Camera lens for taking really good MACRO shots?

Yakima 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Homercidal

Homercidal

Licensed Sensual Massage Therapist.
HBT Supporter
Joined
Feb 10, 2008
Messages
33,269
Reaction score
5,708
Location
Reed City, MI
Wife has been getting into photography a bit. Mostly it's taking pictures of flowers with her Galaxy S6 or sometimes with our Nikon D50 DSLR.

The S6 takes some pretty nice macro shots when compared to the DSLR, but they aren't REALLY close up, like I'd like to be able to do.

We have the lens that came with the camera when it was new. Standard Nikon lens. I want to think it's like 18x55 or something. The second lens is a 300mm zoom, I think it's also Nikon.

I'm not sure how it's best to shoot really good close up pictures with this camera and lenses. Best I can get is still not really as good as the S6. And not quite as close as I would like to be able to zoom in.

I'm still learning how the different lenses affect this kind of shooting. It seems that a magnifying lens in front of one of these others would help, but I'm not sure that the right way to go about it. I am thinking there must be a preferred way to do this. I know a tripod or some other stabilizing method would be necessary as well. I'm just hung up on the lens requirements.

The 300mm zoom has a "macro" switch on it, but all that seems to do is lock it in the 200-300mm range. Lets us get up close without having to get really close, but won't focus in if you get any closer than normal. Doesn't seem to be helpful.
 
Nikon will have a selection of lenses that are primarily for macro. They will be costly. I would not get a zoom that has a Macro switch. Get a lens that is for macro. I don't think you will get quality macro photos with the Galaxy even with attachments.
 
Look into extension tubes for your camera model.

I bought a set for my Canon as an alternative to a true macro lens. There is a learning curve but they are effective and a LOT less expensive.
 
kh54s10 said:
Nikon will have a selection of lenses that are primarily for macro. They will be costly. I would not get a zoom that has a Macro switch. Get a lens that is for macro. I don't think you will get quality macro photos with the Galaxy even with attachments.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Go for the macro specific lenses. Not cheap but well worth it if you are serious about taking close-up pictures.
 
As to your magnifying glass idea, there are diopters available, which are often called "close-up filters" that can serve this purpose. I have used them in the lab a few times with decent results.

Again, nothing will beat a purpose-built macro lens (or "micro" as Nikon terms them). You should be able to find them used at a place like KEH for about 50% of retail, in excellent condition.
 
The best lens of any type I have ever owned is a Nikon 105 mm f/2.8 Micro-Nikkor which I bought so long ago I can't even remember when though it was for a Nikon F camera. Believe it or not in those days the image was captured on a plastic strip which was coated with light sensitive chemicals. After the picture was taken the strip was bathed in other chemicals which caused the image to appear. The stuff was called 'film'.

I was always really impressed with this lens and still am. I've used it on a sequence of later Nikon film and digital cameras and still do finding it superb on both those and a couple of HD video cameras. Keeping in mind that it came out decades ago you should not be surprised that it does not have VR/IF nor will it interface with any of the computer controlled stuff on your modern DSLR (or video camera). To use it you have to focus it and set the aperture yourself - just the way photographers did in the past. But the images are worth it.

Apparently it is still made. Check B&H - especially the reviews.
 
ajdelange said:
The best lens of any type I have ever owned is a Nikon 105 mm f/2.8 Micro-Nikkor which I bought so long ago I can't even remember when though it was for a Nikon F camera.
Click to expand...
That lens is a great portrait lens, in addition to a macro tool. Very sharp. I forgot about mentioning the older, AI and AI-S mount lenses. They still work on the digital bodies, but you have to all of the thinking yourself.
 
Sorry to say I am not looking to spend anywhere near the kind of money it takes to get one of those Nikon lenses you guys are recommending. It's just too much for a casual hobby right now. And I think my wife is looking to get a nice primary lens for portraits and everyday shooting.

I might try an inexpensive diopter that screws on the front of one of these lenses and see what happens.

AJ, I have an old box camera that takes 120 film. I've thought several times about trying to load some 35mm film into it see how it goes. Bulk film to fit it is kind of pricey and not easy to use these days, but I've heard you can adapt the spools to accept 35mm film and it will expose across the entire width of the strip. If you send it to the right places for development (or do it yourself) you can end up with the image across the whole thing. Makes for a cool effect in the end.
 
I was going to suggest B&H myself. I find lots of good stuff their. My old Canon FTb has a macro switch on the stock 50mm lens it comes with. Maybe a lens of that type is available for the Nikon? My DSLR's ( Canon Powershot S2 IS & SX500 IS) both have macro functions built in that can be done manually. And a tripod is definitely a must have! Walmart has some cheaper telescoping ones, like the 5' Targus I use that comes with carrying bag. I got both used from B&H for very little money. Certainly cheaper than a macro lens. And why, oh why, did they take my VR1000 & Kodachrome away???
 
I figured out why her S3 takes such nice macro pictures. She doesn't have to get terribly close to get a picture.

She just zooms in and crops on the computer.

And adds a good amount of HDR or whatever post-processing she likes to do. Her phone probably has a much better resolution that the older Nikon. The D50 is getting up in years now, but still takes some good shots if you take the time to learn how to use it, and conditions are favorable.
 
What is the model lens you have now? You referenced a 300mm zoom lens. All lenses have a minimum focusing distance which varies by lens. That information may be noted somewhere on the lens body if not it can be found online.

In terms of taking good "macro" shots there's a few things you can try with your existing set up.

1. See if your camera has a "macro" function. This will optimize your cameras settings for aperture, shutter speed, etc.

2. Get a tripod. Your 300mm lens magnifies everything - including any camera movement while you are taking a picture. Once you find out your minimum focusing distance you will want to set up your tripod/camera at or just beyond that distance.

3. The autofocus usually works great - since the depth of field for macro photos is fairly small - where you are focusing is important. You may find it easier to switch to manual focus and use the focus ring to lock in on the proper area you are trying to photograph.

4. Outdoor macro photography isn't easy - any movement in your subject or camera will show up as a less than clear picture. So if it's windy and you are photographing flowers you're going to have a hard time.

The d50 is probably about 10 years old but I bet it is capable of taking some great pictures. You or your wife will need to learn to use various camera settings to make that happen - setting it to "auto" won't yield the results you want for macro photography.

Here's dp reviews take on the d50. Your camera has a macro mode (its called vari program close up) - read what it says about using a tripod to avoid blurring.

https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond50/6
 
Last edited:
I do some macro photography as a hobby and take close ups of flowers and plants in my backyard. My camera is a Canon DSLR and I use close up filters that screw on to the end of the lens. I have a set of four, varying strengths, inexpensive. I get nice clear close shots without a tripod. I thought I may want to buy a macro lens and rented one from one of the lens rental websites out there. Such a lens definitely required a tripod. In the end I was happier with my inexpensive filters.
 
Looks like that extension tube does fit the D50 after all. But there is no connection for auto anything. If I want to add that the tubes cost about $60. Still not bad for what it gives, but I might try the cheap ones and manually focus for now.

Wife is playing with other stuff besides macro. She's learning more about aperture and shutter settings.

When I had an old Sony Mavica CD camera it had some nice modes to make changing the settings easy. At 2MP is wasn't very high res, but usually took better pics than the 5MP cameras that were coming out then. This Nikon is not nearly as user friendly. Takes a lot more hand son to do the basics IMO.
 
Kenko Extension Tubes...I know it's more expensive but good lord are they worht it to still have auto-focus etc. I loved mine when I was doing Macro shots. Another very cheap but in high learning curve option would be a reversing ring. That'd allow you to hook up two lenses, one to the camera, one in reverse on the end of the first lens. Pretty funky setup and it really helps if you can manually control the aperture on the second lens since it won't have any power. You can get some really incredible shots this way:

39776_781089967503_3375883_n.jpg


^that's a selfie of my own eyeball - not the smartest thing I've ever done since i had two studio lights blinding me for the shots.
Kenko Extension tubes
 
Excited to try out the cheap extension tubes. Tracking says they made is safe from China and should be on their way from NY! If they work well, and we use them, I can see the AF tubes in our future.

Wife loves to take photos of flowers and stuff (Mostly flowers for now). She's got her sights on a nice Primary lens for portraits and whatnot. I can see that as a birthday gift or something.

This link displays her posts from Instagram. Not bad for a beginner, I think. A bit of tweaking in software, usually.

http://www.pictaram.com/user/lovemedefleur/3531324982
 
not bad at all- some gorgeous stuff actually. Do you know what program she uses for editing? If it's lightroom I've got a TON of presets I could send over - they may not be her style, but they offer nice starting places for editing
 
Xernex said:
not bad at all- some gorgeous stuff actually. Do you know what program she uses for editing? If it's lightroom I've got a TON of presets I could send over - they may not be her style, but they offer nice starting places for editing
Click to expand...

I think she uses Photoshop CS 5 or maybe newer. She started out doing tweaks to photos of Jensen Ackles and other Supernatural stuff. It kind of morphed into this.
 
Homercidal said:
I think she uses Photoshop CS 5 or maybe newer. She started out doing tweaks to photos of Jensen Ackles and other Supernatural stuff. It kind of morphed into this.
Click to expand...

What no love for Jared Padalecki....I'm almost ashamed to admitthat I'm a supernatural fan.
 
Xernex said:
What no love for Jared Padalecki....I'm almost ashamed to admitthat I'm a supernatural fan.
Click to expand...

I'm a fan too, but I'm not a big JP fan. I think it's the hair.

Bobby was one of my favorites. Kind of miss him. And Charlie.

We have gone to Chicago to Supernatural convention (Chicon) the past 4 years. Going again the weekend after this one. It's a good time. Got to meet Osric Chau a few times in the hallway. His first season he was really laid back. He'd walk around the hallways in his PJs with a throng of young ladies hanging all over him. He's much less open these days, though.

And BTW Briana Buckmaster is a REALLY good singer. They do Karaoke night at the convention and have Chuck's band "Louden Swain" play all weekend. Most of the guest stars showing up to the convention get together and jam and sing. Crowley plays drums, Dean sings, Jody Mills sings. I think Sam just taps a tambourine... :D

Each year my wife stresses about buying tickets, and how many photo ops she can get, and how to set up the photo op to get a good pictures, etc. I don't understand that kind of attitude. They are just other normal people like everyone else. But it's her big thing, so I'm supportive.

I think she secretly started learning photography so she can get better pics of the boys on stage...
 
Dude that's really awesome - I'm a bit jealous.

Agreed on Bobby - but man I never realized how many shows Jim Beaver pops up in until recently.
 
Xernex said:
Dude that's really awesome - I'm a bit jealous.

Agreed on Bobby - but man I never realized how many shows Jim Beaver pops up in until recently.
Click to expand...

No doubt. But thankfully I haven't seen him as much as others. He'll always be "Bobby" to me. The idjit!

I wish he would come to Chicon!
 
I feel like he's usually still playing Bobby - especially when he was on Justified
 
Got the extension tubes yesterday. Threw them on real quick last night and the camera just flashed F-- on the screen. Didn't have time to look into it. Image seemed pretty dark as well. I'll have to play with it some more. There was ZERO instruction on the use, but it seems pretty self explanatory as far as how they mount.
 
One thing else to muddy the waters -- there are adapters that screw into the filter threads on the front of a std lens, say 50mm (old film days number, new APC sensor sizes make that 50 a bit of a zoom comparatively) then you turn the lens around and the other end of the adapter mounts on the camera. Makes a huge macro effect. Search for instance "reverse adapter". You get a much higher magnification and I think a little better quality than those front screw in diopter "filters". But nothing really beats the tuned optics of a true macro lens. One man's opinion. Representative article here.
 
Homercidal said:
AJ, I have an old box camera that takes 120 film. I've thought several times about trying to load some 35mm film into it see how it goes. Bulk film to fit it is kind of pricey and not easy to use these days, but I've heard you can adapt the spools to accept 35mm film and it will expose across the entire width of the strip. If you send it to the right places for development (or do it yourself) you can end up with the image across the whole thing. Makes for a cool effect in the end.
Click to expand...

I think the problem you will have here is that unless the pressure plate/film guide are changed the film will curl at the edges.

Now you are forcing me to reveal how ancient I am but Rollei used to make an attachment called the Rolleikin (because, I presume, it used cine film) that included a proper film guide, modified takeup spool and 35 mm cartridge holder so that you could take 35 mm with your Rollei but the masking was the normal 24 x 36 mm.

Back in the day we used to buy 35 mm film in 100' rolls and wind it into cartridges ourselves and, of course, process it ourselves. I think you can still buy black and white chemistry and B&H still sells the German kits for color negative and reversal films but they won't ship them anymore. Unless you live in the big Apple I don't know where you would get color processing kits. Time to put the Jobbo out on the curb I guess (not that I've used it in the last 5 years).
 
FYI I asked my wife what she uses to edit her photos and she just uses the software on her iPhone, generally. Most of her pics are on her phone. It's easier than the D50, and much smaller and takes good photos for what she's doing right now. I guess there are various filters and whatnot on Instagram.
 
ajdelange said:
Back in the day we used to buy 35 mm film in 100' rolls and wind it into cartridges ourselves and, of course, process it ourselves.
Click to expand...

Oh my, I kinda miss those days of winding film, either into cartridges or onto the film tank reels. Thanks for the memory. I'd go on camping trips with the scouts in the mountains and take 15 rolls of B&W stream pictures. Those were the days.
 
ajdelange said:
I think the problem you will have here is that unless the pressure plate/film guide are changed the film will curl at the edges.

Now you are forcing me to reveal how ancient I am but Rollei used to make an attachment called the Rolleikin (because, I presume, it used cine film) that included a proper film guide, modified takeup spool and 35 mm cartridge holder so that you could take 35 mm with your Rollei but the masking was the normal 24 x 36 mm.

Back in the day we used to buy 35 mm film in 100' rolls and wind it into cartridges ourselves and, of course, process it ourselves. I think you can still buy black and white chemistry and B&H still sells the German kits for color negative and reversal films but they won't ship them anymore. Unless you live in the big Apple I don't know where you would get color processing kits. Time to put the Jobbo out on the curb I guess (not that I've used it in the last 5 years).
Click to expand...

Here's a video of one guy doing this. I think I've seen other sites describing a carboard thing you can put inside the camera to support the edges of the film. Let's the light in through the middle where the film is.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p56pKkGWt9c[/ame]
 
balrog said:
Oh my, I kinda miss those days of winding film, either into cartridges or onto the film tank reels. Thanks for the memory. I'd go on camping trips with the scouts in the mountains and take 15 rolls of B&W stream pictures. Those were the days.
Click to expand...

When I was a kid I got into photography and developing B/W. School had the chemicals and enlargers.

Even for learning, there is nothing better than digital. Most prosumer 35mm digital cameras beat film in every single category. Resolution, film/exposure speed, dynamic range. Certainly convenience.

I think medium-format (and larger) film cameras can still produce ridiculous resolution, so if you're a pro and want to blow your pics up to poster size, that's where you want to be. I think people are practically giving away film cameras on ebay, including medium format, so if you have a few hundred $ you can get into it.

At the top of my closet I have a pretty sweet film Nikon SLR that is worth nothing. Zero. Maybe the lenses.
 
passedpawn said:
When I was a kid I got into photography and developing B/W. School had the chemicals and enlargers.

Even for learning, there is nothing better than digital. Most prosumer 35mm digital cameras beat film in every single category. Resolution, film/exposure speed, dynamic range. Certainly convenience.

I think medium-format (and larger) film cameras can still produce ridiculous resolution, so if you're a pro and want to blow your pics up to poster size, that's where you want to be. I think people are practically giving away film cameras on ebay, including medium format, so if you have a few hundred $ you can get into it.

At the top of my closet I have a pretty sweet film Nikon SLR that is worth nothing. Zero. Maybe the lenses.
Click to expand...

You may be able to upgrade the camera to a Digital SLR and use the lenses. if not, then they are worthless too. Lots of people keep their lenses, or are looking for lenses for the DSLR. Maybe you could ebay them for something.

I think phone is pretty good for most people's everyday pics. Mine is not very good. I wish Motorola would upgrade the camera in their phones. Still better than most smaller Digital camera from 10 years ago, though.
 
Found the error on my Nikon is from the camera not getting info from the lens. There is a way to override that, so maybe tonight I will get to actually take a picture with the extension tube in place.
 
Homercidal said:
You may be able to upgrade the camera to a Digital SLR and use the lenses. if not, then they are worthless too. Lots of people keep their lenses, or are looking for lenses for the DSLR. Maybe you could ebay them for something.
Click to expand...

You should repurpose them as a piggybacked astrophotography setup on your telescope. It's what some people have done. :)
 
balrog said:
You should repurpose them as a piggybacked astrophotography setup on your telescope. It's what some people have done. :)
Click to expand...

I really need to clean out the side shed and get back to polishing and figuring my telescope mirror. I'd love to be able to do that.

But I'm planning a Dob mount, which is really no good for taking pictures with. :(

I wish I could have a motorized German equatorial mount.
 

Similar threads

P
What happened to IPA?
2
Replies
49
Views
3K
Clint Yeastwood
Clint Yeastwood
jrsdws
Help Me With Water Chemistry
2
Replies
46
Views
3K
Hoochin'Fool
Hoochin'Fool
Langerz
"Odd" Fermentation Gravity Change
Replies
6
Views
484
hotbeer
hotbeer
Clint Yeastwood
Smartref Adventure Begins
Replies
12
Views
1K
matt_m
M
Hop
Ongoing Review: BrewHardware Premium Recirculating BIAB Package
Replies
4
Views
845
Bobby_M
Bobby_M

Latest posts

Back
Top