Extreme Macro Photography: M.Zuiko 90mm + MC-20 teleconverter

[@MicaelWidell]

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[@theflavourist1985]

Wow, I didn't expect that excursion into deeptalk of life and death 🙂

[@StewartWoodArt]

That's one powerful setup, love it!

[@TimvanderLeeuw]

Now add some extension rings, and a Raynox filter, and you have an even more insane magnification 😉

[@MicaelWidell]

Haha not sure if I dare to do that, but maybe for fun I will :)

[@andybrady2964]

Think you'd need a tripod and 999 images for that. Fortunately, I too have such a set up and am keen to try...once I have the Godox V1 pro that is on pre-order I will be trying extreme magnification.

[@chinmayeed]

Great Stuff!! Smaller sensors good for macro photography. May be it’s a good idea to try wide angle macro on Olympus. Know you did a great video on Laowa 15mm f4 - Rahul Deshpande (India)

[@maxvain]

​@MicaelWidell thank you for your educational content. Would you consider doing a video about two Raynox dcr-250s stacked together. And secondly a video about results with a msn-202.

[@yao4738]

Micael, this video strikes me particularly as your perspective and reflection on the fleeting nature of life on earth is exactly what got me out of severe depression. If we were to believe astrophysicists, we all were asleep for 14 billions years, an inconceivable amount of time compared to the time we have on this planet. Many did not have the privilege to even enjoy this momentary life on earth, and that has been pushing myself to explore more on this planet every day. Great video and looking forward to more! :)

[@stephenbarlow2493]

I like how you've learned to rest the end of the lens on your left hand, whilst holding onto the vegetation holding the subject. That's the way I used to do it with the Canon MP-E 65mm. Yes, at high magnification diffraction is a problem. All I say, is don't be afraid to use a lot of sharpening, to counteract it. In the past I used to have to do a lot of stages of noise removal, before sharpening. Then more noise removal, then wide pixel radius sharpening. But now the Topaz software, does it all, even better in one go. When you get the balance right, it doesn't look over sharpened. Yes, a shorter working distance is easier for handholding, at high magnification. One tip is at high magnification, there is one magic angle for framing/composition. Pivot around the eye, and you are aiming to get the plane of focus, run from the eye, along the side of the insect body. Very few angles work for the perfect composition.

[@UKFR]

Very informative, thank you. Stunning weevil images. Loved the philosophical analogy of the fleeting nature of life and Swedish summers ;)

[@ronaldbuitendijkfotografie]

Damn, this got deep 😂 great video as always!

[@KharonNor]

Great video, Micael. Just ordered the MC-20 some days ago and i am ready for the fift wave - the springtail wave. 😁

[@Nature_by_Hikerbeard]

Your so inspiring Micael - thank you for your videos

[@MitsumaYT]

Before people buy the MC-20 or 14, they should be aware that they don't fit every lens, look up which do fit beforehand. Even on OM lenses they don't fit all. The popular 60mm macro one for example won't work with it.

[@AnaaNis1233]

Take a cheap extension ring, shave the interior off with sand paper and it makes the 2xtc fit. TC+Ring+60mm. Takes 5 minutes of work for the work with the sandpaper.

[@raublekick]

Where I live summer is too hot for much besides moths and grasshoppers. It's already 100F here so I'll have a few months of finding other things to shoot. I had a few weeks with tons of ladybugs, bees, and other creatures, so I can't complain.

[@KPAki1Ler]

Just a tip for anyone using the oval shaped diffuser(with lens hole). So that it stays on your lens use a 62-82 or 67-82 step-up ring adapter(filter thread size & lens dependant 90/100/105mm lenses being common). In combination with a reflector on my flash it stays fixed in position. No need to hold on to the diffuser anymore!

[@LunarGlowMedia]

Well shit Michel, I wasn't expecting the existential philosophy, but I'm here for it lol.

[@Trish12303]

Thanks for the video Micael!!

[@Emphy0Iceage]

Thank you. I just started with Macro. Your videos are a great help. Maybe i have a tip for you :) To practice i use railroad model scale N miniature things like persons ore flowers and more . In scale N railroad scenery there is so much in different little models to choose from. You take care and thanks for your lessons. Regards from the Netherlands.

[@ukaszbanaszkiewicz8328]

Micael, you don't have to constantly take photos standing up. Try putting a leaf on the ground, use 'third hand' to attach the leaf/stick with the insect/spider. Improvise and make your life easier. You can sit down, lie down on the ground. This gives you better stabilization and it's easier to do stack sets

[@Bo_Hazem]

This is amazing! I used 49mm extensions to reach 7x with the Laowa 2.5-5 at 5x which made things extremely dark. This seems like a better solution.

[@Beecrafter1234]

Nice video again

[@tonigenes5816]

I many times thought the same as you, Sweden has a very short macro season. I imagine how long is to wait for spring/summer. But if you could combine it with birds, then you would not have dead season.

[@MicaelWidell]

But most of the birds are also gone in the winter unfortunately

[@tonigenes5816]

There are less birds in the winter, but there are enough of non-migratory species like woodpeckers, owls, tits. When it is a lot of snow, these birds will come more tolerant. Maybe there are also birds of prey during winter in Sweden, I don't know. Me personal, I see the snow as a oportunity, it brings magic moments. Unfortunately in my country snow became rare. When snow it is coming, I have to go out that day, otherwise next day is already melted.

[@MacM545]

Nice! I started doing macro using a reversed lens, but it's difficult to find a fully manual wide angle for Micro 4/3 which can be used for that method. There's also the Nisi 49mm diopter.

[@wolfamri]

Thanks for the inspiration 🙏😉

[@MTMACRO]

great video Micael!

[@MicaelWidell]

Thanks!

[@GBradiponi]

Hi Michael, thanks for your content very interesting as usual; I think that you have to be happier than you might seems, because here in Italy at least, we did not have a real winter since several years now... That means the insects (those few who remained...) are active since the very first sunrise hours... and in the former middle seasons (fall and spring) we have a more tropical weather than a continental one... lots of torrential rain, strong wind, ecc... we are experiencing a drastic reduction in insect population and species variety so enjoy your country and the opportunities it could give to your passion... 👍🏻

[@ArcanePath360]

Awesome images

[@michielbuse4386]

Try some old lenses with some old Vivitar or other macro teleconverter, in combination with old 50 or 100 mm lenses. You will be surprised about the results. And you even have the advantage of greater distance! Dare to try, experience learns you a great deal, at low cost even!

[@d.k.1394]

Lovely weevil 😊 photo

[@lancealbon46]

I ordered the MC-20 online yesterday to add to my Olympus 90mm Macro lens and I was searching for videos about using them together and didn’t find much. Then I wake up to your video - perfect! I want to use it for Macro, but I’m also wondering if I can use it for bird photography because with the MC-20 I have a similar zoom range to 360mm. I have not seen anyone try this, which I will try over the weekend : )

[@Francesca48]

Great video and superb images Thank you. Question please, if I may, what setting is the magnification on the lens! Macro at x2?thanks.

[@MicaelWidell]

Yes most photos in this video are at 2x or close to it

[@hanahoeo7073]

Holy cow incredible. I gotta quit watching , now wanting to add a Olympus 60mm macro to my kit 😳😃

[@hanahoeo7073]

Ok I did it. Found a used oly 60, used like new TT350 and diffuser to give it a try. Been rewatching some of your older vids on setup etc

[@markishkaru1956]

another great video, i have a question for you, when you so a stack, do you only keep the stacked image, or all the images used in the stack too?

[@Webpromotions]

Oooo. I've never thought of doing that. I'll have to try that with my laowa 100mm and compare it with th 2.5-5x

[@MicaelWidell]

Not sure what teleconverter would work well with that lens though. Teleconverters have specific lenses you can use them with, check that first!

[@Webpromotions]

@MicaelWidell Very true, ive a couple of options in my box of lenses so i'll have a go and let you know if it works

[@Webpromotions]

@@MicaelWidell Yep you're right, it doesn't work. The back of the lens fouls the teleconverter at anything over 0.3m (so no infinity focus). The Canon R6 also gets a bit confused as it sees the teleconverter but doesn't seem to recognise that a lens is there so won't shoot. I could probably sort a workaround for that but tbh just a crop would probably give the same result. Great fun experimenting though.

[@StudijoON]

Do you think that using teleconvertor 2x together with Raynox is good idea?

[@SomeonewithaSony]

Hi indoors Michael. Just bought the EM iii with Godox flash. With bracketing selected, full flash setting is not available. do I use “fill in” from the menu?

[@Iam9cats]

New to macro should i have on IBIS when focus bracketing? Got my AK diffuser yesterday and can say it gives some of the best lighting.

[@MicaelWidell]

IBIS is always helpful in macro photography, but not crucial. It helps mostly with the composition.

[@adamdubicki3573]

Good morning Sir Micael I would like to ask if you have tried focus bracketing with the Sony A7R5. If not, is a film with such a topic planned in the future? Warm regards from Poland

[@officialCTOLARSSON]

Hello

[@MicaelWidell]

Haven't tried it, because I don't own that camera

[@NebuchadnezzarDoingStuff]

Hi, what's your thoughts on the Canon R10 with the Laowa 65 mm but just the camera pop-up flash for a total macro beginer?

[@ericlundquist3466]

Hows the teleconverter on your 300mm? Great video also

[@MicaelWidell]

Haven't had time to try it yet. Maybe soon!

[@cesaraugustomorenomolina8158]

How do you feel about activating the Digital Teleconverter in the camera with macro lens? Reckon it would come up with a nice result....?

[@MicaelWidell]

It’s just a crop. I can just as well crop in Lightroom, so to me it is a useless feature

[@kolaytorkolaytor1953]

Hello! You can make a review M.Zuiko 90mm + MC-1,4 teleconverter

[@MicaelWidell]

We will see if I have time, but you can expect similar results but a little bit lower magnification and maybe a bit more sharpness because of less diffraction

[@kolaytorkolaytor1953]

​@@MicaelWidellI really want to see a comparison in quality MC-1,4 - MC-2,0 . I'm thinking which of the teleconverters to buy.

[@houserhythm]

f3.5 x2 = f7 (but f7.1 actually) max aperture. Why do you say f10? I own the same setup and it definitely goes down to f7.1.

[@vikingjack9994]

Do you have any suggestions on lenses\setup to try out macro on Sony A6400?

[@MicaelWidell]

I would buy the Laowa 65mm lens and a Godox v350 flash, or possibly the Meike mk320 if on a tight budget

[@sampodhorsky178]

I just ordered my Godox V860III for my mark II + 90 macro and now I thinking about AK Diffuser (high price with shipping to Czech Republic) or try to make some DIY version 🤔 I don't know. PS: Your videos are amazing! Thank you very much

[@wolfamri]

I highly recommend the AK! Totally worth the money, particularly after the latest update.

[@MicaelWidell]

If you are able to build one yourself, of course that is a great way to go about it. I personally am not very good at crafting such things, so I am happy to pay for the AK Diffuser, because it is very very good.

[@sampodhorsky4872]

@@MicaelWidell I just ordered an AK. Please don't tell my wife 😅

[@Beecrafter1234]

Also I wanted to ask you about diffusers, is the AK diffuser way better than the Dörr diffuser cause I have a Dörr and it doesn’t do much, the colors of the insect is still very bright at a few points and doesn’t show it’s actual beautiful color?

[@MicaelWidell]

See my diffuser comparison video

[@Beecrafter1234]

So when like photographing a shiny beetle or something the colors are different from the actual color and there is still allot of light in one place, the color looks more darker and not natural

[@Beecrafter1234]

Alright thanks

[@dukeofurl999]

What would happen with extension tubes?

[@MicaelWidell]

More magnification I guess :)

[@sampodhorsky178]

M.Zuiko 90mm + MC-20 + Raynox DCR-250 🤔? Did you try?

[@MicaelWidell]

Not yet

[@cesurkarakus209]

My bridge camera lets me to take macro photos from 1cm on wide angle and focusing distance is 3m at max zoom. But both are not enough for small inects like jumping spiders... Can I get more magnification with 58mm macro lens attachment? Or those macro lenses are just close-up filters?

[@MicaelWidell]

Yes try a Raynox DCR 250

[@cesurkarakus209]

@@MicaelWidell Its more expensive than my whole camera setup💀 I'll try my chance with cheap ones.

[@adamusturner2476]

How much does the 2.0tc slow down the AF?

[@MicaelWidell]

Not that much. Hardly noticeable I would say.

[@johnbrennen1776]

Do you have to deal with ticks in Sweden? Just wondering...

[@MicaelWidell]

Yes we have them. I made a video about the topic. Search my name and ticks. I am vaccinated against TBE and I try to wear rubber boots and to check myself for ticks after being out.

[@petrub27]

it's not skiddish but skittish.

[@MicaelWidell]

Depends on if you talk American och British english. I learned from Americans.

[@petrub27]

@@MicaelWidell learnt

[@MicaelWidell]

You are funny. Learnt and learned are two spellings of the same verb. They're both common, but “learnt” is standard in British English and “learned” is American English.

[@3DThrills]

Yikes! $400 I would rather just get the Laowa 2.5-5x lens.

[@3DThrills]

Your love means nothing when you give it to everyone. I don't feel special at all. 😆

[@thenickdude]

Ah, but then you would miss out on the automatic focus bracketing and in-camera stacking due to the lack of autofocus.

[@3DThrills]

No I won't, I use the Canon M50. I don't have focus bracketing and Macro shooters don't use autofocus otherwise. @@thenickdude Micael Widell claims that moving the camera provides superior results to changing the focus, so I built the Zen Glider, Levitating Macro Slider.

[@d.k.1394]

If u search out God...there is a chance of eternal summers 😊