I'm really interested in macro photography and it frustrates me not being able to try it out for myself because I dont have a macro lens. I just started being really interested in photography about 3 months ago and I can't afford to buy a 600euro macro lens. Are there any other options to experiment with macro? I've heard about macro filters, how do they work and around how much would they cost me? Any suggestions and help would be much appreciated! =)
just by pushing the f-stop and how close you can focus will substitute for a macro... OR sometimes I have taken a shot with my 300mm telephoto from a distance and many have thought it to be macro...
sometimes macro is a result not necessarily a process.
@dcr has some cool macro stuff without a true macro lens i believe...
Most of the photos in my album are macros and as Jason mentioned they are all taken using extension tubes, not a full blown macro lens. I use the Kenko's and wouldn't hesitate in recommending them. Tubes are a bit of a learning curve but you can get some solid results from them. I think I got mine off eBay for AU$100 or so. You can get cheaper ones but they don't have an electrical connection which means that you can't change the aperature of the lens once mounted.
I've not used filters before but have seen mixed results from them.
@bobfoto what do you mean f-stop? haha you just really lost me, could you explain step by step? i have a canon 500D =D @rogerprice that seems too good to be true, only 20 pounds? how come it's so cheap? your photo's amazing! @pete21 i've no idea what that is haha, but how much did the filter cost? is it easy to use? @dcr what's an extension tube? what should i look for if i were to buy one? thanks a lot!
I got a set of Macro tubes for €16 from Amazon and I am really pleased with them. I had thought about getting a set with AF which are a lot more expensive, however I have got used to using the "cheap" tubes now and can highly recommend them.
This is taken from a normal paperback book..
I bought a cheap macro lens off eBay for maybe €50 incl. shipping but I prefer macro rings, which were even cheaper! One of these days I'll invest in an authentic macro lens but fornow, these get the job done :)
Hi, as I said I got the macro lens off Ebay for £20 - didn't get the cheapest as I wanted good quality optics.
There are many available you just have to get the right thread size for your lens/camera (mine was 72mm), then you just screw it onto the end of your current lens whenever it's needed.
I bought some close up filters from ebay for less than £10 with free P&P for four filters and cleaning kit, highly recommend them. Here are a few I've gotten with them:
I was discouraged by the price of a macro lens but discovered a close-up filter set (+1, +2, +4) from an older camera fits my T2i (58mm threads).
This was taken with the +4 only:
This one used all three
And here's another with filters,
Echoing what others have said, try an inexpensive approach first and if you like the results you can get, save up for a "real" macro lens when you have more "discretionary income"!
you can also try your hand at reverse lens macro. Take your lens off, flip it around and you'll have to manually focus it, but by doing that it creates a macro shot. Here's some of mine I've done that with:
I just picked up a a set of macro filters yesterday. It cost me about $32 US. I tried them out, too, and they work really well. Best when you use a stacker.
I have a filter, and I use them with the macro feature on my camera and it works almost as well as my macro lens. I sometimes only want to carry one lens with me, so I found that the filter I bought on amazon is just fine for most needs.
@beelzeboss - Ines, the f-stop is what determines the focal length of your lens. To break that down into laymans terms. Sometimes you'll see a picture that has only a teeny tiny area that is sharp and in focus, but the rest of the image is soft and out of focus. And if it is a close up, people often immediately think Macro. Like this shot:
Now this was taken with a macro lens and a 2x converter, so I set my camera to Aperture Priority (not sure what that is on a Canon, but on my Oly its simply "A") and reduced the f-stop to as low a number as I could. In this case f-7.0.
If I had set the f-stop to say f22 or even with this set up f45 then the whole caterpillar would have been in focus.
So getting back to my original comment that macro photography can be achieved with even a telephoto lens, simply means reducing your f-stop to its lowest number can often reduce the area of focus to the extent that it appears like a macro shot. Here is an example of a Toad that I took using a 300mm telephoto lens from a distance of around 4ft.
It's already been mentioned but I also have a reverse lens ring. I really love it. I got it as a gift so I'm not exactly sure how much it cost but I know that it was pretty damn cheap, so I think it's a great macro option especially considering how much some lenses cost and the effect you're getting out of it.
Some examples where I used it:
@beelzeboss - an extension tube is a set of tubes that you put between the camera body and the lens. There are no optics in them and so the quality of the image isn't degraded. Magnification is achieved by move the lens elements further from the sensor.
If you want to get ones with electric connections (which I would recommend) then the Kenkos are great. The ones without connections are cheaper and it doesn't really matter which ones you get as it's simply a plastic tube!
There are a few other considerations when using tubes (such as lighting etc) so it's worthwhile doing a bit of research.
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sometimes macro is a result not necessarily a process.
@dcr has some cool macro stuff without a true macro lens i believe...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/MACRO-EXTENSION-TUBES-CANON-Camera/dp/B001CWZE6A/ref=pd_cp_ce_0
I have a macro lens filter for my 'other' camera, got it off Ebay for £20, I took this with it:-
I've not used filters before but have seen mixed results from them.
@rogerprice that seems too good to be true, only 20 pounds? how come it's so cheap? your photo's amazing!
@pete21 i've no idea what that is haha, but how much did the filter cost? is it easy to use?
@dcr what's an extension tube? what should i look for if i were to buy one? thanks a lot!
This is taken from a normal paperback book..
I paid £7.99 + £2.00 P+P
Lens:
Filters:
There are many available you just have to get the right thread size for your lens/camera (mine was 72mm), then you just screw it onto the end of your current lens whenever it's needed.
BTW the photo is of a Flying Saucer.
This was taken with the +4 only:
This one used all three
And here's another with filters,
Echoing what others have said, try an inexpensive approach first and if you like the results you can get, save up for a "real" macro lens when you have more "discretionary income"!
Now this was taken with a macro lens and a 2x converter, so I set my camera to Aperture Priority (not sure what that is on a Canon, but on my Oly its simply "A") and reduced the f-stop to as low a number as I could. In this case f-7.0.
If I had set the f-stop to say f22 or even with this set up f45 then the whole caterpillar would have been in focus.
So getting back to my original comment that macro photography can be achieved with even a telephoto lens, simply means reducing your f-stop to its lowest number can often reduce the area of focus to the extent that it appears like a macro shot. Here is an example of a Toad that I took using a 300mm telephoto lens from a distance of around 4ft.
That looks like a Macro to me...
Some examples where I used it:
If you want to get ones with electric connections (which I would recommend) then the Kenkos are great. The ones without connections are cheaper and it doesn't really matter which ones you get as it's simply a plastic tube!
There are a few other considerations when using tubes (such as lighting etc) so it's worthwhile doing a bit of research.