[rruntsch]

Hi, everyone. It's good to be here, and I've found some great information so far.

Recently, I became serious about photography (again). My hobby started when my grandma gave me a 1950's 35mm rangefinder that she purchased while visiting family in "the old country" of Germany. I made several pinhole cameras with oatmeal cartons, built a simple darkroom with a cheap plastic Sears enlarger, and was inspired through a couple of high school photography classes. My first SLR was a manual Fujica STX-1, later replaced by an automatic Ricoh SLR (small world - I understand that Ricoh and Pentax are now the same company). Now, with a Pentax digital SLR, it's great to make thousands of exposures at virtually no incremental cost. How the technology has changed.

Pentaxforums.com seems to be a friendly place to find good information about Pentax cameras, lenses, and accessories. I like its professional and organized appearance and content as well as the kind tone of its contributors.

My equipment consists of a Pentax K-110D, a DA 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 AL, and DA 50-200mm F4-5.6 ED, all from 2006. I have been tempted to upgrade to better zoom or even prime lenses, but have yet to master what can be done with these basic lenses.

Recently, I invested in a Manfrotto tripod and Giottos ball head. Next, I plan to select a macro lens to photograph insects, flowers, and other small subjects. The Tamron 90mm 2.8 appeals to me, as does the Pentax 100mm 2.8 WR.

Thank you all for building, maintaining, and contributing to a great site for those of us interested in Pentax equipment. I look forward to finding useful information, sharing information, and exchanging ideas as well.

Randy Runtsch

[kenafein]

Welcome Randy. You're no stranger to manual focus, so I hope you are aware that you can use just about any pentax lens ever made.on your camera, including screw mounts with an adapter. The Tamron 90 is a great lens.

[rruntsch]

Thank you, Ken (is it Ken?). It's great to know that there are so many Pentax lenses to choose from.

[Arn]

Welcome to the forum, Randy. I'd also like to get a macro, but have two cheap alternatives at this point - extension tubes and a reversing ring - and haven't used them enough yet.

[rruntsch]

Thank you, Arn. Happy to be here. Thanks for sharing the ideas about extension tubes and reversing ring. Saving money is always an interest. I'll check the site for more information about these, but can you recommend any brands and models?

[RioRico]

Welcome aboard!

Saving money is always an interest.

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-lens-articles/152336-cheap-macro-b...lose-work.html

Synopsis:

* Dedicated macro lenses are convenient but usually not cheap, especially AF
* Lens reversal and reverse-stacking are great, if you don't mind working close
* Extension (tubes and/or bellows) give clean results but eat light; lotsa fun!
* Enlarger|projector|copy lenses on extension are cheap, sharp, fun, and cheap
* Simple or corrected (like Raynox) closeup glass are easy to use, don't eat light

[Arn]

The extension tubes and reversing ring are in pics in my macro album at Arn's Album: Macro - PentaxForums.com. I think I paid about $10 for each. Remember, I have very little experience, and these were just taken at the kitchen table - but it works.
RioRico's article is great, and I found a number of other articles on photos sites.

[rruntsch]

Thank you for the additional good ideas, RioRico and Arn. I didn't know until know that people use enlarger lenses with DSLRs, but it sounds like a good way to re-use good equipment. It's almost as fun to research the alternatives first.

[RioRico]

Thank you for the additional good ideas, RioRico and Arn. I didn't know until know that people use enlarger lenses with DSLRs, but it sounds like a good way to re-use good equipment. It's almost as fun to research the alternatives first.

Researching alternatives is indeed fun. So is using them. And many of us aren't recycling ELs -- we actively seek them out for their nice qualities. Member Yeatzee does splendid macro work and favors a reversed EL-Nikkor 50/2.8, often available for around US$20 -- and that's expensive for an EL. Some of my major-brand ELs were literally four for a dime. I'll use 35-50mm ELs for real close shooting, ~75mm for portraits, 90-190mm for general short-tele work. Shorter ELs on tubes; longer ones on bellows, plus tubes as needed for magnification.

Yes, are many alternatives to buying 'dedicated' macro lenses. I'm a cheap bastard, so that's where I gravitate.

"There's more than one way to skin a cat," she mused
as she pinned its little feet to the dissection table.