You've probably seen macro photos in magazines, news articles or photo sharing sites like Flickr. You've probably been curious about how it works.
A little research and you should discover that you need a dslr camera body and a separately purchased macro lens. Both can be very expensive.
Further research and you should read some articles which mention a lot of tools for your new setup.
You may even learn some "tricks" of the trade.
I want to help you make sense of everything before you start spending your money. Cameras, lenses and accessories can become extremely expensive.
Let's get started:
What is Macro Photography?
Macro Photography is meant to enlarge small things for a photo. Insects and flowers are smaller than trees and most birds. A special lens is needed to photograph these smaller things. We call this lens a macro lens.
Using the internet to research macro photography, you may be overwhelmed with information about equipment and methods of photography.
I have seen alot of data about this subject. After trying macro photography, I can tell you that alof of data is misleading or incorrect about this subject.
The True Macro Lens
You should eventually read some photo blog about "true macro lenses." The blog may appear to be written by a "pro."
Let me explain that in order to be a "pro" at anything, you just need to make a single dollar doing it.
I could sell a photo to my neighbour but does it make me a pro? No.
a cheap magazine or newspaper could license my photo to save money but does that make me a pro? No.
I find that alot of John Doe Photography sites are amateur at best. Let me tell you why:
What is 1:1 ratio?
A true Macro lens is said to have a 1:1 ratio. What does this mean? it means, simply, "life size." So if you make a photo of ant with a 1:1 lens, then the ant is the same size to the sensor as it is in real life.
Sound cool? No.
I do not want lifesized images. Chances are, you do not want it either.
Fact is, noone wants it. Many photographers will try to convince you to buy an expensive 1:1 lens, yet they will quickly try to sell you more equipment to make the insect appear greater than lifesize. id est, 2:1 not 1:1.
Do you understand what is happening here?
I have a better idea: put the camera down, then go outside and look at an ant with your marvelous Human eyes. It's "life size" but so much better than all cameras and lenses.
Yes, human eyes outperform all of the world's camera equipment.
So why do people tell me to buy a 1:1 lens? honestly, I do not know why. I call them idiots.
If you are like me, then you want to see small things much larger than life size. Yes?
At the end of the day, most of us want to see small insects "larger" than life. I can see a lifesize ant with my eyes but I want a closer look. Nay, I want a larger photo of the ant. You too?
The real lens that you need is a "larger than life" size lens. In photo terminology this is a 2:1 lens or greater.
Amateur photographers will try tricks to magnify small insects which is senseless. You will be told about extension tubes and other useless garbage. Such photographers are idiots in my book.
Before we get to extension tubes and other useless tricks, I want to talk about the macro lens that you probably want more than a 1:1 lens. The 2:1 lens or greater.
As it stands, I cannot find a 2:1 lens from Nikon. Canon, on the other hand, has a fantastic 1-5x macro lens. Once again, Canon beats Nikon to the punch.
The MP-E 60mm 1-5x lens will help you see small insects two-to-five times larger than life-size.
Perfect! Now that is macro photography and we do not need to try silly tricks to accomplish our tasks of insect enlargement.
By the way, the Canon lens has been around for awhile now. I have no idea why people are still buying 1:1 with extension tubes and extremely expensive twin flash. Yikes!
How does a 1:1 macro Work?
A Macro lens works alot like a microscope. Notice the word micro- again. I will argue that Nikon uses their microscope technology for their macro lenses. I could be wrong but it works alot like a microscope, folks.
Much like a microscope, a macro lens requires alot of light and it can be difficult to focus on more than one area at close ranges. Try a cheap microscope at home, then think about this statement. It is true.
Imagine that you focus on the head of an insect at close range, then you will notice that the head of a small insect will be in focus but the body and its surroundings will be blurred. Such is 1:1 macro.
If you use telephoto zoom lenses for birds, then you probably think that a 1:1 macro lens works the same for small insects. That is not correct. Since 1:1 is lifesize, then you will not be able to magnify the insect to a larger size.
This is a problem only if you have the 1:1 macro. You are stuck with it, so tricks are all that is left for you, unless you can sell it to some amateur sucker.
Well, what are Extension Tubes?
The term tube is inappropriate for the actual item. I prefer to call them rings like many other photographers.
An extension ring is just a hollow ring designed to sit between the lens and the sensor.
People do this to magnify the insect more than 1:1 (I hope that you are laughing now that you know about the 2:1 concept.)
First of all, never trust a noname company with such an item. Do you realize that some of them try to allow the passing of electrical energy?
Think about it. A poorly-crafted ring could potentially short your lens and camera. What an expensive lesson to learn, eh?
Here is a good article about poorly-crafted electrical items
cheap usb-c cables: http://www.pcworld.com/article/3002064/computers-accessories/beware-bad-usb-c-cables-google-engineer-warnswhile-naming-names.html
a purposely designed usb-malware stick: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TidRpVWXBE
Get the picture? if an extension ring is not provided by the manufacturer, then you should avoid such items.
Think about this for a minute: popular ring manufacturers may argue that their design is safe.
However, they cannot convey autofocus data with their electrical design. Yikes! you cannot even properly convey the info electronically? You want me to trust you with my expensive equipment? Hell No.
You've been warned. Stay away from these items or use at your own risk. Nikon will not endorse the use of such itmes with the 105mm.
Are there other 2:1 lenses Besides the Canon 1-5x lens?
I am aware of a newer Venus macro lens but I know nothing about it. I am not interested in spending the money just to try it.
My Wife mentions something about an old Minolta lens but I have yet to research it.
As it stands, the Canon lens is the only one that offers 1-5x reality. The lens is said to be a manual focus lens only.
If you are not interested in this lens, then wait around for other 2:1 lenses to be made. Beware of digital zoom which simply means blowing up the image like using an image editor. Horrible.
What do I do now?
You can always use a 1:1 lens for larger insects or to make your "life size" photos while you wait for new 2:1 lenses to be made.
I am waiting for other lenses but I will only wait so long, then I will go for the Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro lens. The Canon 1-5x is so much better than my 1:1 lens. I am mad that I was suckered into buying equipment that I do not want or need.
You can make some very nice photos using a 1:1 lens if you have enough light to show the fine details. I will not pay for twin flash plus a diffuser on top of my camera and lens. I will just wrap cheap black pantyhose around my on-camera flash for now:
I hope that you learn a thing or two from my own experience.
I'm signing off now to admire some of the 2:1 shots made with the Canon:
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=364513
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