Close up filters for Nikon 105mm

[Nikon4158]

I am working on some macro photography and wonder which is the best close up flitlers to use with the Nikon 105mm. I used the Tiffens filters but they do not seem very sharp. Any ideas?

 

[Clovishound]

Extension tubes instead of diopters. Extension tubes have no glass elements to degrade your image. They are cheaper as well. The only down side is that you will need longer tubes for 105 than for say a 50mm lens in order to get the same amount of magnification. You will lose a little bit of light, but not significant, unless you go extreme on the length. Make sure you get the ones with electrical contacts to transmit info from the lens to camera and visa versa. Unless you are using a very old model, there is no aperture ring on the lens.

What kind of magnification are you looking for? You are starting at 1:1 the the 105.

 

[BF Hammer]

Clovis beat me to the answer, but yes you want to use extension tubes, not diopters.

Instead of bending the light and introducing artifacts, the extension tubes just moves the focal point further in front of the sensor, allowing you to move in closer the the subject and get focus. As long as you are not blocking your own light, you can stack tubes together and get more magnification. And the image will be about as sharp as without the tubes.. Spend a little extra for ones that have the AF couplers and AI pins so you don't have to go to full manual mode.

If you need to get crazy magnification, a macro bellows is called for. Although you are forced into full manual mode with these.

 

[Nikon4158]

Thank you for your help. I will try out the extension tubes.

 

[Nikon4158]

Extension tubes instead of diopters. Extension tubes have no glass elements to degrade your image. They are cheaper as well. The only down side is that you will need longer tubes for 105 than for say a 50mm lens in order to get the same amount of magnification. You will lose a little bit of light, but not significant, unless you go extreme on the length. Make sure you get the ones with electrical contacts to transmit info from the lens to camera and visa versa. Unless you are using a very old model, there is no aperture ring on the lens.

What kind of magnification are you looking for? You are starting at 1:1 the the 105.

 

[Nikon4158]

I tired out the extension tubes. Definitely the way to go. LIghting was not much of a problem since I am using the SB-900 speedlight anyway.

 

[Clovishound]

Glad that worked out for you. Are you using any diffusion with the flash?

I've been using the AK macro diffuser for a couple years now, and am very happy with it. There are lots of options out there from homemade to very cheap, to big $.

 

[Nikon4158]

Yes, I am using the Guage Tiny World and it works great.

 

[Clovishound]

That is similar to the AK I'm using. Looking forward to seeing some of your work.

 

[Burt]

I would like to ask a further question on this subject...
I have the Viltrox tubes set, and when I'm using it with the MC 50 I get a great magnification of the subject. I had a look at Thom site where he explains what the extension tube does... But I'm not getting it.. For instance when the 50 has both the 12 and the 24 does it mean that I'm at a focal length of 86? On the site it says that with 35mm you achieve 1:1.1 ratio... I don't get

Also, why most tube don't go past the 35-36mm? Is that because of the light?

Please be gentle...

Thanks guys...

 

[BF Hammer]

I would like to ask a further question on this subject...
I have the Viltrox tubes set, and when I'm using it with the MC 50 I get a great magnification of the subject. I had a look at Thom site where he explains what the extension tube does... But I'm not getting it.. For instance when the 50 has both the 12 and the 24 does it mean that I'm at a focal length of 86? On the site it says that with 35mm you achieve 1:1.1 ratio... I don't get

Also, why most tube don't go past the 35-36mm? Is that because of the light?

Please be gentle...

Thanks guys...

All that is happening when you extend the distance of the lens away from the sensor or film plane is that the lens focal point is moved forward. Now when you are physically closer to a subject, the range of focus adjustment can reach to the sensor instead of being fully behind the sensor. There is a limit to magnification, often due to the subject needing to be inside the front of your lens to move closer.

This comes with a cost, as you lose the ability to focus at distance, moving in from infinity. That is why you don't just leave extenders on full-time.

 

[Clovishound]

I would like to ask a further question on this subject...
I have the Viltrox tubes set, and when I'm using it with the MC 50 I get a great magnification of the subject. I had a look at Thom site where he explains what the extension tube does... But I'm not getting it.. For instance when the 50 has both the 12 and the 24 does it mean that I'm at a focal length of 86? On the site it says that with 35mm you achieve 1:1.1 ratio... I don't get

Also, why most tube don't go past the 35-36mm? Is that because of the light?

Please be gentle...

Thanks guys...

The rule of thumb is that in order to bring a non macro lens to 1:1 magnification, use extension tubes that equal the focal length of the lens. In the case you referenced, a 35mm lens will require 35mm of extension, based on the rule of thumb. To get 1:1 with my 180-600 at the longer end would require a whopping 600mm of extension. That's almost 2 feet for all the imperial measures folks. The 29mm of my two extension tubes gives me 1:1 at around 29mm with my 24-70 zoom, if I go much wider, I can't get close enough to the subject to focus, as BF pointed out. At the 70mm end, I don't nearly as much magnification.

While most tubes are not available beyond 35mm, you can stack tubes. I have seen ridiculous stacks exceeding several feet. The bellows that BF pictured gives far more than 35mm of extension (the one I looked at online has 150mm of extension), so it definitely is doable. I'm not sure why manufacturers don't offer them in longer lengths. It may have more to do with marketing than physics.

 

[Burt]

Thank you guys, I'm confused twice as much now...

What I was trying to understand is if the reason why it seems that most manufacturer hover around the 30-40 mm is because after that, you no longer can take the picture.. Specifically with the MC series from Nikon..

Here is an example of my results with the MC 50 lens first and then with the MC50 + 36mm of extension...

I was holding the camera by hand, so the image is not perfect but in the second picture the lens is touching the screen, So I couldn't get any closer...

What I was trying to understand is: If I did the same exercise with say the MC 105 + the 36mm extension, would have the subject in the picture been even larger, while still touching the screen, or simply impossible for me to get close enough to focus on the subject, as with the MC50, I'm already touching the screen..

I'm just trying to achieve the best macro with the largest displayed subject

As I don't have the MC105, to try this out, so I'm asking before making what it could be an unnecessary purchase...

I hope my question make sense...

 

[Burt]

Just rereading this thread I think Clovishound already answer my question in post n.2

With the MC105 I would need more extensions to achieve the same size subject I'm getting with the MC50 +36mm...

Did I get it right?

 

[Clovishound]

Yep.

 

[BF Hammer]

Just rereading this thread I think Clovishound already answer my question in post n.2

With the MC105 I would need more extensions to achieve the same size subject I'm getting with the MC50 +36mm...

Did I get it right?

A true macro lens can focus down to 1:1 magnification without aid of an extension tube. So when you do your slide scans with the adapter, the image would just be able to cover the sensor at the minimum focus distance. Adding extension tubes would allow magnifying beyond 1:1 by some formula that I never really want to remember. The MC 105mm is a 1:1 macro lens.

Now the footnotes: That MC 105mm used on a DX camera will make a 1:1 sized image that is larger than the physical size of the sensor, so it appears to be zoomed closer and magnified. Some lenses that claim to have macro capability really are a 1:2 reproduction which is half-sized. That is usually printed on the lens somewhere.

I used an extension tube to take this photo with my Z MC 105mm, but I don't remember if I did a bit of a crop in post. I am sure I only used the 18mm Z-mount extension, but I do have a 2nd 11mm tube also which I can stack. Sorry, IMGUR strips the exif.

Ordinarily I shoot without the tubes and backed off enough to see the whole watch. But I can fill most of a frame with a watch dial without resorting to an extension.