Macros from Olympus E-M1 + Panasonic 35-100 + Canon 500D close-up lens

Though I have several dedicated macro lenses, I chose to take this makeshift arrangement (refer to my blog title) to the botanic gardens on Saturday.  I have had the Canon close-up lenses for many years and have used them on a number of cameras, well before I purchased my first macro lens.  From time to time it is fun to take these acromatic close-up lens out of their cases and give them a "go".

For more details and explanation see my prior post.

In all of these cases, aperture was F2.8.  I'm not sure that gave enough depth of field. You may like or not like the result.  But my desire was to get a blurry, creamy background if possible, and for that a large aperture is needed.

Except where indicated, these were shot at full zoom of 100mm (FF=200mm). With this combination of camera and lenses, when zoomed into 100mm, depth of field is about 1/4".

Here's what I got:

75mm (FF=150mm)

Macro Set up #1: Olympus E-M1 + Pany 35-100mm + Canon 500D closeup lens

For years I have been enjoying the use of add-on "filters" to add close up capabilities to zoom lenses.  These look like thick filters but are actually acromatic lenses.

I have two made by Canon: the 500D and the 250D.  They are about $100 each. Both of mine have 58mm threads. This makes them a perfect fit for the Panasonic 35-100 F2.8, which I used yesterday at the nearby botanic garden, and the Olympus kit 40-150mm F4-F5.6. The Panasonic lens is a zoom with a big aperture so it had an advantage yesterday because I wanted to shoot with a narrow depth of field to get a blurry background.  But both lenses provide very sharp images.

The 500D is designed to focus your zoom lens at 50cm (about 20") and the 250D is designed to focus your zoom lens at 25cm (about 10")

When the Panasonic is zoomed to 100mm (FF=200mm) you can get a 1:2 macro (FF equivalent) with the 500D and a 1:1 macro (FF equivalent) with the 250D.  Of course, a longer zoom will get more magnification, and is one reason I have used the Olympus kit 40-150 from time to time.

Here's the set up I used yesterday at the botanic gardens.  (I'm still reviewing the images, hoping for a few "good" ones to post later this week.)

In the foreground are the two Canon Close-up lenses: 250D and 500D

58mm threads fit perfectly on the Panasonic 35-100 mm zoom.
I used the 500D yesterday shooting flowers, and will post some
images soon.

A 500D or 250D in a larger size would work, too, but a step up ring would be required.
The advantage of the 58mm size is that it doesn't interfere with the lens hood.

Olympus Kit 40-150mm stacked with Canon 500D closeup lens

While mowing the lawn the other day I came across a near perfect dandelion-gone-to-seed.  It was all alone in the grass (I've done a pretty good job this spring killing off the weeds) and the afternoon light was good.  I went into the house and grabbed my camera.  But I did something a bit differently for the lens set up.

I took a kit 40-150R Olympus lens.  I bought this a year ago for $100 and I think it retails for $150-$200.  It has a plastic mount and is very light, weighing less than 7 ounces.  But the optics, at least on this sample, are excellent.  The plastic mount doesn't bother me. No matter how long the lens lasts, it will be well worth the price I paid. Indeed, the charts provided by slrgear.com show it to be sharp all the way up to F11.

Anyway, hoping not to compromise its sharpness too much, I attached a 500D Canon closeup lens into the filter threads. Mine has a 58mm diameter which fits perfectly on the 40-150.  I think I paid about $90 for it, so it isn't cheap, for a small chunk of glass.  But it modifies a zoom lens into a macro lens.

Metadata:  74mm, 1/320 sec, F5, ISO200.  
I had the minimum shutter speed set to 1/320 and F5 is "wide open" at the 74mm zoom mark. 
A touch of fill flash.  No cropping.

Center crop at 100%

Focusing is a bit tricky with the 500D attached.  It is designed to focus your zoom lens at 500mm (about 20").  That's it: 20" (plus or minus a couple of inches).Once you have achieved focus, you then zoom-in or zoom-out to compose your picture.  Zoomed-in I can focus on an object about 1 3/4" in width.  If that is too magnified, I just zoom out until I get the composition I am looking for.  If my subject is more than 4" in width, I don't need the closeup lens; there is enough magnification in the lens itself to accomplish this without an accessory.

[I also own a 58mm diameter 250D.  This is designed to focus your zoom lens at 250mm (about 10").  Fully zoomed-in at the 150mm end of the 40-150, I can focus on an object about 1" in width.]

Here're a few more examples using the 500D on top of the 40-150 zoom:

Metadata:  Zoom to 100mm, 1/250 sec, F5, ISO200.  
F5 is "wide open" at the 100mm zoom mark. 
A touch of fill flash.

Metadata:  Zoom to 82mm, 1/500 sec, F4.8, ISO200.   
A touch of fill flash.

Metadata:  Zoom to 150mm, 1/800 sec, F5.6, ISO200. 

Metadata:  Zoom to 78mm, 1/250 sec, F4.7, ISO200.  
A touch of fill flash.