Macro with bellows

[zerobuttons]

Wow, great photos and set up.

 

What ballhead are you using? Is that Arco Swiss B1?

 

I wanted one of those for years but they were always out of my budget. When Arco-Swiss came out with the (thankfully) more affordable Z1, I bought one. The elliptical ball really does make a difference in my experience.

Thank you. Yes, that is an Arca Swiss B1 mono-ball. And yes, the "progressive, motion-related friction control" as Arca Swiss call it, makes all the difference.

[Guest Pjay]

Nice setup, and a challenge ahead of you to really sort it, zerobuttons.

There is some truth about the capacity of P&S cameras, as the attached shot taken

with my old Ixus will testify. Still on the lookout for a macro setup for my 20D though,

as it will give much more control over the process.

 

http://www.users.on.net/~pjmatt/Pelikan%20lid.jpg

[Deirdre]

zerobuttons, I seriously envy that setup you have! Funny, I was just surfing for Visoflexes last night to see what they'd run.

[Rafael Macia]

any enlarging lens would be fine. You need the right adapter for the front of the bellows. In the case of an enlarging lens, the adapter would be for 39mm thread.

I use a Viso III with bellows II and use 65 400 560 Telyt on an M9 but before the 9 I used it on two MP's I had. The adapters pop up all the time on the bay The Hove Leica Pocket Book lists all the adapters.

contact me if you need any information on what is the right adapter.

Find and buy a 65 Elmar ... a black one if you can find one . Nothing is better.

But you know you can use the screw out fronts of many leica teles You just screw them into focussing mounts All available easily.

good luck

Rafael

Edited November 4, 2010 by Rafael Macia

[Deirdre]

Actually, the III pops up somewhat more rarely than the II, which seems the most common.

[pe2dave]

I recently tried to photograph the 'babies bottom' effect on my pen nib,

i.e. get a clear photo of the end of the nib, without reflections, in focus etc?

 

I failed, quite miserably. If anyone can do it and share the 'how', I'd

appreciate it.

 

I was using tubes rather than bellows, 50mm lens.

 

Dave

[AltecGreen]

Here are my experiments with an old Nikon PB-4 bellows, a Nikon D300s and a Zeiss 100 mm f/2 Makro Planar lens.

 

 

 

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4148/5174008384_0e073ddfb7_b.jpg

 

 

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4153/5174007690_b00f6d9f35_b.jpg

[pe2dave]

Here are my experiments with an old Nikon PB-4 bellows, a Nikon D300s and a Zeiss 100 mm f/2 Makro Planar lens.

 

 

Thanks. Second one just about shows it.

And the how please?

The second one nearly shows the babies bottom?

Any issues with lighting, reflections off the end of the nib?

 

I finished up with 20 seconds exposure and still had reflections.

 

 

Dave

[JohnS-MI]

Here are my experiments with an old Nikon PB-4 bellows, a Nikon D300s and a Zeiss 100 mm f/2 Makro Planar lens.

 

 

Thanks. Second one just about shows it.

And the how please?

The second one nearly shows the babies bottom?

Any issues with lighting, reflections off the end of the nib?

 

I finished up with 20 seconds exposure and still had reflections.

 

 

Dave

 

Nibs are pretty reflective. You need large diffuse light sources, preferably a light tent or dome, lit uniformly from all sides.

Even through the walls of a light tent, the light sources may show as hot spots.

 

I have tried two umbrellas immediately outside a light tent. I fired strobes into the umbrellas which then spread the light falling on the outside of the tent, You could do the same with large light boxes outside the tent, I think.