Thank you SO much for taking the time to explain exactly how things work. I LOVE your videos and am so grateful to have found you. A lot of people who make videos talk so darn fast and skip over so much that I walk away scratching my head only having part of the info I actually needed. You are amazing!
What can I say, this was the video I've been searching for when it comes to understanding objectives. Thanks so much for the very detailed descriptive video.
I find your videos more and more interesting about extreme photography. Five years ago,I built an automatic focus staking rail for macro photography using a 105mm Nikon lense. From what I have learned with your videos I am preparing to go for extreme macro. Thanks for your help. Bye from Canada.
Thanks Allen, I agree with the others, excellent guide! I'm not a macro photographer, but discussion on these topics really help deepen my understanding of optics in general!
Allen, I discovered this very same method. I also discovered that Nikon made a 200mm prime lens some years ago, and they are perfect for this and not many people want them because they dont have any Auto functtons. I got mine for $50
Thank you so much for sharing all your knowledge and showing us the way how to do (extreme) macro photography. I am not into extreme macro photography yet but it certainly won’t take long! I am so glad that I have found your channel so, steady on, I will collect the parts that are needed for this gorgeous way of photography. Thanks!
So am I correct in thinking if you mount the 10x on a 200mm lens you get 10x magnification, on a 100mm lens 5x, on a 50mm 2.5x, also if you go down the lens route will the sharpness of the lens be reflected in the overall sharpness?
Excellent video as always Allan. A somewhat tricky subject to cover but I couldn't have asked for a more layman-friendly introduction to it all. Keep up the good work!
Well........I ordered a set of stepup and stepdown rings as suggested on one of your other videos. Also a 55mm reverse ring adapter for my Nikon d5600. My other lens needs a 58mm reverse adapter but I couldn't find one after my treasure hunt. You said that the stepup/stepdown rings would come in handy. Very good advice. //////For different background colors...I'm going to experiment...by using my computer monitor...it fits real nice but I may get some reflection. Just an idea.
Thank you so much for this informative video, I can listen to you for days...in fact I do watching one after another..so much patience and your voice is so relaxing 😀. Please keep do what you do
Hi from Scotland under lockdown, I have enjoyed your Macro videos so much I've decided to get a macro lens and get involved in this exciting hobby. I noted in one of your videos you had a Scottish flag ( white cross on Blue background) so I checked your website thinking you were local ( I won't hold it against you being states side) keep up the great work.
Hello Phil, I was born and raised in the UK, but my mum and dad were Glaswegians to the core. I picked up the Saltire at a Calcutta Cup match a few years back. Almost all my remaining family are in and around Edinburgh. So I'm as close to Scottish as you are likely to find in Alabama!
Hi Allan, I normally call the screw rails an : actuators or ballscrews or augers ....And when shooting for time and stacking photography,I would suggest to put a black tape on the eye piece to cover any stray of lights coming in on your time exposures. If you own a Pro camera that has a built in curtain switch ,use it,it will also help stray of lights from entering during your exposures been taken in stacking or time lapse exposures. Hope this help in micro or macro photography........
Hi, great video as usual. You mention being able to use 5x, 7x, and 10x magnification when on the 200mm lens, but did not mention how to do that. Is that possible with bellows too? Can you please explain? Thanks.
Hi Allan, I just subscribed to your channel after watching one previous video. All the information you provide as well as the pace you deliver it and at which you speak, are great. Thanks for sharing and keep up the great work. Marco.
interesting video well explained. It would have been good to show some sample photo's of the effect of depth of field. also perhaps a Barlow lens from a telescope eyepiece
Big thanks for sharing all that knowledge and for being an inspiration you are. I just purchased Canon 100mm Macro 2.8 to give a try to macro photography inspired by yourself. So far I can say that it is even more complex subject I initially thought but from the other side.. so rewarding. Of course +1sub from me. I cant imagine why youtube algorithm doesnt promote videos and people like you just all that noisy crap instead made by ppl who doesnt know much about the subject they try to talk about. You are such natural and easy to follow teacher. Please dont stop being amazing and take care. The youtube is definitely much better place with content creators like yourself. Keep recording and stay safe
Hello Allan yet again another brilliant video I'm thinking of venturing into macro using objectives but you said the nikon 10x can be used at 5x 7.5 x as well as 10x how do you change the magnification shorten or lengthen the tube/ bellows ?? Thank you
Allan, great video as usual. I was amazed when I saw the function of disconnecting the end plate and reversing the lens. It appears I can also do that with my Pentax bellows. I must confess I have had a few bellows units in my time (Canon, Nikon, Pentax and Novoflex) and for the most part I think all high quality ones are similar. I don't think my PB-4 was really any better than my Canon or my Pentax bellows (I never mastered the shift function or was it tilt?). All I know is the PB6 has a longer rail. Anyway my PB4 was better than the old Novoflex but with that I could also focus to infinity. You said that the Chinese ones are (paper) junk (and I certainly agree). However they are cheap so there is not a lot to lose when trying this. The creator of Zerene Stacker once said in an article the best way to shoot a stacked image is to let the camera remain in its position and move the lens. Naturally you can do this with a bellows if you want to do it manually. But it does not work on a focus rail. Here is where the cheap bellows comes in, you disconnect it and mount the end plate to the end of your automated rail. I did it with my StackShot and it worked I didn't notice any real difference but I'm sure there is some. I'm just not good enough to notice it. I do believe he as well as you know more about this than I do. But if you have an automated rail it is a fun project. I would like to suggest that if you ever get to use a connected reverse adapter go for it. I think they are only made for Canon (Novoflex calls theirs EOS Retro Adapter - very expensive like all Novoflex products) and their is a company called Mieke that makes one as well (dirt cheap and very good if not better quality - I have both). You have gone over reverse lenses, but this adds a new twist, no stopping down while focusing. Plus you can use it with a bellows with your normal lens and have communication . All this being said and after trying it with numerous lenses (none are as good as the 50 mm Nikon 2.8 N) you can get some incredible results. A 28-90 ends up being a 3:1 - 1:12 so a real macro zoom. You also mentioned Thomas Shannon in one (or more) of your videos, and in the field he seems to always use a revers lens. Anyway, if you get a chance please give it a go.
Allen, I have bought this lens and it really is a game changer. The Nikon 200mm prime is perfect. I am having trouble finding an adapter for the microscope lens. I am mounting the lens to the front of the Nikon. I have tried 25mm thread adapter, and the pitch of the thread is not quite right. I can thread the objetive about one revolution and no more. Is there a complete definition of the thread? Or better yet, a known good adapter? Thanks.
I feel bad. Left you to learn a little bit about portrait photography and got captured by the pretty models. But I'm back. I finally got my Nikon d5600 ordered and it's being shipped as we speak. My bank kept locking by debit card and never told me. It's a security thing when purchasing expensive toys from another state (New York). Its going to take me a couple of months to get started in macro, but will eventually get there. Great video. Now I just need to make my wish list. It's sort of fun trying to locate all the parts.
Hi David - you are so right! I spend far too much time digging around to find obscure adapters to try out crazy new ideas. When it comes to being fixated on gear, we macro folks take the cake. I'm excited you have the D5600 on the way! Good for you!
Many thanks for your video. Maybe you should take out direct contact with Fotodiox. They seem more than happy to consider extending their product range. I got them to bring forward their adapter for Nikon Z to RZ67 and Sekkor. More recently they’ve been talking with a RUclipsr about anamorphic adaptation and have come out with new product ranges. Ditto KF of Germany who perhaps have slightly better QA. Anyway this is the first video I’ve seen from you but I’m struck by the parallels to anamorphic and would welcome your no nonsense approach to that as well.
Hello, what happens if i dont have a 200mm lens to use behind the Nikon Objective? Will a 135mm nikon work? What will the outcome be if this is used instead of a 200mm lens. Do I need to use my 2x teleconverter behind my 135mm lens?
Hi there, your tutorials are awesome! thank you for doing that, i have a question. WITh GH6 it will work this setup? im using a speedbooster .71 and i have Canon 70-200 2.8 lenses. Im a videographer mainly and im knew to macro but i always love it .THANK YOU in advance, any other suggestions Wanted.
I suspect the M42 to F mount is easy to find because M42 was a common lens mount in the past (see all the Russian lenses from the Cold War era). It might be the wrong thread size though.
Hello Allan, can you please help me and tell s the lens thread size the same for DCR-150 and DCR250? As I understand both are 49mm and the only difference is that the 150 one is shorter in length with less magnification. Can you use the same adapter for both? Also, can you please tell me why do you prefer DCR-150 over DCR-250? Can you also tell me please, what happens when the distance between the sensor and the DCR-XX isnt exactly as the one you measured? Does it affect the sharpness or magnification or does it affect distortion? What is the actual reason to have this distance to be set so accurately? Last but not least, can you please tell me what the distance should I have for DCR-250? Asking since I am trying to save money to purchase these stuff you suggested and outchase it one by one. I have DCR-250 purchased already and the automated rail. I have almost enough savings to purchase the x10 Nikon objective and the adapter.. and wandering if I made a mistake and should get earlier DCR-150 instead :/ and if yes, its going to take ma about another year of saving to fix that mistake :). Also, since I am going to be able to afford just a single objective, can you please tell me is x10 fine or should I keep saving until I get x20 or even x50 instead as these are even more expensive? Thank you in advance, I would really appreciate your help as cant afford any more mistakes as each cost me months to even year of waiting until I can build the working setup
Hi Grzegorz, That is a lot of questions, my friend! I am not going to be able to answer them here (it would take several pages to explain everything) but I am going to do something better. Take this invitation to my Discord server. Go over there and introduce yourself - just say you are new and that I sent you over. Then ask the same questions you just asked me - I will be going over there myself a little later and will check to make sure you get them answered but there are many very smart people over there who will be happy to help you get the answers you need. To get you started I will tell you this, the Raynox DCR150 is a 208 mm close-up lens. The DCR 250 has about half that focal length (125mm) and is therefore a completely different lens. It is not that I like one over the other it is just that one of them makes a good tube lens for a Nikon and mitutoyo microscope objective while the other does not. The DCR 250 can be used with the 10 X objective but will give a magnification of closer to 5X. For the rest of your questions head over the discord and we will get them all set for you there. Thank you. Here is the invitation... discord.gg/HbeUCRQW
@@AllanWallsPhotography Thank you veeeery much. I really appreciate you found the time to answer and I totally understand the value of it since I also run a youtube channel :D and struggle to find time to help everyone who asks for help while doing my daily job. Even tho its two times smaller to yours :). You have just answered most of my questions by saying that its not about which DCR you like but which works better. It means that I need to get even more patience and save more to get DCR-150. Of course will use the opportunity to ask on your DIskord channel so I dont waste my savings on stuff I dont really need :). Thank you and have a good day
nice video, by the way "planner" is a trademark name, same as T* is; these are from the Hasselblad lenses, ie: Carl Zeiss lenses manufactured for their V and H medium format camera platforms. that is why the name had to be modified, as these names were around since 1960's ( as they were used on Hasselblad cameras in space).
Allen, these are spectacularly useful and enjoyable videos. I have learned a lot, the level of detail is perfect. But... you are repeating a slight error about finite microscope objectives. A 160mm finite objective refers to the tube length of the microscope for which it is intended not it's actual intended focal distance. The actual focus point is at 150mm because a standard microscope eyepiece field stop ends up being 10mm from the end of the 160mm tube. It probably doesn't make a huge difference but the objective is designed to focus at 150mm.
Hi Spence - thank you for this important correction. I have been under the impression that the "160" on the finite objective that we have been using referred to the optical tube length (from the rear focal plane of the objective to the real image plane of the ocular), as opposed to the mechanical tube length (objective to eyepiece flange). But after another observant viewer (kudos to Graham Carey) pointed out this issue, I found the AmScope spec sheet for the 4X finite objective and confirmed that the "160" was in fact referring to the mechanical tube length, and not the optical tube length. Thanks again for this important correction - I will correct the error where it appears.
Funny....I was going to say the same thing regarding the 150. I say only because I read it somewhere. We need to get this out there because it could be, in some cases, a very expensive mistake. The difference in 10mm in calculation is about 3/8" and that's a lot when it comes to working distance. But what the hell do I know. It's not rocket science..
Huge thanks for this video Allan. I am interested in getting a 10x objective and this video will save me lots of time and money. I think is fair to share the savings with you so I made a contribution through your website. Best regards and please keep up the excellent work!!
Hello Allan. Here are my first 10x images: imagenes.website/10x-infinity-plan-objective I used the 10x plus a Takumar 200mm objective. Got some chromatic aberration but nothing terrible.
@@juancarlosplaza8301 Thanks for sharing the shots, Juan Carlos. The sewing needle came out very well, for something that is so difficult to light. I think it is an excellent decision to explore the capabilities of a new high magnification system using simple everyday objects as your subjects. This approach will be hugely helpful in learning the limitations of high magnification, figuring out the best ways to light subjects that are almost touching the lens, and anticipating focus stacking issues before they happen. Keep up the good work! Great start!
@@AllanWallsPhotography Thank you Allan. Your explanations are the key to my learning process. I'll keep exploring and trying. Today is the turn of roses thorns and cactus spines.
B&H has dirt cheap $9 sets (get 3 sets) for Sony E. But failing that Fotodiox makes those tubes and you can get them from their website. Or get a cheap adapter (Sony E to Nikon F) and use Nikon tubes which are always available. Or buy a length of PVC tube, flock it, and epoxy a body cap to one end and a lens cap to the other - hey presto - extension tubes!
Well Allan, after watching your video's I have now ordered everything I think I'll need. So I just hope that the Chinese don't fall out with us in the meantime. The Objective was hard to find but eventually found a UK site, Ultramacro.co.uk who specialise in macro photography with objectives, stacking rails/software and many other accessories. So hope this a help to other fans of your photography from the UK.
Sorry if silly question and new to these products etc, but looking up the objectives mentioned I came across a "bargain" on a 2k usd lens and wonder if it can be used as well. Mitutoyo M Plan Apo NIR 10x LWD Objective at 400 usd used, while the 900 usd one mentioned here was 650 usd used. Or is that something altogether different and not for the normal macro we do with it's infra-red thing?
Hi Allan, Ask how many megapixels camera are necessary when using 5x, 10x, 20x or maybe 50x microscope objective. How can I find out. Greetings Patrick
Allan, have you ever tried this with a Micro-Nikkor 200mm lens. I have one: it has a 52mm filter ring and with the FTZ adapter works well on my Z7. Any thoughts?
Hi Robert, I apologize for the lateness of this response, but yes I am familiar with the Micro Nikkor 200 mm lens. I presume you are talking about the f/4. It is one of the sharpest macro lenses on the planet. I no longer have the lens but I have several friends who do and one day I will add it back to my collection. I have not personally used this macro lens as a relay lens with a microscope objective but there are several very well-known macro photographers who use it as their go to tube lens. Levon Biss is probably the most famous of these. I have always avoided using macro lenses as tube lenses as I have found them almost universally disappointing, that is the reason I have never tried this particular combination. But when I get another 200 mm, one of the first things I plan to do is use as a relay with the Mitutoyo 5 and 10x objectives. You will need the FTZ adapter to mount the lens on the camera but this will place it at the correct length for the focal distance. I would go from the 52 mm filter thread stepwise using step down rings to 26 mm to mount the Mitutoyo or 25 mm to mount the CFI plan Nikon objective. This will give you approximately 25 mm of infinity space. Let me know how it goes, I will be most interested to hear your experience.
i have a multiple extension sets and i ordered 4x microscope objectives and the adapter needed to i need to have a lens between the camera and the microscope
How do I find the "diopter value" so that I can determine the focal length? I found a set of diopters from "Big Mike's" that are fairly thin and come in "+1, +2, +4, and +10". Is that the diopter value? (for some reason, I don't see it listed on any of the Raynox listings.) Are those Big Mike's diopters okay to use for this purpose or is is better to use the Raynox?
Mr. Alan, I've bought the Nikon CFI Plan achromat 10X/0.25, M25 infinity and already had the Raynox diopter (4.8) - DCR-150. I'm looking for advice for the best lens for a full-frame Sony A7iii camera, possibly (Sony FE 70-200mm F4 G OSS). I bought a 90mm macro lens a year ago and would like to take this to the next level, as you stated. Thank you in advance...
Hi Jamie, you already have two sweet setups for macro, a standard length macro (the Sony 90mm or 3rd party?) and a great 10X objective. What you don't have is anything to fill the gap between the macro lens and the 10X. If I had the money it would be the Mitutoyo M-plan APO 5x every time - best macro lens in the world - hands down. If you don't have the $$, get an Amscope 4X finite objective, or an El Nikkor 50mm f/2.8N enlarger lens and a set of bellows. If you are a billionaire, get a Nikon D850 and buy two Micro Nikkor 200mm f/4 ED-IF AF lenses and send one of them to me. That is the sharpest macro lens ever made.
I love your videos Allan. I am so glad I found you on youtube. I am learning so much with the world of macro photography by watching your videos. Can't wait to get my gear all together!
Great video. I've learned a ton. I'm getting great results with my Nikon 10x. I've been addicted to macro photography for years. Started out with a macro lens, now this. I suspect I'm going to want an electron microscope before it is all over LOL
Hey Robert... See what you've done!? Now I'm looking for used electron microscopes on eBay! I found an FEI Philips SEM for under $35,000, but the shipping charges ($1,200) were a bit steep!
@@AllanWallsPhotography I"m a retired electron microscopist. I remain involved with electron microscopy through educational outreach. In fact it was this activity that piqued my interest in macro photography at the scale of insects. Insects are by far the most charismatic subjects for scanning electron microscopy, especially if your students are middle-schoolers. There is so much to explore over a wide range of scales (including scales) :-). Lately I've been partnering with Hitachi, using their table-top SEMs. They can be set up in half an hour anywhere with mains power. No other utilities required. Even these microscopes are not inexpensive, starting at about $35k (but less than a new school bus). At Intel, my last SEM was an FEI Magellan, priced at around $1M with an achievable spatial resolution of 1 nm. For all that, insects are a far more engaging specimen than the arcane minutia of semiconductor chips.
@@michaelmckeag960 Fascinating! I have been reading about the latest Hitachi variable pressure scopes. Amazing devices. The first EM I saw was twice the size of refrigerator! But that was four decades ago.
@@AllanWallsPhotography My introduction to electron microscopy was 35 years ago. My first SEM was a JEOL 840. We also had a couple JEOL 35s and a hulking beast, an ETEC Autoscan as I recall (unreliably). A search for a photo to verify led me to the website of the legendary David Sharf. I'm delighted to discover he is still at it. Nobody has pushed electron microscopy as an art form further. www.scharfphoto.com/
Nice job explaining the difference between finite and infinite objectives and how the infinite works and why. I think you explain things well in your videos, but I can't help but think some visual aids would be helpful., things like adding some b-roll of simple diagrams and reference pictures (especially for the differences in magnification).
grazie per le informazioni e descrizioni, meritano una grande stima. sono capitato per caso cercando informazioni sulla macro extrema ,nella ricerca di consigli e suggerimenti ,nel cercare di avvicinarmi alla visione di basidi e cistidi nei funghi senza usare il microscopio. sto facendo fatica ma guardando i suoi video comincio ad avvicinarmi allo scopo. grazie molte
Excellent information. I have a thought. I have an old Takumar M42 150mm lens and can mount the Nikon to the front. That would give me less than 10X. What about using it setup like that then just put extension tubes on the back of the Takumar and increase magnification that way. Would that cause problems or would that actually work? I do have a AmScope 10x Plan but seems soft even at 160mm but it is designed for 160mm. Might be light placement but just a thought. For now I'll stick with my 4X and work on my lighting.
Hi Pete. Interesting questions. You certainly can use the Takumar 150mm as a relay lens, but you can't add any extension. The tube lens (the Takumar) needs to be used focused at infinity, (and wide open) which you can't do if you add extension. I would use it at its focal distance and try to find an M25 to M42 adapter that will place the objective as close as possible to the front of the relay lens. You may end up having to use an M25 to 52mm adapter and an M52 to M42 step down ring. I know the AmScope 10X of which you speak - but that is a finite objective. It is rated for an RMS standard 160mm tube length, but will be a lot sharper at 150mm from the sensor (which is the optical tube length). By the way, the first setup should get you to around 7X.
Hi Mario! Good to hear from you! I use the cheapest 52mm tubes I can find. www.adorama.com/fdmacrotnikf.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjwhtT1BRCiARIsAGlY51IPKImD_Oly-sUSnlUO5CiLChZK1t4jl9s9-DxXKSJtmjiAAnPjLbMaAm4WEALw_wcB& These don't have any electrical connection (which you don't need for most things) and they are made to fit most camera brands. I use these same tubes, with excellent results.
The lens requirement do not change with sensor size, you will still need the same 200mm focal length tube lens - that is determined by the objective, not the camera. The only thing that changes with the smaller sensor is that the field of view narrows. If I did not understand your question let me know!
Allen, Huge abundance of fantastic technical information here which will help us out here in the hinterlands-of-macro. It is worth mentioning that all of the major "four" objective manufacturers produce (M20 ??) objectives for finite and infinite class. The RMS M25 thread is a very small percentage and are very expensive. So, the dominant objective source is RMS standard (Royal Microscopical Society) for mechanical compatibility where the objective has mounting threads that are 20.32 mm in diameter with a thread pitch of 0.706. Do you know how to adapt down to this 20.3mm "spec" with rings & tubes ? Thanks for all your amazing work and knowledge in the macro arena !
Hi Gary, Most of the modern, higher NA objectives that we use in macro photography require a larger thread to accommodate the optics. Two common examples include Mitutoyo's 5X Plan Apo, which has an M26 mount and Nikon's Plan Achromat 10X which uses the M25 mount. And these lenses are expensive, to be sure. Many less expensive, short working distance, low NA objectives still use the smaller RMS (20.32mm) mount. So while there may be a broad range of RMS objectives available, they are not always the lenses we would choose to use as photographers. Adapters for every objective are pretty easy to find on eBay, where you can pick up an RMS to M42 adapter for about $6. In my experience, finding adapters for M25 and M26 objectives is not a problem. As I generally use M42 extension tubes, I keep adapters for all of the comments thread sizes on hand, and use them interchangeably, though I only have one RMS objective that I use regularly (the amazing and cheap AmScope 4X finite objective).
@@AllanWallsPhotography Thanks for the help and clarification. So, ultimately you are chasing after more light gathering power when you use higher Field Number (FN) objectives. The Working Distance and NA specs of your Nikon 10x Plan Achro is very typical of low cost 10x objectives. What you are paying for is the larger (Plano) FN which provides a slightly larger (projected) field-of-view for potentially more exciting final images. Side-note: The AmScope "Plan" objectives are VERY good, surprisingly. I have evaluated their 160mm 10x Plan, 20x Plan, and 60x Plan and I was amazed at the performance for such ultra LOW COST. I don't know anything about their "infinity" objectives. Some day, I would love to see you produce images with 4x (or 5x) infinity Plan objectives that are typical Field Number and 20.3mm mounting. As you know, it is much easier to push light in and around specimen and the depth-of-field is far better. Thanks again for ALL your great productions !
Alan, may I request clarification please? From another couple of videos by you I have ordered a Raynox DCR150 as this appeared to be the tube lens of choice (by you) to use your mitutoyo 5x/10x infinity corrected microscope lens. Is the Raynox you mention in this video the same 'tube' lens or have I bought the wrong thing? I am a little worried as doing this all on a shoe-string budget.
Respected Sir, Nikon plan 10x/0.25 is way out of my reach, please suggest me an alternative, my setup is D850 + Nikon 200mm f/4 Macro + Raynox DCR-250, I do not know how am going to manage the 25mm adapter for the alternative plan but I may use the Microscope Mount Adapter which comes with the T2 ring, please advise otherwise, I have never tried this & will be my first attempt at whatever I do, Thanks for inspiration all the time !!
Greetings! I hate to say it, but there is no competition in that price range. I have tried so many inexpensive 10X plan objectives, finite and infinity corrected, and the trade off in quality is really dramatic. The CFI Plan 10X Achromat is, for me, the perfect balance of affordability and quality. Most objectives that perform as well as the CFI are going to have price tags of $500 and up (way up) on the used market. Objectives like the Mitutoyo M Plan and BD Plan Apo (out of my price range, too). You can buy finite objectives from AmScope, in the 10X range, but the image quality is not worth the $30 investment. I would not recommend using the Micro Nikkor 200mm as a relay lens. The DCR-250, mounted at it's focal length of 125mm, makes an excellent tube lens for the CFI 10X plan, but will reduce the magnification to 5X. If you wanted to get into higher magnification (4-5X) on the cheap, I highly recommend the AmScope 4X finite objective which needs only extension tubes and an RMS to F-mount adapter - and gives awesome images for about $20. For $50, you may be able to find a Lomo 3.7/0.11, which is even sharper. But they are getting very hard to find. But if you are trying to get to 10X, you simply won't find a better infinity corrected objective at the $199 price of the Nikon CFI (IMHO). One other thing, even if you go with another 10X infinity objective, you are still going to have to invest in a 200mm tube lens, or a Raynox DCR-150 (focal length 208mm).
Thanks Allan, impressive! so can i use 3 extension tube sets plus a 14mm to get to 161mm plus a 1mm (unsure if you can purchase a spacer/ ring) 1 x achromat 10X/0.25, 1 x M25 to M52 objective adapter. 1 x Raynox diopter (4.8) or do i need to take into account the width of the Raynox diopter (4.8)? thinking of ways i can get started on the cheep, the bellows are a price at present, ty Col
I purchased a m42 to rms adapter. I ordered the cone shaped on. Its 2" long or 50.8mm. Nikon flange depth 46.5mm. So the magic number of 160. I guess what I need to do now is fill the rest with extention tubes. 160-46.5 =113.5 -50.8= 62.7. So I need about 63mm of extention tube. So what if I epoxy a 63mm length of PVC between two nikon f-mounts as a diy extension tube. Wow. Cut the tube in half and put back together with a PVC coupler. Helios. Screws and DNA are also forms of helios. Anyway......I built an addition to your cage design. Overhead slider, 4-way. Can hold camera from directly above. Also building studio light. From squirrel baffle. 150 LED, on telescopic gaff made from flower sprinkler. Tripod heavy duty from shop light. Looking at it one would never know. I should post it on facebook.
I about burned the house down this morning. Bacon grease fire on the stove. Lots of saved grease...melting it to pour out. Forgot about it. Flames all the way up to vent hood. Had to smother. No baking power. Can't throw water on it. So........I through a bed sheat on it. Big mistake. It wicked into the sheat and made bigger fire. Dragged it outside. Got hand burnt. The almost caught patio deck on fire. Kitchen thrown out the door by the cord...on fire...plastic on fire. Great all over the floor. Slippery. What a mess. Everything it ok. That was a close on.
It is a little trickier, but it is a great objective and you will get some awesome images. Lighting is more challenging. I will be doing a video in the near future to discuss lighting at extremely close working distances.
Thank you SO much for taking the time to explain exactly how things work. I LOVE your videos and am so grateful to have found you. A lot of people who make videos talk so darn fast and skip over so much that I walk away scratching my head only having part of the info I actually needed. You are amazing!
I just found this! Only six months late, but thank you!
What can I say, this was the video I've been searching for when it comes to understanding objectives.
Thanks so much for the very detailed descriptive video.
I find your videos more and more interesting about extreme photography. Five years ago,I built an automatic focus staking rail for macro photography using a 105mm Nikon lense. From what I have learned with your videos I am preparing to go for extreme macro. Thanks for your help. Bye from Canada.
Thanks Allen, I agree with the others, excellent guide! I'm not a macro photographer, but discussion on these topics really help deepen my understanding of optics in general!
Thanks, Tristan... don't you mean you're not a macro photographer... yet. Hahaha... thanks for watching!
Just watched this again to refresh my memory, enjoyed it just as much! Thanks.
Thank you ever so much for sharing all this precious knowledge in such a comprehensive and explanatory way!!!
Allen, I discovered this very same method. I also discovered that Nikon made a 200mm prime lens some years ago, and they are perfect for this and not many people want them because they dont have any Auto functtons. I got mine for $50
Thank you so much for sharing all your knowledge and showing us the way how to do (extreme) macro photography. I am not into extreme macro photography yet but it certainly won’t take long! I am so glad that I have found your channel so, steady on, I will collect the parts that are needed for this gorgeous way of photography. Thanks!
Thank you, thank you, thank you...Allan!!!!!!
Thank you Allan. Great watch!
28:00 "they have em in strange sizes but they also have them in strange prices" LMAO!
Just learned so much. Very educated and informative.
God bless your work. I really appreciate your narration, patience and ofcourse your passion for macro.
Thank you for making this video, Thank you very much
extremly helpful step by step instruction !!! well done , thanks
I'm a professor; And you taught me like a professor!
I am a retired professor - so that probably explains it!
I have been waiting for this video. Thanks Allan, excellent job!!
Sorry it took so long to get it finished! Blame the virus!
Awesome Awesomeness. Love your Videos. I am a professional photographer and I learn so much from you.
Thank you Josef - that is high praise indeed - I have seen your excellent work.
So am I correct in thinking if you mount the 10x on a 200mm lens you get 10x magnification, on a 100mm lens 5x, on a 50mm 2.5x, also if you go down the lens route will the sharpness of the lens be reflected in the overall sharpness?
Excellent video, thanks
I am learning so much, I can not wait to show you what I’ve learned!
I look forward to seeing some of your work - Join our Discord group and you can share a few of your images there.
@@AllanWallsPhotography you have a discord???
@@torbjrnraschpettersen7506 I do! I just keep forgetting to mention it. This invite should work... discord.gg/zEMwW6R
Excellent video as always Allan. A somewhat tricky subject to cover but I couldn't have asked for a more layman-friendly introduction to it all. Keep up the good work!
Thanks Steven - I agree! The hardest part of this job is deciding what it is OK to leave out!
Oh Allen..... What can I say... You have perfected the cure for INSOMNIA !!!! 😴😴😴😴😴
Well........I ordered a set of stepup and stepdown rings as suggested on one of your other videos. Also a 55mm reverse ring adapter for my Nikon d5600. My other lens needs a 58mm reverse adapter but I couldn't find one after my treasure hunt. You said that the stepup/stepdown rings would come in handy. Very good advice. //////For different background colors...I'm going to experiment...by using my computer monitor...it fits real nice but I may get some reflection. Just an idea.
Thank you Allan, a lot to absorb but makes sense all the way. Appreciated!
Thanks Barry!
Thank you so much for this informative video, I can listen to you for days...in fact I do watching one after another..so much patience and your voice is so relaxing 😀.
Please keep do what you do
Hi from Scotland under lockdown, I have enjoyed your Macro videos so much I've decided to get a macro lens and get involved in this exciting hobby. I noted in one of your videos you had a Scottish flag ( white cross on Blue background) so I checked your website thinking you were local ( I won't hold it against you being states side) keep up the great work.
Hello Phil, I was born and raised in the UK, but my mum and dad were Glaswegians to the core. I picked up the Saltire at a Calcutta Cup match a few years back. Almost all my remaining family are in and around Edinburgh. So I'm as close to Scottish as you are likely to find in Alabama!
thanks, superb, really clear and easy explained
Thanks Allan another great video with a plethora of useful information!!!
Cheers, William - there was a lot of stuff in this one!
Hi Allan,
I normally call the screw rails an : actuators or ballscrews or augers ....And when shooting for time and stacking photography,I would suggest to put a black tape on the eye piece to cover any stray of lights coming in on your time exposures. If you own a Pro camera that has a built in curtain switch ,use it,it will also help stray of lights from entering during your exposures been taken in stacking or time lapse exposures.
Hope this help in micro or macro photography........
Hi, great video as usual. You mention being able to use 5x, 7x, and 10x magnification when on the 200mm lens, but did not mention how to do that. Is that possible with bellows too? Can you please explain? Thanks.
5X with the Raynolx 250, but 7x I don't know, dId you learn it already?
Great explanation Allan. Thanks!
Allan, Thank you for your very informatic video. stay healthy.
Thanks! Will do.
Hi. Micro 4/3 to F mount macro reverse adapters are 43mm.
Love what you do and how you do it! Appreciate the quality content! I'm a big fan of macroI Subscribed! Thank you for sharing all the info!
Thanks Allan
Viewed, learned and liked. Gave me a lot to think about...! Thanks.
Thanks for watching - more on the way!
Amazing work!
Thanks for the great video, look forward to the next one.
Already working on it!
Great content!
That was excellent and very informative, thank you!
Cheers Toby!
Hi Allan, I just subscribed to your channel after watching one previous video. All the information you provide as well as the pace you deliver it and at which you speak, are great. Thanks for sharing and keep up the great work. Marco.
Thanks Marco - I'm glad you are finding it useful!
interesting video well explained. It would have been good to show some sample photo's of the effect of depth of field. also perhaps a Barlow lens from a telescope eyepiece
Big thanks for sharing all that knowledge and for being an inspiration you are. I just purchased Canon 100mm Macro 2.8 to give a try to macro photography inspired by yourself. So far I can say that it is even more complex subject I initially thought but from the other side.. so rewarding. Of course +1sub from me. I cant imagine why youtube algorithm doesnt promote videos and people like you just all that noisy crap instead made by ppl who doesnt know much about the subject they try to talk about. You are such natural and easy to follow teacher. Please dont stop being amazing and take care. The youtube is definitely much better place with content creators like yourself. Keep recording and stay safe
Thanks so much for the encouraging words! I don't understand the algorithm either, but I don't plan on going anywhere!
Thank + Bless you Allan
Hello Allan yet again another brilliant video I'm thinking of venturing into macro using objectives but you said the nikon 10x can be used at 5x 7.5 x as well as 10x how do you change the magnification shorten or lengthen the tube/ bellows ??
Thank you
Very informative content. Thank you 👍
You are very welcome! It was great fun to make!
Allan, great video as usual. I was amazed when I saw the function of disconnecting the end plate and reversing the lens. It appears I can also do that with my Pentax bellows. I must confess I have had a few bellows units in my time (Canon, Nikon, Pentax and Novoflex) and for the most part I think all high quality ones are similar. I don't think my PB-4 was really any better than my Canon or my Pentax bellows (I never mastered the shift function or was it tilt?). All I know is the PB6 has a longer rail. Anyway my PB4 was better than the old Novoflex but with that I could also focus to infinity. You said that the Chinese ones are (paper) junk (and I certainly agree). However they are cheap so there is not a lot to lose when trying this. The creator of Zerene Stacker once said in an article the best way to shoot a stacked image is to let the camera remain in its position and move the lens. Naturally you can do this with a bellows if you want to do it manually. But it does not work on a focus rail. Here is where the cheap bellows comes in, you disconnect it and mount the end plate to the end of your automated rail. I did it with my StackShot and it worked I didn't notice any real difference but I'm sure there is some. I'm just not good enough to notice it. I do believe he as well as you know more about this than I do. But if you have an automated rail it is a fun project.
I would like to suggest that if you ever get to use a connected reverse adapter go for it. I think they are only made for Canon (Novoflex calls theirs EOS Retro Adapter - very expensive like all Novoflex products) and their is a company called Mieke that makes one as well (dirt cheap and very good if not better quality - I have both). You have gone over reverse lenses, but this adds a new twist, no stopping down while focusing. Plus you can use it with a bellows with your normal lens and have communication . All this being said and after trying it with numerous lenses (none are as good as the 50 mm Nikon 2.8 N) you can get some incredible results. A 28-90 ends up being a 3:1 - 1:12 so a real macro zoom. You also mentioned Thomas Shannon in one (or more) of your videos, and in the field he seems to always use a revers lens. Anyway, if you get a chance please give it a go.
Allen, I have bought this lens and it really is a game changer. The Nikon 200mm prime is perfect. I am having trouble finding an adapter for the microscope lens. I am mounting the lens to the front of the Nikon. I have tried 25mm thread adapter, and the pitch of the thread is not quite right. I can thread the objetive about one revolution and no more. Is there a complete definition of the thread? Or better yet, a known good adapter? Thanks.
Hui Allen, would love to see a video on 20x or 30x and how pheasible it is at home? Cheers
I feel bad. Left you to learn a little bit about portrait photography and got captured by the pretty models. But I'm back. I finally got my Nikon d5600 ordered and it's being shipped as we speak. My bank kept locking by debit card and never told me. It's a security thing when purchasing expensive toys from another state (New York). Its going to take me a couple of months to get started in macro, but will eventually get there. Great video. Now I just need to make my wish list. It's sort of fun trying to locate all the parts.
Hi David - you are so right! I spend far too much time digging around to find obscure adapters to try out crazy new ideas. When it comes to being fixated on gear, we macro folks take the cake. I'm excited you have the D5600 on the way! Good for you!
Many thanks for your video. Maybe you should take out direct contact with Fotodiox. They seem more than happy to consider extending their product range. I got them to bring forward their adapter for Nikon Z to RZ67 and Sekkor.
More recently they’ve been talking with a RUclipsr about anamorphic adaptation and have come out with new product ranges. Ditto KF of Germany who perhaps have slightly better QA.
Anyway this is the first video I’ve seen from you but I’m struck by the parallels to anamorphic and would welcome your no nonsense approach to that as well.
Hello, what happens if i dont have a 200mm lens to use behind the Nikon Objective? Will a 135mm nikon work? What will the outcome be if this is used instead of a 200mm lens. Do I need to use my 2x teleconverter behind my 135mm lens?
Hi there, your tutorials are awesome! thank you for doing that, i have a question. WITh GH6 it will work this setup? im using a speedbooster .71 and i have Canon 70-200 2.8 lenses. Im a videographer mainly and im knew to macro but i always love it .THANK YOU in advance, any other suggestions Wanted.
I suspect the M42 to F mount is easy to find because M42 was a common lens mount in the past (see all the Russian lenses from the Cold War era). It might be the wrong thread size though.
Hi Allan, let me know how you get diferent magnifications with Nikon 10X monting in a 70-200mm. thanks
Hello Allan, can you please help me and tell s the lens thread size the same for DCR-150 and DCR250? As I understand both are 49mm and the only difference is that the 150 one is shorter in length with less magnification. Can you use the same adapter for both? Also, can you please tell me why do you prefer DCR-150 over DCR-250? Can you also tell me please, what happens when the distance between the sensor and the DCR-XX isnt exactly as the one you measured? Does it affect the sharpness or magnification or does it affect distortion? What is the actual reason to have this distance to be set so accurately? Last but not least, can you please tell me what the distance should I have for DCR-250?
Asking since I am trying to save money to purchase these stuff you suggested and outchase it one by one. I have DCR-250 purchased already and the automated rail. I have almost enough savings to purchase the x10 Nikon objective and the adapter.. and wandering if I made a mistake and should get earlier DCR-150 instead :/ and if yes, its going to take ma about another year of saving to fix that mistake :).
Also, since I am going to be able to afford just a single objective, can you please tell me is x10 fine or should I keep saving until I get x20 or even x50 instead as these are even more expensive?
Thank you in advance, I would really appreciate your help as cant afford any more mistakes as each cost me months to even year of waiting until I can build the working setup
Hi Grzegorz, That is a lot of questions, my friend! I am not going to be able to answer them here (it would take several pages to explain everything) but I am going to do something better. Take this invitation to my Discord server. Go over there and introduce yourself - just say you are new and that I sent you over. Then ask the same questions you just asked me - I will be going over there myself a little later and will check to make sure you get them answered but there are many very smart people over there who will be happy to help you get the answers you need. To get you started I will tell you this, the Raynox DCR150 is a 208 mm close-up lens. The DCR 250 has about half that focal length (125mm) and is therefore a completely different lens. It is not that I like one over the other it is just that one of them makes a good tube lens for a Nikon and mitutoyo microscope objective while the other does not. The DCR 250 can be used with the 10 X objective but will give a magnification of closer to 5X. For the rest of your questions head over the discord and we will get them all set for you there. Thank you. Here is the invitation... discord.gg/HbeUCRQW
@@AllanWallsPhotography Thank you veeeery much. I really appreciate you found the time to answer and I totally understand the value of it since I also run a youtube channel :D and struggle to find time to help everyone who asks for help while doing my daily job. Even tho its two times smaller to yours :). You have just answered most of my questions by saying that its not about which DCR you like but which works better. It means that I need to get even more patience and save more to get DCR-150.
Of course will use the opportunity to ask on your DIskord channel so I dont waste my savings on stuff I dont really need :). Thank you and have a good day
nice video, by the way "planner" is a trademark name, same as T* is; these are from the Hasselblad lenses, ie: Carl Zeiss lenses manufactured for their V and H medium format camera platforms. that is why the name had to be modified, as these names were around since 1960's ( as they were used on Hasselblad cameras in space).
Allen, these are spectacularly useful and enjoyable videos. I have learned a lot, the level of detail is perfect. But... you are repeating a slight error about finite microscope objectives. A 160mm finite objective refers to the tube length of the microscope for which it is intended not it's actual intended focal distance. The actual focus point is at 150mm because a standard microscope eyepiece field stop ends up being 10mm from the end of the 160mm tube. It probably doesn't make a huge difference but the objective is designed to focus at 150mm.
Hi Spence - thank you for this important correction. I have been under the impression that the "160" on the finite objective that we have been using referred to the optical tube length (from the rear focal plane of the objective to the real image plane of the ocular), as opposed to the mechanical tube length (objective to eyepiece flange). But after another observant viewer (kudos to Graham Carey) pointed out this issue, I found the AmScope spec sheet for the 4X finite objective and confirmed that the "160" was in fact referring to the mechanical tube length, and not the optical tube length. Thanks again for this important correction - I will correct the error where it appears.
Funny....I was going to say the same thing regarding the 150. I say only because I read it somewhere. We need to get this out there because it could be, in some cases, a very expensive mistake. The difference in 10mm in calculation is about 3/8" and that's a lot when it comes to working distance. But what the hell do I know. It's not rocket science..
Huge thanks for this video Allan. I am interested in getting a 10x objective and this video will save me lots of time and money.
I think is fair to share the savings with you so I made a contribution through your website. Best regards and please keep up the excellent work!!
Thank you, Juan Carlos! You are too kind! You must share some of your 10x images with me!
@@AllanWallsPhotography I'll do it!!
Hello Allan. Here are my first 10x images: imagenes.website/10x-infinity-plan-objective
I used the 10x plus a Takumar 200mm objective. Got some chromatic aberration but nothing terrible.
@@juancarlosplaza8301 Thanks for sharing the shots, Juan Carlos. The sewing needle came out very well, for something that is so difficult to light. I think it is an excellent decision to explore the capabilities of a new high magnification system using simple everyday objects as your subjects. This approach will be hugely helpful in learning the limitations of high magnification, figuring out the best ways to light subjects that are almost touching the lens, and anticipating focus stacking issues before they happen. Keep up the good work! Great start!
@@AllanWallsPhotography Thank you Allan. Your explanations are the key to my learning process.
I'll keep exploring and trying. Today is the turn of roses thorns and cactus spines.
Great, informative video. Very helpful. I look forward to your videos. Many Thanks indeed!
Thanks - I'm glad you found it helpful!
Is it better to have a longer focal length if using another lens to bring the light in from infinity?
Can you use the 100x nikon one (same version) ?
Thank you Allan. I am hooked. But I cannot find 200mm extension tubes for Sony e mount. Frustrating, but I will persevere!
B&H has dirt cheap $9 sets (get 3 sets) for Sony E. But failing that Fotodiox makes those tubes and you can get them from their website. Or get a cheap adapter (Sony E to Nikon F) and use Nikon tubes which are always available. Or buy a length of PVC tube, flock it, and epoxy a body cap to one end and a lens cap to the other - hey presto - extension tubes!
Allen，is there a problem to use a finite object in front of the formal camera lens creating image on my sensor？
Well Allan, after watching your video's I have now ordered everything I think I'll need. So I just hope that the Chinese don't fall out with us in the meantime. The Objective was hard to find but eventually found a UK site, Ultramacro.co.uk who specialise in macro photography with objectives, stacking rails/software and many other accessories. So hope this a help to other fans of your photography from the UK.
Sorry if silly question and new to these products etc, but looking up the objectives mentioned I came across a "bargain" on a 2k usd lens and wonder if it can be used as well. Mitutoyo M Plan Apo NIR 10x LWD Objective at 400 usd used, while the 900 usd one mentioned here was 650 usd used. Or is that something altogether different and not for the normal macro we do with it's infra-red thing?
Hi Allan, Ask how many megapixels camera are necessary when using 5x, 10x, 20x or maybe 50x microscope objective. How can I find out. Greetings Patrick
Thanks a lot.
Allan, have you ever tried this with a Micro-Nikkor 200mm lens. I have one: it has a 52mm filter ring and with the FTZ adapter works well on my Z7. Any thoughts?
Hi Robert, I apologize for the lateness of this response, but yes I am familiar with the Micro Nikkor 200 mm lens. I presume you are talking about the f/4. It is one of the sharpest macro lenses on the planet. I no longer have the lens but I have several friends who do and one day I will add it back to my collection. I have not personally used this macro lens as a relay lens with a microscope objective but there are several very well-known macro photographers who use it as their go to tube lens. Levon Biss is probably the most famous of these. I have always avoided using macro lenses as tube lenses as I have found them almost universally disappointing, that is the reason I have never tried this particular combination. But when I get another 200 mm, one of the first things I plan to do is use as a relay with the Mitutoyo 5 and 10x objectives. You will need the FTZ adapter to mount the lens on the camera but this will place it at the correct length for the focal distance. I would go from the 52 mm filter thread stepwise using step down rings to 26 mm to mount the Mitutoyo or 25 mm to mount the CFI plan Nikon objective. This will give you approximately 25 mm of infinity space. Let me know how it goes, I will be most interested to hear your experience.
I have an old minolta 200mm F4 telephoto - would that work as a tube lens?
i have a multiple extension sets and i ordered 4x microscope objectives and the adapter needed to i need to have a lens between the camera and the microscope
No. With a finite objective, all you need is a total distance of 150mm between the sensor of your camera and the back end of the objective.
@@AllanWallsPhotography thank you so much sir
How do I find the "diopter value" so that I can determine the focal length?
I found a set of diopters from "Big Mike's" that are fairly thin and come in "+1, +2, +4, and +10". Is that the diopter value?
(for some reason, I don't see it listed on any of the Raynox listings.)
Are those Big Mike's diopters okay to use for this purpose or is is better to use the Raynox?
Mr. Alan, I've bought the Nikon CFI Plan achromat 10X/0.25, M25 infinity and already had the Raynox diopter (4.8) - DCR-150. I'm looking for advice for the best lens for a full-frame Sony A7iii camera, possibly (Sony FE 70-200mm F4 G OSS). I bought a 90mm macro lens a year ago and would like to take this to the next level, as you stated. Thank you in advance...
Hi Jamie, you already have two sweet setups for macro, a standard length macro (the Sony 90mm or 3rd party?) and a great 10X objective. What you don't have is anything to fill the gap between the macro lens and the 10X. If I had the money it would be the Mitutoyo M-plan APO 5x every time - best macro lens in the world - hands down. If you don't have the $$, get an Amscope 4X finite objective, or an El Nikkor 50mm f/2.8N enlarger lens and a set of bellows. If you are a billionaire, get a Nikon D850 and buy two Micro Nikkor 200mm f/4 ED-IF AF lenses and send one of them to me. That is the sharpest macro lens ever made.
Great content Mr.Allan Walls - Do you know any cheaper alternatives for nikon plan objectives?
Any photo or video captured with this lens?
Can you elaborate on how to use the Nikon 10x objective for magnifications less than 10X.
I love your videos Allan. I am so glad I found you on youtube. I am learning so much with the world of macro photography by watching your videos. Can't wait to get my gear all together!
Cool! Glad they are useful to you - more on the way!
Great video. I've learned a ton. I'm getting great results with my Nikon 10x. I've been addicted to macro photography for years. Started out with a macro lens, now this. I suspect I'm going to want an electron microscope before it is all over LOL
Hey Robert... See what you've done!? Now I'm looking for used electron microscopes on eBay! I found an FEI Philips SEM for under $35,000, but the shipping charges ($1,200) were a bit steep!
@@AllanWallsPhotography I"m a retired electron microscopist. I remain involved with electron microscopy through educational outreach. In fact it was this activity that piqued my interest in macro photography at the scale of insects. Insects are by far the most charismatic subjects for scanning electron microscopy, especially if your students are middle-schoolers. There is so much to explore over a wide range of scales (including scales) :-). Lately I've been partnering with Hitachi, using their table-top SEMs. They can be set up in half an hour anywhere with mains power. No other utilities required. Even these microscopes are not inexpensive, starting at about $35k (but less than a new school bus). At Intel, my last SEM was an FEI Magellan, priced at around $1M with an achievable spatial resolution of 1 nm. For all that, insects are a far more engaging specimen than the arcane minutia of semiconductor chips.
@@michaelmckeag960 Fascinating! I have been reading about the latest Hitachi variable pressure scopes. Amazing devices. The first EM I saw was twice the size of refrigerator! But that was four decades ago.
@@AllanWallsPhotography My introduction to electron microscopy was 35 years ago. My first SEM was a JEOL 840. We also had a couple JEOL 35s and a hulking beast, an ETEC Autoscan as I recall (unreliably). A search for a photo to verify led me to the website of the legendary David Sharf. I'm delighted to discover he is still at it. Nobody has pushed electron microscopy as an art form further. www.scharfphoto.com/
I don’t know about clovers but I get male Robbins attacking their own reflections in my windows all day long during the spring time.
Hi Andrew. The wildlife around here has it in for me!
They know what you do with that modified badminton racket hahahahaha XD
Nice job explaining the difference between finite and infinite objectives and how the infinite works and why. I think you explain things well in your videos, but I can't help but think some visual aids would be helpful., things like adding some b-roll of simple diagrams and reference pictures (especially for the differences in magnification).
Thanks. Your point is well taken. I have been adding such visual aids in more recent videos, and I agree that it is helpful.
grazie per le informazioni e descrizioni, meritano una grande stima. sono capitato per caso cercando informazioni sulla macro extrema ,nella ricerca di consigli e suggerimenti ,nel cercare di avvicinarmi alla visione di basidi e cistidi nei funghi senza usare il microscopio. sto facendo fatica ma guardando i suoi video comincio ad avvicinarmi allo scopo.
grazie molte
Thanks Guido, several of my friends use these techniques to photography fungal structures, with great success. Good luck with your projects!
Excellent information. I have a thought. I have an old Takumar M42 150mm lens and can mount the Nikon to the front. That would give me less than 10X. What about using it setup like that then just put extension tubes on the back of the Takumar and increase magnification that way. Would that cause problems or would that actually work? I do have a AmScope 10x Plan but seems soft even at 160mm but it is designed for 160mm. Might be light placement but just a thought. For now I'll stick with my 4X and work on my lighting.
Hi Pete. Interesting questions. You certainly can use the Takumar 150mm as a relay lens, but you can't add any extension. The tube lens (the Takumar) needs to be used focused at infinity, (and wide open) which you can't do if you add extension. I would use it at its focal distance and try to find an M25 to M42 adapter that will place the objective as close as possible to the front of the relay lens. You may end up having to use an M25 to 52mm adapter and an M52 to M42 step down ring. I know the AmScope 10X of which you speak - but that is a finite objective. It is rated for an RMS standard 160mm tube length, but will be a lot sharper at 150mm from the sensor (which is the optical tube length). By the way, the first setup should get you to around 7X.
Great amazing explane
But how do you focus the bellows setup? Is the bellows adjustment fine enough to use for fine focus? Or is moving the entire construction the best way
Patronized ;) Awesome
Why do you need an eyepiece with the finite objectives?
Hi Allan Did you purchase your copy of microscope objective from the link you provided at Atlanta microscope?
Excellent video Allen. Which bellows for a Nikon DSLR do you like?
Hi Allan,please which extension tubes are best to buy. Thanks in advance.
Hi Mario! Good to hear from you! I use the cheapest 52mm tubes I can find. www.adorama.com/fdmacrotnikf.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjwhtT1BRCiARIsAGlY51IPKImD_Oly-sUSnlUO5CiLChZK1t4jl9s9-DxXKSJtmjiAAnPjLbMaAm4WEALw_wcB&
These don't have any electrical connection (which you don't need for most things) and they are made to fit most camera brands. I use these same tubes, with excellent results.
What lens would you use for crop sensors? 150mm?
The lens requirement do not change with sensor size, you will still need the same 200mm focal length tube lens - that is determined by the objective, not the camera. The only thing that changes with the smaller sensor is that the field of view narrows. If I did not understand your question let me know!
In 25:20, why does it need to be 200 mm lens? Can I use the objective lens with a 100 mm macro lens (Canon)?
Allen, Huge abundance of fantastic technical information here which will help us out here in the hinterlands-of-macro. It is worth mentioning that
all of the major "four" objective manufacturers produce (M20 ??) objectives for finite and infinite class. The RMS M25 thread is a very small percentage and are very expensive. So, the dominant objective source is RMS standard (Royal Microscopical Society) for mechanical compatibility
where the objective has mounting threads that are 20.32 mm in diameter with a thread pitch of 0.706.
Do you know how to adapt down to this 20.3mm "spec" with rings & tubes ?
Thanks for all your amazing work and knowledge in the macro arena !
Hi Gary, Most of the modern, higher NA objectives that we use in macro photography require a larger thread to accommodate the optics. Two common examples include Mitutoyo's 5X Plan Apo, which has an M26 mount and Nikon's Plan Achromat 10X which uses the M25 mount. And these lenses are expensive, to be sure. Many less expensive, short working distance, low NA objectives still use the smaller RMS (20.32mm) mount. So while there may be a broad range of RMS objectives available, they are not always the lenses we would choose to use as photographers. Adapters for every objective are pretty easy to find on eBay, where you can pick up an RMS to M42 adapter for about $6. In my experience, finding adapters for M25 and M26 objectives is not a problem. As I generally use M42 extension tubes, I keep adapters for all of the comments thread sizes on hand, and use them interchangeably, though I only have one RMS objective that I use regularly (the amazing and cheap AmScope 4X finite objective).
@@AllanWallsPhotography Thanks for the help and clarification. So, ultimately you are chasing after more light gathering power
when you use higher Field Number (FN) objectives. The Working Distance and NA specs of your Nikon 10x Plan Achro is very typical
of low cost 10x objectives. What you are paying for is the larger (Plano) FN which provides a slightly larger (projected) field-of-view for potentially more exciting final images. Side-note: The AmScope "Plan" objectives are VERY good, surprisingly. I have evaluated their 160mm 10x Plan, 20x Plan, and 60x Plan and I was amazed at the performance for such ultra LOW COST. I don't know anything about their "infinity" objectives. Some day, I would love to see you produce images with 4x (or 5x) infinity Plan objectives that are typical Field Number and 20.3mm mounting. As you know, it is much easier to push light in and around specimen and the depth-of-field is far better. Thanks again for ALL your great productions !
the title of this video sounds very romantic 😂😂😂😂🤣🤣😁😁
Hahaha - you are so right - how did I miss that - hahahaha
Alan, may I request clarification please? From another couple of videos by you I have ordered a Raynox DCR150 as this appeared to be the tube lens of choice (by you) to use your mitutoyo 5x/10x infinity corrected microscope lens. Is the Raynox you mention in this video the same 'tube' lens or have I bought the wrong thing? I am a little worried as doing this all on a shoe-string budget.
Respected Sir, Nikon plan 10x/0.25 is way out of my reach, please suggest me an alternative, my setup is D850 + Nikon 200mm f/4 Macro + Raynox DCR-250, I do not know how am going to manage the 25mm adapter for the alternative plan but I may use the Microscope Mount Adapter which comes with the T2 ring, please advise otherwise, I have never tried this & will be my first attempt at whatever I do, Thanks for inspiration all the time !!
Greetings! I hate to say it, but there is no competition in that price range. I have tried so many inexpensive 10X plan objectives, finite and infinity corrected, and the trade off in quality is really dramatic. The CFI Plan 10X Achromat is, for me, the perfect balance of affordability and quality. Most objectives that perform as well as the CFI are going to have price tags of $500 and up (way up) on the used market. Objectives like the Mitutoyo M Plan and BD Plan Apo (out of my price range, too). You can buy finite objectives from AmScope, in the 10X range, but the image quality is not worth the $30 investment. I would not recommend using the Micro Nikkor 200mm as a relay lens. The DCR-250, mounted at it's focal length of 125mm, makes an excellent tube lens for the CFI 10X plan, but will reduce the magnification to 5X. If you wanted to get into higher magnification (4-5X) on the cheap, I highly recommend the AmScope 4X finite objective which needs only extension tubes and an RMS to F-mount adapter - and gives awesome images for about $20. For $50, you may be able to find a Lomo 3.7/0.11, which is even sharper. But they are getting very hard to find. But if you are trying to get to 10X, you simply won't find a better infinity corrected objective at the $199 price of the Nikon CFI (IMHO). One other thing, even if you go with another 10X infinity objective, you are still going to have to invest in a 200mm tube lens, or a Raynox DCR-150 (focal length 208mm).
Thanks Allan, impressive! so can i use 3 extension tube sets plus a 14mm to get to 161mm plus a 1mm (unsure if you can purchase a spacer/ ring) 1 x achromat 10X/0.25, 1 x M25 to M52 objective adapter. 1 x Raynox diopter (4.8) or do i need to take into account the width of the Raynox diopter (4.8)? thinking of ways i can get started on the cheep, the bellows are a price at present, ty Col
I ended up buying bellows
I purchased a m42 to rms adapter. I ordered the cone shaped on. Its 2" long or 50.8mm. Nikon flange depth 46.5mm. So the magic number of 160. I guess what I need to do now is fill the rest with extention tubes. 160-46.5 =113.5 -50.8= 62.7. So I need about 63mm of extention tube. So what if I epoxy a 63mm length of PVC between two nikon f-mounts as a diy extension tube. Wow. Cut the tube in half and put back together with a PVC coupler. Helios. Screws and DNA are also forms of helios. Anyway......I built an addition to your cage design. Overhead slider, 4-way. Can hold camera from directly above. Also building studio light. From squirrel baffle. 150 LED, on telescopic gaff made from flower sprinkler. Tripod heavy duty from shop light. Looking at it one would never know. I should post it on facebook.
I about burned the house down this morning. Bacon grease fire on the stove. Lots of saved grease...melting it to pour out. Forgot about it. Flames all the way up to vent hood. Had to smother. No baking power. Can't throw water on it. So........I through a bed sheat on it. Big mistake. It wicked into the sheat and made bigger fire. Dragged it outside. Got hand burnt. The almost caught patio deck on fire. Kitchen thrown out the door by the cord...on fire...plastic on fire. Great all over the floor. Slippery. What a mess. Everything it ok. That was a close on.
I have a nikon 20x apo objective lens - is that going to be too tricky to work with?
It is a little trickier, but it is a great objective and you will get some awesome images. Lighting is more challenging. I will be doing a video in the near future to discuss lighting at extremely close working distances.