600mm macro

[dougsmit]

The first question anyone might ask is why in the world would anyone want to shoot macro with a 600mm lens and the truth is the main answer is to see if I could. The obvious answer is if you want to shoot something you don't want to disturb (stinging insects) or something located just over a fence where you can get no closer. I do a lot of macro with an EF 100 and a old 50mm Leitz enlarging lens which proved best for most of what I want to shoot but I have tried a variety of other things that I have accumulated over the years with varying degrees of success. The fun is in the journey, not the destination. This post is to report what I learned along that journey. I should point out that most of you could do better here since you have the R5 which has greater pixel density than my RP. I really do not know how one of the $13,000 600mm lenses would do in comparison. I'm using the RF 600mm f/11. Perhaps someone who reads this will post similar things with other popular long options. Certainly that includes standing way back and cropping to a small part of the full frame sensor. Soon we will start seeing macro from a bit farther back with the new R7. Photography is a journey and does depend to some degree on whether you travel by jet plane or tricycle.
The results here show what I got on a first outing adding extension tubes to the 600mm f/11. I have two sets (Meike and Commlite) allowing various combinations from 13mm to 91mm added extension. Shown here are results using the lens alone, adding a 26mm Commlite tube and adding all four tubes for 91mm. It takes a lot of extension to make any significant difference on a 600mm lens. Adding even another set or two of tubes would not make this into a true macro lens of the type we have come to expect but this does sound like a plan if I ever decide I need to shoot wasp nests. Each image is uncropped from the original but reduced in size to the 2048 pixel maximum allowed here. The bottom of each shows a crop from the full, unreduced image. To pixel peep, you will need to enlarge (on Windows right click and open image in new tab) to see the full 2048. All images were made by Focus Bracketing using the DPP4 utility. I learned quite a bit doing this experiment including the obvious fact that 600mm will not become a regularly used macro lens unless a 'special' situation comes up.

no tubes at the lens' native close focus distance

adding one 26mm tube

adding a stack of tubes totaling 91mm

Thanks to any who read this far. Photo is my hobby, not a business. I would enjoy hearing from anyone else who has tried this sort of thing.

 

[Grahamk]

Thanks for an interesting topic. What was the subject to lens distance with the 91mm stack?

 

[dougsmit]

Thanks for an interesting topic. What was the subject to lens distance with the 91mm stack?

I did not measure it but I estimate about 9 feet. Depth of field was zero which explains why I used Focus Bracketing.

 

[Grahamk]

Thanks. I may try experimenting myself.

 

[dougsmit]

Thanks. I may try experimenting myself.

I love photographers who experiment and learn new things. The problem is with those who know all the answers before they hear the question. I bought my 600 f/11 before they came out with the RF 100-400 (similarly light, faster, shorter but allows focus over the entire field). I am unsure which I would buy today but that is unimportant compared to learning how to use the one I have.

 

[Hali]

That's pretty impressive. Thanks for opening my eyes to a new idea, although I might try it with my 100-500! I just got a set of two extension tubes so I'm itching to see how they work.

 

[tunewitsch]

Great idea, worth trying with my 800 f11. Accidentally I just undertook my first steps in focus bracketing with the 100mm macro yesterday...How many frames in your focus stack? Which stitching software did you use?

 

[Kerro]

Doug, this is a great set of photos. I have an R5 and an Rf 800 F11 and 2 sets of extension tubes and a Canon 2 X converter. I may try all combinations of these and see what I come up with. Your photos have inspired me to "have a go" as we say here in Australia.

 

[Archibald]

Interesting stuff, Doug. I often do closeup photography at the long end of my RF 100-500. That's because I go out intending to shoot birds, but instead of birds, I find bugs. The zoom does quite well at its minimum focus distance, and the photos tolerate cropping too. I will be posting examples in the days ahead.

 

[KD_Reno]

Really nice results. I used tubes on my EF 100-400 a few times. Worked great for closeups, a but a bird could pop up at 30 feet any time. I just couldn't take the risk. .

I rented a 600/11 when they first came out and tried it on an RP. Images were great, but for birds and wildlife the RP's ergonomics were a limiting factor for me compared to a 7D2/5D4 I had at the time. For your particular shots I don't think the 600/4 would be much better, at least without some serious pixel peeping. And life's too short for that anyway.

 

[Spitfirejd]

Interesting experiment. Having to use focus stack to get any sort of DOF is definitely a limiting factor, but for stationary subjects such as these flowers, is not a big deal. I have 2 dedicated macro lenses, but by far my favorite lens for taking pictures of flowers, etc is my EF 300 f/4L. It takes amazing photos up close and the background is buttery smooth.