Lenses for macro (bug size) beyond 1:1 magnification

[dave_gold]

<p>Hello,<br>

I've asked about lenses suitable for taking macro bug-size photos, and got a lot of answers - thank you all...<br>

In fact, I am interested in ratio of beyond 1:1 - meaning magnification of the object...<br>

I am not skilled in all difficult setups with multiple adaptors and lenses...<br>

Counld someone point for lense which fits macro magnification for my Nikon D40 (unnesessarily with autop focus feature) or explain about some suitable multi- lense setups?<br>

I own lense of Nikkor 18-200.</p>

<p>Thank you for your time,<br>

David.</p>

[epp_b]

<p>Well, I've never used macro/micro lenses myself, but I think most of Nikon's Micro lenses have a 1:1 reproduction ratio. You could mount extension tubes and/or macro diopters (you'll probably have better quality results with the former) for higher magnification ratios.</p>

<p>The only problem is that your depth of field will be fractions of a millimeter. A small aperture and good lighting are a must. At such high magnifications, a tripod will be useful as well.</p>

[wj_lee]

<p>http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00Rg8Y</p>

<p>Without the teleconverter it'd be about 1.7x magnification, and the lens and the converters weren't particularly expensive.</p>

[SCL]

<p>Most people when going for a magnification much beyond 1:1 use dissection or industrial inspection microscopes for this purpose, not regular camera lenses. Reasons include better flat field and chromatic aberation correction in the lenses, increased subject to lens distance, and fine focus controls. Your camera merely attaches to a third tube (the other two are for viewing - oculars) on top of the microscope. Generally these type of scopes maginfy from around 5x to around 40x. The answers you received in your earlier post were excellent answers up to around 1:1. I won't tell you your current lens can't do what you want, but merely that it wasn't designed for the task you wish to accomplish and won't give optimal results. If you must use your present lens, you will probably need to find a bellows and adapters, of course a tripod and good solid head, to achieve your goal, and remember that exposure increases dramatically with increased extension. You said you're not skilled in multiple adapters and lenses...I'd suggest you start becoming knowledgable in this area before you waste a lot of money.</p>

[joseph_smith3]

<p>Dave, the simple answer is to use a macro lens that goes 1:1, add extension with ext tubes and/or teleconverters and support it all with a good tripod and ball head. With your D 40, I believe you will/could lose metering as you add non AF ext tubes or tcs to your macro lens. Check your D 40 manual and read the fine print on the table that talks about lens compatibility. As a practical matter, you are going to be limited in the magnification you can effectively achieve.<br>

You could use two lenses, one in reverse position, like a 105m and a 50mm, and get about a 2:1 magnification. I have tried to do this, but you are about 1 inch away from the subject. Not very practical for live subjects.<br>

Go to the Learning tab at the top of the Photo.net page and click on macro and read more.<br>

Joe Smith</p>

[Michael R Freeman]

There are lots of ways to get beyond 1:1, some of which may or may not be practical for your setup (a D40 that requires electronic communication with the lens for metering).

 

Probably the quickest and easiest way for you is to add an autofocus teleconverter (for metering purposes, not AF) like the Kenko Pro 300 or Tamron SP-AF to an autofocus macro lens that goes to 1:1, such as the earlier AF Micro-Nikkor 60/2.8D, AF Micro-Nikkor 105/2.8D, or AF Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Macro. You won't get autofocus with these setups, but you won't want it anyway.

 

A 1.4X teleconverter will allow you to go to 1.4:1, and a 2X teleconverter will get you to 2:1, and will preserve the working distance of the lens (you'll be working at the same distance as you would at 1:1 with the lens alone).

 

Needless to say, at these magnifications a rigid tripod and head is an absolute necessity.

[Dieter Schaefer]

<p>Canon MP-65E<br /> http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=155&modelid=7325<br>

Of course, you need a Canon camera to go along with it...<br>

And some sort of lighting set-up...</p>

 

[Robert DeCandido PhD]

<p>Hi,</p>

<p>Check Ebay because they come up occasionally:</p>

<p>Nikon 65mm F4.5 (Macrophot group)<br>

120mm (F4?) (Macrophot)</p>

<p>There also two in the 35mm and the 19mm range - for very high magnifications. Have a look here for descriptions of these lenses:<br>

http://www.naturfotograf.com/lens_spec.html<br>

http://nikongear.com/smf/index.php?topic=14010.0</p>

<p>I recommend emailing the later fellow (or checking his web site) for availability of these lenses.</p>

<p>Finally, if Joe W. is around, he is very all-knowing on Nikon Macro plus</p>

<p> </p>

[walterh]

<p>Dave shooting macro beyond 1:1 is a challenge in technique. Without knowing how to do it just the gear will not get you very far.<br>

Search for books and on the internet to read up first.<br>

Here is one of many threads you can easily find by searching photo.net:<br>

http://www.photo.net/photography-education-forum/006RHM</p>

[alex_lofquist]

<p>I cobbled together an adaptor for going to about 4X using a reversed 20mm FL lens salvaged from a 16mm movie camera. (There is no problem in coverage on a 35mm full frame format when used this way.) It takes the BR2 and BR3 rings and a homemade adaptor from a plastic camera body cap for mounting the reversed lens to the BR3.</p>