Cheap macro setup help please?

I've read a ton of great stuff here and love experimenting with macro but since I got my 30D I feel like I am a bit limited since I only have three lenses currently to choose from. I used to get some nice results with the wider S2IS and really enjoyed getting in close. Before I plunk down some loot on a very specific lens for the 30, I was hoping to come up with a cheap setup that will let me explore macro more with the lenses I have.

Current lenses:
kit 18-55, 50 f1.8, and ef 100-300.

Which lens would you use primarily for this and secondly, would you got the reversing ring route or buy some cheap extension tubes?

I already have a tripod (although I am usually handheld) and a homemade diffuser setup) so that's set to go.

Thanks in advance!
Scott

namasste wrote in post #3787913
I've read a ton of great stuff here and love experimenting with macro but since I got my 30D I feel like I am a bit limited since I only have three lenses currently to choose from. I used to get some nice results with the wider S2IS and really enjoyed getting in close. Before I plunk down some loot on a very specific lens for the 30, I was hoping to come up with a cheap setup that will let me explore macro more with the lenses I have.

Current lenses:
kit 18-55, 50 f1.8, and ef 100-300.

Which lens would you use primarily for this and secondly, would you got the reversing ring route or buy some cheap extension tubes?

I already have a tripod (although I am usually handheld) and a homemade diffuser setup) so that's set to go.

Thanks in advance!
Scott

Think I'd go for a set of Pro-optic ext tubes from adorama (around $85?) and use them with your 50mm F1.8- gets you just above 1:1 and maintains control of the aperture etc.

Brian V.

I've just gone the dSLR route from a Canon S3 and have an even sparser setup than you, with 18-70 and 75-300 zooms which both have 55mm filter size. I used a 58mm Canon 500D close up lens on the S3 which worked quite well so as a stopgap measure I got a 55/58 stepping ring to enable the 500D to be used. I can get quite decent enlargements with the 75-300 using the lens between 75mm and about 150mm and quality seems to be quite good. Above 150mm it gets very difficult to hand hold.
Your suggestion of getting extension tubes is sensible as these can be used with all of your current lenses, and will continue to be useful if/when you get a dedicated macro lens. Many people here use Kenko tubes which are evidently of good quality and have the proper coupling for autoexposure and autofocus. I would guess your 50mm prime lens would give the best quality although you'd have to get pretty close for smaller bugs.

thanks. are the cheap one's you see on Ebay worth the $20 just to see if I like macro work?

I'm not sure which you mean, cheap close up lenses or cheap extension tubes, but the answer is no, they're rubbish which is why they're cheap. Cheap close up lenses will give horrible chromatic aberration anywhere away from the centre and they won't be that sharp either. Cheap extension tubes won't have proper coupling so you'd have to manually stop down your lens. You'll also lose autofocus but that is no big deal as macro is often best done with manual focus. Losing autoexposure and auto stop down is a nuisance at best. At worst it could mean you have to use the lens at full aperture if there's no manual decoupling on the lens.

eccles wrote in post #3788404
I'm not sure which you mean, cheap close up lenses or cheap extension tubes, but the answer is no, they're rubbish which is why they're cheap. Cheap close up lenses will give horrible chromatic aberration anywhere away from the centre and they won't be that sharp either. Cheap extension tubes won't have proper coupling so you'd have to manually stop down your lens. You'll also lose autofocus but that is no big deal as macro is often best done with manual focus. Losing autoexposure and auto stop down is a nuisance at best. At worst it could mean you have to use the lens at full aperture if there's no manual decoupling on the lens.

thanks very much for that info. The AF was no biggie but I'd rather have the coupling correct for AE so Im off to Adorama it looks like!

fwiw, I decided to just pick up a really cheap (as in $6) coupler to run the 50 on the end of the zoom. I'll see how things go and what my passion for macro really is then get a specific lens. Thanks to everyone for all the help!

Hi there Scott, what I did to get a fairly cheap macro setup was to get off ebay; a M42-Canon adaptor for £5, a 135mm f2.8 M42 lens for £8.50, 2 sets of M42 extension tubes for £6 and just got a set of russian macro bellows for £15. With all of that I can make something 5mm wide fill the whole frame on my 400D, I'm not sure what the macro ratio is on that.
Anyway, I got my whole setup for £35+postage which I think is not to bad.

I've just got a M42 x2 converter off ebay for £3 including postage and cant wait to try using it as well as all the extension tubes/bellows!!

Hope this helps

Tim