The following description of my DIY focus rail is meant to be a general guide for using draw runners as a cheap linear bearing construction component, the idea is not my own it was given to me by my brother (who also has a background in mechanical engineering).
Side view, camera and macro lens attached, moving section protruding through forward end plate. Click to continue ›
For about three years I used a Nikon Coolpix and enjoyed taking photos of snowflakes in the winter. I struggled with the autofocus, so I figured I would invest in a digital camera with manual focus and macro. After much time and web surfing, I found the Canon SX130IS which has very good reviews, manual focus, and a reasonable price.
TeraPixel (Charly) is using a wide array of DIY solutions for his amazing macro photographs. Including reversed lenses (with electronics modified to allow metering and control), bellows and extension tubes, with new lenses like the Nikon 35mm/1.8, the Canon 50/1.8 and old ones like the Nikkor 35-70 and the Fujinon 50/1.4.
Charly recently compared four of the possible combinations of the lenses/setups, and reveled the big difference in quality they produce. (Click the photo for more info).
After posting the big Macro tutorial, I thought it would be interesting to see what extreme macroists (yea, it's a new word) use to get those super detailed shots.
I was surprised by the amount of ingenuity compared to the amount of High end gear (hint more of the first, less of the second). This just goes to show that even with what you may consider highly specialized areas like macro, you can still make some pretty darn good pictures if you accept the lack of money as a creative constraint rather than a wall of bricks. Click to continue ›
If you thought that building a tower out of salt grains is a hard thing, think how hard it would be to photograph it in a nice way.
Photographer Alex Parker did manage to build a small tower of salt grains and take its picture.
When we photograph something very small we call it a macro photography. I would imagine we should call it Micro photography, but I don't have control over the jargon.
Shooting small things poses great challenges and comes with high rewards. In this tutorial I to get all the info that you'd need to take macro shots. starting from equipment through subjects and tip and wrap up of some of my favorite macro photographers on Flickr if you need some extra inspiration.
When we talk about macro photography we tend to think about small things that we shoot from a close distance. This definition works for me as an on-the-nose definition and is probably right for just about 95% of all macro images. Click to continue ›
We said it before, macro tubes are nothing more that air wrapped in plastic. This is why we were happy to see another adaptation on the Pringles can that makes macro easy on the budget by Sameer Garde
On closer inspection, though, I understood that is was not a Pringles can, but a baking powder can. That definitely takes points off for edibility. Jump for more macro. Click to continue ›
I would imagine that after yesterday's killer tutorial you'd want something simple.
Well, here it is: A super easy macro lighting modifier.
Ok, you got me. It is a Pringles can... Again. This time courtesy of Flickr user Steve Kushnir.
If you are a macro shooter, this will probably solve both your lighting issues and your snack issues with one swish. Click to continue ›
Have you ever wondered what's the magical substance inside macro extension tubes? Very often they seem like they are just a piece of thick tube.
Well, that's because they are. Or, at least the cheaper ones are. Usually the more expensive one have the ability to have the electrical contacts maintain between the lens and the body, all the rest is just a fancy, hollow, empty, light-tight tunnel of air.
Being so simple it is really tempting to make a macro tube out of a, say a hollow light-tight-regular-tube.
Which is exactly what Instructables user snelpiller did. Click to continue ›
Do you find that producing sharp macro photographs is hard due to the super limited depth of field? The way to get around this is to take multiple images with different focus points and stack them together. A tidies work, no doubt.
Macro photographer Domjan Svilkovic was kind enough to share a setup that needs nothing more than a camera, a micro controller, a bunch of cables, a computer, an old DVD an old floppy drive and some basic electronics. OK, that's a lot of stuff, but considering that the alternative for an automated rails are in the high $100s range, it may very well be worth the extra effort.
Now, just before I hand the floor over to Domjan, beware, this is going to get geeky. And by geeky I mean that you need to have some previous electronics know-how (or better yet, ask a friend). Click to continue ›
