Let’s start by establishing that I have a huge soft spot for macro photography. The possibilities of having something to use as a subject are endless. The first thing that comes to my mind when I hear the term “macro photography” are close-ups of stunningly vivid flowers. But anything goes with macro…something as simple as shooting the serrated edge of a steak knife, the fibers of your living room carpet, or even the bubbles in your beer. Taking abstract photos of everyday objects and making them somewhat indistinguishable can be a really fun and rewarding approach to the world of macro photography.
I was always feeling frustrated with the cost of a true macro lens, in the 100mm f2.8 ballpark. I started out holding an old manual lens backwards against my camera body, which proved to be an aggravating experience. My next upgrade was a set of inexpensive extension tubes, and a reversing ring. This setup most definitely allowed for super close focusing, but with awkward options for being able to adjust aperture, (having to manually push/hold whatever mechanism is on the back of your lens). Macro photography generally requires a very small aperture in order to get an acceptable depth of field. This brings up the second big problem with this setup, being the need for external lighting options for most subjects. After purchasing a flash, I was finally starting to get the type of shots I was hoping for. To top if all off, some inexpensive pieces of mounting hardware, and a small soft box made all the difference.
This can be a very inexpensive rig, if you are willing to put in some search time for decent used prices. In the photo, you will see that I have a fairly costly flash, and an old film camera, but if I were to make this rig again, I would opt for a smaller, lower powered flash. This one is clumsy, due to its size and weight. I would also opt for a cropped sensor camera, as it would give you a bit of “extra reach” in effect.
So the whole rig is this:
Camera
An old manual lens
Reversing ring
Extension tubes
Some mounting hardware
A flash, and flash cable
Small softbox
