Springtime Is Macro Time

Yes, it's springtime and that means bugs, flowers, leaves, and shooting macro. It was still a chilly afternoon but my daughter wanted to play outside on the walkway and she wanted me to stay out with her. So I thought, why not take this opportunity to break out my macro setup and re-familiarize myself with my go-to settings in preparation to my "macro open season".


My Set Up

I don't own a macro lens, instead I use my favorite old Nikkor 35-70mm, f3.3-4.5 that has a macro focus setting. Then I attach it to the business end of two to three nikon extension tubes.

Nikkor 35-70mm, 3.3-4.5 plus three Nikon extension tubes

Extension Tube Set up: Two Nikon M2's and One Nikon PK-13

I also employ the help of my trusty SB-20 speedlights when the lighting situation calls for it. Also, on-camera flash is out of the question given the extension tubes plus lens is quite long. I overcome thatby using wireless remote triggers so I can place the flash anywhere I want.


Challenges

The thing with this set up is not having the ability to focus from a distance, which is important for skittish bugs. The front of the lens is usually around two to three inches away from the subject. One solution I've read online is to capture the bugs and put them in the fridge to slow them down, or find dead ones. Well, I don't want to put bugs in my fridge and dead ones, in most cases, don't look appealing.

Another challenge is not having auto focus. I set the camera body focus switch to manual, then turn the lens focus ring all the way to macro (M). Then I physically move the camera forward and back until I get a clear focus in my viewfinder. This can also be made easier with a focusing rail, which I don't have so for now I am relying on my super steady hands and high capacity lungs that allow me to be  as still as a rock. OK, not really... with this set up it's mostly patience and luck.


Settings

I haven't taken any macro since August of last year so I need to re-familiarize myself to my ideal settings so I don't have to fiddle with it when it starts to get warmer and my backyard comes to life.

First I tried to shoot blades of grass but at this magnification level, which can be more than life-size (ranging from 1:1.2 to 1:1.7 depending on my zoom setting), the slightest breeze translated to excessive movement resulting in a blurred shot. I moved on to more stationary subjects. I'll deal with more challenging subjects in the future. Today was about finding my ideal settings.

The settings are listed in the captions. The f-stops are based on the lens markings and not the equivalent f-stop as an effect of the extension. I just know that I lose several stops of light the farther I place the lens from the body. f/11 might as well be equivalent to f/32 or more. I really haven't done the calculation.

Click on the images to see a larger view.

Dried Gumball (Sunlight, 70mm, f11, 1/80s, ISO 800)

Further in my backyard there is a long piece of 4 x 4 wood covered in moss so I went over to investigate.

Moss (SB-20 @ 1/16 power, 70mm, f8, 1/80s, ISO 400)

Then on top of the moss are these growths. I don't know what they are but there's a tiny red spot, a little less than a millimeter in diameter.

Moss (SB-20 @ 1/16 power, 50mm, f8, 1/125s, ISO 400)

Moss (SB-20 @ 1/16 power, 70mm, f8, 1/125s, ISO 400)

Moss (SB-20 @ 1/16 power, 70mm, f8, 1/125s, ISO 400)

Dead Leaf  (Sunlight and SB-20 @ 1/16 power, 70mm, f8, 1/125s, ISO 400)

Finally back in the house I thought I'd get detail from the "Best By" imprint on my daughter's juice pack. Part of it actually looks like a smiley :)

Juice Pack (Window Light, 70mm, f5.6, 1/100s, ISO 400)

I'm quite happy with the results, and the sharpness, considering I was hand-holding the camera. Now I have my go to settings. Can't wait for the upcoming macro adventures.