Up close and personal

There are times when you need to get in really close for a photograph – closer than your lens will allow. With a high pixel count camera you could take a picture as close as you can get and then crop it later using photo processing software but this method is still limited.

For those who specialise in close up photography, the ideal solution to the problem is a dedicated macro lens. These don’t come cheap but if bugs and insects are your thing then this is probably the best way to go.

A much cheaper solution is to buy close up lenses to screw onto the front of your existing lens. You are limited as to how much magnification you can get with these though.

The cheapest solution turns out to be a set of macro extension tubes like these that I bought for my Canon. I only discovered them thanks to my good friend Pete who already had a set and posted some excellent results from them on his Flickr album.

From your school physics you will remember that the further a lens is away, the closer it focuses. So you fit the tube(s) between your lens and the camera body to take advantage of this principle.

For £5.99 plus postage from Amazon, what you get are three tubes of increasing sizes which you can use singly or in combinations. If my maths is correct, I make that seven possibilities (1, 2, 3, 1+2, 1+3, 2+3, 1+2+3). The longer the tube you use the more magnification you get.

With any method of getting macro shots you do need a tripod because the slightest movement of the camera will be exaggerated in the viewfinder. You will also need to focus very carefully on the subject because the depth of field you get will be very shallow. With a bit of care though the results can be stunning.