Macro Photography
| Most point and shoot cameras have a macro mode, usually indicated by a flower icon. Many lenses for DSLR's also have a macro mode. There are special macro lenses for DSLR's, and you can use extension tubes and teleconverters to affect DSLR lens focusing to achieve a macro image. | ||
| Click on any of the thumbnails in this section to open the original JPEG and
compare the differences. Though taken at different times, all the photos in this section are of the same book of matches. |
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| Nikon COOLPIX 5700 | Nikon COOLPIX 8800 | Nikon COOLPIX 2100 |
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| Canon OES 30D,
Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM |
Canon OES 30D,
Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM, Kenko Teleplus PRO300 DG 2X |
Canon OES 30D,
Canon 18-55mm kit lens |
| The four photos below were taken with a true macro lens. | ||
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| Canon OES 30D,
Sigma APO Macro 150mm f/2.8 EX DG HSM ISO 1000, f/22 |
Canon OES 30D,
Sigma APO Macro 150mm f/2.8 EX DG HSM, Kenko Teleplus PRO300 DG 2X ISO 1000, f/45 |
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| Canon OES 1Ds Mk III,
Sigma APO Macro 150mm f/2.8 EX DG HSM ISO 1600, f/22 |
Canon OES 1Ds Mk III,
Sigma APO Macro 150mm f/2.8 EX DG HSM, Kenko Teleplus PRO300 DG 2X ISO 1600, f/45 |
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While viewing the thumbnails from the Canon 30D and Canon 1Ds Mk III, it appears those taken with a 1Ds Mk III show the match book being further away, or taken with a shorter lens. If you open the images and view them at 100% you will see the match heads are actually the same size in both pictures. The full frame sensor records a larger image so elements appear smaller when viewed at less than full size.
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| Canon Rebel T2i (550D),
Canon 50mm f/1.8 and Kenko extension tubes |
Canon Rebel T2i (550D),
Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM and Kenko extension tubes |
Canon Rebel T2i (550D),
Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM and Kenko Teleplus PRO300 DG 2X |
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| Canon Rebel T2i (550D),
Sigma APO Macro 150mm f/2.8 EX DG HSM ISO 200, f/16 |
Canon Rebel T2i (550D), Canon EF 100MM F2.8 L MACRO IS USM hand held |
Here are three pictures of a rice mix on a rectangle measured to be the size of an APS-C sensor.
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| Canon Rebel T2i, Canon EF 100-400mm L IS USM, Kenko 2X teleconverter, Kenko extension tubes, see image below. |
Canon Rebel T2i, Canon EF 100MM F2.8 L MACRO IS USM |
Canon Rebel T2i, Canon EF 50mm F1.8, Kenko extension tubes |
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This is the setup for the Rebel T2i, Canon EF 100-400mm L IS USM, Kenko 2X teleconverter and Kenko extension tubes. The extension tubes are attached to the body, then the 2X teleconverter is attached to the extension tubes, finally, the lens is attached to the teleconverter. The distance between lens and subject, that little spot of stuff on the floor, required a tall tripod and standing on a chair so I could see through the viewfinder. To get some depth of field, the aperture can be closed down to f/40 or smaller, so away from studio lighting some speedlights triggered by radio might be appropriate. |
This is what a set of extension tubes looks like:
