Macro on the cheap. Macro lenses are expensive, but you don't need to buy one.

[alfredo]

Here's what I have done.

My first option is extension tubes. They have no electrical connection to the camera, so everything is manual.
You can pick them up for real cheap. I use them with my old manual lenses like a Yashinon DX. You will need an adaptor for the lens. Still very cheap. Be sure to buy one that fits your camera mount.



Another option is to turn your old lens around, converting it to a macro lens. You just find one that fits the filter ring and the mount on your lens and instant macro.



You can also place extension rings between the ring and the camera body for even more magnification.

Now you can get up real close. If you are troubled by the shake of the camera, use a tripod. I modified mine by making a shorter center stack so I can get lower to the ground.



If you want more precise focusing, look for focus rails. You can go cheap or top dollar.



If you want even less shake, use the shutter release timer or a remote shutter release.

If you work close to the ground, a kneeling pad is quite handy.



Remember, higher the magnification, the more pronounced the shake. You will notice you will have a very short depth of field, so go ahead and shoot at higher apertures like f16. I also carry a small LED flashlight to brighten the subject.

Handheld.

[Sherman A1]

1. Thanks

some good ideas!

[ohheckyeah]

2. Really good info.

If you want to maintain full control of the aperture, you can attach one lens in the regular way and another lens backwards to that lens.

[alfredo]

5. I thought of doing that, but went with the reverse ring with manual lenses.

[ohheckyeah]

9. I haven't tried it...

just read about it.

[alfredo]

11. It's a good way to get out of a photographic rut.

[Solly Mack]

3. Thanks! Very helpful!

[alfredo]

7. I need to explore focus stacking

[Major Nikon]

4. I have a couple of sets of extension tubes

You have to be careful about some of the cheap ones. For cameras that require no electrical connections, it doesn't make much difference. For the ones that do require electrical connections, I've found the cheap ones are not worth it because they tend to develop poor connections over time.

Extension tubes are great for anytime you want a lens to focus closer than it would normally. I sometimes use them on telephoto lenses when I can't get the lens to focus as closely as I'd like. They also work good with actual macro lenses to increase magnification.

Diopter lenses also work well for macro on the cheap. They screw on the end of the lens like a filter and provide additional magnification at the cost of varying degrees of additional optical aberrations.

[alfredo]

6. I thought of diopter lens, but I like the flexibility of extension tubes.

[Major Nikon]

8. They are both good for different reasons

Diopters add another piece of glass which ultimately degrades quality somewhat, but they don't reduce the amount of light to any significant degree. Extension tubes don't introduce any more glass, but they do reduce the amount of light available. Lens reversal rings work well also, but only if you have a lens that has an aperture ring, which most modern SLR lenses don't. If the lens doesn't have an aperture ring, you are forced to shoot wide open all the time.

[alfredo]

10. Used manual lenses are easy to find, and cheap to buy. My mint Tokina was $28

with free shipping. It even came in the original box.

[Major Nikon]

12. As far as Nikon goes for not much more you can get a real macro lens that's fantastic

The Nikon 55 f/2.8 or f/3.5 macros often go for around $50 on ebay. IMO it's one of the most useful and undervalued lenses you can find for Nikon.

[alfredo]

13. On the Micro 4/3 there is a highly rated 60mm macro,

but it costs $500. The Panny 45mm macro comes in at $700

[BuddhaGirl]

14. great info - thanks!!

I can't yet afford a macro lens, but I have tried freelensing and have been having fun with it...one of these days I'll have to buy an adapter...this was taken with my 50mm at 1.8:

[alfredo]

15. Nice. I've tried a bit of free lensing, but not enough to get good at it.

With an old manual lens you can shut it down to get some DOF.

I'm a big fan of manual lenses, not just for the optical qualities, but for what it does for your shooting. It makes you slow down and take your time to see your subject.

AF is good in most cases, but when shooting macro I find I move the camera more than I move the focus ring.