The Broken Aperture

It’s spring time now. That time of year when everything around us, springs to life again. The leaves are out, the trees have bloomed. There is this fresh bouquet of fragrance in the air. Once again, there is color all around us. The long drag of winter is finally over, and now we shall be zooming through spring and summer like it never even existed.

For a photographer (and pretty much anyone else with a stable head on their shoulders), this is a very shot, but very exciting time of year. But we have to remember, that there is an entirely different world there, perfect for photographing, that we cannot see.

If you have ever played around with macro photography, you will know exactly what I mean. Out of my many years as a photography enthusiast, I have only been a macro enthusiast for just under a year so I am definately no authority. However my learning path is still fresh in my mind, so I will share with you my experiece, setting you perhaps, on the right path. Or most reqarding.

If you have ever wanted to get down and dirty potographing that magical world beyond what the human eye can see, I am going to let you in on the secrets…. so read on!!!

To start with, there are those lenses that are branded “macro”. They are your normal lenses, but they have the ability to FOCUS closer to your object than their non-macro counterpart. But they are generally slow, and will not provide the magnification that we may want to be photographing at. But they are the most cost-effective.

The second method, is the inexpensive screw-on “macro filter” or diopter. Which is tech-speak for a magnifying glass that can screw on to the front of your lens. They provide much better magnification than the “macro lens” described previously. And they can be stacked for even greater magnification. They are often found in Though they are devious when it comes to chromatic aberration which on the worst offender, leaves you with a massively magnified, yet soft image. But it IS the least expensive method to get into macro photography. This is where I started out. I actually purchased them for some other purpose, and ended up screwing one on to the end of my lens one day and fell in love with the previously unseen world.

If your camera (Twin Lens Reflex/ TLR for instance) does not have filter threads, these lenses can be held in front of the lens or taped in place and works great. And in the case of TLRs, macro filters are really the only choice for macro photography that I am aware of.

The third method is by reversing the lens with a “lens reversal adapter”, or “Macro Reverse Ring” or a variety of other terms used to describe them in various photography stores. The adapter is pretty simple. It has a standard lens mount on one side, and filter threads on the other so your lens can screw onto it.

This is claimed to be the sharpest method available but it does have some drawbacks to consider. You may lose the ability to properly meter through the lens because you need to be metering in stopped-down mode. Which some camera bodies do not allow. And some lenses require an adapter (which can be home made from rear lens caps in some cases) in order to operate the aperture while the camera is not connected to the camera body. Other lenses have built in “DOF Preview” (depth-of-field preview) which is another term for stopping down the lens. So the ability is built right in to the lens.

If you are using a lens which has a leaf shutter and a body that doesn’t have it’s own, you would also require the appropriate device to trip the shutter, if they exist. I do not not know for certain myself. The only leaf lenses I have are on my TLRs, and one for my Pentax 645. The P645 also has it’s own in-camera shutter so it’s not an issue.

Then there are the extension tubes or bellows. What the bellows and extension tubes do, is move the lens further away from the film plane, causing an increase in magnification. The further away your lens is, the more magnification you have. However, the further away your lens is from the film plane, the more light you lose. So this all has to be factored in if you’re metering off-camera. There is a formula for calculating exposure when using bellows or extensions which you can google as I am sure most of you will be working with newer technology that will allow you to meter through the lens. But when purchasing new kits, all of that information will be in there anyhow.

But here is a link to a freeware photographic calculator for Microsoft Windows. This will help you determine your exposure compensation quickly and effortlessly. Not to mention, will also let you know what magnification you are shooting at. Remember, the wider the lens, the greater the magnification.

http://www.ayton.id.au/gary/photo/photo_calc.htm

Don’t forget, you also have flash as an option for your lighting.

Bellows kits generally have everything you need to control your lens’ aperture, and release your shutter. I will not go into detail on a bellows, except that they rival over extension tubes because you can control magnification without having to swap anything. You just turn the knob, to increase or decrease magnification. It makes it VERY convenient, and effecient. But these kits are the most expensive option in macro photography. As a side note, you can also use your extension tubes, and reversed lenses (or both together) on bellows.

My choice for macro photography for quality, and price, is the Macro Extension Tube. Because of these tubes, I have been able to outfit several of my photographic kits with macro cabalities for far less than the price of one bellows kit.

They can be used with standard lenses, or reversed. When using reversed, you have all the drawbacks associated with them. And the tubes also come in generally one of two different styles. But a third style is available.

One will have the linkage for your aperture, and the other will not. I prefer the tubes with the linkage so I can meter TTL, and essentially have full control of my camera with the extension tube, as opposed to without. Well, full controlled with exception to one aspect of macro photography using reversed lenses, bellows, or extension tubes that I will note further on down…

The non-linkage method of extension tubes require stopped down metering, and the ability to control your aperture. No different than what is required for the lens reversal method.

There IS a third type of extension tube whose function is similar to that of the bellows. You can adjust the extension of the tube by rotating it, or extending it (similar to the lens barrel of a zoom lens) thus increasing the magnification.

Now there are a few aspects of macro photography to remember. First off, your depth-of-field is extremely limited. So shooting at small apertures may be what you want. Which means longer shutter times. Which means you are going to need to use your tripod, and you are going to need a way to fire your shutter remotely.

If you are shooting digital, there are plenty of options. If you’re shooting film, or your cameras has the ability to screw in a shutter release, then you have two main options. Either an air release bulb, or a shutter release cable. The reason for those, is that you want to touch the camera as little as possible, and you definately do not want to be hand-holding unless you have the light available for faster exposures.

One alternative if your camera has the ability, is to use the self-timer instead. Which I actually prefer because then there is no actual movement when you’re tripping the shutter. With cables, and air-releases there are moving parts which can add to the camera shake, which ultimately will decrease the sharpness of your photos.

And now, here is the number one aspect to note. You would generally control your focus by moving your focal point. That is, by moving your camera back and forth to your subject. Then you can fine-tune it using your focus ring.

But that makes things pretty awkward when you’re on the tripod. Which is where the macro focus rail comes into play. Not needed because you can just move the entire setup (camera and tripod, and cable) altogether. But it’s more of a trial and error. With the rail, your tripod remains stationary and your camera (and everything attatched to it) will be able to move on two axis. Forward/backwards, and left/right. Or if you’re shooting down, it would be up/down, left/right. Depending on your setup. At any rate, it makes macro photography so much easier.

One other item I like to use, is a right-angle view-finder attatchment. It allows you to be able to look down through your viewfinder as opposed to through it. It means less crouching down to look through it. Another item that makes your macro photography easier. Not to mention they usually have adjustible diopters so if your eye-sight is a little off, you can function without wearing your glasses.

I hope this all makes sense, and helps you in your journey through macro photography.

Sincerely,
Wayne Stevenson
The Broken Aperture