What differences can be expected when using enlarging lenses for. Aug 18, 2014 looking for recommendations for a good quality enlarger 80mm or thereabouts enlarger lens second hand to use with a canon bellows for high magnification macro work, please. As the enlarger lenses have manual aperture, the viewfinder can be dark when we narrow the aperture. An enlarger lens is specifically designed to project light through a flat negative onto a sheet of printing paper. Over the last couple years, i have performed a moderate amount of. This is an excellent choice for a first extreme macro enlarger lens. A telephoto lens connects to the macro focusing ring via its tripod collar. This is parallel to the usual taking lens situation where theres a small image behind the lens and a large subject in front of it. Reverse adapters for enlarging lenses custom photo tools. This wideangle lens was meant for printing mediumformat negatives at quite large sizes on paper, without using a long enlarger column. Basically the lens consists of a reversed 65mm lens with a variable length extension tube. Move your camera closer to your subject until it is in focus. A 4x5 negative will require a lens of at least 5mm focal length. But, this setup is very bulky and inconvenient to carry around.
The pre ww2 graflex slr had a micro tessar folks used on an auto graflex that had a. Mar 25, 2020 while macro lenses are often used to take photos of things close up, how theyre used isnt actually what defines them. Extreme macro using reversed enlarger lenses youtube. While macro lenses are often used to take photos of things close up, how theyre used isnt actually what defines them. A macro lens is a dedicated camera lens that is optically optimized to handle extremely close focusing distances and can take sharp, highly detailed images of microscopic subjects. Using a poor enlarger lens although the accepted wisdom is not to use these 4 element lenses for extreme macro, if its a choice between having a stab at extreme macro with a poorer lens or waiting for the perfect lens to show up, dont hesitate to use the poorer lens. Check out this great video to learn how to use any lens to get started with. How and why to hack an enlarger lens onto your mirrorless. Although that setup produced some good results, it was quite challenging to use and the lens wasnt that sharp.
The test results are only being posted to share this information. How to use any lens for macro photography fstoppers. There is not much difference in design or performance between a nikon 50mm f2. Enlarger lenses are among the cheapest goodquality optics. Turn the focus ring on your lens to the closest focus distance. The enlarger lenses used by film photographers to create prints from developed negatives. Reversed enlarger lenses suitable for extreme macro. Message page 1 of 1 1 using a 50mm enlarging lens as a macro lens on canon 450d on sun feb 20, 2011 2. Enlarging and process work is probably the most demanding work for the lenses we commonly use. Enlarging lenses are optimized for enlarging, just as taking lenses are optimized for taking.
Macro photography how to use a macro lens digital photo. To begin, you need to attach your camera or lens to the macro focusing rail. The surmise comment was about the apo lens mentioned, not the others. Apparently this was designed as a reprocopy lens for use on ortho film, not an enlarging. As far as im aware, theres only one macro lens designed for taking photos at magnifications greater than 1. Oct, 2009 basically, there are two ways to use the enlarging lenses. Using closeup filters is a great way to get started with macro style photography, but they have some very important limitations that you need to be aware of to start. This usually allows you to focus to infinity if the lens is longer than 90mm or so, and it lets you use the enlarging lens as a macro lens. Jan 09, 2009 to illustrate, here are a few sample images i took using teleconverters all with canon 100mm f2. This lens is designed to cover a 60x90 mm negative, which explains its wideangle denomination, its rather large size in spite of the relatively modest aperture and focal length, and the large size of its front. Turn an old kit lens into a macro lens by removing the. This technique allows an enlarging lens to be used just like any normal lens for all kinds of photography, not just macro. There are many interesting and unusual enlarging lenses that can be used as taking lenses. If you are going to be using a medium format camera and shooting 6x7cm format, you will need an enlarger lens of 90mm or longer to print those images.
Regular lenses have a minimum focusing distance which doesnt allow you to get close enough to a tiny subject to make it that big. I looked at a few options, and the best i could find was the olympus 60mm f2. Overall then, wed recommend a macro lens with a 90mm to 105mm focal length, a fairly fast f2. Apr 25, 20 i have also been using enlarger lenses on bellows. I suspect that individual sample of a given lens design will vary more than differences between competing brands of similar design. If youre looking for a longer macro lens but dont want to spend on the canon 180mm, then the sigma 150mm os is an excellent choice.
The test this test of 7 enlarging lenses, is a third part of a 4 part test comparing 33 objectives and lenses at 4x magnification. According to the info i found on an internet search. Usually, you use the tripod thread on the bottom of your camera, unless you are using a telephoto macro lens. Using the right enlarger lens, exception to the rules. Of the lenses i use most frequently, which would be best for closeup photograph y generally 1. Introduction to extreme macro photography discover. Looking for recommendations for a good quality enlarger 80mm or thereabouts enlarger lens second hand to use with a canon bellows for high magnification macro work, please. Oct 08, 2012 most of the time, helicoid adapters are used for macro focusing. Elnikkor 50mm f4 enlarger lens second from the right, similarly reversed because of the different diameter of its filter attachment, it requires a different elnikkor.
This test of 7 enlarging lenses, is a third part of a 4 part test comparing 33 objectives and lenses at 4x magnification. However, flexibility in focal length makes these lenses extremely useful for photographers who. Taken using the enlarger lens and bellows pictured right, these macro shots are. With the longer lenses, the imageforming cone of light projected by the lens is wider at the point where it enters the camera throat than with the shorter lenses. The results from macro photography, when well done, can be spectacular as a dazzling, miniature world comes to life. Make zoom macro lenses work for closeup photography. Basically, there are two ways to use the enlarging lenses. You can use enlarging lenses, especially largeformat enlarging lenses, to make a digital camera using a scanner. Enlarging lenses are designed for high resolution and for flatfield focus, and this is a major advantage on using it for macro and micro photography. Using a focusing rail can help you master this method. To finetune the focus, use the zoom feature in live view to get the most accurate focus point possible. In cases of high magnification, definitely get an enlarger lens. For subjects such as flowers where there are large areas of outoffocus background, bokeh becomes important. Introduction to extreme macro photography discover digital.
Using a 50mm enlarging lens as a macro lens on canon 450d. I attach the lens reversing ring onto the bellows unit, screw on a stepup ring, and attach the lens to the exposed male thread using the front thread of the lens. A macro lens has the ability to focus from infinity to 1. I know that in the 3 5mm world, a 100mm macro lens will allow more distance between lens and subject than a 50mm macro, but i also realize that i need 420mm of bellows draw for 1. Using an enlarging lens on an slr for macro work is old. I received a question asking whether its ok to use a teleconverter tc to take supermacro photos. Most of my enlarging lenses in the 40mm to 105mm range use either 40.
I will be starting such a project in the next couple weeks, when school is out for the summer. The pre ww2 graflex slr had a micro tessar folks used on an auto graflex that had a longer bellows throw. Want extreme macro results without having to pay the extreme prices of a macro lens. The challenge here was low light, low visibility, and a frickin small nudibranch that wouldnt stop moving. Enlarging lenses closeup and macro photography for. Enlarger lenses that dont work reversed for extreme macro. Ive used enlarging lenses for macro in the past as well as. In effect, the helicoids become an adjustable macro extension tube, moving the lens back and forth to give the required level of magnification. The term macro doesnt have a universally agreedupon definition. Apr 07, 2014 i sometimes use a reversed enlarging lens on a nikon bellows unit.
Descriptions of experiences using enlarging lenses and reasons for choosing to do so would be appreciated. For extreme macro photography, the better enlarger lenses to use are six element enlarger lenses. Modern macro lenses are easier to use in dimly lit environments where a bright viewfinder automatic aperture is required. Reversed enlarger lenses suitable for extreme macro photography. Ill show you how to capture pinsharp closeups with. Once your camera is set up on the macro focusing rail, you need to decide something. When used with an m39 screw thread, the helicoids can be used with an enlarger lens, and the lens used as if it were a normal optic. The canon and nikon longer 180200mm macro lenses are fine, but they are older designs, not quite as sharp, big and heavy and generally more expensive. With wildlife, the appearance of your hand in front of your camera to adjust the aperture may startle your.
These lenses are considered to be the normal or standard focal length of. Feb 20, 2011 1 using a 50mm enlarging lens as a macro lens on canon 450d on sun feb 20, 2011 2. This lens is reversed onto nikon bellows by using an elnikkor reversing ring shown at the bottom of the lens of appropriate size and an m39tonikon adapter ring. Nov 05, 2019 a true macro lens is one which is specially designed to focus up close and can do a 1. The focotar2 was designed specifically as an enlarging lens. Im interested in optical differences, but discussion of other differences are welcome. And, a 4x5 negative requires at least a 150mm lens. For macro flash photography, you are better off using a lens with a fullyautomatic diaphragm pin most pentacon six lenses, instead of a macro lens, where it is necessary to stop down the lens manually before firing the shutter. Although the accepted wisdom is not to use these 4 element lenses for extreme macro, if its a choice between having a stab at extreme macro with a poorer lens or waiting for the perfect lens to show up, dont hesitate to use the poorer lens. Some use it loosely as a synonym for any closeup while others claim that a 1. You can also buy special adapters that allow a filter or a lens hood to be attached to the rear of a lens. So, if youre curious and you have a couple of bucks to spend on an experiment, pick up an enlarger lens for your own mirrorless camera. If you have an old plastic kit lenses lying around, something that you are not using for anything serious, you can give it a new life as a macro lens by removing the front element.
Lens tests for various macro lenses, bellows lenses, microscope objectives, and enlarging lenses. This is a nuts and bolts explanation about adapting enlarger lenses to a common digital camera that accepts interchangeable lenses. This comparison was made to find out which lenses perform best at this magnification. I picked up very cheap 25mm enlarging lens used for 16mm negatives. There are many interesting and unusual enlarging lenses. Actually, i get asked about this often, so i figured its worth writing a bit about this topic. For instance, is there any reason to use an enlarging lens for macro photography instead of, say, using extension tubes with another lens. A zoom lens with macro focusing technology doesnt provide the closeup and macro results that professional or serious amateur macro photographers are looking for, and its not an ideal lens for photographers who are interested in achieving simple and instant macro results. The darkroomgetting the most from enlarger lenses shutterbug. A little while ago, i decided to get a macro lens to replace my previous setup of a 200mm telephoto lens with the raynox dcr250. The sigma 180mm macro lens is a little better still, but its much heavier even than this lens, so we think the 150 is probably the best overall tradeoff for a long macro. This enlarging lens is being used with a helicoid to focus the lens from close range all the way to infinity. The test results are only being posted to share this informati. Most of the time, helicoid adapters are used for macro focusing.
While any lens with a pentacon six mount will fit onto the bellows or tubes, not every lens is suitable for macro work or for use with long tubes or a large bellows extension. Of course, the primary reason anyone chooses a macro lens is to do extreme closeups at magnifications at or close to 1. Enlarger lenses in photomacrography enrico savazzi. For higher magnification ratios and greater image quality, reverse mounted enlarging lenses on a bellows is the most usefull combination.
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