What Is A Camera Bellows

In Part 1 of this series, we looked at three easy ways to get into macro photography: macro lenses, extension tubes, and close-up filters. Equally with most things photographic, at that place are many unlike ways to accomplish a single task, and macro photography is no different. Here, nosotros volition look at some additional ways that y'all can enter into the world of close-up photography with your photographic camera.

Bellows

1 way to become your photographic camera to take extreme close-up images—much more than with a macro lens on its own—is through the use of a macro bellows. A bellows system works exactly the same way as extension tubes, but by a different design. The collapsible, low-cal-proof bellows is mounted between the camera and the lens and allows the photographer to movement the lens fifty-fifty farther from the camera than several extension tubes would.

The bellows must be mounted on a tripod or other back up. Some lenses are designed for bellows use and tin achieve infinity focus when continued to the bellows. What you go with a bellows organization is the power to focus at extreme magnifications with an existing lens or, better yet, a macro lens.

Reversal Rings

Another manner to achieve close-up photography using an existing lens is through the utilize of a reversal ring. When y'all remove a lens from an interchangeable-lens photographic camera and expect through it astern, you discover that the lens functions much like a magnifying drinking glass, albeit an expensive and complex magnifying glass.

A reversal ring is an inexpensive, camera-specific device that allows yous to mount your lens(es) on your camera—backward. One finish of the ring is the lens mount, while the other screws into your lens's filter threads. While not optically perfect (you will get soft edges) y'all can go some very good macro shots with this technique.

Macro Coupler

The macro coupler is yet some other way you can do macro photography with two lenses yous already own. This is another inexpensive device that connects 2 lenses together, one reversed, to make a macro lens. The lens of lesser focal length is reversed and fastened, using the coupler, to some other lens and yous shoot through both lenses. One advantage of this is that, considering one lens is unremarkably mounted on the camera, y'all get full electronic advice (metering) from the lens.

To figure out how powerful your individual setup will be, divide the focal length of the ordinarily mounted lens past the focal length of the reversed lens to get your ratio. Example: Normally mounted 105mm lens divided by a reversed 50mm lens = 2:ane macro... double life-size!

Depending on your lenses, yous can create some farthermost shut-focusing and magnification with a coupler. The down side? You are taking a moving picture through a lot of lens elements and lens element groups that were not all designed with each other in mind. And then prototype quality will suffer, but, for the money, it makes an attractive and funky option to try.

Macro Accessories: Focusing Rails

If you have always done macro piece of work, you accept probably had the non-so-fun feel of constantly having to motion your bailiwick closer to or farther from the lens, or, if you lot tin can't move the bailiwick, awkwardly moving the entire tripod/photographic camera assembly in relation to the subject. If yous just need to motility a fraction of an inch, this can be an exercise in frustration and/or patience, or lack of patience!

Mounted between your camera and tripod, focusing rails let you to ever-so-slightly modify your working distance without having to move your subject area or the entire photographic camera or tripod. Problem solved!

Conclusion

"I desire to do macro photography. What should I purchase?"

As you have read, at that place are several unlike mouse traps bachelor to the macro lensman. At that place is no easy answer to this question that fits all photographers/subjects. The largest factors in your personal decision on how to enter the macro world volition be toll and photographic goals. For example, a medical professional needing to take macro shots will probably lean toward a dedicated macro lens for the precision optics and the convenience of not having to add accessories. Nonetheless, a casual traveler who wants to capture an epitome of a cute flower while out hiking might lean toward light and easy-to-carry extension tubes or close-up filters. As mentioned, an extension tube will preserve the quality of the lens placed on it, but if y'all are in a dusty area, it might exist preferable to employ a close-upwardly filter to avoid exposing the insides of your camera to the surround while attaching a tube.

Additionally, the creative effects and extreme close-up options afforded by some of the examples above might appeal to photographers with unlike artistic vision or specialty needs.

Cost, convenience, size, weight, portability, complexity, versatility, and last photographic result will all factor into your purchase conclusion. If y'all accept questions of your own, please post them in the Comments section, below.

Terminal Thoughts

Many photographers find that, by calculation a wide-angle or telephoto lens to their bag, a dissimilar world of photography opens up in front of their camera. Suddenly they can come across more, or reach further into the frame to capture an image. I feel that there are few journeys that you can accept into photography that are more transformational than macro photography. With the correct equipment, you will kickoff seeing the world differently and you volition showtime to come across photographs that y'all never idea you would retrieve of capturing before. Besides that, information technology is a lot of fun!

One other thought: some of the examples above, and the examples from the terminal article, provide solutions that are not optically as precise as the images designed to exist produced by a truthful macro lens. But, many of these techniques can produce very beautiful and very unique macro shots with interesting characteristics. Then, if you can employ your imagination, and forget looking for a technically perfect macro image, do not be agape to try different techniques/tools to get pleasing and distinctive results.

Then, grab a macro lens, extension tubes, close-up filters, or any of the gear detailed above, and start seeing and photographing the world in a very different, and close-upwards-and-personal fashion! Be sure to share some of your experiences in the Comments section, below, and check out all our other shut-up focused content on the Macro Photography Week page!

Source: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/buying-guide/macro-photography-gear-bellows-reversal-rings-macro-couplers-and-focusing

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