Do you use polariser when shooting bugs and critters with macro or close focussed images?

<p>The title says it all really.<br>

I recently purchased a 180/2.8 ais which has a 72mm filter thread. I don't have a polariser that size and I know someone would like to suggest using a step up ring and a 77mm that I have but the sliding hood is unuseable if I went that route. Flare is an issue with this large front element lens.<br>

Before I go down the road of buying $$$ worth of filter I need to solicite some advice from you guys.</p>

<p>Many thanks.</p>

<p>-I- don't but I can see how it might be useful under some circumstances. Getting rid of specular reflections from flash might be an application- put a cross-polarized filter on the flash- but I normally shoot in diffuse natural light so I'm not sure what benefit would be gained with a polarizer vs the loss of a stop or two of light...</p>

<p>I don't use one with bugs, but occasionally with plants and sometimes with rocks if shot in strong sunlight.</p>

<p>If you do closeups of bugs and critters using Ai-s 180/2.8, Nikon PN-11 extension tube and RRS B5 plate would be much more useful than PL filter.</p>

<p>I happen to do that fairly regularly -- especially when shooting dewy damselflies in the morning just after sunrise.</p>

<p>before sunrise dewdrops don't tend to blow out as much. Also, given the low light, additional loss due to polarization is usually unaffordable.<br>

However, after the morning sun starts shining directly on the subjects -- using a polarizer really helps reducing blown highlights. Colors tend to get a bit more saturated too -- sometimes (undesirably) resulting in darkening of the background.</p>

<p>No I do not. I would first shade the lens with the lens hood; then shade the subject with the something like an umbrella. Diffused light is usually better anyhow. I do 99.5% of my macro work with a tripod. If you do not have one, that is the first thing I would buy, then a good ball head, and lens plates as already mentioned. The PN-11 tube is a great investment. Get one as soon as you can. Go to Amazon used books or some other source and buy John Shaw's book "Close Ups in Nature." It will tell you all sorts of things you willneed to know. I hope your Nikon camera is a D 200 or higher body. Joe Smith </p>

<p>@ Akira<br>

Hi, what does that B5 plate do? I did notice how small the PN-11 foot is but wouldn't the B5 plate just take the place of the tripod head plate in the interface?</p>

<p> </p>

<p>From the RRS <a href="http://reallyrightstuff.com/rrs/Itemdesc.asp?ic=B5&eq=&Tp=">website</a>:</p>

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<p>"<strong>B5: Nikkor Lens plate for PN11 tube</strong></p>

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Specially designed for Nikon’s PN-11 extension (52.5mm) tube, with flange shaped to match heel of "bellied" foot on PN-11 tube collar. The B5 plate is tapped to permit stacking it atop the MPR-73 plate. This (B5+MPR-73) combo provides the clearance needed for mounting a B85-B flash bracket with the PN-11 tube behind the Micro-Nikkor AF 105mm/f2.8 lens. This permits 0.5X to 1.7X image scale, with the convenience of a rotating collar, and keeps the strobe centered, atop the lens, in both horizontal and vertical format."</blockquote>

<p>No. It's hard enough to get enough DOF even without a polarizing filter, especially if your bug is still alive and not "chilled, not shaken" or whatever.</p>

<p>Clive, look very carefully at the RRS catalogue and the Wimberley web site for a description of their plates and accessories. Lens plates can be double dovetailed, or not. This can allow for the attachment of a flash bracket. I do not know if the B5 has this feature or not. From reading the quote above, it sounds like a flash bracket can get mounted to to one of the plates in the quote. Does your 180mm lens have a tripod collar mount? If it does, it needs a lens plate. I would attach the 180mm lens to the ball head and not the PN 11 tube. For other lenses, the beauty of the PN-11 tube is that it turns any lens into a macro lens. I use it mostly with my 105mm macro lens and for this case the PN-11 tube gets attached to the ball head with a lens plate. <br>

Joe Smith</p>

<p>Hi Joseph,<br />There is no collar with the 180mm and I wondered whether I should look for one to take the load off the d300. Although looking at the lens there doesn't appear to be any space for the clamp to sit.<br />This is my version ...</p>

<p><a href="http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/nikon/nikkoresources/180200mmnikkor/180mm.htm">http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/nikon/nikkoresources/180200mmnikkor/180mm.htm</a></p>

<p> </p>

<p>Clive, your 180mm lens is a medium tele lens, not a macro lens. If you want to use it as a macro lens, you must add extension to it by adding extension tubes to it, like the PN-11 tube. You probably have a camera plate for your D 300 to attach it to a tripod's ball head. If you add the 180mm lens to the D 300, it becomes very front heavy placing strain on the plate and the bottom of the camera body. Risky in my opinion. You can add the PN 11 tube even for non macro situations. That gives you a better balance point for your lens/camera on your ball head. When you add the extension tube, you MIGHT affect the lens' ability to focus accurately at infinity. You will have to check this out. If that happens, just take the tube off in those shooting circumstances.</p>

<p>IMO there is nothing wrong with using a non macro lens for macro. I do it all the time with my long tele lenses. If the 180mm does not work for macro for you, an alternative is to buy the Nikon 200mm f 4.0 AF macro lens that is designed for macro (1:1) thru infinity. However it costs over $1000. Another alternative is to buy the manual focus version of the Nikon 200mm f 4.0. It does macro at .5 to 1, focuses thru infinity and comes with a tripod collar mount that is detachable. If you buy the mf version, get the PN 11 tube too then you can get to 1:1. If you get the mf version make sure it comes with the the tripod collar mount.<br>

Joe Smith</p>

<p>Hi Joseph,<br>

Yeah, I'm aware that the 180 isn't a macro lens hence my specifically adding 'Close focussed images' to my post title. I do have and presently use the PN-11 with this lens. It's my most used attachment and very handy for providing a mounting point for many of my other lenses even though none focus to infinity with it. I guess any lens is a macro lens with enough extension, and light of course.<br>

I have two bellows, a PB-4 & PB-6 which allow me to experiment with all sorts of combinations of my lenses and am always surprised at what works.<br>

This is the most satisfying thing about SLRs and Nikon in particular, that you can get good images with any number of lenses in almost any configeration of 30, 40, 50 yr old glass</p>

<p>"<em>Another alternative is to buy the manual focus version of the Nikon 200mm f 4.0. It does macro at .5 to 1, focuses thru infinity and comes with a tripod collar mount that is detachable. <strong>If you buy the mf version, get the PN 11 tube too then you can get to 1:1</strong>. If you get the mf version make sure it comes with the the tripod collar mount." </em>-- J Smith</p>

<p>Joseph, I am not aware of any 200mm/4.0 AI/AIS Nikkor (the 200mm/f4 AIS Micro included) that would get you to 1:1 just by adding a PN-11. Am curious which lens is this one that you are speaking of here?</p>

<p>FWIW, Nikon recommends adding a 2x TC (namely the TC-30X) for getting to life size with the 200/4 AIS micro. A better way is to add a Olympus MCON-35/Nikon 4T/Marumi 330 Achromat in the front to get up to nearabout life-size.</p>

<p>Clive: Coming back to your original question -- Pol's can be very useful for closeups of insects and such, but it is also unlikely you will be using them <em>all the time</em>. If possible, perhaps you can borrow from someone and see how it works out for you and how often you find yourself reaching out for it -- before you decide to purchase.</p>

<p>As ever, the more you try things out first hand, the less there will be myths/assumptions to inhibit your photography!</p>

<p><strong>Flare is an issue with this large front element lens.</strong><br>

Hmm if you are thinking of buying the 72mm filter because you only have a 77mm filter and are just concerned about flare, just shield the lens with a hat or piece of paper (I use my hand with my 16-85) if there are such offending light sources.</p>

<p>Have fun with your macro! I need to get back into that.</p>

<p>Alvin</p>

<p>I've used my old 180/2.8 pre-AI Nikkor with an M2 extension tube for closeups. It doesn't deliver as much magnification as a macro lens but does give me more working distance so it's useful for some situations such as remote control of the camera while staking out a hummingbird feeder.</p>

<p>The only time I've use a polarizer with a macro lens was with the 55/3.5 Micro Nikkor for copying documents, artwork and other photos. It's helpful with some paintings, especially oils and acrylics that have enough texture to produce reflections that can't be easily controlled with adjustments to lights and reflectors.</p>

<p>Arnab, your are right to make that correction and providing the correct info. I misspoke. What I wrote applies to the 105 AIS mf macro. Thank you for making the correction. When I used to use my 200mm f 4.0 AIS macro I used it either with my TC 301 or my PN 11 tube and sometimes both. I usually preferred just the PN 11 tube because it resulted in less loss of f stop and no loss of image quality and the amount of extension was about the same since the length of the tc 301 was pretty long. Joe Smith</p>

<p>Joseph -- no problems, thanks for confirming, I kind of guessed as much that you have the 105 AI/AIS Micro (either f4 or f2.8 variants) in mind.<br>

The PN-11 is a great accessory and that is why I have three of them :). TC 300/301 with the 200/4 AIS Micro is a little beyond impractical.<br>

BTW, I should mention that any achromat put in front of the 200mm/f4 AIS Nikkor should be reverse-mounted to retain corner sharpness..</p>