7 replies to this topic

[midgetyone]

I was doing a bit of browsing for fun photography gear as one does and came across this,

http://cgi.ebay.com....=item1e5cb0d1bb

I was wondering if anyone knows about this kind of bellows setup and whether it is any good? Do you get a good background blur from your standard focal lengths on normal lenses?

Basically I like the look and idea just not sure how it'd go.....

[Mystic]

The addition of rails is definitely a bonus with this set. When using bellows or extension tubes the depth of field is dramatically reduced, so the background blur (bokeh) will be increased. The higher the amount of magnification in a shot the less the DOF is. I have not yet played with bellows, but have used extension tubes and rails on a 1:1 macro lens. A lot of fun (read frustration) in getting the focus right when using a setup like that, but all good practice.

It looks a good setup, and I bought my macro rails from that same seller and was very pleased with the quality and build.

[midgetyone]

That is awesome to know. I was a bit worried about it coming over the border but yours got here

How do the rails attach to a tripod? They have the same standard screw in base like a camera or click in like the bit that you screw to the bottom of your camera?

I make the presumption you can use any lens or do you actually need a macro lens as well?

[Mystic]

You should have no problems at all with delivery. Standard screw mount to tripod, and yes, you can use any lens. DOF will reduce the further you extend the bellows so you will need to adjust your f-stops to compensate. Trial, error & practice and you will soon get used to the new toy. Hope you have lots of fun with it.

[midgetyone]

Hmmmm very temping buy How does it affect the picutre in the end. Having moved the lens away does it make a black border on the image?

Sorry for the questions but this is an entirely new concept for me first I have ever heard of it

[Mystic]

No problems with the questions Moving the lens further away from the sensor will not create any borders on your images, but it will reduce the amount of light that actually reaches the sensor. It also can result in a reduced amount of detail transferred to the sensor, which basically means that using an aperture of 2.8 may help transfer more light, but will also reduce the detail, that is why you need to use a smaller aperture. When shooting with extension tubes I am usually using f13-f16 in order to get a reasonable DOF. A set of bellows is basically just an adjustable extension tube so the results should be the same.

This image was shot using extension tubes, but I cannot remember what aperture value I used.

[midgetyone]

Ah ok I can see what you mean for depth of field reduction

Can it be used to create a good bokeh for standard photography or will you get the 'focal point' being reduced too much? Say for instance a picture of 3 people in front of bushes. Will the picture be ok for the person in the middle and blur outwards or given they are roughly at the same focal length they will all be ok with a good bokeh? Given possibly f22 or more?

[Mystic]

You will only be able to shoot objects that are close to the lens. The focal point will be narrow, and you will not be able to shoot the people (at least I would be surprised if you could). For the kind of shot you are suggesting above, the Pentax M 50mm f1.7 lens is PERFECT. maybe something equivalent for your camera type, or the Pentax lens with an adapter.