Apogee Photo Magazine

Photo Magnification Devices

Excerpted from Chapter 1, "How to Photograph Close-ups in Nature"
by Nancy Rotenberg & Michael Lustbader  

Magnification is simply a comparison of the size of the subject in real life to the size of its image on film, expressed as a ratio or fraction.  A magnification ratio of 1:1, or life-size, means that a subject that is 1 inch long in real life will also measure 1 inch on film.  A magnification ratio of 1:2, or one-half life-size, means that a subject that measures 1 inch in real life will measure 1/2 inch on film.   

Extension Tubes and Bellows 

You can increase photographic magnification by increasing the film-to-lens distance with extension tubes or bellows.  Extension tubes are hollow metal tubes that attach between the camera and lens.  The longer the tube or combination of tubes, the greater the degree of magnification.  A bellows unit consists of front and rear standards, which couple to the lens and camera body joined by a flexible, accordion-like extension. 

Reversing Rings and Stacking Rings 

Reversing the lens on the camera face plate, with the aid of a reversing ring, increases magnification and may actually improve image quality.  A reversing ring is an adapter that mounts to the camera on one side and the front of the lens on the other.  Automatic functions are lost when the lens is reversed, so the lens must be stopped down to the correct shooting aperture either manually or with a double cable release made specifically for that purpose. 

Other Devices 

If you wish to further explore the realm of higher-magnification close-up photography (3X to 10X), several camera manufacturers produce short focal-length lenses, from 20 to 45mm, specifically designed for this purpose.  Some have focusing helices like normal lenses.  Others do not and are intended for use on a bellows.   

	A 105 macro lens with a short extension tube yielded a magnification of greater than 1:1.  An 81A warming filter emphasized the golden color.
A magnification of 1:2, with its more shallow depth of field, was chosen to exclude distracting elements.  Fill flash at -2 was used to fill shadows.

How To Photograph Close-ups in Nature  

by Nancy Rotenberg and Michael Lustbader.
Published by Stackpole Books

Available at:

Signed copies at: http://www.ccia.com/~tapestry

email: tapestry@ccia.com