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Filming Macro – High quality adapters?
Hi All!
I have a shoot coming up where the director wants to shoot a ton of artsy stuff in macro. This is a lower budget shoot, so I am planning on sticking with my Canon 5D Markiii & the L series glass I have right now.
The problem is none of my glass is macro (16-35mm 2.8, 50mm 1.2, 70-200mm 2.8). I could rent the Zeiss 100mm macro (which I know is beautiful). But I would rather just buy something for a couple hundred bucks that I can use on and off all the time.
What are your opinions of diopter filters? Too much image distortion? Any specific brand you like? Should I got with a much larger size like 4.5 so I’m not shooting near the edges (and just get step down rings)?
What about regular old barrel extenders. I know I’m losing some stops of light here, which isn’t ideal. But there’s no glass involved. Any thoughts on that?
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5 Replies
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The barrel extenders will give you the cleanest look. Probably work best on your 70-200. They are difficult to use on wide lenses. Also, you want a set that does not interrupt the signal from your lens to the body.
Rick Wise
Cinematographer
San Francisco Bay Area
https://www.RickWiseDP.com -
Hey Rick! Thanks for the suggestion. I was leaning towards the extenders myself until I just had a long convo with another DP who was arguing the benefit of having some nice diopters around. But it seems like the extenders would look best (no glass involved). I’d definitely make sure I get a set that allows me to communicate with my lenses.
Do you have an opinion on using diopters?
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I regularly use my trusty 50 f1.8 with a 1.4 teleconverter and extension tubes on my 5D III and I can get pretty tight on critters the size of a ladybug. Cheap and easy. The flower in the picture is about an inch wide. /Users/mike drew’s mac/Desktop/may 1:13 crocus/20130502mikeMD010.JPG
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Oops, I can see the picture didn’t upload like I thought it would. Anyway, teleconverter and extension tubes are the wat to go.
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If it was me I would check out Borrowlenses.com and look into renting a real macro for the days of the shoot you will need it. You may be pleasantly surprised how inexpensive their rentals can be. For years I’ve had a Canon 100mm f2.8 macro that can go as close as 1:1 quite nicely. Add an extension to that and you can go even larger.
Also, and let me say I don’t know that these exist for Canon mounts, but if you add a bellows extension with swing and tilt you’ll have enormous flexibility with your macro subjects.
One other thought: have you and your director arrived at a clear understanding of the exact scale of what you both mean by macro? It’s a term that may be considered “macro” by a shooter and “microscopic” in the mind of someone less experienced with the reality of optics.
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