Just joined the game

Just bought that first macro lens? Post here to get helpful feedback and answers to any questions you might have.

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dicklaxt
Posts: 53
Joined: Sat Oct 08, 2011 1:52 am

Just joined the game

Post by dicklaxt »

Hi folks just joined up and hope I can learn a bit more.I am 75 years old and don't have very good equipment and won't be getting anything any different.I use a S3is with a lens adapter and various Diopters and a 2X TC.I also have a 50 mm I can reverse and it does a fair job for that kind of thing but it only gives me about an inch and a half working room,anyone have a secret on how to increase that working distance.

I have been doing some bubbles,crystals and a couple of roses lately.My health is a hindrance to getting out and chasing things but I do venture to the back yard now and then.The season for less bugs is upon us now so will have to be staging things to shoot inside.

Here's a couple of shots I did of a rose picked a few minutes earlier this morning.

Thanks for looking
dick

Image

Image

rjlittlefield
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Location: Richland, Washington State, USA
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Post by rjlittlefield »

Dick, welcome aboard!

If I reading correctly, you're using a Canon PowerShot S3 IS, which is a compact digital camera with a 12X zoom lens built into it, not interchangeable.

So then the 2X TC must stick on the front, and likewise the reversed 50 mm. Do I have that right?

If so, then I'm sorry to report there's no way to get more working distance with the 50. If it's an old SLR lens, then it's designed to focus with film roughly 45 mm behind the lens (exact distance depends on brand). That's where it will focus the subject when used as an add-on lens for macro. You can make it focus even a little closer by adjusting focus on the camera, but you can't make it focus farther.

You might, however, try scrounging the big front lens from a pair of old binoculars. If you're lucky, those things can make quite good closeup lenses when just placed in front of the main camera lens.

Hope this helps!

--Rik

dicklaxt
Posts: 53
Joined: Sat Oct 08, 2011 1:52 am

Post by dicklaxt »

Yes thats correct the TC and/or reversed 50 is hung out on the front.I did at one time try the front optics of a binoc and found to my surprize how well it worked but it was not the quality I get from the Raynox 250 stacked with the TC

thanks

rjlittlefield
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Post by rjlittlefield »

Raynox 250, excellent. That's a marvelous piece of glass. I assumed that "various diopters" referred to lesser lenses. I actually thought about recommending Raynox but in light of your other comments decided I would stick to things that on a good day might be obtained at little or no cost.

It sounds to me like you're in pretty good shape for lenses, at least for subjects down to 1 cm long or thereabouts.

So, what's top on your list of things to learn about?

--Rik

Harold Gough
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Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2008 2:17 am
Location: Reading, Berkshire, England

Post by Harold Gough »

Dick,

Good to see you here.

There may be some common ground with what I have been doing in recent months with my micro 4/3, MF lenses and a Marumi +3 supplementary lens.

This is a history of my introduction to digital macro. You may wish to skip the earlier pages.

http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/v ... hp?t=12349

My recent posts in this forum may give you and idea of the results you might get:

http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/v ... m.php?f=26

I mostly take outdoor shots but the principles are much the same.

There may be a clue here that a revered wideangle lens behind the 50mm may help but I'm unsure:

http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/v ... 69&start=0

Harold
Last edited by Harold Gough on Wed Apr 18, 2012 2:31 am, edited 1 time in total.
My images are a medium for sharing some of my experiences: they are not me.

dicklaxt
Posts: 53
Joined: Sat Oct 08, 2011 1:52 am

Post by dicklaxt »

So, what's top on your list of things to learn about?

--Rik
I thought about doing some stacking but after doing a couple with CZP and screwing that up I quickly realized I needed some study,a tripod and a slider.I could easily make a desktop slider but not sure if I could get the adjuster to fine tune accurately enough.

I guess I am really trying to find others who use similar equipment and what there techniques are.

dick

dicklaxt
Posts: 53
Joined: Sat Oct 08, 2011 1:52 am

Post by dicklaxt »

Harold Gough wrote:Dick,

There may be some common ground with what I have been doing in recent months with my micro 4/3, MF lenses and a Marumi x3 supplementary lens.
The S3is does not have the capability to allow the complete change out of lensas it's lens is fixed permanantly to the body.
There may be a clue here that a revered wideangle lens behind the 50mm may help but I'm unsure:
I do have a wide angle with a macro diopter with it but haven't done any experimenting,,,,,,,,do you mean to put it between the reversed 50 and the camera fixed lens or outboard of the 50.I may have a hard time adapting the WA to the outboard side.I'll play around with some handheld and see what happens.I think it will be unable to focus because of to many pieces of glass

dick

Harold Gough
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Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2008 2:17 am
Location: Reading, Berkshire, England

Post by Harold Gough »

dicklaxt wrote:I do have a wide angle with a macro diopter with it but haven't done any experimenting,,,,,,,,do you mean to put it between the reversed 50 and the camera fixed lens or outboard of the 50.
Yes, but Brackenbury also used extension tubes so I am far from sure what will work.

Harold
My images are a medium for sharing some of my experiences: they are not me.

rjlittlefield
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Post by rjlittlefield »

dicklaxt wrote:I thought about doing some stacking but after doing a couple with CZP and screwing that up I quickly realized I needed some study,a tripod and a slider.I could easily make a desktop slider but not sure if I could get the adjuster to fine tune accurately enough.
Make the slider. At low magnification the step you need per slice will be large enough to position by hand if you're careful. Also I believe your camera supports manual focus. If so then you can also use that mechanism to capture stacks with nothing at all moving outside the lens. See http://zerenesystems.com/cms/stacker/do ... utorial001 for an illustration of that technique, and http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/v ... php?t=4889 and the links therein for some other ideas.

Switching subjects, I notice you're having some trouble getting the
tags to work the way you want. I've edited your two postings above here to show correct usage. You can look inside those to see what I've done, by clicking the "Edit" button that appears at the upper right of your own postings. Also, there's a Preview button that will let you see what your post will look like so you can fix any issues with the tags before completing the posting. Preview is located right next to Submit, just below the edit box. I always preview my own stuff because I mess up the tags more often than not!

--Rik

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