Bellows Basics for Macro Photography
Vložit
- čas přidán 16. 05. 2020
- *** lots of folks have asked me about the metal platform that I use in so many of my setups. It is an inexpensive lab lifter, which can be found here: amzn.to/3vBWTSj
This is a slightly better one than shown in the video (the one in the video has been retired)***
A huge thank you to all my Patreon supporters, including Barry, Darek, Dave, and Doc, who all signed up this week. Awesome!
Please check out my Patreon creator page at / allanwallsphotography
By request, this is an introduction to using the bellows for macro photography. We look at how to mount camera and lens, and present a walkthrough of a bellows workflow, including setting magnification and focusing.
Here is a link to a simple extension/magnification calculator (thanks to Michael Jones for providing this useful tool). thingsupclose.com/tools/extens...
The variable "magnification" is looking for the maximum reproduction ratio - for the 50mm Nikon lens I was using, the "magnification" is 0.15X. This number will be found in the specifications published by the maker of your lens.
For more information on Nikon's PB-6 camera bellows, check out my article at www.allanwallsphotography.com...
Allan, Even after 50 years of active photography, I have just learned a bunch of stuff on using a bellows and a better understanding of effective aperture and diffraction, just by listening to you for a half an hour. Thank you.
You sir, sound Australian, British and Southern American all at once. Great class by the way and I am very much inclined towards photographing smaller subjects. The concept of bellows as opposed to a regular macro lens was unknown to me. Thank you for a clear and concise explanation.
Thank you, kind sir! 20 years in the south of England, followed by 40 years in the deep south - that will do it, every time!
As you noted, stacking seems to very popular these days with extreme macro photography and digital photography. I do have an old book on film photography which features a bellows-originated image of the head of an insect with the typically shallow depth of field. And I actually like the look of it. It is an interesting look with the super shallow depth of field. Just goes to show that there is no right or wrong way with this form of photography. A single image with no stacking can look good in it's own unique way though this may depend on the subject.
Seriously, now I want bellows. He explained it all so well. I'm hooked.
Allan, this is one of the clearest, most complete explanations I can recall ever having watched (regardless of photographic topic). You have a gift for making complex subjects understandable. Congratulations on your work and above all, thanks !
This was excellent, Allan! Thank you so much.
A very well explained to the full detail as usual.Keep up your good work.
Brilliant video Allen , as usual.
All interesting stuff (as usual) Thanks. I have my bellows and all the adapter rings I think I will need. Just (yesterday) sourced an el nikkor 50mm F2.8 N, can't wait for it to arrive, so I can put my new found knowledge into practice...
An excellent video on the use of bellows. Thank you!
Thank you !! I am very happy to be attending this class with a master of photography, we know that our eternity is teaching knowledge and this will make a difference in my professional life. Thank you very much ...
Allan, you have a great gift for explaining things simply and clearly. Thank you for this video - it was immensely helpful and saved several hours of what would have been frustrating trail and error trying to use a bellows for the first time.
Excellent video, well explained and easy to understand. The formula for calculating effective aperture is especially good to know, thanks!
Hi Allan !! Nice to see you once again, this has been the only video I have seen in which there is a basic and simple explanation of how to use a bellows correctly, I thank you very much for all the time you take to research and prepare your videos because apart from your experience, you research and document yourself very well to make your videos, you are a professional and that is why I value you so much, I belong to two macro photography forums on facebook and every time they ask for advice or how to start macro photography, I recommend that they see your CZcams channel and subscribe. Take good care of yourself there and I continue to enjoy and learn from your videos !!
Greetings Enrique! I hope you are well. Thank you for the kind words!
Thank you Allan. Very well explained. I have never used a bellows rig, but it was easy to understand, because much of what you explained, I have done, with reversed lenses, and extension tubes.
Absolute pleasure to learn about bellows
Thank you so much for this wonderful informative video. I have read several books on macro photography and none of them covered Effective Aperture. This was critical information since I'm just getting involved in extreme macro photography. Please keep up the great work.
What a great little video, thanks. Keep well keep save and be happy.
Wow, what an amazing video! 🌟 This tutorial on operating a bellows in macro photography is absolutely top-notch! 📸 The way you explained the technical aspects of using a bellows was so clear and easy to follow. Your expertise and passion for the subject really shine through, making it a joy to watch. Keep up the fantastic work and thank you for sharing your knowledge with the community. 🙌💯
Very informative! Thank you, Allan!
Thanks for making this video. I knew the basics in theory, but it really helps to have someone walk through it in such a approachable, step-by-step fashion.
My bellows just arrived now to watch this another couple of times. Great stuff thanks.
Very practical advice, well-delivered.
Thank you Allan. I bought a mint condition PB6 a few months ago. Haven't used it yet and now I am motivated to do so with your clear and concise directions. Look forward to watching all your streams. Thanks again. -Jim
I must say I came across your Videos quite by accident this morning while researching for Objectives. So glad I did you've managed to make me want to get back into some macro work. Many thanks Allan, excellent work mate.
Excellent! Let me know if I can help!
Brilliant tutorial. I have learnt so much in this video clip.
Brilliant macro table set-up!
Amazingly good lecture! Thank you!
Thank you. I just bought a used bellows on a whim, and this tutorial was exactly what I need to get me started.
I just bought one on a whim too! I’m waiting for it to arrive. Are you enjoying using it?
Quite clear and precise
Brilliant video glad I found it as I ordered a PB-6 bellows from eBay
Super clear and helpful!
I'm going to start calling Allen "Sherlock" - - he solves mysteries!
I wonder if there's anything on CZcams about things to do with my bellows once I have finished digitising my slides?
Yup - and very clearly explained too. I think you've saved me quite a bit of head scratching! Subscribed.
Dhason Freddy
used this nikon PB 6 Bellows for many years for very minute and Accurate closeup photography. I appreciate this video
Thank you, thank you, thank you. Bought a used like new PB-6 several years ago. Reading the manual didn't help much. Your video was an immense help. There are also the aperture levers that need to be addressed. Blessings to you.
Thanks Ernst! Glad you liked it!
Very informative. Brilliant.
Thank you very much.
This is brilliant Allan! 👏👏👏👏
Hi Allan, a bellow is something i want to put in my equitementvault for a long time. So nice video again.
Go for it! You'll end up using it a bunch!
Thanks again Allan.
Thank you so much for this video!
This was so helpful!
Glad I saw this video!! I acquired a mint condition Nikon PB-4 bellows and was very disappointed when I couldn't get my Nikon D810 to mount on it. I was considering selling it when I came across this video and learned the "secret" to mounting a DSLR! Thank you!!!
Excellent - thanks! Your bellows has the added advantage of allowing you to manipulate the focal plane - definitely a piece of gear to hang on to!
Thank you Allan!
Really helpful video, thanks
Really informative. Thank you
awesome and detailed explanation
Awesome video! Thank you!
Thanks a lot. lovely video. very informative .
Pro Tip: Keep up the great work of art & sience :) Thank you Sir.
I've now got a headache... and that's ok. Thanks for your hard work.
Great video.
I now realize the world of bellows should have been on my "to do list" 50 years ago...thanks to YOU....
Of course, I subscribed and purchased the low brow Nikon F III bellows. Kudos.
I have been using Nikon bellows (PB-4 and PB-6) for many years. Like Lysander Spooner who commented earlier, I am also using my PB-6 with an adapter to attach a Fujifilm X-T3 body. One of my favourite lenses to use in this setup is a scarce (rare?) short mounted Nikkor 105 mm f4 lens. In the good old film days I used these bellows with a Nikon F2 and a reversed mounted 28 mm f2.8 Nikkor to photograph live individual specimens of freshwater plankton swimming in a single drop of water. Electronic flash for lighting.
There were only about 2,500 of this lens made. I also own one.
I just got my bellows connected to a digital camera, a dream I've been brewing for many years. It's a D5300 and my initial problem is setting the light metering. You have me a crucial clew about working with f5. Thanks for your excellent post. My next challenge is to get more light with a slave flash setup.
Thanks again Allan - very timely as I have a Nikon Bellows on its way to me. Barry :)
Hi Barry, You are going to love it!
I spent two fruitless hours last night trying to get focus with my bellows. I tried 90mm Flat Field, 100mm, and 35mm lenses, all to no avail. In my 16 year absence from Macro photography I forgot to account for the extension of the bellows and the closeness of the subject distance. I just kept moving the wrong thing! Once I almost achieved focus by moving the tripod. Eventually I gave up and went to Our Friend Google. Alan Walls to the rescue! Easy-peasy explanations in Alan's video, and my brain clicked. The calculator link was a big help, too. Thank you for reviving my long-lost education. Tonight when I set up for Macro I have a sure guiding hand at my side.
Great video . One suggestion - it may help others . If you use high magnification and you have issues with shallow DOF I use macro rail to move forward ( or backwards) instead bellows . It’s more precise especially if you have scale build in .
Yesterday, had a beetle eating away at a large flower petal (outside, no flash needed); used this same setup with the reverse lense and set the camera's intervalometer to 1 second intervals and slowly rotated the lower dial as the shots were fired; thought this worked good for live subjects. Turned out better than any handheld work.
Nice tutorial, thank you
Thank you very much this helped me out a lot
An informative post and a cracking shot of an eye at the beginning.
PB6 with copier attachment PS6 and cable currently at £175.00. To replace my PB4 today with its PS4 £199-£350. I think I paid over £100 in 1976
My main interest is micro photography on things I can't study with my eyes like Occulli, insects tongues and their sex organs.
I've attached mine to some CNC rail and a stepper motor, but I've since altered it and now use a hand crank. I've geared it so every click is a fraction of a millimeter. I use an engineer's ruler to see how much depth of field I have with whatever lens I'm using. It took 111 shots the last time I did a small flies eye, My 10x Microscope lens needs 210mm of extension and luckily it has a 17mm working distance. I keep my bellows closed and use tubes for most of the extension as a lot of my use is outdoors and I don't like too much sun on the bellows. One thing I don't have is a adjustable deck and at high magnification the best position of the model is quite difficult to achieve.
Adjustable lights are usefull, Jansjö lights from Ikea are cheap led ones and will run off Usb power packs and the mains.
Optics made for the large format cameras ( 4 x 5 >> 8 x 10 ) often can be
stopped down to f/64 or f/90.
Well known brands are Nikon. Fuji, Zeiss, Rodenstock , Scheider, Meyer,
Voigtländer etc.
Before WW II the photogroup F/64 was famous in the U.S.A.
Excellent info, Allan. I managed to find a PB-4 bellows, near mint condition, at a good price on eBay a while back. Decided to go for that even though cost more than the PB-6 so I can have the tilt/shift feature. I have to admit to being bit of a T/S junky as use a 24mm and 85mm in other areas of work. Such versatile and exciting lenses to use!
Because fitting the camera to the bellows as you demonstrate is a little fiddly, I keep an old but robust 12mm extension tube on the back of the bellows, gives that little but of extra space. Don't use cheap plastic tubes for this though.
You will probably cover this when you discuss reversed lenses, but I always felt a bit ansty abut the exposed rear element of the lens when reversing it. I solved this by attaching a Nikon BR-6 adaptor to the lens mount, then putting a 52mm filter onto the adaptor. The lens is protected, and you can pop a lens cap onto the filter when work is finished. The BR-6 also has the facility to stop the lens down and locking the aperture after focusing.
Hi Mike, the PB-4 bellows are (and have been) on my wish list. I would love to be able to use the tilt/shift functionality. The PB-4 with that 24mm - reversed - would be fun to play with!
Love your work! Been shotting with a g7 and g85 using just the on camera flash and a reverse mounted tamron 28mm.
Been looking for a good source to learn and I just found it
Thanks! I love that Tamron 28 - a great choice for reversed lens work!
Hi Allan thank you very much for this video. The way you put things makes it so much easier to understand. It would be nice, as a suggestion to make a video about the use of flash with macro photography. Particularly the use of a shutter release cable with two ends. Keep bringing this videos as they are magnificently useful.
Hi Alexandre, your timing is perfect. I am currently finishing up two videos that directly address the use of flash I'm macro photography. Should be out soon. Thanks!
@@AllanWallsPhotography thank YOU.
Just what I needed! Bought a bellows year’s ago and boxed it up because I didn’t know how to use it properly. Your video explained the process and expectations superbly. It worked right out of (the old) box! Thank you.
The bad news is I hate bugs and macro photography has its obsession with those critters. The less bugs the better, I say. I noticed you worked one in at the very end. Flowers and pollen are boring. Have you ever photographed a spark? 20 amps on 220 V? Just wondering. I have been told I can be difficult.
But I sure enjoy your art of structure and process.
Good tutorials for Extreme Macro Photography
THANK you so much!!
Thank you for this great video. My set of Canon FD bellows arrived yesterday. And an M42 set should arrive later today. I tried out a few test shots with the FD bellows and my wife's house plants yesterday afternoon. I eventually, mostly, sorted out focusing through trial and error. I knew to focus by moving the entire rail. But I didn't realize calculators exist for sorting out what the actual working distance is. I also quickly discovered that my cheap but (normally) serviceable tripod isn't up to snuff for this style of macro photography. And while I have cable releases for my film cameras, I don't have a remote shutter release for my digital yet. But at least I can understand the problems my first attempt surfaced.
I'll be checking your other videos for any details on your setup shown here. You link to a similar lab lift. And those are easy enough to find at affordable prices online now that I know what to call them. But it looks like you've got a tripod head mounted onto a slab of wood or countertop to provide a stable base? That makes sense to me given my experiences with a more standard tripod yesterday. When your depth of field is a couple of millimeters thick you really can't do too much to eliminate camera movement.
My wife shoots large format view cameras so I have a vague grasp of bellows extension factor from her. I believe that's the same thing you discuss here when calculating effective aperture? For her purposes it's usually more about sorting out exposure than diffusion. I'm sure the calculator could help me figure out how much bellows she'd need to get 3x magnification with a 14 inch lens on an 8x10 view camera. But I don't want to think about it.
You've earned a subscriber. And I'm sure your videos will help me suck less with using my bellows.
Ah, I found The Cage Project on your website. That's exactly the sort of stuff I was looking for. The review of the BenQ desk lamp on your blog is also super helpful.
Great video. I had the PB-6 but gave it up for the PB-4 for the front element shift and tilt functions. Both good though.
Thanks for the video, I myself shoot macro with fur from my hands and a tripod. Very handy gadget for macro.
Thanks very much Allan, it was a great tutorial, I learn a lot, now I have to buy a Bellows. I ask my wife if she wants a 12' insect mural and the answer was: NO.
Hahaha! You shouldn't have asked! Make it a surprise (or shock may be a better choice of words!)!
14:30 also, the light drops off dramatically because you’re enlarging the image circle and the inverse square law comes into play. That’s why, regardless of aperture used, the picture gets darker and darker as the mag goes up.
thank you for the info..
Allan,
Thank you for your very informative and thought-provoking video!
I think you've allowed me to take my bellows game (which i dusted-off and used for the first time in about 10 years because of your video) from a "C-" to a solid "B+"!
Until now, I never fully understood the relationship and ultimate purpose of the three "knobs" on the bellows - adjusting focus vs. adjusting the reproduction ratio (aka "magnification").
Also, until your video, I'd never put two-and-two-together regarding how we're magnifying both the aperature and the glass diffraction effects: the proverbial circles-of-confusion at higher f-numbers; and, chromatic aberrations (colour fringing) at lower f-numbers. Once you explained the image "cone", things made so much more sense! Sometimes, it's the simplest thing that serves as the lynch-pin to our understanding! With macro photography, we're effectively "pixel-peeping" before the image becomes pixels!
In my experience, using my lenses at their sharpest (sweet-spot) aperture when mounted "normally" on my PB-6 bellows works the best for achieving clear images regardless of the level of magnification. Meaning: my 50mm lenses seem to be sharpest at f/8 and f/11; in most cases f/16 and f/5.6 are "acceptable"; whereas, due to the aforementioned diffraction effects, f/4 and below and f/22 are unusable on my D850 for anything beyond a 1:1 reproduction ratio. Even regular photos (no bellows) taken with my old 50mm lenses on my D850 are noticeably soft at f-numbers below f/5.6 and above f/16.
Maybe I missed it, but, I think you forgot to mention how to actually engage and lock the selected aperture using the levers on the sides of the front bellows element or using a mechanical remote shutter release.
Thanks again for sharing your knowledge!
Cheers,
Scott.
instagram.com/wsh.photos
im going to order these bellows tomorrow i hope they r as good as new, like the seller states 😀😀
Thank you.
Thank you Allan! :)
Silly, but I had not noticeced that diffraction depends on magnification, even rhough it's perfecly logical. Thank you, Sir!
Very nice. Beautifully put.
While discussing about effective aperture, its actually the the intensity of light reaching the focus plane .
As the distance between the optical center of the lens and focus plane increases the light reaching the film/sensor proportionately decreases.
As the magnification increases, the depth of field decreases.
In cameras like Mariya RB/RZ 67, we find scale in the sides to compensate for the same. That was needed as the cameras had no built-in meter.(barring one waist level finder?).
With TTL metering in place in most cameras now, the manual competition is very helpful in most cases.
The effective aperture here is only the light gathered at the film plane.
By the way, Nikon made some beautiful, tiny lenses for their bellows, both short focal length and medium focal length. One of the tiny lens offers upto 27x or so on the bellows. No word of those lenses made specifically for use on these bellows, nowadays.
Any idea, any one?? Really interested.
Thanks.
Thank you for this interesting and helpful comment! The importance of the effective aperture is more than just the decreased light intensity, though that is an important consideration. As the physical aperture is moved further away from the sensor, it becomes smaller from the perspective of the sensor. The added distance between sensor and aperture allow more interference from the divergent rays and a subsequent loss of resolution. So the effective aperture is important to consider whenever the image distance is increased as it determines the limit of physical aperture size before diffraction softening become unacceptable.
@@AllanWallsPhotography ....
Thank you for the response.
From a light source, the luminosity decrease or increases by 1/2 per metre.
In lenses where the whole group of lens elements move together while focusing, depending on the placement of aperture, diffraction is controlled relatively well. Lenses with internal focusing suffer a little more. In my opinion, diffraction is not necessarily because of size aperture alone but also because of its placement within the lens groups. The group of lens elements before the diaphragm and the convergence there at play a part. Thank you so much.
That was indeed a good video...
Bought my PB-6 in the mid-1980’s. It’s still going strong after a lot of usage. That said, it still needs to be handled with reasonable care. I wish they still sold them new. The third party choices are generally too cheap or too expensive. The PB-6 is a great choice for Nikon users.
Hi Bob... I just responded to another comment with exactly the same advice! Some of the bargain brands are really of very poor quality, and the expensive ones make no sense.
Hi Allan
I did the same too after seeing you excellent video, the PB6 arrived yesterday and looks mint.
Thanks for your inspiring words.
What shutter speed ranges do you normally work with an aperture 4-5.6?
Allen where were you 45 years ago. I know home computers were in the infancy stage. But thanks for the heads up and the formula.
Hi, Thanks for the great video. Just bought some bellows the other day. Thanks for the magnification link.
Though I was wondering where you got that raise platform that you have the bottle on? Regards
Hi Allan I know you get inundated with questions but do you have any examples, before and after, of the affect of internal reflections using bellows with shiny surfaces from adapters and reversing rings etc. Keep up your great work you have been an inspiration to me thank you.
What an amazing video! Highly informative. I am curious to know more about the stand you are using to keep the bottle. It looks great. Thanks,
Hi Satheesh, and thanks for the kind words! The stand is a simple and inexpensive "lab lifter". I have added a link in the notes above. If you follow that you find a selection of options in different price ranges. Mine is 4" by 4".
@@AllanWallsPhotography Thanks Allan. I forgot to mention one thing in my comment. The way you explain about Bellows has the quality of a great teacher. Thanks again for the great video. Satheesh.
The most famous bellows brand in the world is Novoflex;
the company cconstructs the bellows for Hasselbladand Rollei.
Plus the universal models with auto aperture with every camery body mount.
Plus reflexmirror box for Leica M cameras.
Hi Allan, thank you for explaining the Bellows, I have a set of Canon Bellows and would like to ask if you have a 'T' ring fitted to the Bellows so that you can use your Digital Camera? Tony
I can't thank you enough for help. My eye sight isn't what it use to be. Have you used a tether cable for focusing on a large computer screen? Thanks again you are an inspiration.
Jim Egerton Just noticed your question Jim. I don’t know if Alan does but I certainly do tether. It’s not easy to use the camera LCD to establish focus, especially on minute parts of insects. I useHelicon Remote tethered to my camera which also has focus peaking. That helps me compose and focus with more ease.
Hi Allan. Your explanations possess wondrous clarity. I don't see my question in the comments so I'll ask it. Is it possible to use the PB-6 with a Stackshot? Thanks. Owen
Nice explanation. I would like to flip lens and check if diffraction reduces at the subject of focus. The image might still be softer but wondering if the diffraction problems are towards the perphery like vignetting or so. Just thoughts, need to confirm.
Great video...would it be possible to mount a sony a6300 and sony lens to this bellows with adaptors?
Hi Alan, thanks for your video on the use of the bellows. During the video you mentioned "do'nt mind the focus ring on the lens used, focussing is done by the focussing ring. I have a question though: Like with the aperture setting, every lens also has a "sweet spot" for sharpness at the focussing of the lens (mostly around 2-3 meters). Do you use this or do you always put the lens focusring at infinety?
Very interesting and clear explanation. All makes sense. Will the bellows work with a mirrorless body?
Yes, with the right adapter you can connect all mirrorless cameras. I have a Helicoil adapter for my Fuji X that I connect to an OM auto bellows.
A great instruction!
Is there truly no need to crop the image on the digital camera? It seems so strange that the bellows can create such a distance without adding a vignette or blackness around the image.
Very interested in exploring this, and I wonder if the size of the bellows is important (besides the connecting points).
Useful video as always Allan. Great timing for me also, as my set of second hand bellows arrived on Friday ! Probably about 40 years old but seem unused ! Made by B.P M, Sussex they are a Nikon mount and value at £15 ! I'm looking to put one of the Amscope x4 objective lenses on it. In terms of mounts , can you please advise : do I need a Nikon to M42 adapter , then an RMS (20mm) to M42 to get everything connected ? Thanks.
Hi Barry - would you mind sending me a picture of your bellows at some point? I am always interested in seeing vintage gear for macro. As far as the mounts go, those adapters would work perfectly, and a viewer told me that WeMacro has both of these adapters on their site.
Allan Walls Photography Thanks Allan - i will get those adapters and the lens then. Will send you a photo of the bellows. Cheers.
Nostalgy. I begin this since lot of years with Canon FD bellows and I have ask the question why do canon do not replace his bellows at the beginning of EF adventure? And the answer have come, The MPE-65 mm. I have hesitate to use my bellows on the field, but with the MPE I use almost always in the field. It is so versatile and easy (compare to other ultra magnification systems). We can consider today bellows as completely out of date for field work. (for studio it is different). I knows that the PB-6 is a very good bellows but I prefer the PB-4 what have tilt and shift option (The Canon FD was as the PB-6 without tilt and shift option). Indeed today if you look for bellows the best are Novoflex with electronic contacts and tilt and shift possibility. Perfect communication between the camera and the lens (especially for aperture settings and TTL). Construct like tank. A little expensive. For lesser specialised people today there are more versatile solutions like the Laowa lenses what allows true 2:1 (3,6 with APS-C) magnification without accessoires if you want higher magnification the Laowa 25 mm 2,5X to 5. It is so good priced when you compare to our lenses during the eighties (I remember an Olympus macro lens at 2500 euros)! The quality is incredible. Indeed I continue to love the aesthetic of bellows but definitely not for the field. All the best.
Dear Sir, have you ever tried to use the helicoid tube to take place the bellows. One year ago I purchased it from eBay at around $35.00. However, it’s moving distance is much shorter than the bellows, but it’s much more convenient than using a bellows, especially when using it in combination with extension tube and EL lenses, such as the Nikkor EL 50mm f2.8.
Hi Allan, I have the Nikon 10x and have been using it with a 70-200 lens but was wondering if I could attach it to my Nikon PB 6 bellows and not use the 70-200 lens? If I could attach it what would I need for that connection? The plan is connected to a 52-30 and 77-52 step down ring. Love the channel. Thanks, Dave
Allan, thank you for this very informative video. I have acquired a Nikon bellows and have been looking for so guidance. This was perfect. I have one question: with focusing done through the rails, is there and optimal focus distance the lens should be set to? Does the focus setting on the lens matter in this application?
It does, but not so much in terms of image quality as in magnification. If you set the focus as close as possible, the lens will be able to get closer to the subject and you will get the maximum magnification from your system. If you ever find you are getting less magnification that expected, check to make sure your focus is set as close as possible.
@@AllanWallsPhotography That makes great sense. Thank you for replying.