Ice

[byuphoto]

Taken after the ice storm last week. Kowa Super 66 85mm and T1 extension tube. Tri-X

[byuphoto]

We only had a small amount and it melted by noon, so it was more of an inconvenience than dangerous but we do have some very bad ones from time to time. Macro is one of my favorite things to photograph as it can be done right at home. I have some very nice macro setups. Thanks for the reply

[John Parry]

Yes, I like this one too Rick. The B&W works very well here. And you're right - getting in close is fun!

Regards - John

[Microdad]

With the oncoming of spring, I'm thinking about upgrading my macro capabilities. Anyone have any advice/opinions as to which is the best choice between using extention tubes or bellows?

Please pardon my ignorance
Steve

[Just Plain Curt]

Great shot Rick. Living up north I'm a sucker for ice shots and hoar frost photos. Sure look good (and cold) to me. Personally I have both a bellows for my Minolta SR1 and extension tubes/rings (5 sets) for M42 but have never taken the time to use either. I still lust after the elusive (so far) macro lens.

[mickeyobe]

Photo Nerd,

Both extension tubes and bellows will do the job.
Extention tubes are more portable but only give 3 or 4 or 5 macro settings. Tubes are cheaper than bellows.
Bellows are usually longer than tubes hence giving greater magnification and one has infinite settings between its smallest and greatest magnifications. They are, however, more delicate than tubes but not unduly so. One may also find attachments such as slide copiers for a bellows. I am not sure that any are available for tubes. Many bellows are marked with their magnifications and/or necessary exposure compensations.

Mickey

[byuphoto]

Mirror lock up is the reason I bought the Canon EF FD mount camera. I used to use my original F1 Lake Placid but decided to give her a CLA and retire it. None of my other Canon's had MLU. My Kowa Super 66 also has MLU and I have the T1 extension tube that gives 1:1 with the 85mm. I have had a bellows for the FD mount but since I got the Vivitar 2x macro converter, that gives 1:1 with a 50mm, and I have a Series 1 90mm macro I sold it to someone else.

[Microdad]

Thanks for the replies I'm watching some bellows on Ebay cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7593999295&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1 but may hold off, we'll see. I have an extension tube right now and a close-up kit to get by. It seems like with the close-up attachments the DOF gets pretty shallow even when stopped all the way down.

Steve

[kiev4a]

We lost an mature evergreen tree to ice this winter. It built up on the indiividual needles and eventually snapped the tree trunk which was probably 8 inches in diameter. Also broke some large limbs off some birch trees which hadn't shed all their leaves yet. That sort of thing doesn't happen here often and it only was in about a two square mile area. Everyone else was fine.

Nikon's announcement that it is discontinuing most film cameras (except the FM-10 and F6) seems to be driving up some used prices -- not on all items--mostly accessories like bellows (and the MB-20 grip for my F4).

[kiev4a]

litesong said:

Hi Wayne...Oh, interesting observation about discontinued Nikon film cameras affecting Ebay prices. I've noticed an increase of film products on Ebay...quite dramatic. Do you think that Nikon's announcement also may be causing an influx of used camera gear on Ebay? Grace & peace to you, Wayne...litesong

I'm sure Nikon's announcement has had an impact I believe some folks are thinking if they want to get anything out of their film gear, this is the time to sell it. Of course this is oversaturating Ebay making it a buyer's market. Why get in a bidding war for say, an F4, when there are 20 more F4 auctions? I paid less than $300 for mine and a year ago it probably would have been $800. The prices on F, F2, F3 and F5 bodies have come down, too.
But the "panic" has had an opposite effect on some Nikon items--things that people believe will be hard to find in the future --like bellows, My MB 20 grip, and some fairly rare lenses--marcos--mostly manual focus models. For instance, a nice manual focus 20mm Nikkor will fetch a much higher price than an AF 20mm because they will continue to make an AF model, at least for a while, but not the MF lens.