I use a tripod with a boom arm. Though not quite as stable as a simple tripod, I find it more stable than hand holding or a monopod and it provides a stable enough platform to stack. I tend to shot botanicals so I am not worried about chasing a moving insect. Also, most of my higher magnification wo...

Rik, i had a question as to why flash would be sharper. Is it the difficulty in isolating the system from vibration? Or is there another reason. I assume that the benefit is flash's short duration that prevents any movement. If we didn't try so hard to diffuse it, I could see an additional benefit f...

Fun creative shot Mark.

Irwin

I am a bit confused. I presently shoot with a camera profile based upon my camera, lighting, and lens derived by using a Passport Color Checker. I noticed that the Passport has several gray as well as white and black pigment chips. Is the resultant color profile linear? If not is is possible to comb...

Thank you Robert. I always appreciate the care and precision that you apply to your testing. I also have a bit of a cautionary tale, because I did not use the test information correctly at first. In particular, I love the sharpness and overall quality of the images produced with my Sigma 180 mm 2.8....

Robert, thanks for all your care and effort. The tests really help those of us on a limited budget more efficiently buy equipment that makes a difference in our photography. Great work.

Irwin

Agreed Chris. It's a decision I have made with the diffraction devil many times...gladly.

Thanks Chris. I do play with a homemade tilting macro lens, a reversed 90mm APO Componon, but it is not the quickest or most elegant to adjust when photographing lively critters.

Thanks, Pau. In applying the no free lunch rule, I was wondering where the payment would come from.

Recently, I was corresponding with another macro shooter who stated: "...but the inherent narrow DoF, even at f/16, quite often leaves some of the subject outside of acceptable focus. Quite often, we will photograph a subject at less than 1:1 mag, but deeper DoF. We then crop to the same size as if ...

wouldn't it be better to tilt as near as possible to the camera in order to avoid vignetting, similar Zoerk does: http://www.zoerk.com/pages/p_mfs.htm Given that the lens was reversed and that there was significant extension, the image circle should be huge. In my limited understanding of optics, I...

Chris, In what may be a "snatch defeat from the jaws of victory" moment, the vignetting was added post capture in Lightroom. :) I've not noticed any vignetting problems with the Kenko tubes nor have i noticed any difference when I use the non-automatic tubes. I have attached a version without the vi...

A while ago, I saw an APO 90mm Componon that no one else bid on in an Ebay auction. I bought the lens for approximately $100. I then decided to build a tilting macro lens. I reversed the lens, used parts from an old bellows, some scrapwood and about $15 of hardware. After I built it, but before I co...

Dig, I found your tests absolutely fascinating. As with the best of posts, it left me with both useful information and a pocketful of questions. Please forgive any imprecision in my questions, but I lack the scientific training and familiarity with optical formulas that many in this forum possess. F...

Thanks Rik. You're so helpful.

Irwin