Kit lens or equivalent. Sync cord. Ext. tubes. Flash diffuser. flash

Transcription

1 Budget macro set-up This guide is applicable to all camera brands however prices may vary slightly What you need Digital SLR + kit lens (18-55mm, or cheap 50mm lens) Setup 1: cheap extension tubes (no camera contact) ~$10 Old manual flash - ~$10-20 Off camera sync cord (third party) ~$10 Home made diffuser ~Free Total = $35 Kit lens or equivalent Ext. tubes Sync cord Flash diffuser flash Using the set-up: As the cheaper extension tubes have no camera contact, the lens will take a photo at maximum aperture regardless of you changing controls on the camera. To get around this you can set an aperture you desire (I have used f/9 here), then while pressing the depth of field preview button on your camera, unmount the lens (see figure B). You should see the aperture blades have closed and stay closed. Take the lens and mount it to the extension tubes, and them to your camera. The viewfinder will appear dark because the aperture is closed, letting in less light. Itis necessary to use a narrower aperture to get sufficient depth of field at macro magnification. Pros: -very cheap, reasonably good image quality Cons: - can be subject to flare due to light leeks into extension tubes - difficult to focus in the shade/darker conditions -deeper depth of field while focusing makes it hard to pin point focus

2 Figure B: closed aperture disconnected from camera. Images obtained with this set-up. (shot at f/9, 1/200s, ~ISO 100) some central loss of contrast due to flare can be fixed slightly with editing

3 Setup 2: More expensive extension tubes with camera contact ~$60-150* Old manual flash - ~$10-20 Off camera sync cord (third party) ~$10 Home made diffuser ~Free Total= $ Fig C: the difference between cheaper and more expensive extension tubes Camera contacts No camera contacts Using the setup: In this setup you are focusing the photo with the lens at its maximum aperture. It is much easier to focus in the shade and you do not miss as many shots. Because the depth of field is very thin while focusing, getting pin point focus is easier also. Because these tubes are higher quality they fit better to the camera, with less light leaking and less flare. Pros: -Easier to focus - less flare than cheaper tubes Cons- Higher price *depending on brand (I have used Kenko brand here)

4 Images taken with setup 2:

5 Setup 3: Macro lens (at least 1x magnification) $ * Old manual flash - ~$10-20 Off camera sync cord (third party) ~$10 Home made diffuser ~Free Total = $ In this case I have used canon MPE65mm 1-5x lens (at 1x), however any macro lens that can go to 1x magnification will have similar results. Using the setup: A macro lens at 1x magnification is designed to project an image onto the camera sensor without attachments, therefore you lose minimal light compared to extension tubes. This means it is slightly easier to focus again in shade/darker conditions. Optically there is less chance of light leaking in from loose attachments, so contrast is better. Pros- easier to focus -better image quality than tubes Cons- Highest price *Depending on the lens (third party macro can be as low as $300)

6 Images taken with setup 3:

7 Recommendations and suggestions: The cheap extension tubes are significantly more difficult to use than the automatic aperture tubes. If you are interested in photographing insects these would be better to get as you need to focus much faster. If you are doing close up work of still objects (jewellery, flowers etc.) the cheap tubes do not have such a disadvantage. However, if your budget is very tight and you just want to experiment before spending more money, you cannot go wrong with $10 extension tubes (just don't get disheartened if it is difficult, there are easier options out there!) If you already own tubes and want better quality and greater ease focusing, a dedicated macro lens may be an option. Tubes can also be used with a macro lens to get even greater magnification. Notes on flashes: Here I have used a very cheap flash as an example of a truly 'budget set-up. However many people already have a modern speedlight in their kit. These are much easier to use as they have multiple flash powers, meaning you can modify the exposure manually and consistently. (to get appropriate light with single output flashes you need to modify your diffusing set-up to deliver more or less light, or change camera settings) Avoid moving the flash too far from the subject as light diffusion is sacrificed. Macro flashes do have their purpose, however you can kill two birds with one stone if you can use your regular external speedlight as a macro flash as well (this is what I do in my normal set-up).