Rail / Book

[Darryl Roberts]

Hi,

I'm considering macro.

Rail: What's it's benefit?

Book: Any book recommendation that's not math heavy?

Advanced thank you.

 

[Dan Fromm]

Rail? Using a focusing rail allows you to set up your camera for the magnification you want and then focus by using the rail to adjust camera/lens distance from subject without changing magnification.

Books?

Angel, Heather. 1987 (revised, originally published in 1983). Book of Close-Up
Photography. Originally published by Ebury, London. Revised edition published by A.
A. Knopf Inc. 168 pp. ISBN 0394532325. A much better book than John Shaw's
Closeups In Nature. If nothing else, she uses and discusses more than Nikons. Angel
does the John Shaw thing better than he does.

Blaker, Alfred A. 1976. Field Photography. W. H. Freeman & Co. San Francisco, CA.
451 pp. ISBN 0-7167-0518-4. A deep discussion of all aspects of photography, with
considerable emphasis on close-up. Discusses getting the magnification, lighting, and
exposure. Weaker than Lefkowitz on working above 1:1, stronger on lighting, especially
flash. Extensive bibliography.

Bracegirdle, Brian. 1995. Scientific PhotoMACROgraphy. Bios Scientific Publishers.
Oxford. 105 pp. ISBN 1 872748 49 X. A terse drier updated version of Lefkowitz. Very
useful bibliography, unfortunately scattered into small sections after most chapters.

Gibson, H. Lou. Close-Up Photography and Photomacrography. 1970. Publication N-
16. Eastman Kodak Co. Rochester, NY. 98+95+6 pp. The two sections were published
separately as Kodak Publications N-12A and N-12B respectively. Republished in 1977
with changes and without the 6 page analytic supplement, which was published
separately as Kodak Publication N-15. 1977 edition is ISBN 0-87985-206-2. Gibson is
very strong on lighting, exposure, and on what can and cannot be accomplished. His
books, although relatively weak on getting the magnification with lenses made for
modern SLR cameras, provide a very useful foundation for thinking about working at
magnifications above 1:10 and especially above 1:1. Extensive bibliography.

Lefkowitz, Lester. 1979. The Manual of Close-Up Photography. Amphoto. Garden
City, NY. 272 pp. ISBN 0-8174-2456-3 (hardbound) and 0-8174-2130-0 (softbound). A
thorough discussion of getting the magnification, lighting, and exposure. Especially good
on working above 1:1. Extensive bibliography.

Be warned, using an LF camera at near distances isn't that easy. Small format is much easier to set up and use. But if you want to try macro with LF, go for it.

 

[John Koehrer]

If you're using 35mm a rail and a 50mm lens things may be a bit awkward, working
distance and/or lighting etc. A macro lens may prove easier UNLESS you want more
than 1:1.

 

[Darryl Roberts]

Rail? Using a focusing rail allows you to set up your camera for the magnification you want and then focus by using the rail to adjust camera/lens distance from subject without changing magnification.

Books?

Angel, Heather. 1987 (revised, originally published in 1983). Book of Close-Up
Photography. Originally published by Ebury, London. Revised edition published by A.
A. Knopf Inc. 168 pp. ISBN 0394532325. A much better book than John Shaw's
Closeups In Nature. If nothing else, she uses and discusses more than Nikons. Angel
does the John Shaw thing better than he does.

Blaker, Alfred A. 1976. Field Photography. W. H. Freeman & Co. San Francisco, CA.
451 pp. ISBN 0-7167-0518-4. A deep discussion of all aspects of photography, with
considerable emphasis on close-up. Discusses getting the magnification, lighting, and
exposure. Weaker than Lefkowitz on working above 1:1, stronger on lighting, especially
flash. Extensive bibliography.

Bracegirdle, Brian. 1995. Scientific PhotoMACROgraphy. Bios Scientific Publishers.
Oxford. 105 pp. ISBN 1 872748 49 X. A terse drier updated version of Lefkowitz. Very
useful bibliography, unfortunately scattered into small sections after most chapters.

Gibson, H. Lou. Close-Up Photography and Photomacrography. 1970. Publication N-
16. Eastman Kodak Co. Rochester, NY. 98+95+6 pp. The two sections were published
separately as Kodak Publications N-12A and N-12B respectively. Republished in 1977
with changes and without the 6 page analytic supplement, which was published
separately as Kodak Publication N-15. 1977 edition is ISBN 0-87985-206-2. Gibson is
very strong on lighting, exposure, and on what can and cannot be accomplished. His
books, although relatively weak on getting the magnification with lenses made for
modern SLR cameras, provide a very useful foundation for thinking about working at
magnifications above 1:10 and especially above 1:1. Extensive bibliography.

Lefkowitz, Lester. 1979. The Manual of Close-Up Photography. Amphoto. Garden
City, NY. 272 pp. ISBN 0-8174-2456-3 (hardbound) and 0-8174-2130-0 (softbound). A
thorough discussion of getting the magnification, lighting, and exposure. Especially good
on working above 1:1. Extensive bibliography.

Be warned, using an LF camera at near distances isn't that easy. Small format is much easier to set up and use. But if you want to try macro with LF, go for it.

Thank you VERY much.

 

[beemermark]

If your new to Macro I'd suggest a close up filter. They attach to the front of your lens, are relatively cheap (cheap compared to a macro lens or bellows) very easy to use and give great results. Once you taken a few thousand pictures you'll be able to answer the question of benifit.

 

[Chuck1]

Rail? Using a focusing rail allows you to set up your camera for the magnification you want and then focus by using the rail to adjust camera/lens distance from subject without changing magnification.

Books?

Angel, Heather. 1987 (revised, originally published in 1983). Book of Close-Up
Photography. Originally published by Ebury, London. Revised edition published by A.
A. Knopf Inc. 168 pp. ISBN 0394532325. A much better book than John Shaw's
Closeups In Nature. If nothing else, she uses and discusses more than Nikons. Angel
does the John Shaw thing better than he does.

Blaker, Alfred A. 1976. Field Photography. W. H. Freeman & Co. San Francisco, CA.
451 pp. ISBN 0-7167-0518-4. A deep discussion of all aspects of photography, with
considerable emphasis on close-up. Discusses getting the magnification, lighting, and
exposure. Weaker than Lefkowitz on working above 1:1, stronger on lighting, especially
flash. Extensive bibliography.

Bracegirdle, Brian. 1995. Scientific PhotoMACROgraphy. Bios Scientific Publishers.
Oxford. 105 pp. ISBN 1 872748 49 X. A terse drier updated version of Lefkowitz. Very
useful bibliography, unfortunately scattered into small sections after most chapters.

Gibson, H. Lou. Close-Up Photography and Photomacrography. 1970. Publication N-
16. Eastman Kodak Co. Rochester, NY. 98+95+6 pp. The two sections were published
separately as Kodak Publications N-12A and N-12B respectively. Republished in 1977
with changes and without the 6 page analytic supplement, which was published
separately as Kodak Publication N-15. 1977 edition is ISBN 0-87985-206-2. Gibson is
very strong on lighting, exposure, and on what can and cannot be accomplished. His
books, although relatively weak on getting the magnification with lenses made for
modern SLR cameras, provide a very useful foundation for thinking about working at
magnifications above 1:10 and especially above 1:1. Extensive bibliography.

Lefkowitz, Lester. 1979. The Manual of Close-Up Photography. Amphoto. Garden
City, NY. 272 pp. ISBN 0-8174-2456-3 (hardbound) and 0-8174-2130-0 (softbound). A
thorough discussion of getting the magnification, lighting, and exposure. Especially good
on working above 1:1. Extensive bibliography.

Be warned, using an LF camera at near distances isn't that easy. Small format is much easier to set up and use. But if you want to try macro with LF, go for it.

Just replying for the biblio
Thank you