Manual macro on the cheap.

[Don Hoey]

Originally Posted by Saphire

.........it is just lit with the sunlight,

Well there you go Christine. That level of magnification at 1/320 sec, hand held . I could not do that in a milliion years. I would need to look at the prog that Chris has posted in the Darkroom thread.

Very neat idea re the lighting though.

Don

[Don Hoey]

I found this spider lurking in the corner of the workshop lean-to. A example of were there is no possibility of using a tripod. In fact even getting a reasonable angle that allowed viewing in the vewfinder was a problem. To give some sense of scale, the spiders egg ball is about 6mm in diameter.

I decided to give the D100 and pop-up flash a go.

Pic 1 ( full frame ) is with reversed 24mm at f16
Pic 2 ( full frame ) with Kenko 1.4tc and reversed 24mm at f16
Pic 3 shows kitchen towel used as pop-up flash diffuser. PK12 tube is on the end of the 24mm to act as a lens hood.
Pic 4 ( full frame ) D2X, standard 105mm, plus PK-12, PK-13 extension tubes plus bellows. ( Total 170mm extension ).

Don

[Saphire]

Wow! Don, a fantastic set of photos, the DOF is short but they are so crisp.
You wouldn't catch me that close to a spider of that size I would have to be at least 3feet away if not more. That egg sack is huge how does it feed or get around.

[yelvertoft]

2nd of the set is superb Don. Real nightmare stuff if you look deep into its eyes!

[Leif]

In case you are interested, that is a female Nursery Web Spider, also known as a Wolf Spider. I find them rather cute!

[Leif]

Originally Posted by Don Hoey

If you are able to reverse a 28mm then forget the tubes and just use that. All you now require is a diffusion panel taped above the lens and you can use the D200 pop-up. It will be good for around f16 at ISO200/400.

I was suggesting tubes + reversed lens to get a range of magnifications. I was able to get about 4x with a tube, the 28mm lens on its own giving about 2x I believe.

All this talk of home made diffusers, soft boxes and ring flashes has got me wondering what I can knock up. The only problem is making something rugged enough to carry several miles cross country in a backpack.

[Don Hoey]

Here is a link to various magnification ratio's. OK its a Nikon link but then knowing me it has to be. http://www.nikonlinks.com/unklbil/macro_adapter.htm


Leif,

Lack of dof really starts to become an issue even with a reversed 24. Although adding a tc or tubes will increase magnification pic 2 of the spider set shows how much dof has been lost in the process. I think this is where sensor resolution becomes a serious asset as it allows for a fair crop of an image at lower magnification.

Too windy to play outdoors today but I am still searching for the best compromise. Wish I had the reach of a 105 in a macro lens now.

For backpacking and only using the D200 pop-up then a few sheets of kitchen roll and a bit of masking tape is probably as rugged and small as you'll get. As the dragonfly/fungii master with macro as your primary tool, then if I was in your position there would be only one route I would go, and that is a proper job.

Nikon SB-R1 Close Up Remote Kit or Sigma EM-140 DG Ring Light Flash.

The Nikon unit being the more versatile of the two, and you can add additional flash units at a later date. i-TTL so no flash knowledge or calculations required.

Don

[Don Hoey]

Originally Posted by Saphire

You wouldn't catch me that close to a spider of that size I would have to be at least 3feet away if not more. That egg sack is huge how does it feed or get around.

Christine,

If it moves out of the corner so I can get a decent angle on it I will retake on side view at lower magnification as its body really is quite small relative to the egg sack.

I think I need a set up that gives greater lens and therefore finger distance before the large autumn ones appear.

Don

[Leif]

Originally Posted by Don Hoey

if I was in your position there would be only one route I would go, and that is a proper job.

Nikon SB-R1 Close Up Remote Kit or Sigma EM-140 DG Ring Light Flash.

The Nikon unit being the more versatile of the two, and you can add additional flash units at a later date. i-TTL so no flash knowledge or calculations required.

Nooo ... my wallet is already starting to give me dirty looks on a regular basis ...

Seriously, I allow myself a limited number of toys per year, and I have pretty much reached this years limit with the 85mm micro.

Regarding limited depth of field, yes I agree that is the killer. I photographed a Nettle Weavil at the weekend, and although I quite liked the image, DOF was not really enough at F22, and diffraction was seriously reducing resolution. It would make a good 6x4" print but no bigger. I am playing with the idea of using that special software to combine multiple images to get increased DOF. I will experiment at the weekend. The issue is whether or not I can get multiple images of a bug in field conditions.

Don't give up on the great outdoors. I use a mini tripod leg attached to a ground spike, and a clamp at the top to steady plants. I've attached a Ladybird Nymph photographed outdoors on a clamped leaf. I was using a macro lens with tubes. And make sure you go out early or late, or on a cool day, when insects are dopey.

[Don Hoey]

Originally Posted by Leif

Nooo ... my wallet is already starting to give me dirty looks on a regular basis ...

Seriously, I allow myself a limited number of toys per year, and I have pretty much reached this years limit with the 85mm micro........................................
Don't give up on the great outdoors. I use a mini tripod leg attached to a ground spike, and a clamp at the top to steady plants. I've attached a Ladybird Nymph photographed outdoors on a clamped leaf. I was using a macro lens with tubes. And make sure you go out early or late, or on a cool day, when insects are dopey.

Leif,

Well I am not surprised about the first part as you have the 85 as that is a SERIOUS bit of kit. I will be interested to know how you get on with it. Certainly takes a bit of practice.

As for the pic ......... then to use an expression from Mohamad " you are killing me softly ".

Don