Assortment

[Alex Paul]

Made an adapter for direct to body connection of reversed lens. A couple of flower shots taken with my first try with this set up...shot with 50mm. I don't have a complete handle on it yet but I see the benefits of this light set up. Has better working distance, can be shot with as high as f16 for better DOF and diffused popup flash works well because of the better working distance.... Anyway here ya go.... I am also including a shot with 100 and tubes as well as my stacked rev 50 set up. Thanks for looking...Alex

http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n119/AlexPaul_2006/Macro/10%2006%20Macros/rev50direct120091.jpg
http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n119/AlexPaul_2006/Macro/10%2006%20Macros/rev50direct12013.jpg

http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n119/AlexPaul_2006/Macro/10%2006%20Macros/100macrolens4NassauALP2006NassauBah.jpg

http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n119/AlexPaul_2006/Macro/10%2006%20Macros/rev50nightbugs30042.jpg
http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n119/AlexPaul_2006/Macro/10%2006%20Macros/rev50nightbugs20321.jpg

[LordV]

Excellent series- love #3 :)
Brian V.

[Alex Paul]

Thanks Brian :)... I wish the direct rev 50 had higher mags because it sure is a dream to work with....I also have a 28mm and a 24mm to try once I get better results with the 50mm, I'll give them a go...I need more trigger time with it but I have high hopes.... It is so light and compact it is almost like shooting with a point and shoot :D :D..... Thanks for the comment....Take care....Alex

[Ferco]

wow number three is outstanding but i love the ant shot aswell! nice one

[Alex Paul]

Well... Thank you Sir Richard:).... I am glad you like the shots.... Have your tubes arrived yet?? Take care......Alex

[racketman]

good detail on the little Hopper, presume reversing directly on body rather than via another lens gives better resolution.

[ZekaG]

Nice shots. thanks for sharing...

[Alex Paul]

Thanks RM.... I honestly think the stacked lenses are a bit sharper and have more contrast... However the jury is still out as I haven't got very much seat time with the new set up... It sure is easier to shoot though.... I am getting closer to going for the MP-E as I am really liking the short light weight of the single lens;)..... Thanks for the comment.... I highly recommend the direct reversed 50 for a fun and inexpensive way to get an easily carried easy to shoot macro setup.....For those that are wondering;)....Alex

[Alex Paul]

Hi Zeka:) Thanks for looking and the nice comment.. I appreciate it.....Alex

[LordV]

Thanks RM.... I honestly think the stacked lenses are a bit sharper and have more contrast... However the jury is still out as I haven't got very much seat time with the new set up... It sure is easier to shoot though.... I am getting closer to going for the MP-E as I am really liking the short light weight of the single lens;)..... Thanks for the comment.... I highly recommend the direct reversed 50 for a fun and inexpensive way to get an easily carried easy to shoot macro setup.....For those that are wondering;)....Alex

Hope you don't think an MPE-65 is light- it weighs a ton !
Brian V.

[Alex Paul]

Brian:D :D... The short single lens as in the MP-E has to be easier to deal with as far as dimensions than a 70-200 and 50 stacked with tubes.... I am sure it is lighter as well though not light by most standards;).... I will look forward to it though I have to say for IQ I have nothing bad to say about the stack set up and I hear the MP-E has quite a learning curve..... Thanks my friend.....Alex

[LordV]

Brian:D :D... The short single lens as in the MP-E has to be easier to deal with as far as dimensions than a 70-200 and 50 stacked with tubes.... I am sure it is lighter as well though not light by most standards;).... I will look forward to it though I have to say for IQ I have nothing bad to say about the stack set up and I hear the MP-E has quite a learning curve..... Thanks my friend.....Alex

It may look short at 1:1 (about 10.5cms) but at 5:1 it's more than double the length (23cms) :)
Brian V.

[rraman]

Great ones Alex! I liked the lighting in #2 a lot.

[Canonada]

Interesting series Alex. Some images look a little soft to me.

Regarding the discussion on the relative merits of these set-ups vs the MP-e65 I have posted some comments on my experience with the MP-e65 in my "Spider on the wall" thread.
http://www.photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=236982

[Alex Paul]

Thanks rraman. Glad you liked them:).....Alex

[Canonada]

Maybe it's the limited dof leaving some parts of the flower in the foreground a little soft with other parts being sharp. The rest of the images look sharp. They are very nice images. Just my observations.
What is back focusing?
I provided the link because you and others had made comments on these different macro setups in this thread. In fact, I thought that the comparison of different setups was the main point of the thread. Also, I thought my experience with MP-e65 was relative. I am sorry if this was out of line.
At my place on the learning curve I hesitate to provide much in the way of advice or recommendations.
I didn't mean to offend.

Joe

[Alex Paul]

Joe you are a good guy:).... Your MP-E shot is a beauty.... Back focus.....Is when you hit focus just behind an intended focal point....With bugs and lens with a very narrow DOF the eyes are usually considered the ideal target....I also want to include that on larger bugs especially spiders with 8 eyes in different locations, it can and usually is impossible to nail focus on all of them at high mags especially with mags at 4x and above. I have plenty of shots to prove this statement. So macro lenses capable of longer DOF which are in the lower magnification range and conventionally mounted are needed to naturally capture this....You can get in to focus stacking to increase the DOF in post processing, by combining multiple images with different points of focus. You nailed the shot just back of the forward eyes. I will send an email to you to get into the specifics of how this happens easily and how to get it where you want it....Most of the time ;).... It can be very difficult especially when using an unforgiving reversed lens configuration and I believe I have heard the MP-E has a severe DOF limitation as well..... Your soft comment clarification makes a big difference.... Thanks... When DOF is really shallow, which in the case of a reversed lens configuration, and ( I assume) the MP-E , you have to pick a small focal point for your target when shooting anything including a bug the size a speck of dust:), Everything before and after that distance will be OOF and hopefully based on colors and or shades make the transition work well. It is a fact of life with the high mag (rev)set ups.... The flowers were with the direct rev 50 set at f11, and are quite large,,, The butterfly was with the 100 macro and tubes....More DOF.... The tiny hopper and ant were with the 70-200 with rev 50...DOF about the thickness of a piece of paper...The reversed lens must be shot wide open to avoid vignetting.... In this case f1.4. Based on the limits, of what lens set up you are shooting these are considerations that must be accounted for when making the shot and accepted by the viewer as being a limit to the high mag. reversed lens configuration.This is the challenge that disourages the (impatient) beginners from continuing with this set up... Anyway.... Glad things got cleared up a bit....Appreciate it....Alex