Macro photography. How close can you get with vintage gear? M42 bellows versus other lens options

[@fluxtubes]

I learned about the backwards lens trick one day so I tried freelensing (in a darkened room) a 10mm lens in the reversed position. I was practically seeing atoms.

[@st.michaelthearchangel7774]

😆 Mind making a video of it and showing your results? :D

[@enkaphalin1111]

Optics companies hate him!: learn this one trick that turns your lenses into electron microscopes

[@GinoFoto]

The best magnification I ever had was when I screw the reverse oriented Tokina 12-24mm f/4 at the top of Tokina 80-200mm f/2.8, that way I used to check the RGB pattern on devices.

[@jameswburke]

Very useful video. Another use for these setups is for digitising old negatives and slides on a lightbox. (Mask around the transparency to stop light spill getting into your camera). I'm in the process of doing this to some of my b&w negs from the eighties. Once done, you have the world of digital post-processing at your disposal. I've tried bellows and enlarger lenses, but have settled on a vintage Pentax 50mm SMC f4 Macro (mine is only 1:2 rather than 1:1). I use an extension tube to fill the frame on my old Canon 5D full frame body. Cheap PK to EF adaptor and a good tripod and boom arm to look down on image. I use self-timer to avoid camera shake. All manual settings of course. I had to chop off the Pentax lens aperture lug which will foul the mirror on full frame DSLR cameras. I get much better results than when using scanners and it's a great Lockdown or Winter activity.

[@ThomasMeijerGF577]

Thanks for this oppurtunity Im going to look out now for some vintage lenses on the internet.

[@SAHBfan]

The lens reversing trick relies on having a short telephoto style lens, where the rear focus is much shorter than the focal length. Reversing the lens means it is working nearer its design parameters with a small distance to the subject and a longer distance to the sensor. It works great, if you get the right lens.

[@keithturton8303]

Another really great video. Thanks for doing this. I've tried several of these ideas, not tried a macro on bellows though. Reversing ring works pretty well although it is quite lens dependent. I do love my Raynox and find it works well with many lenses.

[@johnstaples1606]

Brilliant again..!!! I think the knowledge you have around vintage lenses is second to none.. I found some extension tube at a boot sale a while ago. They cost 50p, so all ready to go. I'm now on the look out for bellows. Just as an aside I bought a super takumar 1.9 85mm in a charity shop this week for £15... Your video has capped off a perfect week.. Cheers.

[@cmdredstrakerofshado1159]

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, for this excellent guide to the use of bellows ! For Years I see bellows in catalogs , camera stories, etc.... but this is the 1st time I have ever gotten a clear, concise explanation why to use bellows and how to use bellows in micro photography in under 15 minutes . This video is Brilliant !

[@Simonsutak]

Great! Glad is was helpful.

[@wriggly]

Thank you for this superb video. I bought some Minolta auto bellows and a 100mm F4 macro lens in 1985 but barely used them because of the cost and time involved in learning to use macro equipment in the days of film. The other day I finally obtained a lens adapter for my Minolta equipment and I’ve taken more photos using my bellows in the last few days that I have over the preceding 36 years. Just one of the many joys of digital photography. Greatly appreciated your experimentation with different combinations of macro equipment which has given me many ideas to play with.

[@Simonsutak]

Great - you've encouraged me to get the bellows out again after ignoring them for a few months!

[@msandersen]

Fantastic shots, incredible they are down with vintage lenses.

[@hanapen7681]

You have answered many questions that I had. I have rings and a bollow and after this beautiful video with beautiful photos, I will get started this week. Thanks.

[@Simonsutak]

Glad it was helpful!

[@neilc365]

Great video! Thanks for making it. I had wondered how bellows work. I'm enjoying all your videos.

[@brucethomson3191]

Great video. About a month ago I bought a collection of an Asahi auto bellows, two SMC Takumar 55mm f/1.8's, a 2x Teleconverter, two short extension tubes, and a 2x zoom diopter for the equivalent of GBP100. Based on the lens model I think the previous owner must have assembled this kit in the early to mid 1970s for macro work. I have been doing some experiments like you combining these various elements, but need to do a lot more testing. For a few months before I got the bellows I was using a manual macro focus rail and extension tubes, with a reverser ring and an El Nikkor 50mm f/2.8N enlarger lens. I've adapted this Nikon to the M42 bellows. One feature of my bellows, which may work for you is that the material can be disconnected from the front standard (the one furthest from the camera). The standard is then removed and slid back onto the bellows rail in reverse. You can then put your lens on in reverse in-between the front standard and the material part of the bellows. The Asahi manual says to use the Takumar 55 in reverse for anything above 1:1 magnification. If you haven't seen it before I suggest the 'Allan Walls Photography' channel here on KZbin. It currently has over 270 videos, almost exclusively on all aspects of macro. He's a big fan of bellows. A very similar style to yours in terms of video length, attention to detail and educational value.

[@Simonsutak]

Many thanks for this - very interesting. I'll try your suggestion about the front of the bellows. I also have a reversing ring for my Takumar 55mms - I'll try this on the bellows. And I'll take a look at the Allan Walls Photography channel. Cheers, Simon

[@paulsnaith9677]

Excellent article, very clearly explained thank you.

[@fatherheer]

Excellent video...I too love my Macro-Takumar but I’ve not used my bellows often...your video inspires me to give it another go.

[@carpo719]

I just picked up one at a thrift store, and it is awesome. Removed the slide attachment, and was taken back by the quality of macro

[@FoxtrotMikefm]

Hi Simon, I have one of those Soviet macro bellows units. They work well in a studio type set up but their fragility is an issue in the field. When mine first arrived I used it to mount an enlarger lens which, like your projector lenses, I could not use directly on the camera. Play was cut short when rain interrupted & I had to beat a hasty retreat indoors. I have since purchased four M42 macro tubes, in a range of sizes, each with built in focussing helicoid. They are sold separately, not as a set; that heIped to spread out the cost which has gone up somewhat since I made my purchases. There are versions with brass helices which do seem to work better than the cheaper ones that are made with an aluminium helix. I took mine apart when they arrived (photographing the process for reassembly) & applied silicone grease to the moving parts. This does improve the smooth operation & evens out any sample variation. These units are not as flexible as a traditional folding bellows but are far more durable & robust. Flexibility & range can be enhanced by combining them with a conventional set of macro tubes &/or a reverse adapter. The reverse adapter allows a closer approach with less extension. This works well with shorter focal lengths & lenses with an asymmetric construction. Which is the case with many wide angle optics. I like to attach one of the longer conventional tubes to the lens mount to protect the lens' rear element from both vicious spikes (I'm looking at you Bougainvillea) & stray light. The only downside with a hood is that it restricts how close you can physically approach the subject. I therefore prefer using longer lenses such as my 135mm Meyer Primotar (not reversed) which benefits from a deep metal hood. The PhotoSniper's Tair-3 makes a reasonable macro lens. I stack three lens hoods on the front, mount the lens on a tripod & mount the camera with one of the longer helicoid tubes. This gives an effective back focus for fine tuning without changing the lens to subject relationship. With the addition of my hot pink silicone camera cover it still attracts attention but looks a lot less 'Rambo-esque!' ;-) These helical metal 'bellows' impart a far greater sense of security when the weather, or crawling into tight situations where twigs & branches can pose a serious threat to exposed glassware, or a conventional paper & cloth bellows. Ciao mate, fm.

[@kharodm1]

Just stumbled into this channel, never considered utilizing bellows before and now I am greatly turned on to the process. Thank you!

[@jamesdonnelly8888]

So professionally done, such rewarding imagery, and I love the attitude and presentation style

[@Simonsutak]

Thank you!

[@squishy949]

I'm a bit late, but a lovely video, macro is certainly an area where vintage lenses still have a lot of use today for cheap rigs that can produce surprisingly good results. I have in the past experimented with reversing lenses. I actually found really good results reversing an old 50mm (a pentax 1.7) onto the front of my normal macro lens (a Sigma 150mm f/2.8 at the time). I was able to get somewhere between 2:1-4:1 magnification without losing too much light. At these magnifications, though, the real challenge is stable focussing and lighting. A focus rail for the tripod mount makes things much easier, and it lets you precisely bracket focus so you can focus stack images in post. I also ended up mounting a flash gun on a cheap C shape bracket to get it over the subject, and making janky diffusers for it out of paper and foam, to try and get nicer, softer light. One other thing to consider with super close up macro is the loss of light the closer you focus. Without going into the physics of why, the closer you focus with a macro lens or bellows/extension tubes, the more light you lose, up to multiple stops worth when you get past 1:1 magnification. The Raynox 250 (and other diopter style add on lenses) are a way around this, they don't suffer the same light loss, making them an excellent solution for natural light photos where the light loss on top of needing smaller apertures to get a reasonable depth of field can make it very difficult to get reasonable shutter speeds.

[@stefanorugolo]

Great results from all solutions. But after this video I'm tempted to get the raynox!

[@godzillasuzuki2374]

Always enjoy your uploads

[@trinityharbour7054]

Wow! I loved this. Time to go out and get a bellows! (Also, another excellent video.)

[@AddictedtoProjects]

This is about the best summary I've ever seen, comparing the various different options available for Macro work. Thank you SO much for putting it together!! I have personally also tried the 'cheap macro' trick with reversing rings, on a 50mm Pentacon prime. I could get VERY close to my subject, but the lack of depth of field made it very very hard to get things in focus. It works for certain artistic shots, and can product some very interesting images, but I don't think it would work for subjects that are moving, like flowers in the wind, or insects, or a combination of those two!

[@Simonsutak]

Wind is the enemy of macro!!

[@fwiffo]

I use a bellows for coin photography. M42 duplication and enlargement lenses are ideal. I have it mounted to a microscope stand, although a copy stand works well too. The combination lets me get the magnification exactly right to fill the frame (thus getting the maximum resolution) and also focus precisely. I use this setup tethered to my computer. For higher-relief coins, I can open the aperture wider to avoid softness from diffraction and use focus stacking to keep the whole coin in focus. It's also trivial to adapt microscope objectives to the bellows and get even closer; they provide more resolution at extreme magnifications. Combined with focus stacking you can get amazing images at 40x or more. Of course stability becomes even more important; a tripod won't do at all, and you'll probably want a camera with EFCS or a fully electronic shutter to avoid shutter shock. If you're using a DSLR, you'll have to use live-view mode to lock up the mirror; mirror slap becomes a huge problem at that magnification.

[@Simonsutak]

Yes, photo stacking is the way to do this!

[@davidatkinson1413]

I found an old Russian bellows complete with box and instructions in a hospital thrift shop for 20GBP earlier this year and have had a lot of fun with it.

[@Simonsutak]

They are fun! I've only used mine with fast fifties, but apparently they work well with 135mm too.

[@cobrakill4636]

I used to use a pentacon 50 1.8 extended AND reversed at the same time. Focusing distance was about an inch, maybe even less. Worked great but hand helding wasn't an option...

[@shawnwells5719]

I've had an Pentax Auto Bellows A and accessory slide copier since the late 1980s. The only suitable lens I had at the time was my SMC-A 50 f1.7. It worked very well mounted conventionally to copy slides for creative work, and mounting it reversed on the bellows increased the magnification factor, close to what you'd get with a true macro lens. I didn't use it much that way, as macro photography in the film era was not one of my burning interests.

[@GrumpyTim]

Great video - I've used most of the other methods but never bellows. I did try a reversing ring one time - I think my choice of lens was poor and I didn't like the results so the reversing lens went away in my camera bag and I got a dedicated macro lens. I haven't done much macro work lately - I might dig out the extension tubes some time and try them with some of my new vintage lenses.

[@amsterkiwi]

Another great & informative video, thanks for sharing!

[@okay1904]

Superb - Simon - your videos are always excellent. exceptional quality control, and great education. Your channel is a great photography companion to Philip Bloom's on video. There is so much info on the net and on KZbin, but its so much effort to trawl through to appreciate it all. I recently became interested in macro photography, and this was the absolute best condensate on the subject, with spectacular examples and such a rich set of take away's of points which were not mentioned by anyone else, such as the tradeoff between sharpness, resolution, pixel size, closeness, and amount of light available to the subject, for the different methods. Very well researched and presented. Short, to the point, no waffle yet encyclopedic. What I learned from this is - over time, acquire all the various methods, and depending on the subject, try them out and see which of them serves your intention best. This video has encouraged me to experiment, as time and money avails, having seen examples of what is possible if one is patient, and diligent, and willing to explore options. Why the interest in macro. Landscape(in particular) and street photography, IMHO, benefits greatly from higher megapixel cameras, than what I have at the moment. With macro, you do not have to travel too far to get interesting things to capture in your local environment.

[@Simonsutak]

Thank you so much for these great comments - much appreciated. They really make it all the effort worthwhile!

[@sclogse1]

Was doing reverse lens macro work with hand meter on my Contax gear in the 70's. On Chrome. I think this is why prayer was still popular back then. Now, with decent light, my Samsung phone gives me wonderful macro especially when I have the numbers at their highest.

[@fish3010]

I find that a wide lens like Soligor MC 28mm f/2.5 can get really close to the subject with great magnification. With only 2 macro tubes 18mm + 11mm you can get insanely good reproduction ratio. I've tried on longer end 50mm and towards telephoto and never got the same results I get with a wide + macro tubes.

[@DiegoRuiz-od1vd]

Incredible and simple explication!

[@DryadMachine]

I used an Adaptall 24mm f2.5 reverse mounted to a Vivitar Macro Focusing Teleconverter at one point. The Vivitar Macro Focusing Teleconverter is a 7 element 2x teleconverter with a variable extension tube built-in. The extension tube length is controlled using a large focus ring and the teleconverter can be used at infinity too. The magnification from the setup was phenomenal and the image quality was ok but certainly nowhere near that of a macro lens. I didn't know about diffraction at the time so I took all the shots heavily stopped down. I've got an adaptall SP 90 now but one day I might return to the Vivitar setup and try focus stacking with wider apertures.

[@user-ve3gh5xg9q]

I have macro pentacon rail. Awesome photo gear🥰

[@silencenhikes6692]

I love my Super takumar 100mm macro lens and it can be used for regular photography. Great videos been watching a few.

[@ohjajohh]

Great explanation! I'm looking to buy my first extension tube

[@geekinthegarden3927]

You can also fetch focusing helicoids which are basically variable macro tubes.

[@bobhelmond]

For macrophotography using a reversal ring on a 35mm/f2 Nikkor F-mount gives great DOF and allows up close and personal face-to-face with a 3/4" beetle. The trick with insects and keeping them still enough to be posed, focused and shot is a one-minute stay in the freezer to slow their metabolisms to a crawl. Using longer lenses results in greater magnification bordering on photomicrography for which I'd normally use my trinocular microscope.

[@williamcornell3599]

I reverse mounted an old nikon kit lens at it works great on my xt100

[@toddmphillips]

wonderful vid Simon! thanks for producing it! MacTak ftw! :)

[@jimzielinski946]

Great video. I've used most of these techniques over the years. Your info is spot on. The one suggestion I would like to add is something I have learned in recent years. I'd like to suggest that people interested in macro photography consider getting and trying out software that does "focus stacking". Focus stacking can work wonders for static subjects and is significantly more useful for highly magnified subjects. I find it most useful when taking pictures through a microscope. Search for focus stacking. I'd suggest trying out a few of the free packages first before committing to a paid package.

[@Simonsutak]

Great point. I should have mentioned focus stacking. And good advice as well about trying out the packages first. I've had to buy Adobe CC for work, so I've used the focus stacking on Photoshop...but really should use it more. Unfortunately, my early copy of PSE doesn't do stacking. Some higher end cameras can do similar things to stacking. I've also used my Pentax cameras' pixel shift...but that doesn't give the edge to edge in-focus sharpness of focus stacking.

[@fwiffo]

@@Simonsutak Photoshop's focus stacking is pretty poor. The dedicated software (Helicon Focus or Zerene) produce better results in my experience.

[@PetCactusA_HarmlessLittlePrick]

If you add a teleconverter between the camera and extension tubes or bellows, the magnification increases according to the power of the teleconverter; the benefit is a shorter macro rig. I use a 200mm prime with bellows, sometimes I add a 2x teleconverter, on a Sony body with IBIS. Maybe I look ridiculous, but I gain working distance, more light, and I get the results I want.

[@churchaudiolife]

Super helpful! I bought some bellows but never used them with the CZJ. I’m gonna try that today hopefully

[@Simonsutak]

Good to hear! Hope it works well. It's a fun combination.

[@churchaudiolife]

@@Simonsutak worked super well. very sharp and close up. thank you

[@jerrybobteasdale]

Very good video.

[@KavorkaDesigns]

Slightly loosen the lens and slowly open the bellows as there s an air lock and dust will rapidly enter if opening too fast or unvented. Enable 1st-curtain shutter mirror lock-up to reduce vibrations made by the camera/lens themselves as the image is being taken

[@brysimm404]

I used a reverse ring with a Canon FD 50mm f/1.8. It worked and was greatly magnified, but focus adjustment no longer functions in a workable way, so you basically have a fixed focal distance which then restricts your framing. Too limiting for me. Extension tubes are more flexible. I hadn’t considered a bellows option before, but will now. Thanks 👍

[@Simonsutak]

Thanks for sharing

[@ciragoettig1229]

thank you for a great demonstration and comparison! That tessar is really sharp! I would like to see a comparison of such a good Tessar with some Plasmat design lens however, vintage or contemporary. I gather they're usually used in higher end enlarging lenses and many macro lenses instead of Tessar designs nowdays, so - would such a lens (say, a Schneider Componon-S 2.8/50 or some like that) outperform the Zeiss Tessar on the bellows?

[@Simonsutak]

Interesting! I need to look into this.

[@Leptospirosi]

I inherited some old materials, including a german bellow from the seventies, Nikon->Nikon, including a very good Micro-Nikkor 55 f2.8 and a radial flesh system I adapted it to my m43 system and I think I can get 7:1 magnification at least. Depth of field is a bitch to work with through!

[@MysterDaftGame]

I personally use a helios 44-2 with extension tubes. I quite enjoy tbe result with a 1.2:1 magnification ratio

[@paulclose3426]

Great presentation, thank you. I think the standard Zeiss lens would be even better if reversed.

[@LeendertCordemans]

Nice review. Try a bellows with 135mm lens for macro. It gave's amazing close results.

[@Simonsutak]

Thanks, will do!

[@MysterDaftGame]

Focusing closer, using some extension tubes or bellows really is the same optically speaking. Bellows are some kind of super extention tubes with adjustable lengh and focusing moves the optical part of the lens further away from the sensor, acting like tubes or bellows but at a much smaller scale. Also, using a wide angle lens makes the tubes/bellows more powerful as wider angle lenses are more sensitive to a variation of flange (distance between the lens and the lens elements). Using a magnifier or reversing the lens is a change of optical formula so it's a whole different thing

[@georgeorourke7156]

Very instructive, thank you.

[@nathanlowe5346]

Simon, do you think you will make a full video on the Macro takumar 1:1? I have noticed there seems to be no videos on it on the platform

[@Simonsutak]

Oh that's a good idea, it's hard to find lenses that haven't been actively reviewed. I'll do one! Thanks

[@johnjon1823]

I kind of wonder about a tilt shift lens mixed in with the macro idea? Maybe it would allow more light and depth of field possibilities at wider apertures?

[@RudolfSzecsi]

Thank you for the video!

[@ShutterKnack]

Australian wine.. A man of culture I see..

[@joshhugo323]

I watched many of your videos and subscribed, but would really enjoy seeing equipment used listed in your comments or a pinned comment. I find it hard to search for the obscure items you speak about 😀

[@Simonsutak]

OK, good idea. Please don't hesitate to ask if there's a specific item you'd like to know about.

[@magnusfahlstrom3262]

Thanks for a great video!

[@jacovanlith5082]

Want to do macro photography ? Start with a set of Close-Up lenses: diopter +2 + 3 + 4 Mount the CU lenses on your 50 mm and enjoy. Buy a macro teleconverter; the 50 mm lens becomes a 100 mm lens from infinity to 1 : 1 Get a set of extensions tubes: 10 mm 20 mm 30 mm Less important is a macro bellows.

[@DethronerX]

To me, it looks cool. The more it looks like an old mechanism, the cooler It's hard to watch the video because of the bright background, it's the only reason I cant continue the video after 40 seconds.

[@MegaPrzemod]

You can use enlarger lens 😉

[@AnimeshBis]

Why are you not add another macro option like Macro TC ( Teleconverter with helicoid ) ?

[@stephanpaier9887]

Excellent, thank you.... one question: is there a difference in image quality between using a lens at infinity or at the near end, when you compensate with the length of the bellows? Or is it exactly the same? I ask, because there are some lenses using floating elements where the position between lenses and groups differ in accordance to the focusing position.... Thank you, Stephan

[@Simonsutak]

I really don't know! I'll need do some experiments....

[@stephanpaier9887]

@@Simonsutakok, lets go..... just kidding! Thank you, I know, you will find out....

[@quoprimum1263]

Question: Would using the bellows be a good method for taking digital pictures of film negatives?

[@Simonsutak]

Yes, I’ve not done this myself, but you can read articles by people on-line explaining how to do it and the results.

[@davidatkinson1413]

I tried a cheap reversing ring on my Sony a7ii and ended up not being able to remove it so had to send the camera body to a Sony service company, costing me much more. Buyer beware is my experience.

[@morrisbagnall2690]

Damn! Drank the wine before watching the video. It was a rather good Levantine from Chateau Musar in the Lebanon so I'm sure you'll forgive me :)

[@chuckmoser9662]

I've had this Canon FD bellows since 1973. www.flickr.com/photos/old_chas/50936816472/in/dateposted-public/ I didn't use it much until I bought a mirrorless camera. The slide duplicator attachment works well as a negative scanner.

[@JulesMoyaert_photo]

👍❤

[@kargev4842]

👍

[@marxiewasalittlegirl]

For fungi and slimemolds, bellows can do wonders. And dead insects, (but of course no killing insects that's unethical )

[@NickShvelidze]

Why doesn't anyone on KZbin correctly pronounce Jena

[@Simonsutak]

Thanks and big apologies, yes it should be "yay-na". But the camera world is full of mispronunciations or different pronunciations - "bokeh" and "Nikon" being two notable ones. I wish I could fix this on my posted videos but I can't...

[@NickShvelidze]

@@Simonsutak No problem, Nikon is actually pronounced either way. It's actually fun seeing how everyone pronounces Carl Zeiss Jena differently

[@gregderozier3846]

May god damn to hell the person(s) responsible for the commercial interruptions!!!

[@jacovanlith5082]

Why do you speak so negative on the Macro Takumar. There is nothing wrong with the maximum aperture of f/4.

[@jacovanlith5082]

Bellows are useless without any lens. Bellows produce no image; you need an optic to mount on it. You can not compare a macro optic to a bellows. Show the effect of the minimum extension of a bellows and the maximum extension of a bellows.. A 50 mm lens o a bellows at minimum extenssion might already be a too much magnification.