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Three Super Macro Rigs You Can Build At Home

Nov 29, 2011 by Udi Tirosh Add Comment

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Three Super Macro Rigs You Can Build At Home

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.

Twin Flash Macro Rig

Twin Macro Flash Rig

This rig by Jon Mather uses a D7000 for camera an old  reversed vivitar 70-150 with an extension tube for lens and a couple of Yongnuo strobes for light. The entire construction rests on a bent aluminum bar.

That’s what it’ll give you macro wise

DSC_4131

The Ultimate Macro Setup

The Ultimate Macro Setup?

This rig from Charly is a bit more complex to create. The more complex element here is the reversed 35-70mm lens and extension tube that have their electronics modified so the lens can be controlled from the camera. A DIY softbox provides soft light.

This is the kind of macro that it creates:

You can't hide...

Macrophotography Setup

Macrophotography Setup

This last rig from Thomas Shahan uses Bellows, X2 converter, and a Pentax Takumar bayonet mount 28mm f/2.8 prime lens. (and what do you know, A DIY softbox). While this specific setup is not often used by Thomas he took the next shot with a similar setup:

Young Paraphidippus aurantius Jumping Spider

See the similarity?

All three rigs have a few things in common, which I thought was worth mentioning in case you are after building a rig of your own:

Off Camera Flash

Here is the thing about extreme macro, you get a very limited depth of field. To overcome this the aperture must be stopped down, and lots of light needs to pour in for that to happen. Strobes are the simple answer to the issue.

Luckily, since the strobes are so close to the subject, they can be A, set on low power setting and B small light sources. That 10cm softtbox looks huge to a spider 3 cm away.

Reverse Lens

A reverse lens (modified or not) is still one of the cheaper ways to get strong macro magnification. The beauty of it is that a reversed lens keeps all its optical attributes. Light does not care on which end it goes. So a high quality lens will produce a sharp image. Since those are usually used on manual settings, cheap, yet nice glass can be bought at ridiculous prices of eBay.

All Manual

All the decisions are taken by the photographer. Even Charly’s rig that enables metering via the camera/lens combo does not take the duty of manually focusing and deciding on aperture.

After seeing those rigs in action, I can say for sure that money is not an issue when it comes to macro. What do you think?

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Filed Under: Tutorials

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.net

About Udi Tirosh

Udi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

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Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

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