cheap macro

hallo everybody,
I'm thinking about an "idea" to get into cheap macro stuff, here it is:
I'd buy a reverse ring to use some old fully manuale supertakumar lenses on my 60D. The lenses have a 49mm diameter...does such an adapter exist?
I'm not planning to shoot bugs, just static subjects, deteils of food, jewels...stuff like that. Ah, I'm not a pro I just want to have cheap fun

silma wrote in post #16667615
hallo everybody,
I'm thinking about an "idea" to get into cheap macro stuff, here it is:
I'd buy a reverse ring to use some old fully manuale supertakumar lenses on my 60D. The lenses have a 49mm diameter...does such an adapter exist?
I'm not planning to shoot bugs, just static subjects, deteils of food, jewels...stuff like that. Ah, I'm not a pro I just want to have cheap fun

You are better off getting extension tubes and using existing lenses. You can find a 49mm reversing ring, but to play the game of:

- attaching the lens normally, stepping it down, and then quickly dismounting it
- then turn it around and attach to camera with the reversing ring
- then not be able to really see anything through the lens because it is stopped down

is more tedious than to just add tubes to any existing lens to get a bit closer to the action.

$200-300 will get you either the Canon or Sigma 50mm macro lens too, if you would rather do that. They can be used for portrait lenses as well then.

TeamSpeed wrote in post #16667659
but to play the game of:

- attaching the lens normally, stepping it down, and then quickly dismounting it

I don't get this: if the old lens is fully manual I can set aperture on the lens, or not?

silma wrote in post #16667673
I don't get this: if the old lens is fully manual I can set aperture on the lens, or not?

True, I missed the part you have a manual lens. That would make it easier. Doing that for Canon EF lenses is tedious. However I did get this shot with the old 18-55 kit lens doing those steps. I still think the tubes are the way to go, they are versatile and can be used on several lenses.

TeamSpeed wrote in post #16667736
I still think the tubes are the way to go, they are versatile and can be used on several lenses.

great shot, really! Ok, I feel sorry for those old takumar lenses, they delivered good stuff back in the film era and now they are just getting dust...
...could you link me a reversing ring that could fit the old takumar lenses?
BIG thanks

http://www.ebay.com …0D-550D-T3i-/250892615128

if you're using a manual focus lens, you can just use the dummy tubes without the electrical contacts...you can pick those up for cheap...like $40 or so probably...

silma wrote in post #16667615
hallo everybody,
I'm thinking about an "idea" to get into cheap macro stuff, here it is:
I'd buy a reverse ring to use some old fully manuale supertakumar lenses on my 60D. The lenses have a 49mm diameter...does such an adapter exist?
I'm not planning to shoot bugs, just static subjects, deteils of food, jewels...stuff like that. Ah, I'm not a pro I just want to have cheap fun

Heya,

I suggest a different route. You can do macro inexpensively, but if you want to make it easy on yourself and have some fun, you need two things. One, a macro lens (or a way to make a lens into a macro lens) and 2) a flash.

I would suggest you get a basic manual flash (Yongnuo 560 II or III comes to mind) and a a Raynox DCR250 clip on lens, it will turn ANY lens into a macro lens and is very good. The alterantive, is to use extension tubes, but to make sure you get ones with electronic capabilities so you can control aperture (minimum $50, the Fotodiox ones work and are a good, I have a set, works fine). But again, for $75 you get the DCR250 lens and you don't have to fool with extension tubes, electronics, etc. Much easier, and works on everything, and is safe.

Methodology you need to accept for macro: Stop down the aperture for depth of field. Do not use autofocus. Move the camera, already focused, forward and backwards to obtain focus. And use a flash.

Suggested beginning settings: Shutter 1/200s (synch with flash); F11 aperture; ISO 100.

Very best,

thanks everyone for the suggestions, I'll search the forum for examples of the various possibilitie and pick one.
as someone mentioned flash: I have a brand new 430 ex II and I think it will work fine with macro shots of inanimated subjects

silma wrote in post #16668110
thanks everyone for the suggestions, I'll search the forum for examples of the various possibilitie and pick one.
as someone mentioned flash: I have a brand new 430 ex II and I think it will work fine with macro shots of inanimated subjects

Heya,

Since you already have a flash, you're good to go. Just get a diffuser on there. A big one. You want the flash for virtually ALL subjects. You will find that macro requires a lot of light, because you're stopping down big time (you should be). You won't even begin to hope to catch moving objects without a flash. Inanimate objects are virtually the only ones you'll easily get in natural light without a flash. But flash really changes the game and makes life easy. You can make a diffuser from cardboard, tape and paper towels or a styrofoam tray, etc.

Very best,

how does the magnification of the raynox compare to extension tubes?

DreDaze wrote in post #16668359
how does the magnification of the raynox compare to extension tubes?

Heya,

I don't have the exact number, but I have both extension tubes & the Raynox. I used to use the entire set of tubes. It has slightly more magnification depending on which lens you use. The Raynox basically let's you focus closer, just like the tubes, so it increases magnification of all the lenses as well. I completely switched to the Raynox because it's just so much more convenient than the tubes. I use it between my 35mm (on a crop) and 85mm (on a crop) and use that to dictate my magnification. And if I really want massive magnification, I combine the two (but requires really close to lens for focus). I know when I use it, it's 1:1 and over 1:1 depending on which lens I use. I'm sure it can be calculated. But for someone looking for an easy way into macro, without buying more lenses and without using long cumbersome tubes, it's great. I went to it because tubes when carrying the whole thing out in the field is cumbersome and long and hard to hold steady since the barrel is long and shake really comes into play (not that it matters with flash and 1/200s, you get zero blur). But it is still uncomfortable to hold for a long time.

Here's examples of the Raynox on various lenses for an idea of magnification:

50mm lens + Raynox 250

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/mwise1023/10296​231895/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/mwise1023/10826​220294/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/mwise1023/10826​118746/

There is nothing wrong with your plan to reverse a manual focus/manual aperture lens. Especially since it sounds as if you already have the lens. Depending upon the lens you choose it should work well and simple, inexpensive EF mount extension tubes to use with it would be an option to increase magnification.

Regarding the flash... Yes the single 430EX II will work, but you will need a couple things:

1. Get an off-camera shoe cord. This allows you to handhold the flash just about anywhere around your subject. If the Canon OCSC is too pricey, there are third party avail. much cheaper that work just fine. After all, they are merely a bundle of wires and a couple connectors: one for the hot shoe, the other for the flash.

2. You'll need to diffuse the flash somehow. A cheap and easy way to do this is put a couple layers of white gauze bandage over the flash head and hold it in place with a rubber band. You can vary the amount of diffusion and strength of the flash by increasing or decreasing the number of layers of gauze. I usually use 3 layers on my 550EX or 580EX II flashes.

Between those two, you'll end up with something that looks like this...

silma wrote in post #16668110
thanks everyone for the suggestions, I'll search the forum for examples of the various possibilitie and pick one.
as someone mentioned flash: I have a brand new 430 ex II and I think it will work fine with macro shots of inanimated subjects

430ex2 is great for macro stuff. Just get it off the hot shoe and diffuse it a bit.

What other lenses do you have? And which MF lenses do you have? If you have an AF lens in the 85-200mm range, and 28...50mm MF lens, you can make your own AF macro lens by reverse mounting your MF lens on top of your AF telephoto lens (you need a corresponding ring coupler, to go from one filter size to another). The macro magnification is roughly the ratio of the FLs of the two lenses (so mounting 50mm on top of 200mm should give you 4:1 magnification).

The advantage is that you retain AF ability, so you can do fun things like focus stacking (taking a sequence of shots with slowly changing focus, and the postprocessing them into one shot with much larger DoF) fully automatically - e.g. using Magic Lantern on your camera, or some program ran on a laptop.

Here is are examples (focus stacking with 50mm f2.0 lens on top of 135L):

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/syamastro/60396​30737/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/syamastro/61087​67926/