[vonBaloney]

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That Sigma tele-macro is an interesting one as it has a user-removable glass element so it can be used as both tube or teleconverter as desired -- is the Ricoh one the same way?

[old4570]

That Sigma tele-macro is an interesting one as it has a user-removable glass element so it can be used as both tube or teleconverter as desired -- is the Ricoh one the same way?

I havent taken that close a look ..
My guess is the Ricoh probably is not , but I havent read the instructions as yet .
I dont think I would bother trying to remove a glass element , I have enough tubes .
But the Ricoh gives you better than 1:1 with a 50mm Macro lens ..
My set up ATM is the Ricoh 2x Tele Macro adapter with a 90mm 1:2 Macro Lens , Its only better because Im further away from the subject , so I dont freak out the insects as much as when I get really close with the 50mm ..
( 50mm = I could get close enough to touch them and be in focus )

I do like Macro , just so many ways to do it ...

[Dewman]

Yep, Matt..... I have a set of the close-up filters, a +1. +2, & a +4, but haven't got around to trying anything with them yet. I've been under the weather for the past few days and feel like crap, but as soon as I'm well, I'm going to jump in with both feet. I've got some tomato plants growing and, strangely, I'm hoping to see some tomato worms lurking among the foilage this year. They're hideous looking creatures and should make a great subject, but I dread the thought of even touching the critters! Detestable!

Thanks for the interest and all the good advice, to one and all.

Dewman
Idaho

[Dewman]

My cheapo extension tubes came today, and although I know very little about macro AND extention tubes, I must say, the ones I received were very well made. The threads were a little sticky, so I gave them a spray of table saw top lubricant - a dry, silicone-free product - and they freed right up. The bayonet lugs were quite tight, but with a little judicious work with a small machinest's file, they now go on and off slick as a whistle. Tomorrow, I hope to give them a try and see what I can come up with. Just for S's & G's, I attached a 2x converter to the tubes, then a Sears f:2, 50mm lens and I was surprised at the results! The distance from the subject was increased a great deal and I would think that would help with the lighting situation a bunch, but how much sharpness and image quality I lose remains to be seen.

[Dewman]

O.K. Here's the first macro shots I've ever taken in my life, and I've been deep into photography for almost 50 years. I used a K2000, all three cheapo extension tubes, a Gemini 2X teleconverter and a Sears f:2, 50mm lens. Available light, L to S distance was about 12" with virtually no PP.

Both shots are full frame.

Tomorrow, when I've got some good daylight, I'm going to give it another try. I can see now why you guys get so worked up over this. A totally different world than what I'm used to. I can't wait to try my Vivitar 80-200mm Macro-focusing lens with this arrangement. Whew.... so many combinations possible, huh?

[old4570]

Macro is a whole new world !
And yes , almost a thousand ways of doing it , there really is no right way , just your way .
And if the results are what you are after , then its the right way .

Macro requires a little more thought and set up .
Depth of focus is an issue , as is light when you go for higher F-stop settings .
Things get really exciting when trying for extreme Macro
You can see the narrow depth of focus on those cartridge's , yep . Lots and lots of fun ahead of you if you play with Macro .



Pentax K100D + Sigma 28-90 + ( +4 ) close focus filter + Cheap ring light ..
This is an amazing picture , especially compared to what I was doing a year or more ago with the same lens . ( iSTD Body )



The other thing about Macro = You may think that the TV remote is clean , but its not ...
After taking this picture of my remote , I rushed it into the laundry and cleaned it with an old toothbrush I keep for cleaning small items ..
Im not sure I want to take another picture of it ? ( Sweet lord its nasty )

[Imageman]

There are so many options and your limited only by imagination.


Cheap tubes work fine paired with a small footprint prime.


To illustrate some of the ways of achieving macro ive just snapped a humble pringles tube using a variety of techniques and equipment.


This is just to show whats possible and that you don't need much except the willingness to experiment.


Shot 1 is taken with an extension tube with a carl zeiss tessar 50mm prime.
Shot 2 is taken wth the extension tube with zeiss tessar prime and a teleconverter added.
Shot 3 is taken with a sigma 28 to 80 macro zoom using the macro setting.
Shot 4 is taken with a 30mm cardboard tube cut from a toilet roll pushed on the back end of a Helios 44-2 58mm prime hand held loosly against the mount.
Shot 5 is taken with the carl zeiss tessar but completely freelensed, in other words held loosely in space approximately 30mm from the camera.


Notice in particular the softness of the tube plus teleconverter, and the loss of contrast when freelensing.


None of these images have been post processed in any way, they are exactly as they came from the camera so you can make a real comparison.


All were taken handheld using flash.

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[richandfleur]

The narrow depth of field was the killer for me.

I used basic extension tubes and an older 50mm f1.7 prime. I found that the aperture value didn't change the depth of field that much really, and it cut the light coming in if I closed the aperture down.
The 50mm has a manual aperture ring, so setting the aperture through the camera wasn't really an issue.


I can only assume that a decent ring light would allow the aperture to be shut a bit to increase the depth of field.

Keen to try that catch in focus technique next time I get these out also.

[old4570]

Artificial light is so important ...
To improve depth of focus or depth of field you need to tighten down that aperture ( Higher F stop ) ..
To compensate you need artificial light ( flash ) ...
Now a flash can over expose the image ( I think they call it "burn the picture" ) as too much light gets into the lens
So some sort of diffuser might be needed , to soften the light as well as spread it out over a larger area .

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/177-macro-photography/261899-our-macro-rigs.html
Check out this thread :



Pentax K7 with Sigma 50mm 1:1 Macro lens and Ricoh 2x Tele macro adapter + my flash rig with diffuser .. ( Dip container )

---------- Post added 07-10-14 at 08:37 PM ----------

Just ordered some reverse couplings , so I can reverse a lens in front of another ...
I have a 50mm Ricoh lens ( 52mm threads ) and I will try it in front of a few lenses and see what happens ...
Hmmm , not really a large aperture to shoot through , be interesting in anyway .. I have some 135mm lenses that are seriously open ( aperture ) , but not as much zoom ..

[Liney]

I bought a set from e-bay a couple of months ago, turns out when I got them they were actually FotoDiox and the site I got them from was the factory direct site. Can't find the actual link I used but it was something like these Macro Extension Tube FOR Pentax K Mount Series K10D K20D K100D K200D | eBay
Tried them a couple of times and they work just peachy. Played with a couple of lenses and the shots are pretty good, but I need to really take the time and effort to experiment with them.
I guess you can be lucky with some sites and unlucky with others. I got something good to use for a good price, less than $20 including p&p

[thechumpen]

I think to say the cheap eBay ones are rubbish is a bit unfair. I have bought two sets costing between £10 - £50 and both are solid and well built. The first and cheaper set are Pentax Asahi Japan ones. I bought these first but soon realised I really needed a set with the aperture levers.

I then bought a set of Sunagor ones that have the aperture levers. That is the key thing to ensure you can use green button and stop down metering. Therefore look for a set that have these - they are often labelled Auto or similar but ideally you would want to check the picture to make sure they have them. When you get them they often have a black anodised surface which you then need to sand off (I used a dremel) so they may contact with the camera properly.

The ones you posted don't have the levers by the look of it so avoid them. Whereas for example the ones below are similar to mine and in the picture you can see the aperture lever, and they are labelled at Auto.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sunagor-Macro-Auto-Extension-Tube-Set-Mint-Pentax-PK...item1c427ee3e1

[bluestringer]

I've got a set of the cheap ones, and they are well constructed, but they lack the aperture control which for me doesn't work well. My eyes just can't get the focus right with the lens stopped down to f11-16 which you need for good DOF in macro. Also catch in focus needs good light to work properly. If you search around you can find the ones with aperture control for a good price. I found a set of Vivitar AT-22 on ebay for 10 bucks. KEH had a set of original Pentax tubes a while back for 60 bucks. They work great, have aperture control, works good with catch in focus, and keeps the eye strain down. Also if you can't find the aperture control tubes you can pick up a cheap tele-converter for 15-20 bucks and remove the glass. Most are around 25mm and you can piggyback 2 of them. Works very well. These all work much better than the cheap non-aperture control tubes.

[Liney]

Old4570 - Did I see a Tamron 2x teleconverter there? I thought I was the only one who still had one lying around. I must admit I never thought of using it for Macro, so something new to try at the weekend

---------- Post added 07-23-14 at 07:36 PM ----------

thechumpen - So when you talk about the aperture levers are you saying that you can press down on the lever you can adjust the aperture setting on the lens? How does that work? I"ve seen a video where the bloke was demonstrating a quikc macro trick of simply holding the lens up to the camera the wrong way round, but before he did it he used blu-tac to hold the aperture fully open

[thechumpen]

Liney - different things.

Having the aperture levers just means they act like an M lens. Means you can set the aperture on your lens (assuming your lens has aperture settings but the lens will remain wide open until you hit the shutter. Means you can use stop down metering, green button as well.

I think what you're refering to is when you have a lens reversed for macro. In these cases the lens will be "shut" so really dark and hard to focus. Therefore you can manually hold the aperture lever on the lens open.

[old4570]

Old4570 - Did I see a Tamron 2x teleconverter there? I thought I was the only one who still had one lying around. I must admit I never thought of using it for Macro, so something new to try at the weekend

---------- Post added 07-23-14 at 07:36 PM ----------

thechumpen - So when you talk about the aperture levers are you saying that you can press down on the lever you can adjust the aperture setting on the lens? How does that work? I"ve seen a video where the bloke was demonstrating a quikc macro trick of simply holding the lens up to the camera the wrong way round, but before he did it he used blu-tac to hold the aperture fully open

2x Tele Macro adapters work well with 50mm Lenses .. You end up with a 100mm 1:1 or better macro set up .
And if its a true Tele Macro adapter you dont need a Macro lens , any 28mm to 50mm lens will do .
Also you can put a Macro Tube in there if you want ..