I do not know why I bother posting in the other forum... Today I answered a post asking about using close-up lens filters with the DA 40 ltd.
I had done some shots with my DA 40 and my Sony M-3358 lens (a very sexy looking combo I might add). I posted some pics and then
recommended that the OP also look at the Raynox 150 or 250.

An hour or so later I decide to test the raynox on the DA 40, just to see how it did. I took some shots and then did a quick PP/crop/resize
and posted them in the same thread. Well you know how that goes... no comments and of course the OP never came back to the thread.

So since I did the test shots you all get see them. I also wanted to see how the DA 40 did, because I had shot some macros with
the Industar 50-2 pancake...

The DA 40 + Sony M3358 - tell me that is not a great looking combo!










Spider Amputee


________________________________________________________________________________________________


The DA 40 + Raynox 250 - many are fairly tight crops.





This will give you an idea of the amount of crop...





And maybe second greatest staple shot ever posted!

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Last edited by Igilligan; 02-27-2009 at 12:48 AM.

[Mike.P®]

Normally I let out a big sigh when I see threads that just upload loads of pictures with the poster just wanting to show off their new lens but I have to say ... WOW

I do a lot of macro and have to say these are superb, nice job.

I'm off to look for a M3358 now

Normally I let out a big sigh when I see threads that just upload loads of pictures with the poster just wanting to show off their new lens but I have to say ... WOW

I do a lot of macro and have to say these are superb, nice job.

I'm off to look for a M3358 now

Oh Mike... if you let out a sigh when someone posts their "look at my new lens" pics, you must have a hard time breathing from all of the ones I have been posting lately.... My LBA has run amok and I have posted way too many "LOOK AT ME, LOOK AT ME" threads...

but thanks for the comments and for looking at these pics.

I guess the whole point of this post is that you can take your little da 40 pancake out with you on your camera and throw a little macro lens in your pocket to shoot a flower along with your street shots or landscapes...

I should mention the M3358 has 58mm threads so you need a cheapo 49 to 58 step up ring. I also have a 52-58mm step up so I can use it on the DA 50-200.

thanks again for the sigh! PS nice avatar shot...

[danielchtong]

Normally I let out a big sigh when I see threads that just upload loads of pictures with the poster just wanting to show off their new lens but I have to say ... WOW

I do a lot of macro and have to say these are superb, nice job.

I'm off to look for a M3358 now

I am never a big fan of add on as I have the FA100mm & Tammy 90mm macros. And getting too close to critters is not something that I like to do.

I would rather see the posted pictures than pages and pages of talk on IQ, qualtiy......

Agreed with you that the wow factor is pretty good in this close up combo


Daniel

[danielchtong]

One negative of this combo is the little depth of field and the difficulties in MF DA40mm. When doing macro I only do MF.

Would the OP give some thought on how to do the macro?

Move your body back and forth?

[Mike.P®]

PS nice avatar shot...

Thanks, it made it onto my Pentax Gallery page ...

One negative of this combo is the little depth of field and the difficulties in MF DA40mm. When doing macro I only do MF.

Would the OP give some thought on how to do the macro?

Move your body back and forth?

Thanks for taking the time to comment. You are so right MF with the focus ring is made a tad more difficult by the add-lens.
The Sony 3358 (pictured) is easier than the raynox which is larger on the front of the lens. But if you have the DA 40, you
know the MF ring is not great for MF anyway as there is very little travel.

So if I am shooting something small I just focus all the way out and MF by moving the camera (same way I do on almost all
my bug stuff, even with my Series 1 105 and 90mm)

If it is a something a little larger I just turn the focus all the way back and again move the camera.

As far a DOF, I actually was going for the Jsherman 'Trippy' look on a lot of these so I had the lens opened up. Only the Raynox 150
shots did I stop down some. Still I probably stopped down less than I would have for a real macro/flash combo

I don't for a second think that this combo should replace a real dedicated macro. As you said, you have to be TOO close to those bugs
for it to be really a smart choice I Just wanted to show that if you really want to travel small, say with the new KM and one of the pancakes,
that this option could be used for some "close up" shooting that the DA ltds cannot do by themselves with their not so close focus distance.

[Marc Sabatella]

Given that closeup lenses like the Raynox (and presumably Sony) provide more magnification with longer lenses than shorter ones, it seems a potentially more interesting combo would be to see how the DA40 works with an extension tube that supports auto-aperture (since the DA40 lacks an aperture ring). Since 40mm is a similar focal length to 35mm, it would be really interesting to see comparisons against the DA35...

As for DOF, my understanding is that for a given magnification and aperture, DOF is roughly the same whether you use a true macro lens, a closeup lens attachment, or extension tubes.

As for focusing, I agree with Gus - in my limited experience with shooting macro, I barely even think about using the focus ring anyhow. Just set it at one of the extremes (depending on whether you are trying to maximize working distance or magnification) and then focus by moving the camera. That seems to be the standard advice, anyhow. So I don't see the DA40 as being inherently more awkward in that respect.

Thanks for clarifying what I was trying to say... you say it much better than I.

I do have some of the 'A' tubes, and that sounds like a fun test. Are you thinking more a 1:1 macro type comparison with appx 40mm of ext. tube?

[reeftool]

I have never owned a close up attachment but have seen them advertised for years. The series you posted are very, very nice. My only macro is a Sigma 70-300 which has the macro mode in the 200-300mm range and while it does a fairly decent job it is kind of heavy and awkward. I have been mulling around getting a macro lens but the aren't cheap (even used) and I don't do much macro shooting so I put the purchase off. These attachments look like a decent product for the occasional macro shooter. Thanks for posting your series.

[maxwell1295]

Gus, you've really outdone yourself this time (which is really saying a lot). The cat image is just sick! And the ladybug crop really shows how good the IQ can be with these combos.

BTW, I think that may very well be the best staple shot I've even seen.

[Marc Sabatella]

I do have some of the 'A' tubes, and that sounds like a fun test. Are you thinking more a 1:1 macro type comparison with appx 40mm of ext. tube?

You've got "A" tubes? Cool! Seems to me that DA40 + 40mm of extension would be rather similar in many respects - focal length, close focus distance, even size of the resulting combo - to the DA35.

BTW, inspired by your great images, I did stick my Raynox 150 on my DA40 this morning and looked around. The 150 is designed to give 1:1 magnification at somewhere around 200mm; on the DA40 it was kind of disappointing just looking through the viewfinder, as it was clearly nowhere near 1:1. I'm sure IQ was fine, and I could have cropped in to get more apparent magnification. But I suspect the results wouldn't beat what I get with the Raynox and my longer primes (M100/2.8 and M200/4 seem especially good matches).

DA 40 + 36mm ext tube

These were quick shots, handheld... But for hand held shots I got focus decent on a couple of them. I dont have the DA 35 unfortunately.

As you can imagine, you have got to get real close with this short lens + tube. I don't know how anyone can get a live bug with the DA 35... the only thing that did not jump was the staple!



And the full size to show how much was cropped







And just to give a relative size idea on the mag...
Here is the 3rd greatest staple shot ever posted

I have never owned a close up attachment but have seen them advertised for years. The series you posted are very, very nice. My only macro is a Sigma 70-300 which has the macro mode in the 200-300mm range and while it does a fairly decent job it is kind of heavy and awkward. I have been mulling around getting a macro lens but the aren't cheap (even used) and I don't do much macro shooting so I put the purchase off. These attachments look like a decent product for the occasional macro shooter. Thanks for posting your series.

I have the tamron version of the 70-300 and have enjoyed the "macro" with that lens. You have to be pretty far from the subject, but if you are shooting a wasps nest then it may be the perfect tool
I try to use the tripod with the 70-300.

I do enjoy the macro adaptors, sometimes when I am heading off on a family outing and I take a few lenses, but do not have space for the weight and size of my Vivitar 105 macro. On those occasions I always throw the raynox or the sony in the bag. If you do end up getting one someday, I recommend the raynox 150.

Gus, you've really outdone yourself this time (which is really saying a lot). The cat image is just sick! And the ladybug crop really shows how good the IQ can be with these combos.

BTW, I think that may very well be the best staple shot I've even seen.

I kinda thought it was the best staple shot ever too... but you know I dont like to toot my own horn!

[Marc Sabatella]

Excellent! These look great (although not necessarily much better than the ones with the closeup lenses)!

So what was the working distance, and I wonder how that compares to the the DA35? I would imagine 1:1 on the DA40 would be quite simialr in that respect to 1:1 on the 35. For that matter, I wonder how it compares to the D-FA 50?