Macro Photography Equipment Options

Today’s Photo Tip: Close Up/Macro Photography Equipment Options. Keep in mind that cropping is the least expensive “close up” option. You can enhance the size of a subject by simply cropping the image. This is fast becoming an easy and powerful option as camera manufacturers continue to provide ever higher megapixel cameras. If you have some extra resolution to spare, this can sometimes produce relatively good results, though they will never rival those of a dedicated macro lens. There are three main problems associated with macro lens photography; (1) depth of field, (2) inadequate lighting, and (3) stability. You can try using less magnification to correct focusing problems associated with depth of field. You can purchase expensive ring flashes to use instead of the camera's built-in flash. And of course, the use of a tripod and remote shutter release will help with stability. In the end, you will have to learn how to use close up attachments and macro camera lenses by trial and error. Practice is the only real way to master close-up photography. Depending upon your financial resources, you have four basic equipment options, starting with an expensive dedicated Macro Lens down to the least expensive set of Extension Tube rings. For the purpose of this post, I will start by looking at the least expensive option first, extension tubes, and work up to Close Up lenses, Teleconverters, and Macro Lenses.

Extension Tubes. An extension tube is simply a hollow cylinder that fits in between your camera and lens, causing the lens to move further from the sensor. This additional distance allows your lens to focus more closely, which in turn provides more magnification capability. Unlike most lens accessories, extension tubes don't add any extra optics, and are therefore relatively inexpensive, simple devices. There are two basic types; from the least expensive, those that have no internal electronic components, to the most expensive that include basic electronics to pass through signals between the lens and the camera body (such as for autofocus). An extension tube is usually specified in terms of its extension length in millimeters. Most manufacturers provide a range of extensions from 8-35 mm, although multiple extension tubes can be stacked to increase the extension even further. USAGE TIP: Extension tubes provide minimal magnification when used with telephoto lenses — which is unfortunately their main weakness. USAGE TIP: For generic brand extension tubes, it's easier to set your camera to manual mode and automatically focus (using the AF on your lens) on the subject without the tubes attached. Next turn off all automatic settings on your actual lens (AF to off) and connect the tubes. Then look through your viewfinder and press your shutter button half way down. Move in closer towards your subject until focus is clear then take the shot. Advantages of using extension tubes:

Much less expensive than purchasing a dedicated macro lens They provide a flexible and upgradable increase in magnification with virtually any camera lens — even existing macro lenses They don’t place additional glass elements between your subject and your camera minimizing any potential loss of image quality They provide consistent, predictable quality regardless of extension tube brand.

Disadvantages of using extension tubes:

They provide only a minimal magnification gain with telephoto lenses They cause the lens to lose the ability to focus on distant objects The F-stop set by the camera might not represent the effective f-stop from extension They cause the lens to focus more closely than it was designed. High magnification images will therefore usually have lower quality than with a dedicated macro lens They require you to remove your lens from the camera each time you wish to change the amount of extension which raises the risk of dust getting on the camera’s sensor A zoom lens will cause the image to go quickly out of focus when zooming in or out

Single Element Close Up Lenses. Close up lenses are usually more expensive than extension tubes (but much less than a dedicated macro lens. They can come in two basic types; single and double element. A close-up filter works by decreasing the effective focal length of whatever lens they're used on. This decrease in focal length means that the extension has to increase correspondingly — which ends up magnifying the image similar to using an extension tube. A close-up filter is usually specified in terms of "diopters," which is a measure of their magnifying power.. Typical values range from +2 to +5 diopters and can be combined to increase magnification further, however, though higher numbers yield more relative magnification on a given lens, image quality also tends to decrease. USAGE NOTE: Close-up filters increase magnification much more when used with longer focal length lenses. For example, a 50 mm lens requires +10 diopters to achieve a magnification gain of just 0.5X, whereas a 200 mm lens requires only +2.5 diopters. Conversely, a given close-up lens might be too powerful (and decrease image quality too much) when used on a 200 mm telephoto lens, but might be just right on an 80 mm lens. As with just about anything, there are advantages and disadvantages of using close up lenses. Here are the advantages of using close up lenses over extension tubes:

They provides more magnification than extension tubes when used with telephoto lenses They retain more light at a given f-stop setting when compared to extension tubes (especially if the extension tubes don’t use the camera’s electronics) They don’t require removing the lens from the camera body.

Here are the disadvantages of using close up lenses:

They provides a minimal magnification gain when used with focal lengths less than ~80 mm They decrease the distance between the subject and the front of the lens and cause your lens to lose the ability to focus on distant objects They place additional glass between your camera and subject which decreases image quality. They may prevent your lens from being able to use other filters. Double Element Close Up Lenses. Though more expensive, double element close-up lenses minimize the loss of image quality. This is the best choice if you want to move quickly around and not have to use a tripod. A good double element close up lens costs more than about triple what a good UV filter costs, but is really worth it. A dual-element lens cemented together controls chromatic and spherical aberrations (color and image distortion). Dual-element close-up lenses are usually recommended for use with telephoto lenses since they need extra-low dispersion elements to reduce the chromatic aberrations. What all this means is they work a lot better than the single element close up filters. You simply take off your UV filter if you have one, and screw on the close up filter. Now you can take photographs much closer, with no loss of light, producing high quality photos that can be used commercially. This is the most economical way to get into macro photography with really good results.

Teleconverters. While extension tubes and close-up lenses are the two most common ways to increase magnification, other options exist. Though a teleconverter is typically used to increase a lens's focal length, it is also a popular way to increase magnification. The teleconverter multiplier directly correlates with the increase in magnification; a 2X teleconverter therefore doubles the maximum magnification. Used alone, and depending on the lens you use it with, you may be able to get greater magnification of the subject at close focusing distances, allowing you to get closer to “macro” shots. Its two main disadvantages are (1) a loss of some image quality and (2) an increase in the lens' minimum f-stop (max aperture), which may prevent a camera from being able to autofocus. If any given lens add-on provides insufficient magnification, it's also common to see macro photographers combine multiple add-ons. One could use a teleconverter along with an extension tube, for example, in addition to a close-up lens.

Macro Lenses. A dedicated macro lens is by far the best option for producing 1:1 macro images, but these are only available for camera systems with interchangeable lenses. A macro lens has a fixed focal length and can produce 1:1 images in addition to focusing out to infinity, meaning that you can take super close-up photos of a flower or bug, then refocus and take a landscape or portrait photo without having to switch lenses or remove special macro equipment. They are generally very sharp and fast (large maximum aperture). The trade off being that they are much more expensive when compared to the other macro options noted above. Photographing subjects at extremely close range requires a great attention to detail, sharpness and technical accuracy. Macro lenses can be used for other purposes to some extent but their main use is high-quality close-ups. The main disadvantages of a macro lens is that they are expensive and designed for a very specific purpose – to capture macro close ups.  If you are considering an investment into a macro lens, you should consider buying one from your camera’s manufacturer to insure compatibility. The Leica DG Macro- 45mm f/2.8 MEGA O.I.S. (works with the camera’s autofocus & image stabilization features) lens for my Panasonic DMC-G2 is $779.00.  NOTE: Some macro lenses can also be slow because of a smaller depth of field and aperture. You should think about how you will use it, your in field setup and your need for speed and convenience before deciding on a lens and accessories.