Welcome To The Macro Management Group

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I am so happy that I didn't sell my Minolta Auto Bellows III, during My Digital Days.
There were so many times that I was tempted to eBay it away.
Luckily last year I discovered APUG, and came to my senses !
I've been going through the closet and rediscovering all sorts of great gear from The Good Olde Days.
I have all this equipment for 35mm, Medium Format, and the 4X5.
I just don't remember how to use any of it, so I thought I would join an APUG Macro Group.
I was surprised to find, that there was no APUG Macro Group. That was unacceptable.
So we can all be Members Of Macro Management.
Check your closet,basement, or garage and dust off your bellows, and extension rings.
Or just grab a Pringles can, and make a home made macro device.

Thanks For Joining.


Ron
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Good morning, Ron;

A response for you, sir: Thank you for forming the group. Yes, such a group was needed, but it had not occurred to me to even think about this obvious lacking, and to do something about it. Again, thank you.

While most of us probably think first of a bellows unit for extreme close-ups, or even perhaps a microscope, there are other more simple things we can use for this purpose. Just a simple set of extension tubes will bring this capability to any SLR camera. The TTL light metering systems will handle the exposure compensation for us. Even more portable and easy to use are the plus diopter supplemental lenses that can be screwed into the filter ring threads on the front of our lenses. The two element supplemental lenses available from Canon, Minolta, and Nikon are a little more expensive, yes, but there can be noticeable differences in what you get on your negative, and they do have the advantage of great portability and no exposure compensation requirement. Use a lens hood with them.

There are lots of things to talk about. The relative merits of bellows, extension tubes, and close-up supplemental lenses. Why would you want a lens reversing ring and when would you use it. Ring light electronic flash units. Light reflectors. Things for holding our subjects still while they are being photographed. Wind blocks. How to look through your camera when it is in an awkward attitude close to the ground. How do you hold the camera still when it needs to be close to the ground.

Photographing small things can be a real challenge.

Enjoy; Ralph, Latte Land, Washington

Hi Ron,

Thanks for starting a macro group. It was this fascinating subject that rekindled my enthusiasm for photography. Please don't misunderstand me, I have been a photographer for over 50 years, and have probably photographed more weddings and portraits than I've had hot dinners but there is an urge within to find some different techniques to practice. For me it was close up and macro photography. I have always been interested in natural history and this became the way forward. I already had an armory of Olympus OM gear and subsequently added the 80mm. and 135mm. macro lenses and the auto-extension tube and a whole new world was born.~

Ron, may i add to the other "thank you's" and say that macro is an area of photography that has fascinated me also, I have looked at many examples on the net in wonder.

I have a Canon dslr and have made some attempts at macro photography and whilst the out comes have not been brilliant they have been encouraging, my small courtyard now has a fascination to me as never before.

Dai.

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A Warm Welcome To All The Recent Members !!!

You Old Members Are Still Welcomed Also !!!

Happy To See That We Are Growing Slowly, But Steadily.
I'll be on vacation from Sept. 5th. - 12th., when I get back I
need to start working on my macro setup, and testing.
I finally got a macro focusing rail this week, so I'll be concentrating
on the 35mm macro work for the next few weeks trying to learn
a little bit about the process, wish me Luck.


Ron
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I am not usually on the artistic side of macro, but more the tech side. Yes, the bellows, the 50mm macro lens, the lens reversing mount ring, the spare 2x tele-extender with the optical guts removed, and now 4x5 with long bellows, but they don't get hauled out all that often.

My most used macro though are the slide duper, where I use C-41 dupe stock to get better composition when making prints from old family Kodachrome slide, and a Polaroid Industrial Process 4x5 and 35mm column camera that I use to copy printed matter, and often at a macro reproduction ratio.

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Oh No, Not The LXDude !, There goes the Group ...
Be on your best behavior, Jeff ... I'll be keeping an eye on you !

Sorry About That Iantoz, I had no idea he was going to be joining us.

Thanks For Joining Everyone !

Like Grandpa always used to say :
"A bad day of macro photography,
is better than a good day of digital photography. "
Gramps was a Time Traveler ... I'm Just Saying

Enjoy The Weekend, And The Final Few Minutes Of Summer
Unless you're a Time Traveler, then it doesn't really matter.


Ron
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Hi Ron and MM Group

Thanks for the invite. I posted a couple of pics of my OM2 with Macro Bellows set up on the pics page. It's the camera I have been using for my Film Noir Project (Check out my APUG portfolio for my macro work).

My dad was a biologist and he did all his work in macro. It was all scientific. He also taught electron microscopy at the Univ, and did a lot of macro/micro text book stuff. Anyway, I picked up my love of macro from him, but instead of becoming a scientist I went to art school. lol!

I have used close up lenses and extension tubes but after using a Bellows I will never go back to anything else.

Great to be part of this group. and Ron I love that quote by your grandpa, it so fits!!

CHEERS and happy macros for you all.

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Hi Varya,

Thanks for joining !

That's A Wonderful Collection !


Ron
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