----- Original Message ----- From: "Gary J Sibio" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > From an optical point of view, you are right on. However there is another > consideration that tends to get overlooked in these discussions: > practicality. Extension tubes are great when you are working in the studio. > In the field they are close to useless. By the time you get the right > combination of tubes mounted between your lens and your camera, whatever > little creepy-crawly you wanted to photograph has long since vanished.
I disagree. The key to macro field work is to know what combination of devices gives you the magnification you desire. Prior to spending heaps of money on gear I used the Nikon 6T and 5T suplementary lenses (62mm) on a crappy 60-300mm f4-5.6 zoom. The results were not bad considering the zoom lens was a cheap Kalimar. Now I use tubes or a bellows or a Vivitar S1 105/2.5 macro lens and I also stack a 100mm bellows lens (reverse-mounted) on a 200mm prime (2x magnification). The 100mm bellows lens acts like a multi-element close-up lens in this case (for 4x I'll reverse mount a 50mm on the 200mm). Stacking lenses requires extension tubes to avoid vignetting. The key to all of my setups is knowing which one gives the magnification I want and knowing which combination of strobe or natural light is needed. It takes a lot of testing and burns a lot of film but in the end it allows me to work quickly in the field with all sorts of gear. > Accessory lenses are a little better since you don't have to remove the > lens from the camera. This is true but even with the Nikon multi-element lenses you get some softness. I don't use mine anymore. > > A real macro lens if your best choice and the Vivitar 100mm/3.5 lens is > very good for its price, especially when you consider the price of > extension tubes. I use the Series 1 105/2.5 Macro extensively. It's an awesome lens that gives 1x magnification without adapters or tubes. Extension tubes are cheap! You can get a set of Vivitar auto Tubes that work with "A" lenses for US$50 or less sometimes. Macro lenses (even my beloved Vivitar) are the most expensive way to shoot macro. The Nikon 5T and 6T were not cheap either when I bough them new a few years ago. Christian
