True Macro Photography the Inexpensive Way
One of the things that most novice photographers get interested in almost immediately is macro photography. And why not? After all, there are some gripping shots of some really interesting things out there. We just are not accustomed to seeing the small things in life in a very large way. But usually after the first look at the price of a true macro lens we shy away and leave that part of photography to others. But there is a work around - let's take a look at it.
I have been doing macro photography over my whole 35 years career as a photographer and I have never owned a true macro lens (1:1 magnification). I have never done a lot of it and therefore never could justify the price. I have always owned a set of extension tubes though and when I have wanted to do macro photography I just pull those out.
Extension tubes work like this - as we focus closer with our lens, the focusing elements actually move away from the camera body. So by placing a tube between the camera and lens we can focus closer and get larger magnification. My extension tube set has three tubes of 12, 20, and 36mm and I can use two at the same time. So I can place my lens 56mm away from the camera body and still have aperture control.
One of the biggest challenges with macro photography is the shallow depth of field. I once had a dead Black Widow Spider that I thought would make a great subject. I set her up in a natural setting. But even in that situation I had difficulty getting her whole body in focus regardless of how much light (more light equals a smaller aperture and therefore increased depth of field) I poured on the subject. I ended up getting her head in razor sharp focus while allowing the body to gradually go out of focus.
Once you place an extension tube between your camera and lens you can no longer focus to infinity. The maximum focusing distance is considerably closer to the camera as is the minimum focusing distance. I find that for any lens less than 70mm the distance between the subject and front lens element is too small for all but the most special of circumstances. I usually use my 70 to 200mm Zoom for virtually all macro shots.
So if you have thought about doing macro photography but were put off by the price of a macro lens, try a set of extension tubes and start experimenting. I am sure you will be glad you did.
One of the things that most novice photographers get interested in almost immediately is macro photography. And why not? After all, there are some gripping shots of some really interesting things out there. We just are not accustomed to seeing the small things in life in a very large way. But usually after the first look at the price of a true macro lens we shy away and leave that part of photography to others. But there is a work around - let's take a look at it.
I have been doing macro photography over my whole 35 years career as a photographer and I have never owned a true macro lens (1:1 magnification). I have never done a lot of it and therefore never could justify the price. I have always owned a set of extension tubes though and when I have wanted to do macro photography I just pull those out.
Extension tubes work like this - as we focus closer with our lens, the focusing elements actually move away from the camera body. So by placing a tube between the camera and lens we can focus closer and get larger magnification. My extension tube set has three tubes of 12, 20, and 36mm and I can use two at the same time. So I can place my lens 56mm away from the camera body and still have aperture control.
One of the biggest challenges with macro photography is the shallow depth of field. I once had a dead Black Widow Spider that I thought would make a great subject. I set her up in a natural setting. But even in that situation I had difficulty getting her whole body in focus regardless of how much light (more light equals a smaller aperture and therefore increased depth of field) I poured on the subject. I ended up getting her head in razor sharp focus while allowing the body to gradually go out of focus.
Once you place an extension tube between your camera and lens you can no longer focus to infinity. The maximum focusing distance is considerably closer to the camera as is the minimum focusing distance. I find that for any lens less than 70mm the distance between the subject and front lens element is too small for all but the most special of circumstances. I usually use my 70 to 200mm Zoom for virtually all macro shots.
So if you have thought about doing macro photography but were put off by the price of a macro lens, try a set of extension tubes and start experimenting. I am sure you will be glad you did.
