Introduction: DSLR Microphotography

Microphotography is the art of photographing objects with exaggeration greater than a accepted macro lense, but to a lesser degree a typical microscope. This allows you to photograph things very - very - close up, but smooth use relatively classical photography equipment.

There are a number of slipway to action microphotography using commercially available lenses and systems. However, in this tutorial I am going to show you how to DIY your own microphotography setup for a fraction of the cost. While building your ain system includes its own set of challenges, it also provides a large degree of flexibleness and enables customization.

Step 1: Macrophotography Vs. Microphotography

A typical macro Lens has a 1:1 enlargement. What this agency is that the size of the targe being photographed gets translated onto the camera sensor at its own size. In other words, if you have a 1" square being photographed, the foursquare volition strike a 1" square worth of area on the camera detector.

With microphotography, the object will show up along the sensor large than it actually is. For instance if you have a 2:1 lense (2X magnification), and you shoot a 1" square, information technology testament resume 2" straightarrow worth of space on the sensor.

The overstatement in microphotography can atomic number 4 American Samoa great as 20X larger. Anything beyond that is typically considered subgross photography and employs a microscope to horizon same small things.

Step 2: Homebrew Microphotography Rig

Pace 3: Microscope Clinical

In this example the accusative I am using has 10X magnification, just I could easily swap it out for any other objective 'tween 2X up to 20X magnification.

In that location are cardinal types of microscope objectives, those being infinite focus and fixed focus. Infinite focus lenses need to Be decorated at the end of a camera lens convergent to eternity. Fixed focus lenses get into't require an additional lens, but motivation to be placed a fixed space away from the camera's sensor.

Microscope objectives are corresponding camera lenses in that they are non complete created equal. Few are manufactured amended than others and wont better sense organ glass. When just getting started, it is not especially important how high-end of an clinical you get. However, it is recommended that you e'er bribe one that is new. At high magnifications, a trifle bit of depreciation can cause vast blemishes in your pic.

I definite to use a microscope object with a geostationary focus of 160mm. What this agency is that the microscope objective should be placed 160mm from the camera's sensor. This distance is a somewhat standard fixed focus distance.

Step 4: Bellows

One way to achieve this spacing - and the one I distinct to habit - is to wont a 150mm bellows. This should ply the 160mm that is needed for the impersonal since the television camera's sensor is not right at the opening of the camera consistence, but set back slightly inside of the camera. As a matter of fact, this distance will likely make up greater than the 10mm (0.4") distance that needs to atomic number 4 made up. This is thin since the bellows is adjustable and can be keyed in arsenic need be.

The benefit of using bellows is that IT is cheap, and changeful allowing for easy focusing. The cons of using a bellows setup is that they are infamous for collecting dust, and essentially function atomic number 3 an vacuum pump which moves dust and particles into your camera body and onto the sensor. If you are victimisation this setup much, do not be goggle-eyed if you discove pieces of pilus or dust start to show up in the accurate said places in all of your photos. This means that your camera sensor necessarily cleaning. Spell you can do this yourself, I recommend having it sent out for professional cleaning as an alternative.

Another option is to role fixed extender tubes. By stacking extender tubes, you commode get the length you postulate, although one of the downsides of victimisation them is that focusing becomes trickier. Also, unless you corrupt high stop extender tubes, they are known for breaking and dropping lenses.

Stone's throw 5: Adapter Rings

To connect the objective to the Canon bellows I over skyward using two sets of adapters. The first adapter converted the Canon's standard lens attachment ring down to a 42 mm threading.

The second adapter converted the 42mm threading to the smaller RMS threading used by the microscope objective. RMS stands for Royal Microscopical Society and is extraordinary of the more ordinary threadings for microscope objectives.

Step 6: LED Light

When working with microscope objectives, a lot of weak is necessary to help get a acute focus. Achieving sound firing can get along a little minute challenging.

At the end of the bellows I have attached a lens-mount LED ring light. Since the bellows did not have a optical lens threading appropriate for attaching the light, I simply zip tied the light to the end of the bellows. This positions the light centered around the microscope objective, and set back e'er-thus-slightly from the lens. In my live I find it works evenhandedly healthy.

I always keep the LED light set to full smartness. Since I am non victimisation the ring light as a strobe, it does not particularly matter if the induction unit is plugged into the television camera's hot skid. However, it is studied to be mounted there and I just find this is the most sensible place to retain it.

Other microphotographers use deuce television camera brassy units adorned on all side of the accusative pointed inwards at 45 degrees. They say this produces a crisper image with less blur. However, I set up this setup to be too cumbersome and difficult to dial in. I decided to follow constant LED lighting, and have generally been pleased with the results.

Step 7: Tripod

If you don't deprivation all of your pictures to be blurry, you will need a very stable tripod. For my shots I have been using a quite sturdy Manfroto tripod with a horizontal column. This means that the central pillar of the tripod can extend outward, and then pivot a full 90 degrees, allowing you to point your camera directly downwards. Put another way of life, it allows you to propel the tripod head to be on a plane perpendicular to the tripod itself. Piece this setup is extremely helpful when doing this kind of photography, keep in mind that it can be pricey.

Dance step 8: Focusing

Focusing is extremely tricky. The focal plane at this magnification is really small and it's extremely hard to focus in upon anything. If you consider the above video you will notice how quickly the subjects go in and provide focus.

The first thing to take down approximately this is that the strange alien forest is actually a closeup on Rhizopus nigricans, and the spores we are looking at are scantily visible to the human eye under mean luck. Even so, when trying to focus upon information technology, identical slight adjustments to the point plane rapidly sends United States through a terzetto dimensional fungi universe.

In short, focusing requires both solitaire and practice. Having adjustable bellows is helpful because it allows you to easily piss slight adjustments to the position of the objective. Typically, a hardly a millimeters of give and take off is all you need to concentre in upon an object.

Step 9: Shooting

With direction organism so touchy, the sword-shaped fulfill of pressing the tv camera shutter button is more enough to knock your subject extinct of focalise or create motion blur. To compensate for this, I habituate the wireless outside to trigger the camera so that when I have my shot lined prepared, I do non need to and so touch the tv camera to capture IT.

Additionally, the shaking from the camera's mirror organization unequalled can be enough to cause a shot to be blurry. To account for this, I shoot in hold up panoram mode with Silent LV: Mode 2 enabled. This configuration creates the minimal amount of mechanical movement inside the tv camera when shooting pictures.

Step 10: Alternate Method

Another mode to get a exaggeration greater than 1:1 is to simply bind a macro lens to the last of a camera bellows. The pictured Canyon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Large Lens has given me a magnification of a little over 2X. This is not quite as good as the 10X that I tooshie buzz off victimization the microscope object. However, the comfort of use and image quality makes this a quick method for achieving micro level photos.

Step 11: Focus Stacking

Yet under the first of lot, if you are shooting something with any depth, single a paring will be in focus at whatsoever given time. One fashio to mystify around this is to use a proficiency named "focus stacking."

Focus stacking allows you to take a bunch of photos that were shot at slightly contrasting depths, and merge them collectively into united crisp image in post-production (typically victimisation Photoshop). By doing this, it bequeath average the images and commingle the parts which are in focus on.

If you would like to learn more more or less focus stacking, check out my Focus Stacking instructable.

Tone 12: Explore the Microscopic

Now that you've got your microphotography frame-up low-level ascertain, all that's left-handed to do is to take away some pictures. Like anything other in lifespan, the most immodest thing is practice, practice, practice.

To starting time, I was simply honorable amazed at the things I was able to see. Then, I was annoyed that the pictures were not coming out equally well as I had hoped. Finally, later on a lot of shooting and refining my techniques, I was able to take some photos that I was gratified with. I'm hardly more or less being an expert at this, simply I do enjoy the gainsay of exploring the microscopic world.

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