Advice for macro beginner

[iancrowe]

Ian is correct about the hassle of manually stopping down an Adaptall lens on Canon EOS, which I understand is the case here - but that isn't for example a problem on my Nikons (or your Pentaxes), that was why the Adaptall concept was so clever in its day. And Canon of course pioneered the electrical versus mechanical approach with the EOS mount.

Buy yes - I still have my first 90/2.5 52B - in fact I have two, because I liked the lens so much that after we'd concluded that the first one was a 'bad copy' I bought another one - with the same result. So I also now have the 52BB (also 90/2.5) and for quite a while I didn't believe the Adaptall-2.com view that it was 'just a cosmetic' upgrade, because the blue spot problem isn't nearly so severe. However, following a discussion on the Adapted Lens Talk Forum, with a very knowledgable member Prof Hank D, I now know that it can be induced in certain lighting conditions, particularly strongly back-lit shots.

The good news is that the blue spot is not an issue for either the 52 lenses provided that the dedicated Macro tube that came with the lenses.

Adaptall-2.com is a good source, but it is incomplete and doesn't include the final Adaptall iteration of a 90 mm macro, which was the 72B 90mm f/2.8 - http://themanualphotographer.co.uk/tamron-adaptall-2-sp-90mm-f2-8-macro-72b/

That gives 1:1 macro without any extension tube, but they are rare and there's not much information on the net about them. I haven't found any reference to the blue spot issue arising with a 72B.

I think that the optical in the 72B hasn't changed significantly in the intervening years (except multi-coating maybe) and is still the basis of Tamron's modern AF 90/2.8s.

Hi

Thanks for the useful information. I picked up a Pentax mount Adaptall 2 SP 90 f/2.5 (52B) with the matching 2x Teleconverter (01F) and hood last week. Is this the dedicated Macro tube you were referring to?

The 01F definitely looks and acts like a Teleconverter rather than a Macro tube (it contains optics and allows the lens to focus to infinity while losing 2 stops of light).

I've not had chance to use it properly yet but it does seem to be an excellent lens.





Ian

 

[iancrowe]

Hello pros.

I have canon 1300d with 18-55mm kit and 50mm f1.8 stm lenses.

I read and did YouTube on macro photography and now am confused. Where should i start and what should i buy? Reversal ring, extension tubes?

I cant afford lens upgrade so need to be cost effective.

You have a number of options which I'll try an list in order of expense.

1) 49mm reversing ring together with your 50mm f/1.8 STM lens. This is probably the cheapest option. The problem is you lose control of the lens aperture. Either shooting wide open (not really a good idea when your dealing with tiny depths of field) or presetting the lens aperture on the camera and then removing the lens while it is stopped down (hold the DoF preview button on while switching camera off). Not really an easy technique and I'm not convinced it does the lens any good.

2) 49mm reversing ring with a manual lens (e.g. Pentax-M 50mm f/1.7). More expensive as you will have to purchase an old manual lens (they are surprisingly cheap via e-Bay/Gumtree/Craigslist) as well as the reversing ring.

3) Cheap extension tubes with your 50mm f/1.8 lens. Not as expensive as people make out, I picked up a set of fully automatic tubes for about £35 (roughly the price of a Pentax-M 50mm f/1.7 and a reversing ring). Do not bother with the cheap (less than £10) as they do not allow control of aperture (you're back to presetting the lens as mentioned in option 1). The positives of these are you get full control of aperture, focusing at maximum aperture and focus confirmation. The main drawback with extension tubes is that you can end up with your lens very close to your subject.

4a) Cheap close-up lenses. These are the low cost option but as with all optics you get what you pay for so be prepared for distortion, edge/corner softness, lack of contrast and chromatic aberration.

4b) Expensive close-up lenses e.g. Ranox DCR-250 these produce reasonable results but the price is beginning to intersect with option 5. Plus you are hanging a significant weight off the very front of your lens.

5) Adapted second-hand manual macro lens e.g. Tamron SP Adaptall 2 90mm f/2.5 macro lens. These require some research as a lot of lenses were labelled Macro when they came nowhere near true 1:1 magnification (basically all zoom lenses). Also they come with the hassle of manually stopping the lens down between getting focus and taking the picture.

6) Buying a second-hand Canon/Sigma/Tamron EF mount Macro lens. Most expensive but easiest to use option.

Hope this helps

Ian

Well am getting tripod soon so i might get reverse ring and extension tube with that only. I have toto manage the money. But if it gives me better result I will sort it out. Any tips with 18-55 kit lens?

If you're going to be using extension tubes I'd stick to using the 50mm f/1.8. One of the drawbacks of using extension tubes is that you reduce the amount of light hitting the sensor (a quick check with my 50 f/1.8 indicates you lose 1 stop of light with a 31mm extension tube). The kit lens at 55mm (which is where you will need to use to get any separation from end of your lens and the subject) has a maximum aperture of f/5.6 or over three stops darker than the 50 f/1.8 which is going to make focusing much more difficult even using live view. You won't gain anything by using the zoom and will make focusing much more awkward than it already is so I would concentrate on the 50mm f/1.8 STM.

Ian

 

[John Michael Winterbourne]

Hi Ian, no, the extension tube is 18F - (there's one on ebay UK at the moment for £30, I had to go check, I don't have all the Adaptall serial numbers off pat, thank goodness. There may be other 18Fs, I stopped looking once I'd checked the serial number).

The 01F is one of the top brand SP Adaptall TCs, but shares the same characteristics as any X2 TC - two stops lost, and the glass will have some effect on IQ. That doesn't make it a bad option, it will "enlarge" any of the basic len's faults, but if they are pretty small anyway? And at least you keep infinity focus, which you lose if you use the extension tube.

As an aside, I have seen some fairly heated debates (I think in the PentaxForums Adaptall Lens Club) on how heinous a crime it is to remove the glass from the X2 TC (which is an irreversible operation) to turn it into an extension tube.... nothing nasty, but it was fairly vigorous. I was on the "Aaargh! How could you do that?" side of the fence.

I don't suppose for a moment that the OP here has any interest in this sub-thread - but it's mostly this sort of happenstance sharing of info that keeps me coming back.

John

 

[iancrowe]

Hi Ian, no, the extension tube is 18F - (there's one on ebay UK at the moment for £30, I had to go check, I don't have all the Adaptall serial numbers off pat, thank goodness. There may be other 18Fs, I stopped looking once I'd checked the serial number).

The 01F is one of the top brand SP Adaptall TCs, but shares the same characteristics as any X2 TC - two stops lost, and the glass will have some effect on IQ. That doesn't make it a bad option, it will "enlarge" any of the basic len's faults, but if they are pretty small anyway? And at least you keep infinity focus, which you lose if you use the extension tube.

Thanks John. Really useful information.

As an aside, I have seen some fairly heated debates (I think in the PentaxForums Adaptall Lens Club) on how heinous a crime it is to remove the glass from the X2 TC (which is an irreversible operation) to turn it into an extension tube.... nothing nasty, but it was fairly vigorous. I was on the "Aaargh! How could you do that?" side of the fence.

I'm with you on that :-( Taking something as generally useful as a high end 2x TC and turning it into something as specific as an extension tube seems a criminal waste!!!

I don't suppose for a moment that the OP here has any interest in this sub-thread - but it's mostly this sort of happenstance sharing of info that keeps me coming back.

True, especially as the OP is based in India. However I did get it at a bargain price along with 3 Pentax lenses (including the 50 f/1.7) and 3 other Adaptall 2 lenses (with Pentax adaptors), a ME Super body, a Chinon CP6 body (with autowinder) and an Osram auto/manual flash (GN 44) for £70 from an advert on Gumtree.

The Tamron 35-75 f/3.5 semi-macro (1:2.8 at 50mm and beyond) is proving rather good on my G3 (it's what I used for the photos in my previous post).

All the best

Ian