need advice on equipment

[rightaway]

Hi everyone,

I love the shots that you are posting here.
I have always been intrigued by macro photography.

I read somewhere that I could start with a 50mm lens and am extension tube.
Is that correct? I have seen a post in another thread of someone using a 100 mm lens and an inversed 50mm. Is that a better solution?

any advices would be greatly appreciated :D

thanks

stephan

[LordV]

You can do either but you will end up with high magnification and very shallow DOF and very close focus distance from the reversed lens (around 2:1 magnification whilst most dedicated macro lenses are 1:1).
You probably find it easier to use a std 50mm lens and a set of extension tubes- you can then vary the magnification but can still get above 1:1 with a full 65mm set of three. They work very well and can give results as good as a dedicated macro lens although the focus distance will be a bit closer than a proper macro lens.
If you look at my FLICKR pics some are commented as being taken with my emergency macro lens which was in fact a 50mm pentax lens on extension tubes. The quality is just as good as my sigma 105mm macro lens with extension tubes.
Brian V.

[racketman]

with this sort of set up you will be working close to the lens and will probably also need to think about getting a flash to the front/side of the lens.
Something like this (FZ20 with a Hakuba bracket to mount the flashgun):

http://www.richmondparkbugs.com/FZ20__Hakuba_brkt.jpg

[Bald Eagle]

Extesion tubes and the 50mm work great, but, you have virtually no room to work with. With my set-up, 28-300 tamron and the Ext. tubes, I have, in my opinion, excellent working space,(the space between the subject and the lens) Take a look at my Gallery to get some ideas.:D :D :D