Post by USM on Nov 25, 2010 4:32:40 GMT 8
Welcome to the world of macro photography! ;D
For those who are interested in shooting tiny/microscopic subjects, here are some tips for your reference.
But before that, let me go through some of the terms that you will encounter frequently.
What is Magnification Ratio?
"Magnification ratio" is a technical term used in macro photography. Such ratios are based on size comparisons between real-life subjects and how they are captured on film/sensor. It is how much you wanted to see.
We often hear the term 1:1 especially on delicated macro lenses. What exactly it means? A magnification ratio of 1:1, or life-sized, means that a subject that is 1" long in real life will also measure 1" on film/sensor.
On the other hand, a 2:1 ratio means that the subject captured will appear twice its size. The numerical sequence moving from life-size to smaller and smaller increments is therefore expressed as 1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 1:4, and so on. Inversely, a magnification ratio of 2:1 or 3:1 means that the subject on film will appear twice or three times its original size.
Why is Magnification Ratio important?
The magnification ratio determines the level of detail revealed in the shot. As one moves closer to the subject, the total area recorded decreases, therefore magnifying the level of detail seen. For example, a 50mm lens captures a subject at 0.15x or 1:6.7 magnification.
How to calculate Magnification Ratio?
The formula to calculate the magnification when using an Extension tube is :
d / f where,
d = the extension length of the tube in mm
f = the focal length
For example, a 25mm extension tube with a 50mm lens yields a magnification of 25/50 = 0.5x or 1:2
The formula to calculate the magnification when using an Close-up Filter is :
f / c where,
f = the focal length
c = close-up filter in mm
For example, a 250D close-up filter with a 50mm lens yields a magnification of 50/250 = 0.2x or 1:5
Is Depth of Field important?
The depth of field is very shallow in macro photography. Therefore, it is critical to focus on the most important part of the subject, as elements that are even a mm closer or farther from the focal plane might be noticeably blurred. I would recommend an apeture of f16-22 for macro photography.
What is Working Distance?
It is measured from the front of the lens to the subject.
Why understanding of Working Distance is important?
1. Situations when approaching the subjects are hazardous, e.g. taking a photo of a poisonous snake.
2. Greater flexibility for lighting the subject, e.g. the risk of the flash to blow out the highlights of the subject if the flash is placed too close to it.
3. Easier to take close-up photos of jittery insects, e.g. dragonfly.
What is Minimum Focusing Distance / Closest Focusing Distance?
This is the distance from the film/sensor plane to the subject.
Technically, there are 6 ways to shoot macro subjects, namely :
1) Delicated Macro Lens
2) Extension Tube
3) Close-up Filter
4) Teleconverter
5) Prosumer Camera
6) Reverse-lens Mounting
I shall explain each of them in just a while. Note that I shall skip on the topic on using a bellow since most of us will not buy and use it.
1. Delicated Macro Lens
The fastest and most straight forward way to shoot macro is to get the delicated macro lens. All Canon macro lenses except the EF 50mm f3.5 Macro (1:2) allow you to achieve 1:1 magnification. These are the Canon delicated macro lenses.
aLifesize (1x) or 1:1 magnification is possible by attaching the life size converter EF
bDiscontinued
I will briefly talk about each of the macro lens.
1. The EF 50mm f3.5 Compact Macro is a very compact macro lens which measures only 67.6 x 63mm. It is a very old lens which was marketed in 1987. It has no USM or IS built-in. In addition, the lens barrel extends out when focusing. Last but not least, it allows you to achieve 0.5x or 1:2 magnification only unless a Life Size Converter EF is attached in order to achieve 1x or 1:1 magnification.
2. The EF-S 60mm f2.8 Macro USM is designed for 1.6x crop factor EOS models. Introduced in 2005. It is also a very compact (73 X 69.8mm) and light lens (335g). This lens employs internal focusing system and the lens barrel does not extend when focusing.
3. The MP-E 65mm f2.8 1-5x Macro Photo is the only macro lens that allows you to achieve 5x magnification. This means that you can achieve 5 times the size of the subject on the film/sensor. This is very useful for forsenic jobs. The downside of this lens is that it is a fully manual lens. There is no autofocus mechanism built-in on the lens.
4. The EF 100mm f2.8 Macro was marketed in 1990. It is a very old lens by now. It has no USM, FTM and IF. The lens barrel extends out when focusing. It has been discontinued and replaced by the EF 100mm f2.8 Macro USM.
5. The EF 100mm f2.8 Macro USM was introduced in 2000. It took Canon 10 years to come out with this replacement. Although it replaces the EF 100mm f2.8 Macro lens marketed in 1990, it is a completely new design. It incorporates a ring type USM giving quiet, high-speed autofocus. The full-time mechanical manual focus gives very smooth manual focusing. For the first time in a 1X focusing telephoto macro lens, inner focusing is used. The lens length remains constant and a long working distance of 149mm makes worrying about getting too close to the subject unnecessary. Also, during focusing the front ring does not rotate making use of front-mounting accessories like macro ring lites simple and effective.
6. The EF 100mm f2.8L Macro IS USM is the first medium-telephoto macro lens to incorporate Hybrid IS, a new Image Stabilizer technology that optimally compensates for both angle camera shake and shift camera shake. In addition to a dust- and moisture-proof structure for shooting even under severe conditions, the new lens also offers a 9 blades circular aperture for beautiful, out-of-focus blurring effects for points of light, even during close-range shooting.
While the EF100mm f2.8L Macro IS USM features an approximate 4-shutter speed steps correction capability during normal shooting, it also realizes an approximate 3-shutter speed steps when shooting at 0.5x magnification and two steps at 1x when shooting close-range.
7. The EF 180mm f3.5L Macro USM lens is ideal for photographing insects and small animals, where a long working distance is needed, as minimum focusing distance is 0.48m. The lens length does not change during focusing. Maximum magnification can be increased either 1.4X or 2X by using Extender EF1.4X or EF2X.
When choosing a macro lens, please take extra note that you have to buy a lens that its barrel does not extend out when focusing. This is very important. You do not want a situation that the lens barrel touches and frightens the subject when you are focusing.
Let us look at some photos taken by macro lenses.
2. Extension Tube
It offers an alternative at a modest cost for shooting macro subjects. Currently, the latest Canon Extension tubes are the 12mm and 25mm mk II. The mk II allows you to mount it with EF-S lenses. As for 3rd party, Kenko comes in the form of 3 tubes, namely 12mm, 20mm and 36mm. The greatest advantage of using extension tube is that it will not affect metering and AF of the camera. The camera will still automatically calculate the amount of light loss via TTL and AF continues to work as per normal.
The advantage of using Extension tube is that it is almost compatible to all the lenses. There is no variation in terms of thread size like close-up filter.
However, extension tube has its demerit too. The cost is the loss of light (f-stop) depending on the types of tube used.
Light loss caused by extension tube is inversely proportional to the focal length of the original lens. For example, a 25mm tube results in a 1 stop loss on a 50mm lens, but only a 1/2 loss on a 100mm lens, or 1/4 stop loss on a 200mm lens.
One thing to note that Extension tube provides higher magnification than close-up filter for shorter focal lenses such as 85mm and below. The reverse is true for longer focal length lenses. See below examples :
0.16x magnification by the lens itself (EF 70-200mm f2.8L USM)
0.41x - 0.14x Magnification
EF 70-200mm f2.8L USM + 25mm Extension Tube.
0.21x - 0.14x / 0.55x - 0.39x Magnification
EF 70-200mm f2.8L USM + 500D Close-up Filter
Therefore, you can see that close-up filter provides higher magnification for telephoto lenses, usually any focal length above 85mm.
3. Close-up Filter
Close-up filters can be used on any brand of lens. They are clear and only affect the close focusing ability of the lens used. Also, they do not affect the exposure. For example, the Canon 500D filter which is a double element lens. The 500 represents the no. of mm of working distance when the lens is set to infinity focus. The 500D filter is recommended for lenses in the 70 – 300mm range while the 250D filter is used for lenses from 50 – 135 mm range.
Close-up filters help you to increase the magnification of the lens that you are using. In my illustration, I am using the EF 85mm f1.8 USm lens together with 2 close-up filters. Ideally, attachment of 2 close-up filters are the best before serious degardation of IQ sits in if you use more than 2.
With just the lens itself, the magnification ratio is only 0.13x.
Canon 250D and Hoya HMC Achromat filters. The former is a +4 diopter while the latter is +5 diopter strength.
Using these 2 close-up filters on the EF 85mm f1.8 USM lens yields you a 2.25x or 2.25:1 magnification. Isn't that fantastic? You are getting something that is larger than the original size of the subject on the film.sensor.
Let us look at some real photos taken by this combo.
Are you impressed with the above photos? The close-up filter is a very good alternative to macro photography. However, you need to know the thread size of the lens that you wanted to pair with. Generally, the larger the thread size of the lens, the more expensive will be the close-up filter. Therefore, I would recommend to use on smaller thread size lenses such as 52mm or 58mm or 67mm. Another drawback of using the close-up is that you will loss infinity focusing. So if you suddenly wanted to shoot a distance subject, you are unable to do so unless you remove the close-up filter.
As for which close-up filters to recommend, I would highly recommend the Canon 250D or 500D as well as Hoya Achromat filters.
Diopter strength is cumulative, i.e. a +1 diopter plus a +2 diopter = a +3 diopter. The formula to calculate the magnificatio ratio of using multiple close-up filters is : (Diopter strength of Close-up A + Diopter strength of Close-up B) / 4. In my above illustration, a Canon 250D is a +4 diopter while the Hoya Achromat is a +5 diopter, so the magnification is (4 + 5) / 4 = 2.25x.
Using a close-up filter causes no loss of light as compared to an Extension tube.
Another thing to note that if you are using any lens that is of 85mm and above, it is better to use a close-up filter than an Extension tube due to higher magnification. For example, the EF 85mm f1.8 USM + Canon 250D close-up filter yeilds a 0.34x magnification while with a 25mm Extension tube, its magnification ratio is only 0.29x.
4. Teleconverter
Teleconverter such as the EF 1.4x and 2x offers you a greater working distance at the same magnification, or more magnification at the same working distance. For example, a 1.4x TC will give you 40% more magnification at the same working distance, or 40% more working distance at the same magnification, or a combination of both.
Again, using TC has its disadvantage too. All TCs will cost loss of light, i.e. 1.4x (1 stop) & 2x (2 stops).
On top of that, not all lenses can accept teleconverter. You have to check whether the lens can take TC. This is because of the protruding element of the TC which does not allow to be mounted on all lenses. However, you can buy the 3rd party brand such as Kenko TC which allows you to use on most of the lenses as compared to Canon version. For example, you can use the Canon TC on the EF 100mm f2.8 Macro USM but the Kenko version allows you to use it. This is mainly due to the non protruding element of the Kenko's TC.
For those who are interested in shooting tiny/microscopic subjects, here are some tips for your reference.
But before that, let me go through some of the terms that you will encounter frequently.
What is Magnification Ratio?
"Magnification ratio" is a technical term used in macro photography. Such ratios are based on size comparisons between real-life subjects and how they are captured on film/sensor. It is how much you wanted to see.
We often hear the term 1:1 especially on delicated macro lenses. What exactly it means? A magnification ratio of 1:1, or life-sized, means that a subject that is 1" long in real life will also measure 1" on film/sensor.
On the other hand, a 2:1 ratio means that the subject captured will appear twice its size. The numerical sequence moving from life-size to smaller and smaller increments is therefore expressed as 1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 1:4, and so on. Inversely, a magnification ratio of 2:1 or 3:1 means that the subject on film will appear twice or three times its original size.
Why is Magnification Ratio important?
The magnification ratio determines the level of detail revealed in the shot. As one moves closer to the subject, the total area recorded decreases, therefore magnifying the level of detail seen. For example, a 50mm lens captures a subject at 0.15x or 1:6.7 magnification.
How to calculate Magnification Ratio?
The formula to calculate the magnification when using an Extension tube is :
d / f where,
d = the extension length of the tube in mm
f = the focal length
For example, a 25mm extension tube with a 50mm lens yields a magnification of 25/50 = 0.5x or 1:2
The formula to calculate the magnification when using an Close-up Filter is :
f / c where,
f = the focal length
c = close-up filter in mm
For example, a 250D close-up filter with a 50mm lens yields a magnification of 50/250 = 0.2x or 1:5
Is Depth of Field important?
The depth of field is very shallow in macro photography. Therefore, it is critical to focus on the most important part of the subject, as elements that are even a mm closer or farther from the focal plane might be noticeably blurred. I would recommend an apeture of f16-22 for macro photography.
What is Working Distance?
It is measured from the front of the lens to the subject.
Why understanding of Working Distance is important?
1. Situations when approaching the subjects are hazardous, e.g. taking a photo of a poisonous snake.
2. Greater flexibility for lighting the subject, e.g. the risk of the flash to blow out the highlights of the subject if the flash is placed too close to it.
3. Easier to take close-up photos of jittery insects, e.g. dragonfly.
What is Minimum Focusing Distance / Closest Focusing Distance?
This is the distance from the film/sensor plane to the subject.
Technically, there are 6 ways to shoot macro subjects, namely :
1) Delicated Macro Lens
2) Extension Tube
3) Close-up Filter
4) Teleconverter
5) Prosumer Camera
6) Reverse-lens Mounting
I shall explain each of them in just a while. Note that I shall skip on the topic on using a bellow since most of us will not buy and use it.
1. Delicated Macro Lens
The fastest and most straight forward way to shoot macro is to get the delicated macro lens. All Canon macro lenses except the EF 50mm f3.5 Macro (1:2) allow you to achieve 1:1 magnification. These are the Canon delicated macro lenses.
No. | Model |
1. | aEF 50mm f3.5 Compact Macro |
2. | EF-S 60mm f2.8 Macro USM |
3. | MP-E 65mm f2.8 1-5x Macro Photo |
4. | bEF 100mm f2.8 Macro |
5. | EF 100mm f2.8 Macro USM |
6. | EF 100mm f2.8L Macro IS USM |
7. | EF 180mm f3.5L Macro USM |
aLifesize (1x) or 1:1 magnification is possible by attaching the life size converter EF
bDiscontinued
I will briefly talk about each of the macro lens.
1. The EF 50mm f3.5 Compact Macro is a very compact macro lens which measures only 67.6 x 63mm. It is a very old lens which was marketed in 1987. It has no USM or IS built-in. In addition, the lens barrel extends out when focusing. Last but not least, it allows you to achieve 0.5x or 1:2 magnification only unless a Life Size Converter EF is attached in order to achieve 1x or 1:1 magnification.
2. The EF-S 60mm f2.8 Macro USM is designed for 1.6x crop factor EOS models. Introduced in 2005. It is also a very compact (73 X 69.8mm) and light lens (335g). This lens employs internal focusing system and the lens barrel does not extend when focusing.
3. The MP-E 65mm f2.8 1-5x Macro Photo is the only macro lens that allows you to achieve 5x magnification. This means that you can achieve 5 times the size of the subject on the film/sensor. This is very useful for forsenic jobs. The downside of this lens is that it is a fully manual lens. There is no autofocus mechanism built-in on the lens.
4. The EF 100mm f2.8 Macro was marketed in 1990. It is a very old lens by now. It has no USM, FTM and IF. The lens barrel extends out when focusing. It has been discontinued and replaced by the EF 100mm f2.8 Macro USM.
5. The EF 100mm f2.8 Macro USM was introduced in 2000. It took Canon 10 years to come out with this replacement. Although it replaces the EF 100mm f2.8 Macro lens marketed in 1990, it is a completely new design. It incorporates a ring type USM giving quiet, high-speed autofocus. The full-time mechanical manual focus gives very smooth manual focusing. For the first time in a 1X focusing telephoto macro lens, inner focusing is used. The lens length remains constant and a long working distance of 149mm makes worrying about getting too close to the subject unnecessary. Also, during focusing the front ring does not rotate making use of front-mounting accessories like macro ring lites simple and effective.
6. The EF 100mm f2.8L Macro IS USM is the first medium-telephoto macro lens to incorporate Hybrid IS, a new Image Stabilizer technology that optimally compensates for both angle camera shake and shift camera shake. In addition to a dust- and moisture-proof structure for shooting even under severe conditions, the new lens also offers a 9 blades circular aperture for beautiful, out-of-focus blurring effects for points of light, even during close-range shooting.
While the EF100mm f2.8L Macro IS USM features an approximate 4-shutter speed steps correction capability during normal shooting, it also realizes an approximate 3-shutter speed steps when shooting at 0.5x magnification and two steps at 1x when shooting close-range.
7. The EF 180mm f3.5L Macro USM lens is ideal for photographing insects and small animals, where a long working distance is needed, as minimum focusing distance is 0.48m. The lens length does not change during focusing. Maximum magnification can be increased either 1.4X or 2X by using Extender EF1.4X or EF2X.
When choosing a macro lens, please take extra note that you have to buy a lens that its barrel does not extend out when focusing. This is very important. You do not want a situation that the lens barrel touches and frightens the subject when you are focusing.
Let us look at some photos taken by macro lenses.
2. Extension Tube
It offers an alternative at a modest cost for shooting macro subjects. Currently, the latest Canon Extension tubes are the 12mm and 25mm mk II. The mk II allows you to mount it with EF-S lenses. As for 3rd party, Kenko comes in the form of 3 tubes, namely 12mm, 20mm and 36mm. The greatest advantage of using extension tube is that it will not affect metering and AF of the camera. The camera will still automatically calculate the amount of light loss via TTL and AF continues to work as per normal.
The advantage of using Extension tube is that it is almost compatible to all the lenses. There is no variation in terms of thread size like close-up filter.
However, extension tube has its demerit too. The cost is the loss of light (f-stop) depending on the types of tube used.
Light loss caused by extension tube is inversely proportional to the focal length of the original lens. For example, a 25mm tube results in a 1 stop loss on a 50mm lens, but only a 1/2 loss on a 100mm lens, or 1/4 stop loss on a 200mm lens.
One thing to note that Extension tube provides higher magnification than close-up filter for shorter focal lenses such as 85mm and below. The reverse is true for longer focal length lenses. See below examples :
0.16x magnification by the lens itself (EF 70-200mm f2.8L USM)
0.41x - 0.14x Magnification
EF 70-200mm f2.8L USM + 25mm Extension Tube.
0.21x - 0.14x / 0.55x - 0.39x Magnification
EF 70-200mm f2.8L USM + 500D Close-up Filter
Therefore, you can see that close-up filter provides higher magnification for telephoto lenses, usually any focal length above 85mm.
3. Close-up Filter
Close-up filters can be used on any brand of lens. They are clear and only affect the close focusing ability of the lens used. Also, they do not affect the exposure. For example, the Canon 500D filter which is a double element lens. The 500 represents the no. of mm of working distance when the lens is set to infinity focus. The 500D filter is recommended for lenses in the 70 – 300mm range while the 250D filter is used for lenses from 50 – 135 mm range.
Close-up filters help you to increase the magnification of the lens that you are using. In my illustration, I am using the EF 85mm f1.8 USm lens together with 2 close-up filters. Ideally, attachment of 2 close-up filters are the best before serious degardation of IQ sits in if you use more than 2.
With just the lens itself, the magnification ratio is only 0.13x.
Canon 250D and Hoya HMC Achromat filters. The former is a +4 diopter while the latter is +5 diopter strength.
Using these 2 close-up filters on the EF 85mm f1.8 USM lens yields you a 2.25x or 2.25:1 magnification. Isn't that fantastic? You are getting something that is larger than the original size of the subject on the film.sensor.
Let us look at some real photos taken by this combo.
Are you impressed with the above photos? The close-up filter is a very good alternative to macro photography. However, you need to know the thread size of the lens that you wanted to pair with. Generally, the larger the thread size of the lens, the more expensive will be the close-up filter. Therefore, I would recommend to use on smaller thread size lenses such as 52mm or 58mm or 67mm. Another drawback of using the close-up is that you will loss infinity focusing. So if you suddenly wanted to shoot a distance subject, you are unable to do so unless you remove the close-up filter.
As for which close-up filters to recommend, I would highly recommend the Canon 250D or 500D as well as Hoya Achromat filters.
Diopter strength is cumulative, i.e. a +1 diopter plus a +2 diopter = a +3 diopter. The formula to calculate the magnificatio ratio of using multiple close-up filters is : (Diopter strength of Close-up A + Diopter strength of Close-up B) / 4. In my above illustration, a Canon 250D is a +4 diopter while the Hoya Achromat is a +5 diopter, so the magnification is (4 + 5) / 4 = 2.25x.
Using a close-up filter causes no loss of light as compared to an Extension tube.
Another thing to note that if you are using any lens that is of 85mm and above, it is better to use a close-up filter than an Extension tube due to higher magnification. For example, the EF 85mm f1.8 USM + Canon 250D close-up filter yeilds a 0.34x magnification while with a 25mm Extension tube, its magnification ratio is only 0.29x.
4. Teleconverter
Teleconverter such as the EF 1.4x and 2x offers you a greater working distance at the same magnification, or more magnification at the same working distance. For example, a 1.4x TC will give you 40% more magnification at the same working distance, or 40% more working distance at the same magnification, or a combination of both.
Again, using TC has its disadvantage too. All TCs will cost loss of light, i.e. 1.4x (1 stop) & 2x (2 stops).
On top of that, not all lenses can accept teleconverter. You have to check whether the lens can take TC. This is because of the protruding element of the TC which does not allow to be mounted on all lenses. However, you can buy the 3rd party brand such as Kenko TC which allows you to use on most of the lenses as compared to Canon version. For example, you can use the Canon TC on the EF 100mm f2.8 Macro USM but the Kenko version allows you to use it. This is mainly due to the non protruding element of the Kenko's TC.