Beginner to Macro - what options on Canon?

hiphopopotamus said:
Just picked up a set of Polaroid AF DG extension tubes from amazon for £60, hopefully they will be as good as the kenko set (which are now on amazon for £150)?

Just need to sort out a decent flash + diffuser now to hopefully get myself underway... any cheap recommendations welcome!
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Unfortunately flash units tend to be expensive.

Several years ago I bought a 320AF flash unit from Jessops along with 3 optically triggered units which could be used as slaves.

I still have them all and use them for my macro shots.

The only odd problem I had with the 320 unit was that on my 350D it only gave an ultra short flash until I put a piece of sellotape over the front two contacts.

Odd but it worked after that.

These flashes are no longer made apparently but the nearest I could find to the 320AF was this one:

http://www.jessops.com/online.store/products/67557/show.html

The 320AF is the one I use on most of my macro shots as a trigger for the others indoors and outdoors it is the main flash source when used with my 70-300mm L lens and extension tubes.

However you don't really need a flash indoors if the subject is static and you have a solid tripod - I have even used a small unit from Poundland which consists of a group of LEDs and batteries - cost £1.00 !

This picture was taken with such a light source:

Hope that help a bit.

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Thanks for the tips on the LEDs, I currently have some lying around so may well put them to use, thanks. I'm looking at the Jessops 360AFD and the YN-468 II currently, which are priced similarly. It's difficult to find much info on the YN mk II version on these forums, reviews in other places seem to be very favourable, is there any reason to go for the Jessops over this one?
 
A55 ISO800 1/60 F22ish handheld, reversed 28mm manual Rokkor, onboard flash, handheld on a overcast day.



 
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Handheld and onboard flash?! Fantastic photos, I will look into getting a reverse lens adaptor too. Out of my 3 lenses (50mm, 70-300, 18-55), which do you think would be best used in reverse for this sort of photo? I'm a bit clueless when it comes to reversing...
 
Yeah, that was my most successful macro day ever (during a 1hr lunchbreak). All the bugs were eerily still.

Id go with the 50.

Some more from the same day so you have an idea of what the technique is capable of (all with 28mm)....











 
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BTW the reverse method is not nearly as easy as a dedicated lens as the viewfinder gets very dark so you can barely see what youre doing most of the time as it needs stopping down so much. I also used a old manual lens with the aperture ring on the lens.
 
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ah ok. from your results and the expense of it it seems it's definitely worth a shot though! thanks for posting those pics.
 
No problem, it is worth a go, a reversing ring costs under a tenner, you have the lens so why not.
 
twist said:
No problem, it is worth a go, a reversing ring costs under a tenner, you have the lens so why not.
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The canon 50mm f/1.8 has no aperture ring (like every EF lens), so the only way to set the aperture with it reverse mounted will be to use the DoF preview button method.
EF lenses don't suit reversing well.
 
Ah, I see, I used a Minolta lens, not sure about the EF 50, in that case he could always pickup an old MF lens with the aperture ring for next to nothing off Ebay.
 
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I'm currently waiting for some extension tubes to arrive, so guess will see how i get on with those and report back before deciding where to take it. thanks for the help and advice
 
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