What's happened macro rings - These are ordinary hollow tubes that change the working length of your lens. That is, it is just a tube that is placed between the lens and the camera.
Macro rings
How do they work - Imagine that you are focusing on a fixed lens, one of the old ones, where the entire lens block (all lenses) travels during focusing, you turn the focuser, all the lenses slowly exit (the trunk of the lens lengthens), exit and exit as much as the lens design allows you to. But the focuser spins to a certain value and to extend (push back) we add rings even more. Of course, in modern lenses, focusing sometimes happens in a different way, because the explanations are given just for example.
Rings on macro rings
For whom it will be useful to use macro rings?
Firstly, I meet a lot of people who want to do macro photography, but from my own experience I know that this is not an easy thing that requires a lot of patience, the ability to handle photographic equipment and a lot, a lot of effort. Therefore, in order not to spend your money on the purchase of an expensive macro lens without full confidence in the need and desire to shoot macro, there is cheap macro ring alternative. Macro rings will give you a taste of all the delights and complexities of macro photography and allow you to make the right decisions about whether you need to engage in macro photography or just a fleeting desire.
Rings in the middle of the macro ring
When using macro rings, it is important for practice to know that
- The length of the macro ring affects the focusing distance; the longer the macro ring (or a group of them), the greater the increase in such a bunch. Macro rings usually consist of 3-6 pieces, depending on the desired approximation they are added to each other, thus making the increase we need.
- You can focus just like a regular lensbut it’s much easier and faster to move the unit back and forth.
- Actual aperture value decreases. By the way, even when focusing from infinity to the minimum distance that the lens can focus, the aperture value also changes, but not significantly. Although before there were lenses, when focusing on which the slider showed the real aperture value.
- As with regular macro, to increase the depth of field should close the diaphragm, and thoroughly until F16-F36 to get the whole macro object sharp. Wherein excerpt will increase greatly, or it will be necessary to increase ISO, therefore, when shooting macro - flash the chief assistant to the photographer. Ideally, for a macro, it would be nice for the photographer to have portable miniature nuclear explosions to illuminate the object, but these are already jokes from a number of fiction.
Photo using macro rings. Flower
Modern macro rings may be with microprocessor contacts, that is, transferring control from the camera to the lens, and the usual ones - without any contacts, therefore, when using macro rings, you will often have to do everything manually. If you are using rings without contacts, a lens that has aperture control is the best choice. New lenses with internal iris control will not allow convenient operation with macro tubes without contacts.
Photo using macro rings. Flower and insect
For the examples in this article, I used old metal macro rings that do not support automatic focusing and data transfer from the lens to the camera and vice versa. My rings are made up of 8 elements and have an impressive weight. Photos in the article made with their help, as well as with the lens Industar-61 LZ MS 50mm F2.8.
View of the camera with macro rings
Advantages of using macro rings:
- Relative cheapness of ringsYou can find very cheap options.
- No need to buy a special macro lenswhich is very expensive. For example, the cheapest macro lens for Nikon is the Nikon 60mm f / 2.8D AF Micro-Nikkor, which now stands at around $ 500. The brand new Nikon 40mm f / 2.8 AF-S Micro-Nikkor will most likely not be cheap either.
- Easy to install, just add the rings between the camera and the lens and start shooting.
- You can squeeze a good Macro from almost any lens.
- Normal picture quality, which can compete with the picture from modern specialized lenses.
- The ability to shoot super macro in a ratio greater than 1 to 1. If you apply the rings to a macro lens, you can get something like a microscope.
Photo using macro rings. Plants
Disadvantages (depending on the types of macro rings):
- For some cameras aftofocus may be missing when using rings.
- Cheap rings do not have contacts for transferring data from the camera to the lens and vice versa. In this case, the possibility of econometrics may be lost.
- Conventional macro rings do not have automatic iris control. The aperture must be set manually on the lens.
- Lens resolution decreases. That is, the number of lines per millimeter that the matrix can still distinguish is decreasing.
- The final picture is getting worse due to amplifications of various kinds of distortions, various parasitic flare-ups, noises and other shortcomings may appear.
- The actual aperture value decreases.
Photo using macro rings. Leaf
Alternatives to macro rings bellows are used, a reverse adapter, macro lenses, sometimes even a huge number of megapixels for cutting (cropping, crop) pictures. And of course, these are macro lenses, or lenses with good magnification. Another tricky and cheap way to make a good macro is to find in this article.
Small berry through a macro ring
Interesting momentthat ordinary soap dishes can shoot macro - this is probably one of not many advantages of conventional digital cameras over SLR cameras with interchangeable lenses. An ordinary soap dish can often focus just a couple of millimeters to the subject and get a sharp picture with a normal depth of field. Due to the small physical size of the matrix, the depth of field will increase. Read more in the article about crop factor.
Photo using macro rings. Chestnut
If you shoot with a macro-ring on a zoom lens, then its zoom (zoom) will serve as a kind of focusing function. I used this trick when creating a video for macro through a lens changer for Granite-11.
Depth of field in macro photography plays a huge role, you must always remember that it is very small, even closing the aperture to 8.0 there is no certainty that the whole object will fall into the zone of sharpness. In the example below, the insect's antennae fell out of the sharply depicted space and turned out to be blurry. Also pay attention to chromatic aberrationthat are amplified by macro.
Photo using macro rings. Insect
Here are examples of using macro rings with auto focus support. Pictures taken with an inexpensive lens Canon Lens EF 40mm 1: 2.8 STM and a simple camera Canon 350D using the very cheap Meike Macro Extension Tube for Canon. At the same time, the lens was automatically focused when shooting macro, and the camera worked in any mode available to it:
Hack and predictor Aviator:
Macro rings - an indispensable alternative for peoplewho want to test themselves in macro photography. They give excellent picture quality, excellent approximation, and are not at all expensive, compared to specialized macro lenses.
Do not forget to press +1, tweet, like. Thank you for your attention, Arkady Shapoval.
Gorgeous photographs, especially where there is a green leaf with veins, the article explained a lot about macro rings.
Thanks. In that photo you can see how the depth of field cuts the sheet and it goes from the zone of sharpness to blur.
Awesome photos !!!! Gorgeous macro photography and thanks for the helpful information))))
Now I know exactly what to say when someone else asks why I have rings on all my fingers ... I've been saving up for Radozhiva all my life !!!!
Such crap froze.
Somehow not very correct. Watch the speech, it’s not accepted here.
And on the subject - excellent macro! I myself am now studying macro photography using Industar-61L \ D :)
In general, a gorgeous macro, such deep natural colors….
Thank you very much!!! your site is very informative !! again sensible informative article !!!
Good time of day.
Arkady, I want to ask. How to attach Jupiter-8 + ring set to Canon? And does such a “hellish” mixture even make sense?
It is from rangefinder cameras, just to use it, you will have to pretty smell the turner. If with macro rings, then you can work with macro. The meaning will depend on the needs and quality of the instance. It’s easy to attach: attach the ring M39 \ M42 then M42 \ Kenon, and then the macro rings. If it is under Contact mount, the same thing but only with an adapter for contact
If it works as a macro, it already pleases me. )))))
And what glass can be used to replace the Ju-8 (if it is not very good)?
Yu-3 (the price bites) Yes, and staffers are useless for a hobby.
oh yo yo…. I was wrong. Not S-3 but Wave-9
sorry )))
Yes, Wave-9 is a rare glass.
Hello Arkady! And under Jupiter 37A, with macro rings, what kind of adapter is needed? As I understand it, KP-42 / N, how is your photo NIKON + Industar-61LZ with macro rings?
Depending on which macro rings you have. If the macro rings are under M42, then KP-42 / N is needed, which will need to be put on the rings. Please note that if the macro rings are under M42, then the shank under M37 (KP-A / 42) should also be on Jupiter-42A.
I have this set of rings: http://s013.radikal.ru/i322/1112/62/d07477df2a90.jpg
This is under M42, and, indeed, KP-42 / N will be needed.
macro rings spoil photo quality? I bought a macro ring for Nikon, and it seems to me that the quality is lost! I have a Nikon D60.
Incorrect question. A counterexample - try to shoot a portrait of a person from the waist up with macro rings. Macro rings expand the capabilities of the lens, but at the same time, it must be borne in mind that this or that lens was simply not originally designed for macro, therefore its quality will sometimes be inferior to specialized macro lenses. The camera has nothing to do with it.
WELCOME ...!
Yesterday, without suspecting it, during a conversation with my father, it turned out that in the depths of the mezzanine lies a miracle of a technique called PZF prefix (macro fur), at first I did not attach any importance to this (.. how to attach the old to the new), but curiosity took its toll (.. I cling to the lenses of those times) ... I ripped open all the things ... I found (it turned out to be an ordinary M42, and the lens can be fixed with a clip, if there is no second adapter and I don't mind the bayonet scratched) ... and after 5 minutes, I photographed sugar))) ..funny business .. matches, sugar, dried flowers from under the snow, the result is colossal, but I want more sharpness ... so ..
..to you a question, what do you recommend from not expensive manual equipment with colossal sharpness ???
I tried it on my d90 - helios 44-2, nikon 50 1 / 4d I did not notice the difference between the two glasses (good, but I would like more details) ... Jupiter 37a is convenient because it is not so close to the photographed object, but there is no sharpness ...
... and also, I connected tamron 17-50 (only one dregs), I understood correctly ... only fixes work through it ??
..thank you for your next attention and a helpful answer ... !!
I advise you from cheap Industar-61, Vega-11U. More expensive tessars, further old manual makrusniki.
I apologize, at the expense of tesars and old manual macros, if possible .. at least a couple of copies on specific ... ?? what would be something to start from ...
Tessar 50 2.8, Native fifty dollars 55 2.8
thank you for not staying indifferent and sharing your professionalism ... !!
I have an adapter with a lens .. it can be a hindrance .. ??
For macro lens is not important. Without it, it will be a little better)
and the choice of macro rings, a very important event ?? Or can I take the cheapest ??
If autofocus - then you need to look, and if ordinary tubes - you can take any cheaper.
Tell me, what is better than a macro ring or a reverse ring, for nickor 50 \ 1,8
Macro rings will give an increase stronger.
And even more gorgeous - both together!
Hello! I have a lens from the Industar 23u photomultiplier, I thought they would try to fit it under the macro rings. Do you think the result will be worth the effort (given the factor that there is a tiny fungus on the lens - I just don't know how it affects the photo result)?
With macro should play well. Check out the review at Vega-11U without rings.
I’ve been doing macro shooting for a long time, I tried everything and the rings and furs and macro glass, but I’ll say the conclusion: the fur is more convenient than the rings, but the distance to the shooting subject cannot be reduced, for example, Nikor AF 50 F1.8 as it had a minimum focus distance of 45-50 cm so it has not decreased, but the main thing when using all types of nozzles is that the chromatism of the picture is terrible! According to this, from my experience I will ALL ADVISE: ULTRASUM WITH A BIG FOCUS AND SMALL MATRIX (PROJECTOR PRINCIPLE WHICH FURTHER FROM THE WALL THERE A MORE PICTURE)
When using bellows, it is imperative to add a reversible ring. The fact is that the optical circuits of ordinary photo lenses are designed for shooting from infinity (the distance from the object to the lens must be greater than that from the lens to the image). If you use fur without reverse, then everything is just the opposite !!! In this case, all aberrations increase sharply. With a reverse, it is better to use a shirik than a staff.
Interesting article, thanks. I came to the conclusion that buying modern macro rings is not worth it)) I shoot with almost the same construction as yours, with old zenith lenses. But I don't like that because of the lens on the adapter, very sharpness is lost .. I decided to buy macro rings for Nikorr 50 f1,8. And then it turns out that there is no point ...
Good afternoon.
I have a problem getting a decent scale ...
I shoot with a macro lens + autofocus macro rings
and still I can't get the magnification factor that a friend gets ...
with his words he takes macro rings + standard zoom lens
and says that the smaller the focal length, the larger the scale
Something I do not believe in it, especially after the experiment.
so which way is right?
Thank you in advance.
I can't believe in vain - your friend is absolutely right (see my comment above)!
Good evening Arkady, I have a question, doesn’t the technique deteriorate when using macro rings? Well, let’s put a camera or a lens, I have an EOS 550D and 350D, lenses are 50mm 1.4 and 1.8 and there is still 28.80mm, will all lenses fit the rings?
Wrapping ring what do you think about it?
Thank you in advance.
If you do everything correctly and carefully, nothing gets spoiled. About the wrapping ring, I think the following https://radojuva.com.ua/2011/09/revers-macro-ring-for-nikon/
Greetings. I am looking for an adapter for using SLR lenses on rangefinders.
It looks like a macro ring 16 mm thick, M42 mom, M39 dad. I will be glad to any message,
With uv.,
Michael
swager61@yandex.ru
Hello, please tell me what is better than a macro ring or macro lens?
Different for each lens.
When using macro lenses, virtually no dimming of the image occurs.
for kita nikon
For a whale, a macro lens is more convenient.
Hello. On the Nikon D3100 with a lens 18-105 I want to buy a macro ring. There is also Helios 44. I do not plan a macro lens. Tell me how it will be better. Examples in clinging order.
1. Camera-Kit macro rings for nikon-adapter m42-lens Helios
2. Camera Kit macro rings for nikon kit 18-105
3. Camera-Adapter m42-iron macro rings with thread-Helios
If you buy plastic rings for Nikon and an adapter m42, then you can use an extended Helios and an extended kit for macro photography. Do you understand correctly?
If you buy iron with a thread and an adapter, then you can use only Helios.
How do you advise staffing fotik?
Which Helios from the 44 series are most suitable for macro?
If the autofocus rings, then it is better with 18-105, if the usual tubular without contacts - then for Helios.
Helios weakly cope with macro, better industrial.
I want to use without contacts under manual focus. It turns out the optimal option here:
== Camera-Adapter m42-iron macro rings with thread-Industar
And this option is better than:
== Camera Kit macro rings for nikon kit 18-105
Did I understand correctly? And why, more than once I didn’t come across this.
And which industry is better, but cheap?
Industar 61.
Can I take a bee with a macro ring for the whole frame?
Watching with which lens, but most likely you can.
Well with the option == Camera-Adapter m42-iron macro rings with thread-Industar 61
And which Industrial 61 should you pay attention to? There, after the number 61, there are still letters
Anyone can be 61LD, it’s cheaper, as from a rangefinder camera.
Arkady, you have excellent reviews, maybe I didn’t read something. For macro, if you compare Helios 44 and Industar 61, which would be preferable, given the normal depth of field.
INDUSTRIAL DOF will have a little more.
I was offered Vega 11U. Like he? can it be used with macro rings? there m39 like
Vega-11U is a good lens https://radojuva.com.ua/2012/02/obzor-vega-11u-f2-8-50mm/works great with macro rings.
Thanks a lot for the tips)
Correctly without reverse. With a reverse - just the opposite. Moreover, perhaps the exclusive feature of Helios 44 (I don’t know about others) is that he has exactly the same visual and photographic image planes. All modifications of the G-44 are made from the same set of optical glasses.