear segment of the ant, but not bad at all.

[UncleVanya]

A beatle using the da 70 limited with a Raynox.

IMGP7086-pp by -vanya_42nd-

[UncleVanya]

Iso 3200 cropped and handheld:

IMGP6063_DxO by -vanya_42nd-

Da* 200 w/canon 500d apochromatic close up lens.

[Lowell Goudge]

If you want a good set up, and auto exposure, you need a PKA mount, you might look at a tamron adaptall 90mm F2.5. I think it is a model 52B or 52BB.

This gets you 1:2.

There are a lot of MF macros out there, both in M42 and K mount that give 1:2 on their own and 1:1 with extension tubes.

Note that with any macro, and 1:1 magnification the image gets really dark in the viewfinder.

For ease of working the longer the focal length the better in terms of working distance. Note that 1:1 macro occurs at 2x the focal length, so a 100mm macro has a working distance to the front of the lens of 200mm. A 35 mm macro achieving 1:1 has you at only 70mm away.

If you want a brighter image, you can get close up lenses for the front of these lens. These combine with your prime lens, to reduce the focal length, this gets you working closer, but at the same time since the focal length is reduced, but the lens opening remains unchanged, the effective aperture is bigger, meaning a brighter image in the viewfinder.

An interesting, and cheap option for macro is a vivitar 2x macro focusing TC, this has a teleconverter combined with a focusing helix. They were available in PK and PKA mount. Add this to any 50-100mm prime and you get a reasonable macro setup.

[MSL]

@Thagomizer - how do you get so close to the insects without scaring them off or having them move around too much?

[mattt]

Thomas Shahan - YouTube

Thomas us a great example of what can be done in the field. Check out some of his videos. Very informative.
A good place to start.

Youtu.be

Youtu.be

[pinholecam]

Get a cheap MF macro lens.
They are generally all pretty good, especially since they are used stopped down.
The advantage of a macro lens will be that they work from macro to infinity distance.
Tubes, magnifying lenses (including reversed lenses) alll work only within a limited focus range and composition can be affected as well as size of insect.


I've had good success with the Pentax Q and a macro lens (the rest is really the lighting).
It has the advantage of working from macro to infinity so it can handle insects of various sizes.
The hard part will be keeping it steady and finding the subject with the tight crop.











---------- Post added 02-17-2021 at 09:24 PM ----------

Thomas Shahan - YouTube

Thomas us a great example of what can be done in the field. Check out some of his videos. Very informative.
A good place to start. https://youtu.be/wqRn3at0H60

This guy is practically a god.

[mattt]

This guy is practically a god.

And his gear is super accessible. His genius is in his understanding of his subjects.

Great pics @pinholecam!

[Thagomizer]

@Thagomizer - how do you get so close to the insects without scaring them off or having them move around too much?

The wasps were taken early in the morning, when it was cooler and they were still relatively sluggish. The bee was pretty still too, hanging out on a dandelion head that had gone to seed. It let me take quite a few shots. This one of the two I liked most.

Sometimes the insects do fly or crawl away. Sometimes it's me, sometimes they've got buggy things to do and just go about their routine with no regard for me and my gear at all. I just keep looking around and pluging away. Sometimes I get lucky. Sometimes I miss the shot: I don't often show those!

Timing, persistence, luck. They all come in handy.