The $50 macro lens

[BCampbell]

I have a how-to on my blog about getting into macro shooting for $50.

Photo This » The $50 Macro Lens

Here's a sneak peek:

[PWhite214]

Looks great. The combinations are almost endless due to 'glassless adapters' from the Orient plus an inexpensive set of extension tubes. Good work.

Phil

[amyhoman]

I am very impressed with your flower pic. I especially found the fly to be fantastic!!! I recently have been messing with cheap alternatives for macro so I want to know how are you able to get so close without making a bug move? I have a canon 50 mm fixed lense 1:1.8 and 3 extension tubes 13mm, 21mm, and 31 mm. You have to manually focus on the object so I am literally on top of what I am trying to shoot. Any suggestions? Thanks for your time. Amy

[RLucas]

Great post! Subscribed too!

[BCampbell]

Originally Posted by amyhoman

I am very impressed with your flower pic. I especially found the fly to be fantastic!!! I recently have been messing with cheap alternatives for macro so I want to know how are you able to get so close without making a bug move? I have a canon 50 mm fixed lense 1:1.8 and 3 extension tubes 13mm, 21mm, and 31 mm. You have to manually focus on the object so I am literally on top of what I am trying to shoot. Any suggestions? Thanks for your time. Amy

Thanks! I honestly just got lucky with that fly. I just kept getting closer and it didn't move, I have no idea why.

I assume you're using the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8. My suggestion would be not to use this lens, as the manual focus is just not very good. I think that when using a solution that doesn't let you autofocus to use a lens designed for manual focus.

Another option, if your camera has the ability, is 10x live view.

RLucas, thanks!

I've been experimenting with this setup some more and have a few more shots on the way, I'll link to them from the blog.

[RLucas]

I did have a question though. I am a Nikon user, but I am assuming I can still use the same lens you recommended, with substituted adapters. Would this be correct?

[BCampbell]

Honestly, I'm not 100% sure. Nikon has a different backspacing, so the adapter choices are more limiting. I would look for a lens mount that adapts to the Nikon mount (I think one option is M42 to F-mount), most importantly one that does not need its own glass element. Once you have that, you should be able to find F-mount tubes.

[RLucas]

Thanks for the info. I will check in to it more. I just thought I would not be in to macro, but after seeing some of this stuff, it piqued my curiosity. The more budget friendly I can be, the better. Just in case.
Thanks again.

[amyhoman]

When i look up prime lens with k mount I only find the 50mm canon lens. What lens would you reccomend? Also I have found that when I use live view my pics using extension tubes are very blurry. Anyways, I was just looking for some more tips. Thanks!!
Amy

[BCampbell]

Originally Posted by RLucas

Thanks for the info. I will check in to it more. I just thought I would not be in to macro, but after seeing some of this stuff, it piqued my curiosity. The more budget friendly I can be, the better. Just in case.
Thanks again.

I see this and these, which should do the trick, though you can probably find the tubes a little cheaper. There are plenty of really nice manual lenses in M42 mount; in fact, you might find some stuff that's fun to shoot without the tubes.

But, I would still see if you can find someone who's done this with a Nikon body, I haven't tested any of that.

Originally Posted by amyhoman

When i look up prime lens with k mount I only find the 50mm canon lens. What lens would you reccomend? Also I have found that when I use live view my pics using extension tubes are very blurry. Anyways, I was just looking for some more tips. Thanks!!
Amy

What you would be looking for is a k-mount to EOS adapter, something like this, though you can probably find a better price with more searching. That will let you mount old k-mount manual lenses to your camera, with or without the EF extension tubes. These old lenses are much better for manual focus, as they have smoother focus rings with longer throws. You will have to shoot in M or Av mode, though, and stop down manually on the lens -- that's a source of its own problems. With practice, you'll be okay.

There are other options aside from k mount, it's just that there are plenty of old k mount prime lenses out there for dirt cheap. The aforementioned M42 mount is another great choice.