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09-02-2010, 11:44 AM   #1
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??? about macro

so i have a 35mm film camera and im trying to get some macro photos done and i dont know how to go about it i have a 2x converter, 28-75mm macro lens, and a 70-210mm macro lens what combo would work better for insects?
also i am woundering if extention tubes would help? thankyou

09-02-2010, 01:22 PM   #2
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First off, you should get a dedicated prime macro lens. The zooms typically can't magnify more than 0.33-0.25x, and primes are sharper when it comes to macro.

The TC won't help you much, but tubes certainly do. Tubes increase magnification while decreasing minimal focusing distance and depth of field.

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09-02-2010, 01:52 PM   #3
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What camera do you have? What lens mount? We can give better advise if we know that. Adam is quite right, those zooms aren't macro and aren't macro-crisp; and a real macro lens, or tubes or bellows, are much better for magnification and image quality.
09-02-2010, 02:34 PM   #4
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well i have a k1000 k mount

09-02-2010, 03:27 PM   #5
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You can also get a reverse mount adapter. It threads into the lens filter thread so you can flip the lens around. You'll want a manual type prime lens for this but your zooms will work too if you can find an adapter to fit. Or if you have a 50mm with that K1000, perfect. One of the cheap russian lenses (helios 44 or similar) might be a cheapo entry into macro for you and would be far better than the closeup modes on your zooms.

(yes, I cleaned the adapter off before mounting it on a camera).

09-02-2010, 09:50 PM   #6
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What JeffJS shows above is a mount-reversal ring. These can often be found for around US$5. You reverse the lens, screw the ring into its front, and insert that end into the camera mount. By itself, it only provides some magnification if the front of the lens is inset a bit. You can gain more magnification by adding cheap macro extension tubes (about US$10) or, for more flexibility, a bellows unit (usually under US$50). This is one of the cheapest and cleanest ways to do macro photography. But it also requires that you work within two inches of your subject.

Similarly cheap and clean, is to just mount a lens normally on tubes and/or bellows. Now your working distance will be no less than the focal length of the lens. So a 50mm lens can focus to within two inches / 50mm, a 135mm lens can focus to within 5 1/2 inches, etc. Insect subjects might stay longer if you don't poke a lens right into their faces, eh?

There are many other ways to do macro photography. Search on MACRO here and you'll find tons of info. Have fun!
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