Hi guys S9 here with another ? again,

I'm diving into shooting macro and am realizing that it takes a specific lens with a 1:1 magnification, which isn't marked on a lens, and also that "macro" is sometimes just used as a marketing gimmick. As there a few people on here who are posting amazing macro wildlife shots, this seems like the place to ask.

 

Body: Nikon D3400 DX

Lenses:  Nikkor 35mm 1.8,  kit Nikkor 18-55mm VR and 70-300mm VR, and a Tokina 11-16mm 2.8.

 

I would like to be able to get the crystal clear, close up shots that some of you guys are getting.(I tried capturing a tomato worm today and could not get zoomed in and focused close enough no matter what settings I used) What lens can you guys recommend or is there an adapter which I can add to my mini collection?

Thanks a bunch!

 

After lots of reading I'm finding that an extension tube on a my 35mm, or a magnifiying filter on a 300mm lens would get me the closest, but I'm also considering one of these 5 lens. (I guess the extension tubes aid magnification best on short lens, and the filters on the telephotos lenses)

Nikon micro 105mm f2.8
tamron 90mm macro nikon
Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM Macro

Tokina AT X M100 AF PRO D Macro Lens for Nikon F ? 100mm

Af-S DX Micro 85mm F3.5 G VR

 

Of course, the lens are expensive so am really trying to research to get the right one and might just go with a magnifying filter for $50 or an extension tube to save some money, but wondering what has been the general experience with people who've used them...

 

 

 

Edited: 04/22/2018 at 06:45 PM by Sector9surf

Macro lenses are designed for a flat field of focus at close range. In general, you're fine with an adapter.  To some extent, lighting is the bigger problem.  Ring flashes have been popular, and I just picked up a cute little flexi-light that fits on the flash shoe.  Now gotta play with it.  

I'm not a good macro shooter.  Mostly just do pictures of full-sized flowers.

 

 

Thanks for the feedback... I went ahead and ordered an inexpensive diopter set to use on my 70-300mm lens. I'm learning as I go, but so far I'm happy with it for close ups.

 

I'm still trying to understand how extensions, teleconverters, and diopters will work on different focal ranges and can't find any physics based info online to really understand... I keep finding articles like this:

Basic differences: https://photographylife.com/what-is-a-teleconverter

Magnification Calculator: https://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/macro-extension-tubes-closeup.htm

My next step is to find something which will get me a 1:1 ratio but from further away. (I'm trying to be able to focus from 3-6ft away for shooting insects or other scaredy cats... right now I'm focusing at around 9" with the 10x diopter at 300mm) I'm guessing a teleconverter on my 70-300mm will get me as close as possible... from what I understand extensions and diopters will both magnify but cause my focus distance to be shorter which is a negative to wanting to get the 1:1 from far away... I'm also perplexed by how at both 70 and 300 mm the native image is still .16x. If you're zooming in arent' you magnifying? (Maybe that web info I found is wrong on that topic)

 

I should've payed more attention in physics. Looks like I have more reading to do...

 

Heres a good article about focusing:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/tips-and-solutions/how-focus-works

 

Maybe someone has a good understanding or can provide an explanation for dummies on why the diopters and extensions shorten focus range and distance to a small range...while a telephoto or zoom lens can focus from far away.

 

Found this: https://www.magnifier.com/about

What is lens Diopter or Dioptre ? How can I convert Diopter to Magnification ? 

Diopter is a measuring unit for measuring the optical power and the curved nature of
convex lens.

 Magnification Power equals =(Diopter/4) + 1

 

Diopter        Magnification  1x=Zero Magnification/Actual Size

 

3                         1.75x

5                         2.25x

7                         2.75x

9                         3.25x

10                       3.5x 

13                       4.25x

14                       4.5x

18                       5.5x 

20                       6x

24                       7x

32                       9x

36                      10x

48                      13x

 

What is working distance ? Why is it important ? 

Working distance is the distance between the lens and the object when the view is in focus. Working distance is most often requested for headband magnifiers or magnifiers or loupes worn on the head by people that use them for long periods of time or for their occupation. The working distance dictates the distance you must maintain between the lens and the object your viewing in order to see it in focus. 

 

Below are examples of the relationship between magnification and working distance

 

Magnification             Working Distance

 

1.75x                                      13inches 

2.75x                                      5.5inches 

3.5x                                        4inches 

4.25x                                      3inches 
6x                                           2inches

 

As far a teleconverters vs extension tubes and diopters... I found the answer here: https://photographylife.com/what-is-a-teleconverter

"Extension tubes should not be confused with teleconverters, because their use and purpose are completely different. While teleconverters are always comprised of optical lens elements for the purpose of increasing focal length, extension tubes are physical attachments without any optics, the sole purpose of which is to reduce minimum focus distance for increased magnification. Because of this, extension tubes are used for macro work, whereas teleconverters are used to get closer to action."

 

I also found this for calculating magnification using extensions:

https://shuttermuse.com/ultimate-guide-to-extension-tubes/

"New magnification = Native lens magnification + (extension amount/focal length)"

 

So what do you get if you combine a 1.4x teleconverter on a 300mm lens and a 10+ diopter?... Does this get me the 3-6 ft focus distance I want and still have the magnification?... the research continues.

Edited: 04/22/2018 at 10:04 PM by Sector9surf

My father was doing what amounted to macro photos in the 1950s with primitive equipment by today's standards.  Not that I ever learned much from him.  

I do have a nice macro lens, 60 mm, that I ought to get a ring light or something similar for.  

 

So I found that once I pulled up my photos using the 10+ diopter, on my computer were incredibly blurry even though they appeared perfect on the Nikons playback screen. So I will be trying again with a tripod... (edit: I tried it and turns out having a tripod makes little difference. The problem lies in being able to focus with the diopter attached. The overall opinion I now have would be that the pain of focusing is too much of a hassle and it's probably just a better option to crop in post production if needed. The biggest pain is FOCUSING... even in manual with focus out to infinity, I have to adjust the camera location. Too close and can't focus, too far and well might as well be using a different lense, but same issue with focus.)... So lesson learned is to avoid the diopters unless I want to be struggling with focus or missing shots when trying to photograph and object that is moving...(It guess it's the challenge of high magnification and macro, but I'm sure an actual macro lens will be much easier to work with

 

I bet the light ring on your setup will make a huge difference as I'm finding that with macro you tend to stop down quite a bit, to increase depth of field. I think the light ring you mentioned is fairly inexpensive and would be worth it if you do a lot of macro. Would be nice to get a few bug shots.

Do you shoot with Nikon?

Edited: 05/13/2018 at 08:59 AM by Sector9surf