TINY product photography

Flashman

Flashman

Suspended / Banned
Messages
2,388
Name
Keith
Edit My Images
No
I have a series of medical products to shoot... all no problem except for one which is a 'tear duct plug' which is about 1mm long... honestly, it looks like a speck of dust!

My 135mm macro gets a usable image but I'd like to get closer.... never shot insects or the usual tiny stuff, is it an extension tube I need?
 
Depending how much closer you want to go a diopter might just do it.
 
Otherwise a reversed enlarger lens on some bellows, or a reversed 50mm on some extension tubes is going to get you in closer. Macro at that scale though is a real technical challenge. You could also consider getting the loan of a microscope with a lens mount, which would be perfect for excrutiatingly detailed images :)
 
No probs, it's pretty in depth for a quick read but there's a handy chart near the bottom that makes it easier to grasp the idea. I have a close up adaptor from an old Macro lens, turns 2:1 into 1:1 which is plenty for my needs.
 
Just rent the 180mm 3.5 for the day. I have it and it's ridiculous how well it magnifies and it keeps the detail razor sharp. A 1mm sized object is huge on this lens when used at it's closest focusing distance!
 
Jamtea said:
Just rent the 180mm 3.5 for the day. I have it and it's ridiculous how well it magnifies and it keeps the detail razor sharp. A 1mm sized object is huge on this lens when used at it's closest focusing distance!
Click to expand...
Never used the 180 (although would love to) but I always assumed it's maximum magnification was 1:1 and I suspect the OP would like to get more magnification than that (although cropping is a valid option).

For a budget option, and high magnification I would look at lens reversing. As mentioned above, the 50mm reverses well, and wider lenses will give you more magnification. The kit lens works well also, but you need to sort out your lighting (including a focussing light) at higher magnification.

If you are a canon shooter then the MP-E would do the job here, and hiring is a great idea. It'll get you to 5:1 magnification on it's own but you can also add a TC and tubes to get even higher.
 
Last edited:
TimmyG said:
For a budget option, and high magnification I would look at lens reversing. As mentioned above, the 50mm reverses well, and wider lenses will give you more magnification. The kit lens works well also, but you need to sort out your lighting (including a focussing light) at higher magnification..
Click to expand...

I'd second this - if it's just one shot, £4 for a reversing ring and wide angle lens with a manual aperture ring will do the trick. It will be a PITA to shoot, but at least your subject won't run away so you can position the camera on a tripod or studio camera support, and focus with the aperture wide open and then manually stop it down, or take multiple frames stepping through the field of focus and stack them in Phototshop later (or CombineZP if you're not a Photoshop user and like free but slightly clunky tools), Alternatively as it's so small, you'll get away with reverse mounting a wide onto a telephoto using a coupling ring - this retains auto-aperture control as you use the aperture diaphragm in the primary lens (the one attached to the camera) to control DOF, and leave the one on the secondary (reversed) lens wide open.

I recently tested some different lens solutions for macro and you can see the results here:-
http://owenlloydphotography.com/?p=2108

Final shot was a 20mm AIS Nikkor reversed, onto 3 extension tubes (about £10 for some simple tube-only ones). Very little DOF, but a lot of magnification.

Owen
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top