Brittany Shaw Lenses and Filters

Here are Todays Amazing Macro Bellows Deals!

More Great Information on Macro Bellows:

Old Fashioned High Resolution Photo Camera by

Tired of trying to keep updated with the highest mega pixel resolution digital camera? Well even if one has tried to do that, most certainly he will soon find out that his few months old digital camera is outdated in terms of mega pixel resolution. It's an ever changing kind of product that has become very hard to keep updated, unless one is willing to spend more money by making purchases every six to twelve months.

If the main intention of purchasing a photo camera is enlarging the image, then mega pixel resolution indeed will become the main factor. In this case one might consider a different option, which will keep his product updated for years to come. I'm talking about a used 4x5" film photo camera, together with a high resolution flat bed film scanner. All of this for less than one thousand US dollars. With all of this, one will get over 100 mega pixels in fine detailed film resolution and fine scanned digital images that can be enlarged up to 30x40" in size with professional quality. These 4x5" film cameras have done a remarkable job in general personal and commercial photography such as wedding, portraiture, product, documentary, advertising and landscape for nearly a hundred years.

Where to find 4x5" used film cameras? Since some of these cameras were mostly used in the past, until the 1960's, it should be no problem in finding them in American auction web sites. Anyway, a good used 4x5" camera with lens can be found for less than four hundred US dollars.

As for the flat bed film scanner, one can find brand new ones for less than five hundred US dollars. Just make sure the scanner is able to scan films.

Whenever purchasing a 4x5" film camera, one should look for the following features: folds into a compact box, flexible bellows, lenses that can be easily interchanged, accepts sheet film, ground glass focusing screen, easily handheld and optical viewfinder accessory.

As for the lenses, there are four main categories: 1 - general purposes; 2 - wide field (mostly used for close up work and landscape); 3 - extreme wide angles lenses; 4 - special effects lenses (telephoto). However, one might use a general purpose 127 or 152mm lens for most of his photograph sessions. In cases where it requires special lenses, such as architecture or macro photography, one will still find lots of them available in auction sites. Used lenses for 4x5" cameras made after World War II have excellent performances comparable to today's modern lenses.

Whenever making a purchase of a 4x5" camera make sure that: 1 - the bellows have no light leaks, 2 - the lens shutter works accurate at all speeds; 3 - the lens elements have no fungus and scratches of any kind; 4 - the focus is working properly between the ground glass and the film.

The option of using a 4x5" film camera, together with a flat bed film scanner, for enlarging images with professional quality is viable and accessible. Cheaper than top digital cameras, the 4x5" film camera offers better image quality and will always be updated in the future, maintaining its original value.

For those who wishes the very most detailed image enlargement, one can always use the 8x10" film camera. Four times the physical film size of the 4x5", this option offers so much film resolution that it is considered by many as the ultimate step for photo image enlargement.

Sometimes analog products deliver better results that its digital counterparts. If you are doing the job of enlarging photo images, you should give it a try with a 4x5" camera. You might just surprise yourself.

This article can also be accessed in portuguese language from the News Article section of page PoloMercantil

Roberto Sedycias has a bachelor degree in Business Administration and over 20 years experience in systems analysis and computer programming. Currently working as IT consultant for www.PoloMercantil.com.br

Article Source: http://www.earticlesonline.com/Article/Old-Fashioned-High-Resolution-Photo-Camera/155746

Bellow Systems for macro shooting ?

I have a Canon EOS 1000D .. very standard, but i have been recommended by 'Ciao Ciao' (another user), that i should get a macro bellow system.

I really dont know exactly what i'd need to get this setup correctly.

I would use my EOS 1000D and a 18-55mm lens.

What are exactly all the things i'll need and where can i buy it ????

Thanks

Hi Sam,

What you are referring to is most properly called an Extension Bellows. These can be an affordable and extremely flexible tool for doing higher magnification photography but you should understand what they do, the advantages they provide and some of the limitations.

The primary purpose of an Extension Bellows (hereafter abbreviated EB) is to allow a lens to be moved further away from the focal plane (the place where the film or digital sensor is located) on most cameras with interchangeable lenses the focal plane is indicated by a small circle with a straight line through it. The EB makes it possible for the lens to focus on objects that are closer to the lens than it's normal minimum focusing distance and hence to get greater magnification of such objects. The major advantages of using an EB are -

1] It gives an extremely flexible focusing range, especially for telephoto lenses making it possible to get very high magnification and remain at comfortable working distances. This can result in images of outstanding quality and exceptional clarity.

2] It facilitates the use of very high quality optics that use very simple, affordable designs. The best optics available for EB are special lenses designed for use with an EB unit because these will usually focus from infinity to within a few inches/centimeters of the lens surface.

3] in a FEW cases an EB will also allow movements of the lens in relation to the axis of the focal plane. This can be an advantage for architectural work & shifting the area of sharp focus for other situations but, when used on 35mm and smaller image format such as most DSLR cameras, adds significantly to the cost of the bellows because extreme precision is required for manufacture of the equipment. Furthermore few lenses for these cameras have the "covering power" to make effective use of such features. (Covering power is the size of the image circle created by a lens and, for tilt or shift functions, must be at least 2 or 3 times the size of one required for a general purpose lens. )

Disadvantages of using an EB are -

1] Focusing is usually extremely critical and Auto Focus features will be less reliable than with normal subjects. In my experience, AF will be impractical because the preferred method of focusing is with an external Focusing Rail which shifts the entire camera, bellows and lens forward and backward and sometimes from left to right, using adjustment knobs that allow very precise location of the apparatus.

2] The apparatus is usually unwieldy and requires a tripod or similar stable support system to ensure precise positioning of the camera.

3] Use of flash equipment can be complicated because high magnification changes exposure factors significantly.

4] The most accurate results will require increased exposure to account for reduced effective apertures when a bellows is extended. One great advantage of Through The Lens (TTL) metering found in almost all DSLR models is that it is much more reliable at calculating exposure for this type of apparatus.

A standard EB consists of:

A] A set of rigid rails that serve as a frame to support the bellows.

B] Front and Rear bellows support brackets that are affixed to the frame. Usually with control knobs to allow precise adjustment of the positions of the brackets along the track.

C] A collapsible, light tight, leather or plastic bellows that is attached between the brackets.

D] A camera mount for attaching a camera body to the rear bracket and a lens mount for attaching a suitable lens to the front bracket. In some cases there are mechanical and/or electronic links between the front & rear to automate operations of the meter, focus and aperture but this adds greatly to cost and complexity.

E] In many cases a focusing rail is also added to the mechanism. This most often consists of a second set of support rails that allow Gross and Fine adjustment of the main kit. Here are a couple of examples of these -

http://www.adorama.com/MCFRS1.html

https://www.adorama.com/MCFRS.html

And here is a basic, non automated bellows -

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=macro+bellows+for+canon&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=14581762557447822000&sa=X&ei=9lizTbH4E9SltwfpgIXqDg&ved=0CCUQ8wIwAQ#

If you are considering using a bellows arrangement I would suggest that you get a fixed focal length lens in the range of 50 ~150mm focal length and a basic non-automated bellows. You should be able to get a used manual aperture lens for less than $100 and hook up the apparatus for use in aperture priority mode. Do that to get an idea of what is involved.

It is more complicated to explain than it is to use and it will requires some patience and persistence to work it out but the results can be stunning.

Hope that helps. Good luck. Contact me by email if you need more help.

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