Luminous Landscape Forum
Equipment & Techniques => Landscape & Nature Photography => Topic started by: John Koerner on April 16, 2016, 07:08:00 pm
-
(http://www.thenaturephotographer.club/thumbnails/1/1_thumb_0000001314_large.jpg)
(http://www.thenaturephotographer.club/thumbnails/1/1_thumb_0000001323_large.jpg)
_____________
(http://www.thenaturephotographer.club/thumbnails/1/1_thumb_0000001321_large.jpg)
(http://www.thenaturephotographer.club/thumbnails/1/1_thumb_0000001313_large.jpg)
Both specimens about the size of a grain of rice ...
Taken with an all-manual, Nikon 28mm f/2.8 Ai-S lens, reverse-mounted on an adapter ring, with 8-21 images stacked on each, using Photoshop.
Natural light, no flash. Focus achieved with macro rail on a tripod.
Jack
-
Those are truly amazing images! Nice work!
Eric
-
Those are truly amazing images! Nice work!
Eric
Thanks Eric :D
These are at twice the closeness a standard macro brings.
They are not crops either, they took up the whole frame ...
Wish I could display the full-sized 7300+ px-wide images! :o
Cheers.
-
Very cool, I love macro bug images. The second one is my favorite.
-
Beautiful images! Great work.
-
Those are truly amazing images! Nice work!
Eric
Eric said it!
-
Very cool, I love macro bug images. The second one is my favorite.
Beautiful images! Great work.
Eric said it!
Thank you.
I got some messages as to how I was able to achieve this, by reversing the lens. I posted the equipment on another thread, but (since it is impossible to follow every thread :o) I am happy re-post here.
The tools are so simple and relatively cheap.
I use the old, standard Nikon 28mm Ai-S (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/36925-USA/Nikon_1420_Wide_Angle_28mm_f_2_8.html), which is still all-manual.
I am able to reverse the lens with a $35 ring (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/37171-REG/Nikon_2657_BR_2A_Lens_Reversing_Ring.html) to get 2.1x life-size.
I set the lens to infinity, which offers the greatest working distance, and I adjust the aperture to f/8 (I can adjust, if I need more light, but I find f/8 ideal.)
You cannot focus a reverse-mounted lens, so I use a macro rail (http://www.reallyrightstuff.com/B150-B-Macro-focusing-rail) on my tripod.
I also use a remote switch (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/892745-REG/Nikon_27032_MC_36_Multi_Function_Remote_Cord.html).
That is pretty much it :D
Different lens lengths offer different magnification ratios.
The 20mm = 3.4x lifesize.
The 28mm = 2.1x lifesize.
The 50mm = 1.1x lifesize (standard macro).
I find the 28mm an ideal compromize. It gets me twice as close as a standard macro without being "too" close for a realistic solution in the field.
I took these 4 field shots with 1 lens (the 28mm).
I used the "infinity" end of the wide-angle lens (properly-oriented) to document the entire area, looking back, where I hiked:
(http://www.thenaturephotographer.club/thumbnails/1/1_thumb_0000001307_medium.jpg)
I used the mid-range end of the lens and document the plant/flower upon which I found the spider:
(http://www.thenaturephotographer.club/thumbnails/1/1_thumb_0000001316_medium.jpg)
The lens also has a very close min focusing distance (properly-mounted) to get a standard close-up of the flower type on which it was found (again, normal lens mounting):
(http://www.thenaturephotographer.club/thumbnails/1/1_thumb_0000001315_medium.jpg)
And then, just slapping on a simple reverse-ring, and turning the lens around, I am able to get an ultra-close 2:1 macro shot of the spider on the end of a flower bud (again, stacked image, natural light, macro rail):
(http://www.thenaturephotographer.club/thumbnails/1/1_thumb_0000001323_medium.jpg)
Again, all from 1 small, innocuous lens 8)
I consider this lens to be the most versatile, valuable lens in my bag. (And also the least expensive.)
Jack
PS: Attached is a copy of the package insert of the BR-2A Ring specs for the various magnifications possible by using a reverse-ring (manual-aperture lenses preferred).
-
Brilliant technique, John. Great combination of the old - reverse-mounting a WA lens on a rail - with the new - focus-stacking.
How is it the crab spiders or the plants didn't move!!!
-
Brilliant technique, John. Great combination of the old - reverse-mounting a WA lens on a rail - with the new - focus-stacking.
Thank you. I am really liking Photoshop CC's stacking compared to CS4/5.
The simplicity of a rail and MF lens has its advantages and disadvantages ;D
How is it the crab spiders or the plants didn't move!!!
Trust me, they move! (I took 299 images, of which I kept maybe 1/3rd)
That said, time of day either maximizes or minimizes your results, with light as well as with wind movement.
Typically either early morning, or just before sunset, creates the least wind and best light. (These were taken around 6:30 pm.)
Also, crab spiders (by their very nature) make great stacking subjects: as they are ambush predators, that sit motionless, just waiting ... no way can you take 21 stack shots of a jumper on a hot day.
Jack
PS: If you ever want to try an exercise in futility, try taking a 3:1 macro stack-shot of a perpetually-moving Pekhamia (http://www.thenaturephotographer.club/image_tree.php?tsn=886120) ant-mimic jumping spider. They are about the size of a large hyphen in a book, and they never stop moving. They are impossible to stack and require controlled conditions + flash (and even then it is almost impossible to do) :-\
By contrast, crab spiders often keep the same position for 5-10 minutes, or more.
-
How is it the crab spiders or the plants didn't move!!!
I'm convinced that Jack hypnotizes the spiders before he sets up his apparatus. ;)
Thanks for the explanation of your method, Jack. It still takes a very good eye and careful technique. Very fine work.
Eric
-
I'm convinced that Jack hypnotizes the spiders before he sets up his apparatus. ;)
Thanks for the explanation of your method, Jack. It still takes a very good eye and careful technique. Very fine work.
Eric
Thank you, good sir (http://www.thenaturephotographer.club/images/smilies/hatsoff.gif)
-
Amazing work.
-
Absolutely amazing photographs.
Thank you for the detailed description of the process. Stunning and great patience required.
-
Sensational photos! Thank you also for talking about your technique.
-
Hiya John, great shots! You are giving me nightmares!! :)
Kevin in CT
-
Wish I could display the full-sized 7300+ px-wide images! :o
Cheers.
I don't ;). Amazing work though!
-
Thanks again for the comments :D
A few more words on the 28mm Ai-S:
It's funny, I was just talking this as my favorite, all-around lens, for the reasons displayed above.
(It does super-wide, wide, close-up, and extreme macro ... all in 1 inexpensive lens.) And then I read this:
- "The Nikkor 28mm f/2.8s also famed for its ability to deliver images of extremely high contrast and resolution. It has long been a favorite among many seasoned photographers as one of the best wideangle lens for all round photography ....
"Wide 74° picture coverage lets you handle wide scope of applications, such as it can be used to take candids, portraits of people in their surroundings, landscapes, travel photos, night lights, architecture and interiors, nudes, and star trails etc.
* Focuses down to 0.2m (0.7 ft.) - the closest minimum focusing distance of any Nikkor lens; Close-Range Correction System insures sharp images even at its closest focusing distance.
* Excellent for high-magnification close-ups when mounted in reverse on a bellows unit - up to nearly 9X magnification is possible.
* Superb picture quality from center to edges because it is extremely well corrected for coma and spherical aberration.
* Exceptionally light - weighs only 250 grams."
Check out the full article (http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/nikon/nikkoresources/28mmnikkor/28mmf28.htm).
All I know is, I am a believer.
The small size + light weight + low price yet high-quality + the incredibly-wide range potential applications have made this my favorite lens on a hike.
I still bring some specialized lenses, but this 1 lens does more total work now than any of them.
Jack
-
Thanks for the informations and the photos!
P.S. In this forum I miss a section for macro photography.
-
Thanks back, Muntanela!
A few more words on the 28mm Ai-S from the latest Nikon 1001 Nights (http://www.nikkor.com/story/0057) articles, compiled on the development of certain lenses:
- "While many users tend to focus on aspects and specifications ... I think that more importance should be placed on minimum focus distance and maximum reproduction ratio. These aspects are directly related to the degree of flexibility a lens offers. For example, have you ever photographed flowers with a normal zoom lens, and then switched to a telephoto lens to make the flowers appear larger or closer, only to find that you couldn't make the flowers appear any larger or closer because the minimum focus distance for the telephoto lens was quite long? Micro lenses are the best lenses for situations like this. Therefore, with actual shooting, the minimum focus distance is every bit as important as focal length. If we look at brochures in this way, the unique characteristics of the AI Nikkor 28mm f/2.8S covered in this tale become clear. It has a minimum focus distance of just 20 cm, one of the shortest among wide-angle lenses, and a high maximum reproduction ratio of 1/3.9×. This is one of the reasons this "approachability" is still included in our manual focus lens lineup."
The fact I can get so close to a subject, and capture the environment behind it, is what makes the 28mm f/2.8 Ai-S such a great naturalist's lens to me. While no, single lens is perfect, this comes as close to a perfect, single lens (for my purposes) as I have ever shot with. The detail, color, and bokeh I am able to get (reversed) as a macro lens is exceptional. Its low weight and low cost make me comfortable using it "for anything." It does many things very well, some exceptionally well. The landscape shot I took, above, had an overcast sky and it didn't seem to affect the detail or contrast. Also, with Lightroom, so much can be "brought back" that I am not too worried about it.
This lens can't replace my 300mm telephoto for distance shots of creatures that won't allow close approach, and I can't capture a 1:1 butterfly shot from a far-away distance (as I can with my Voigtländer 125mm (http://www.thenaturephotographer.club/entry.php?16)) either, but the 28mm Ai-S can capture everything else about the natural world that these two lenses cannot duplicate. And, reversed, it goes 2:1, not just a mere 1:1. So it takes me beyond a standard macro also. Further, when oriented properly, it can also capture very close "near-macro" shots, and the environment behind the tiny subjects, because it allows such close approach while still being wide-angle. (In this respect, the Nikon Ai-S is very much like the new Laowa 15mm f/4 Wide Angle 1:1 Macro (http://www.venuslens.net/product/laowa-15mm-f4-wide-angle-1x-macro-lens).)
The all-manual Nikon 28mm f/2.8 Ai-S may not be perfect at all things; but it is really good at just about everything I need it to be good at 8)
Jack
-
Tremendous work. You exhibit skills and patience that are in a completely different league to any that I even aspire to.
Ken
-
Tremendous work. You exhibit skills and patience that are in a completely different league to any that I even aspire to.
Ken
Thanks Ken.
As with anything, skill sets are acquired over time.
Macro shooting is my primary interest, so I've learned more in this aspect of photography than in any other.
(I am still learning and will never stop trying to learn.)
As for "patience," I believe the more appropriate word would be interest. I am simply interested in the subjects I photograph. While the "close focus" effort is made, "all else" in the world around me disappears from my consciousness. If the subject moves, repositions, etc., I simply deal with it and keep at it, lost in concentration for my objective.
Time goes by and I do not notice. Retakes go by, until at last I get a set and sequence that pleases me, finally "pulling out" (as it were) from my total immersion into the subject I am trying to capture.
In my observation, those photographers who "lose their patience" with macro photography are simply not totally immersed into what they're doing, mentally.
(They are going through the motions, but not totally interested in their heart.)
Those macro shooters who are able to achieve their objectives are able to do so, because they are so interested and so immersed in their subject ... that they just stay at it until the mission is accomplished.
Jack
-
I'm interested in the Zeiss Distagon 25 2.8, focusing distance of 17 cm, RR 1:2.3. At close up distance it has a strong field curvature, being very sharp in the centre of the frame and rather soft in the corners and edges, it gets better from 5.6. I wonder how much better it gets closing the aperture. I wouldn't put the subject always in the center of the frame. It isn't even very cheap, indeed.